1958 film by Roger Corman

Teenage Caveman

Theatrical release poster
by Reynold Brown

Directed by| Roger Corman
Written by| R. Wright Campbell
Produced by| Roger Corman
Starring| Robert Vaughn
Darah Marshall
Cinematography| Floyd Crosby
Edited by| Irene Morra
Music by| Albert Glasser
Distributed by| American International Pictures

Release date

* July 1, 1958 (1958-07-01)

Running time

| 65 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $70,000

Teenage Caveman (U.K. title: Out of the Darkness) is an independently made 1958 black-and-white science fiction adventure film drama, produced and directed by Roger Corman, and starring Robert Vaughn and Sarah Marshall.[1] Teenage Caveman was released by American International Pictures in July 1958 as a double feature with How to Make a Monster.

The film was originally filmed under the title Prehistoric World and some 8x10 publicity stills retained the original title; AIP later changed it. Years later, Corman stated in an interview, "I never directed a film called Teenage Caveman".[2] Lead actor Vaughn stated in an interview that he considered Teenage Caveman to be the worst film ever made.[2] It was later featured on the mocking television series Mystery Science Theater 3000.

## Contents

* 1 Plot
* 2 Reception
* 3 Cast
* 4 Production
* 5 Home media
* 6 Mystery Science Theater 3000
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 8.1 Sources
* 9 External links

## Plot[edit]

A tribe of primitive humans lives in a barren, rocky wasteland and struggle for survival, despite a lush, plant-filled land on the other side of a nearby river. They refuse to cross the river because of a law that evolved from an ancient tale warning of a god lurking there who brings death with a single touch.

A young man of the tribe challenges the law and is eventually followed by other male members of his tribe, who fearfully cross the river in order to bring him back. They soon encounter the terrible god, a large, horribly burned but strangely human-like creature. Despite the young man's peace overture to the god, another tribal member, out of fear, lays a trap and stones the creature to death with a large rock; the young man then shoots and kills that tribesman with one of his arrows. The others gather around the now-dead god and discover that the creature is actually a much older man with long white hair. He is wearing some kind of strange, unknown outer garment with a fearful hood. They find another strange thing in the old man's possession; they are puzzled by this flat, thick object that opens and contains mysterious markings and vivid black, white and gray images that show an even stranger human world unknown to them.

In a surprising denouement provided by the old man after his death, the truth is revealed in voice-over as the tribesmen page through his book: He was actually a survivor of a long-ago nuclear holocaust, forced to live for decades inside his now-ragged, discolored and bulky radiation suit (which is implied to have once been covered with deadly radioactive fallout). The old man has wandered the land for decades, while the primitive remnants of a devastated human race have slowly increased their numbers; his frightening outer appearance caused them to fear and shun him.

A final, cautionary question is asked in voice-over by the old man: will humanity someday repeat its nuclear folly after civilization has once again risen to its former heights?

## Reception[edit]

Corman thought the film to be pretty good, but felt it could have been "genuinely good" had he had more time and more money. Variety found the film to be a good exploitation item aimed at the teen market. The Hollywood Reporter disliked the film and cited the film's low budget as a reason. Monthly Film Bulletin said the film tried hard, but was ultimately unsuccessful.[3]

The L.A. Times found it to be a good movie despite its title.[4]

## Cast[edit]

* Robert Vaughn as Symbol Maker's Teenage Son
* Darah Marshall as Blonde Maiden
* Leslie Bradley as Symbol Maker
* Frank De Kova as Black-Bearded One
* Charles Thompson as Tribe Member
* June Jocelyn as Symbol Maker's Wife
* Jonathan Haze as Curly-Haired Boy
* Beach Dickerson as Fair-Haired Boy / Man from Burning Plains / Tom Tom Player / Bear
* Ed Nelson as Blonde Tribe Member
* Robert Shayne as Fire Maker
* Marshall Bradford as Tribe Member
* Joseph H. Hamilton as Tribe Member

## Production[edit]

Teenage Caveman was budgeted at $70,000.[5][6]

Filming took place in May 1958 under the title Prehistoric World.[7]

It was theatrically released in July 1958.

While a number of scripts were considered to meet American International's directive to do a historic picture, Corman used Bob Campbell's idea of setting the movie in the future. Corman and Campbell both disliked the Teenage Caveman title selected by American International, preferring their choice of Prehistoric World as the name of the movie. [8]

## Home media[edit]

The film was released on DVD by Lionsgate Home Entertainment on April 18, 2006 as part of a two-disc set with The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent on the first disc.[9]

## Mystery Science Theater 3000[edit]

Teenage Caveman was featured in episode 315 of Mystery Science Theater 3000, along with the shorts Aquatic Wizards and Catching Trouble. The episode debuted November 9, 1991, on Comedy Central.[10] MST3K writer Mary Jo Pehl struggled "to find a positive thing to say about Teenage Caveman", in which Vaughn appeared to play "a thirty-something teenage caveman", and called Corman "a horrible director...[who] wasn't trying to make good films, just films that came in under budget".[11]

The MST3K version of Teenage Caveman was included as part of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume XXXV DVD collection, released by Shout! Factory on March 29, 2016.[12]

