In DIRECTED BY JACK ARNOLD, Dana M. Reemes makes the case for its titular director to be taken seriously. Despite having many commercial hits and even one Oscar nomination under his belt, Arnold, who died in 1992, may not enjoy the recognition the author feels he deserves, because the man’s filmography was genre-heavy.
Arnold is the guy who gave brought a classic Richard Matheson novel to life as THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, who guided CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON to surface, who helped birth an entire era of Red Scare science fiction with IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE and TARANTULA. Hell, I’m predisposed to liking the guy.
Not all of Hollywood is convinced, however. It didn’t help that Arnold was a Universal contract director who couldn’t choose his assignments, but was lucky enough to get as many good ones as he did. In the process, the filmmaker was an early pioneer of 3-D, and dabbled in a variety of projects, from film noir and HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL to putting up with Bob Hope’s cue-card reading and helming a British titty comedy.
Reemes may not delve too deeply into these lesser-known works (consult Simon Sheridan’s randy reference guide, KEEPING THE BRITISH END UP: FOUR DECADES OF SAUCY CINEMA, for much more info on the boob-heavy THE BUNNY CAPER), but the California State University instructor covers an entire career economically, illustrating it with many photos and storyboards, and provides glimpses of films that were planned, but not to be, including an ambitious Arthur Conan Doyle adventure.
If there’s fault to be found with the book, it’s all minor: Reemes doesn’t discuss Arnold’s death, and the words THE BRADY BUNCH appear nowhere that I recall. To discuss the first point, McFarland & Company’s paperback is actually a reprint of an earlier, pricier edition that preceded the filmmaker’s passing. I’ll forgive, especially since I agree with the author that Arnold was much more gifted than film history currently chooses to recall. —Rod Lott
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- Jack of Fables: Jack of Hearts
- Jack the Ripper
- Jack of Fables: The Bad Prince
- Jack London in Paradise
- Black Jack: Volume 11
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A surprisingly appreciative and complete consideration of Jack Arnold’s contribution to the science fiction film genre can be found in John Baxter’s SCIENCE FICTION IN THE CINEMA. An entire chapter is devoted to his work.