The Abominable Snowman (1957)

Country of Origin: USA/UK
Year of Production: 1957
Running Times: 85m (USA)/91m (UK)
Length:
Format: 35mm/Hammerscope
Colour Format: black and white
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Directed by: Val Guest

CREW

PRODUCTION
Copyright: [not given]
Production Companies: Warner Bros. Pictures presents  a Hammerscope production
Executive Producer: Michael Carreras
Produced by: Aubrey Baring
Associate Producer: Anthony Nelson-Keys
Production Manager: Don Weeks

SCRIPT
Story and Screenplay: Nigel Kneale
TV Play: The Creature by Nigel Kneale (uncredited)

DIRECTION
Assistant Director: Robert Lynn
Continuity: Doreen Soan

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Arthur Grant
Camera Operator: Len Harris

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Bill Lenny

MUSIC
Composed by: Humphrey Searle
Musical Director: John Hollingsworth

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Jock May
RCA Sound Recording

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Dress Designer: Beatrice Dawson
Wardrobe: Molly Arbuthnot
Make-up: Phil Leakey
Hairdressing: Henry Montsash

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Bernard Robinson
Art Director: Ted Marshall

LOCATIONS
Produced at: Bray Studios, England
Locations: La Monge, France; Po Valley, France; French Pyrénées, France

CAST

Forrest Tucker (Tom Friend)
Peter Cushing (Dr John Rollason)

with
Maureen Connell (Helen Rollason)
Richard Wattis (Peter Fox)
Robert Brown (Ed Shelley)

and
Michael Brill (McNee)
Arnold Marle (Lhama)
Wolfe Morris (Kusang)

Anthony Chin (majordomo)

Fred Johnson (yeti)

A team of explorers arrive at a remote lamasery in the Himalayas searching for a rare mountain herb. The arrival of an American explorer leads to the search for the fabled yeti.

Although it occasionally betrays its roots as a television play, The Abominable Snowman is a fine effort, albeit a distinctly minor one for both Hammer and Val Guest. Strong performances and, as one would expect from Kneale, a script that is both intelligent and surprising make it very watchable.

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers (on double bill with Untamed Youth)
Video Distributor: Walton (WLB44)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Video Distributor: Walton (WLB44)

Finland
Rating: K-16

UK
Rating: A

USA
Rating: unrated

1955
January
30: UK - play The Creature broadcast on British television

February
3: UK - play The Creature has a second broadcast on British television

1956
November
2: UK - Hammer buys the rights to the play

December
6: UK - Forrest Tucker is contracted to play Tom Friend

1957
January
14: France - Preliminary shooting begins in the French Pyrenees
24: France - Preliminary shooting ends
28: UK - Principal photography begins at Bray Studios

February
18: UK - Production moves to Pinewood Studios

March
5: UK - Principal photography ends

May
13: UK - rated A by the BBFC (for theatrical release)

August
26: UK - theatrical premiere

November
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release

1958
December
19: Finland - theatrical release

1980
June
27: UK - television broadcast (on BBC1)

1986
April
17: UK - television broadcast (on ITV)

1989
March
18: UK- television broadcast (on Channel 4)

1991
May
17: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

1994
August
26: UK- television broadcast (on Channel 4)

2006
July
7: USA - television broadcast (on Fox Movie Channel)

A Timeless Terror to Freeze You to Your Seats!

Demon-prowler of mountain shadows... Dreaded man-beast of Tibet... The terror of all that is human!!

We dare you to see it alone! Each chilling moment a shock-test for your scare-endurance!!

See it with someone brave!

A cave was the trap... A human being was the bait!

Abominable homme des neiges, L' - Belgian title
Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas, The - US title
Afschuwelijke sneeuwman, De - Belgian title
Mostruoso uomo delle nevi, Il - Italian title
Snow Creature, The - pre-production title
Yeti, der Schneemensch - German title

REMAKE OF
The Creature (1955)

SEE ALSO
The Abominable Snow Rabbit (1961)
Adventures in Dinosaur City (1992)
Alaska's Bigfoot (NO DATE)
The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek (1985)
The Beachcombers: The Sasquatch Walks By Night (NO DATE)
The Beast and the Vixens (1973)
Big Foot (1969)
Bigfoot (1987)
Bigfoot and Wildboy (1977)
Bigfoot - Man or Beast? (1975)
The Bionic Woman: The Return of Bigfoot Part II (1976)
Capture of Bigfoot (1979)
The Creature (1955)
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988)
Dangermouse: Bigfoot Falls (1991)
Doctor Who: The Abominable Snowman (1967)
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors (1983)
Doctor Who: The War Games (1969)
Doctor Who: The Web of Fear (1968)
Downtime (1995)
The Geek (1981)
The Goodies: In Search of Bigfoot (1982)
Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
Harry and the Hendersons (1990 - 1993)
In Search of Bigfoot (1976)
The Incredible Hulk: Man to Man, Beast to Beast (1996)
Jujin yukiotoka (1955)
The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)
Little Bigfoot (1997)
Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home (1997)
Maledicion de la bestia (1975)
Man Beast (1955)
Mia moglie e una bestia (1988)
Night of the Demon (1981)
Panic in the Wilderness (1975)
Rugrats: The Legend of Satchmo (NO DATE)
Sasquatch, the Legend of Bigfoot (1977)
Screams of a Winter Night (1977)
The Six Million Dollar Man: The Secret of Bigfoot Part 1 (1976)
The Six Million Dollar Man: The Secret of Bigfoot Part 2 (1976)
The Six Million Dollar Man: The Return of Bigfoot Part 1 (1976)
The Six Million Dollar Man: Bigfoot V (1977)
The Snow Creature (1954)
To Catch a Yeti (1995)
Yeti: Il gigante del 20. secolo (1977)

PERIODICALS

Daily Film Renter no.7440 (9 August 1957) p.3 (UK)
review

Fangoria no.186 (September 1999) p.37 (USA)
illustrated video review

Halls of Horror vol.2 no.7 (April 1978) pp.35, 39 (UK)
credits

Halls of Horror no.30 p.12 (UK)
credits

Hollywood Reporter vol.147 no.9 (28 October 1957) p.3 (USA)
credits, review

The House That Hammer Built no.2 (April 1997) pp.59-62 (UK)
illustrated credits, synopsis, review

Kinematograph Weekly no.2609 (15 August 1957) p.18 (UK)
review

Little Shop of Horrors no.12 p.36 (UK)
note

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.24 no.284 (September 1957) p.112 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Shivers no.61 (January 1999) pp.18-21 (UK)
illustrated article

Today's Cinema vol.89 no.7835 (9 August 1957) p.6 (UK)
review

TV Times 18 - 24 March 1989 p.39 (UK)
review

NEWSPAPERS

The Daily Mail 6 August 1957 (UK)
short article (Look Out For the Dreaded Snowman)

BOOKS

Creature Features Strike Again p.10
review, credits

Elliot's Guide to Films on Video p.2
credits, review, UK video data

The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film p.2
credits, review

Fantastic Cinema Subject Guide pp.1-2
credits

Ghastly Beyond Belief p.173
quotes

Hammer House of Horror p.158
review

The Hammer Story pp.26-27, 176
credits, synopsis, review, production notes

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.15
review, credits

Horror and Science Fiction Films IV p.1
credits

Horror Film Handbook p.12
review, credits

Science Fiction Film Source Book p.20
credits, review

Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film and Television Credits II p.732
credits

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

aliens, Himalayas, mountains, yetis

CONTRIBUTORS

Roger Keightley; Kevin Lyons

Last Updated: 16 November, 2009