## See also[edit]

* Survival film, about the film genre, with a list of related films

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Teenage Cave Man". Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved November 13, 2016.
2. ^ a b Trivia for "Trivia: 'Teenage Cave Man' (1958)." Internet Movie Database. Retrieved: July 7, 2015.
3. ^ Frank, Alan G. (2000) The Films of Roger Corman. Batsford.
4. ^ Silver, A. and Ursini, J. (2006) Roger Corman: Metaphysics on a Shoestring. Silman-James Press
5. ^ Frank 1998, p. 67.
6. ^ Warren, Bill (1982). Keep Watching The Skies Vol II: 1958–1962. New York City: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0899501703.
7. ^ "Hollywood Production Pulse". Variety. 7 May 1958. p. 18.
8. ^ Silver, A. and Ursini, J. (2006) Roger Corman: Metaphysics on a Shoestring. Silman-James Press
9. ^ "Viking Women and the Sea Serpent/Teenage Caveman (Double Feature)". Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Santa Monica, California: Lionsgate. April 18, 2006. ASIN B000EHSVJ6. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
10. ^ Episode guide: 315- Teenage Caveman (with shorts: ‘Aquatic Wizards’ and ‘Catching Trouble’). Satellite News. Retrieved on 2018-07-09.
11. ^ Beaulieu, Trace; et al. (1996). The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide (1st ed.). New York: Bantam Books. p. 13\. ISBN 9780553377835.
12. ^ MST3K: Volume XXXV Shout! Factory. Retrieved on 2018-07-07.

### Sources[edit]

* Frank, Alan G. (1998). The Films of Roger Corman: 'Shooting My Way Out of Trouble'. London: B. T. Batsford. p. 67\. ISBN 978-0713482720.

## External links[edit]

* Teenage Caveman (1958) at IMDb
* Review of film at Variety

* v
* t
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Roger Corman

Filmography

Director|

* Five Guns West (1955)
* Apache Woman (1955)
* Day the World Ended (1955)
* The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955, uncredited)
* Swamp Women (1956)
* The Oklahoma Woman (1956)
* Gunslinger (1956)
* It Conquered the World (1956)
* Naked Paradise (1957)
* Carnival Rock (1957)
* Not of This Earth (1957)
* Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)
* The Undead (1957)
* Rock All Night (1957)
* Teenage Doll (1957)
* Sorority Girl (1957)
* The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent (1957)
* I Mobster (1958)
* War of the Satellites (1958)
* Machine-Gun Kelly (1958)
* Teenage Caveman (1958)
* She Gods of Shark Reef (1958)
* A Bucket of Blood (1959)
* The Wasp Woman (1959)
* Ski Troop Attack (1960)
* House of Usher (1960)
* The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
* Last Woman on Earth (1960)
* Atlas (1961)
* Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961)
* The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
* Premature Burial (1962)
* The Intruder (1962)
* Tales of Terror (1962)
* Tower of London (1962)
* The Young Racers (1963)
* The Raven (1963)
* The Terror (1963)
* The Haunted Palace (1963)
* X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes (1963)
* The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
* The Secret Invasion (1964)
* The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
* The Wild Angels (1966)
* The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)
* The Trip (1967)
* A Time for Killing (1967, uncredited)
* The Wild Racers (1968, uncredited)
* Target: Harry (1969)
* De Sade (1969, uncredited)
* Bloody Mama (1970)
* Gas-s-s-s (1970)
* Von Richthofen and Brown (1971)
* Frankenstein Unbound (1990)

Producer only|

* Monster from the Ocean Floor (1954)
* The Fast and the Furious (1954)
* Dementia 13 (1963)
* Devil's Angels (1967)
* Boxcar Bertha (1972)
* I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973)
* Cockfighter (1974)
* Big Bad Mama (1974)
* Capone (1975)
* Death Race 2000 (1975)
* Fighting Mad (1976)
* Eat My Dust! (1976)
* Thunder and Lightning (1977)
* Deathsport (1978)
* Avalanche (1978)
* Saint Jack (1979)
* Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider (1979)
* Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
* Smokey Bites the Dust (1981)
* Galaxy of Terror (1981)
* Forbidden World (1982)
* Space Raiders (1983)
* Love Letters (1984)
* Cocaine Wars (1985)
* Big Bad Mama II (1987)
* Munchies (1987)
* The Terror Within (1989)
* Two to Tango (1989)
* Bloodfist (1989)
* Overexposed (1990)
* Watchers II (1990)
* Immortal Sins (1991)
* Kill Zone (1993)
* Dracula Rising (1993)
* Hellfire (1995)
* Scene of the Crime (1996)
* Black Scorpion II (1997)
* A Very Unlucky Leprechaun (1998)
* Running Woman (1998)
* The Haunting of Hell House (1999)
* White Pony (1999)
* Enemy Action (1999)
* The Suicide Club (2000)
* Stray Bullet II (2000)
* Moving Target (2000)
* Aladdin and the Adventure of All Time (2000)
* Nightfall (2000)
* Raptor (2001)
* When Eagles Strike (2003)
* The Hunt for Eagle One (2006)
* The Hunt for Eagle One: Crash Point (2006)
* Saurian (2006)
* Cyclops (2008)
* Splatter (2009)
* Dinoshark (2010)
* Sharktopus (2010)
* Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader (2012)
* Palace of the Damned (2013)
* Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda (2014)
* Fist of the Dragon (2014)
* Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf (2015)
* Death Race 2050 (2017)

Related|

* Julie Corman (wife)
* Gene Corman (brother)
* Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel
* Roger Corman Presents
* New World Pictures
* The Filmgroup
* New Concorde
* American International Pictures
* Millennium
* Concorde Anois
* New Hollywood

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