Teenage Cave Man (film)

Teenage Cave Man
aka	Teenage Caveman Out of the Darkness
Year	1958
Directed by	Roger Corman
Produced by	Roger Corman
Written by	R. Wright Campbell
Music by	Albert Glasser
Studio	Malibu Productions American International Pictures
Cast	Robert Vaughn Darah Marshall Leslie Bradley Frank DeKova
Run time	65 minutes
Riffed in	Experiment #315

“	It is no one beast, but a man atop an animal!	”
	- The Symbol Maker's Son

For the episode, see MST3K 315 - Teenage Cave Man.

Teenage Cave Man is a 1956 adventure movie directed by Roger Corman.

Plot

A young member of a primitive tribe bristles under the rules that govern his society. He becomes disillusioned with the brutish nature of his existence and goes on a journey of discovery. He is shunned by his tribe, and later learns a dark secret about the world they inhabit.

Cast

• Robert Vaughn as The Symbol Maker's Son
• Darah Marshall as The Blonde Maiden
• Leslie Bradley as The Symbol Maker
• Frank DeKova as the Black-Bearded One
• Ed Nelson as Tribe Member
• Beach Dickerson as Fair-Haired Boy / Man from Burning Plains / Tom-Tom Player / Bear

Notes

• This film was remade as a made-for-cable movie in 2002.
• The film's title card shows a space between the words "Cave" and "Man". This is not reflected in all of the promotional material.
• Robert Vaughn (the titular "Teenage Cave Man") was ~26 years old when this film was made.
• This film was shot under the title Prehistoric World. American International changed the title to Teenage Cave Man. Years later, Roger Corman would be quoted as saying, "I never directed a film called Teenage Cave Man."
• Robert Vaughn said in an interview that he considered this to be the worst film ever made.
• The fight between two dinosaurs is the same sequence used for Journey to the Center of the Earth, which was released soon after Teenage Cave Man. It originally appeared in the movie One Million, B.C. and likewise appeared in other MST3K films such as Robot Monster and King Dinosaur. A baby alligator was fitted with a fake sail-fin crest on its back and was made to fight a small monitor lizard.
• The same "wild" dogs from The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent (1957) appear here.
• Beach Dickerson, a Corman regular, did quadruple roles. He is the fair-haired boy that drowns in quicksand, the stranger riding in from the burning plains, the bear that attacks the hunting party, and a drummer during the funeral for his own previous character.
• The twist ending is similar to the ending of Planet of the Apes (1968). Teenage Cave Man predates that movie by a decade, and also predates the original Pierre Boulle novel by five years.

MST3K Connections

• Director and producer Roger Corman was director and producer for It Conquered the World, The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, Gunslinger, Day the World Ended, and The Undead. He was also executive producer for Attack of the Giant Leeches, High School Big Shot, Night of the Blood Beast, Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II, Deathstalker II, Lords of the Deep (in which he also portrayed a corporate executive), and Munchie, as well as director for Swamp Diamonds, producer for Avalanche, and distribution producer for Starcrash.
• Robert Vaughn also portrayed Gordon Cain in Hangar 18.
• June Jocelyn (Symbol Maker's wife) also portrayed Nurse Wilson in The Amazing Colossal Man, Mrs. Flynn in Earth vs the Spider, and Mrs. Edwards in War of the Colossal Beast.
• Jonathan Haze (curly-haired boy) also portrayed Pvt. Manuel Oritz in It Conquered the World, Ottar in The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, Charlie in Swamp Diamonds, Jake Hayes in Gunslinger, and a contaminated man in Day the World Ended.
• Ed Nelson also portrayed George Beldridge in Superdome, a police sergeant in Swamp Diamonds, Dave Randall in Night of the Blood Beast, and Robert Denby in Riding with Death, as well as being costume designer for Attack of the Giant Leeches.
• Robert Shayne (fire maker) also portrayed Professor Bradshaw in Indestructible Man and Lt. Cassidy in The Rebel Set.
• Marshall Bradford (tribe member) also portrayed U.S. Secretary Platt in It Conquered the World.
• Joseph Hamilton (tribe member) also portrayed Old Sam Peters in Attack of the Giant Leeches.
• Bill Clark (cave man) also portrayed a barfly in Gunslinger.
• Monster costume wearer Ross Sturlin also portrayed a Grimault warrior in The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent and wore monster costumes in Attack of the Giant Leeches and Night of the Blood Beast.
• Executive producer Samuel Z. Arkoff was also executive producer for The Amazing Colossal Man, It Conquered the World, Earth vs the Spider, The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, War of the Colossal Beast, Gunslinger, The Incredible Melting Man, Day the World Ended, Terror from the Year 5000, The She-Creature, and Squirm, as well as producer for Bride of the Monster, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Reptilicus, The Time Travelers, The Land That Time Forgot, At the Earth's Core, and Circus of Horrors.
• Executive producer James H. Nicholson was also executive producer for The Amazing Colossal Man, It Conquered the World, Earth vs the Spider, The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, War of the Colossal Beast, Gunslinger, Day the World Ended, Terror from the Year 5000, and I Was a Teenage Werewolf, as well as producer for The She-Creature.
• Composer Albert Glasser was also musical director and orchestrator for Rocketship X-M, as well as composer for The Amazing Colossal Man, Earth vs the Spider, The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, War of the Colossal Beast, Indestructible Man, Tormented, Beginning of the End, Invasion USA, and Last of the Wild Horses.
• Cinematographer Floyd Crosby was also cinematographer for The Screaming Skull
• Costumer Marjorie Corso was also costumer for Earth vs the Spider, Bloodlust!, and The She-Creature, as well as wardrobe supervisor for Tormented.
• Production manager Maurice Vaccarino was also and assistant director for The Phantom Planet (for which he was also production supervisor) and The Screaming Skull.
• Assistant director Jack Bohrer was also assistant director for The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, as well as production manager for Attack of the Giant Leeches and Night of the Blood Beast.
• Property master Karl Brainard was also property master for It Conquered the World, The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent, Night of the Blood Beast, Day the World Ended, The Undead, and The She-Creature.
• Visual effects technician Roy Seawright also created the dinosaur sequence stock footage used in Robot Monster.
• Sound technician Philip Mitchell sound for It Conquered the World and The Unearthly, as well as being sound mixer for Bloodlust!.
• Costume designer Paul Blaisdell also designed the monster costumes in It Conquered the World, Day the World Ended, and The She-Creature, designed props used in The Amazing Colossal Man, Earth vs the Spider, and Teenagers from Outer Space, and portrayed a corpse in The Undead.
• Music editor Charles Clement was also music editor for Earth vs the Spider and War of the Colossal Beast, as well as post-production operations head for San Francisco International and Riding with Death.
• Title designer Bill Martin was also title designer for Night of the Blood Beast.