Witness the Miracle of Creation: The Magnetic Monster (1953) Is Irresistible
The problem with bomb experimentation out in the desert by Las Vegas is one minute everything is fine and dandy and the next the guy who owns the appliance shop is screaming at his assistant for incorrectly winding the clocks. When it becomes obvious that it’s not only the clocks that have a problem--irons are gliding along on their own power and washing machine doors are wagging open and shut--who ya’ gonna’ call? The Office of Scientific Investigation, of course.
If you’re very lucky, the investigator assigned your case will be Dr. Jeffrey Stewart (Richard Carlson), hero of The Magnetic Monster and husband of the four-months-pregnant-but-too-skinny Connie Stewart (Jean Byron). When Dr. Stewart and his trusty companion arrive at the store, he does an experiment that demonstrates exactly how “Wooly Willy” works (as well as “Hairdo Harriet” and a number of other critters).
Producer Ivan Tors (famous for TV programs Flipper, Sea Hunt, Gentle Ben, Daktari, and many more), who in his colorful career was a playwright and animal trainer, is credited as one of the co-writers of The Magnetic Monster screenplay. This project may have inspired his involvement, a year later, with Gog. Both films have recently been released as part of MGM’s “Limited Edition Collection” of manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVDs, and they share both cast members and elements.
But not the element…the one responsible for the havoc at Simon’s Appliance Store. Whatever the element is, it’s unimaginably magnetic and incredibly radioactive. This ain’t your mama’s refrigerator magnet we’re talking about here.
Don’t believe the synopsis on the DVD box and retail sites, “When a young scientist’s experiments with a new radioactive isotope cause it to double in size every 12 hours, a nearby town’s existence is threatened by the deadly radiation.” Why not? 1) The isotope was the creation of an old scientist; 2) the young Dr. Stewart’s experiments don’t cause it to double in size every 12 hours; he tries to prevent it from doing so; 3) it doubles every eleven hours; and 4) it doesn’t threaten the existence of a nearby town; it threatens the entire planet.
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