The Life of Ray Harryhausen (Part Three): Early Features and Collaboration with Schneer

Harryhausen’s success can partly be attributed to his relationship with Columbia Pictures producer Charles Schneer, who, after seeing The Beast of 20,000 Fathoms (1952), formulated his own monster flick, about a giant octopus wreaking havoc on San Francisco. He contacted Harryhausen, who agreed to be in charge of the film’s visual effects. The film turned out to be It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955), which can be viewed in more detail here: Monster Month Review: It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955). Budgetary restraints meant that the octopus model actually only had six tentacles, a shortcoming disguised only by the monster’s partial submergence in water throughout the picture. Three larger models of tentacles were also utilised for close-ups. The following feature saw Harryhausen’s final ever collaboration with Willis O’Brien. The film was titled The Animal World, and was released in 1956. Another notable aspect of this feature is that it marked Harryhausen’s return to dinosaur animations. There was no live action footage included in the project, and the models themselves lacked depth and detail. O’Brien and Harryhausen spent a mere eight weeks on the animation process.

The second film produced by Schneer that Harryhausen worked on was Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, released in 1956. This was based primarily on alleged flying saucer sightings of the 1950s. Harryhausen was once again in charge of the visual effects, this time posed with the challenge of having to simulate vehicles in flight. The saucers themselves were made of aluminium and created by his father, while the aliens featured in the film were played by actors in latex costumes as opposed to animated models (likely due to budgetary limitations). For a more detailed review of this film, click here: Monster Month Review: Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956).

The following year, Scheer and Harryhausen unveiled 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), Harryhausen’s final monochrome project. Initially set in Chicago, the film sees an unknown specimen from Venus, recovered on the shores of Sicily, which rapidly grows to gargantuan proportions, wreaking havoc on Italy. The feature’s most memorable scene is its climax atop the Colosseum. Two models of the creature (known behind the scenes as the Ymir) were made by Harryhausen – one small, and the other twenty inches tall, for its latter scenes. For further information on this film, click here: Monster Month Review: 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957).

Colorised version, 2007

Harryhausen then came up with a concept for a film based on the Arabian Nights, and wrote basic notes of a potential narrative under the title Sinbad the Sailor. In addition, he produced a number of advanced drawings, including pictures of the infamous skeleton fight that became a part of his subsequent 1958 feature collaboration with Schneer, The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad. Because of his unequalled skill and dexterity, Schneer had Harryhausen’s hands insured. Sinbad marked Harryhausen’s first coloured film, which inevitably led to further technical difficulties. The only model to survive was one of a skeleton – which was also reused in Jason and the Argonauts (1963). Sinbad also marked the first time the term ‘Dynamation’ was used to promote Harryhausen’s unique style of animation.

Images obtained from:

20 Million Miles to Earth. [DVD] (2008) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Culver City, California.

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers. [DVD] (2008) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Culver City, California.

It Came from Beneath the Sea. [DVD] (2008) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Culver City, California.