JACK THE GIANT KILLER (1962, U.S.)

Jack the Giant Killer

(1962, U.S.) Technicolor 94 minutes
Edward Small Productions / United Artists
Story: Orville H. Hampton
Screenplay: Orville H. Hampton, Nathan Juran
Music: Paul Sawtell, Bert Shefter
Cinematography: David S. Horsley
Editing: Grant Whytock
Special Effects: Howard A. Anderson, Tim Barr,
Wah Chang, Augie Lohman, Gene Warren,
Jim Danforth, Lloyd Vaughan
Produced by Robert E. Kent, Edward Small
Directed by Nathan Juran

With: Kerwin Mathews (Jack), Judi Meredith (Princess Elaine), Torin Thatcher (Pendragon), Walter Burke (Garna), Don Beddoe (Diablotin the Imp), Barry Kelley (Sigurd), Dayton Lummis (King Mark), Anna Lee (Lady Constance), Roger Mobley (Peter), Robert Gist (McFadden), Tudor Owen (Chancellor), Ken Mayer (Boatswain), Helen Wallace (Jack's Mother)

***

In 1962, Kerwin Mathews and Torin Thatcher (who played Sinbad, and the Evil Magician in Columbia Picture’s THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD with f/x master Ray Harryhausen in 1957) were reunited for another feature-length fantasy, JACK THE GIANT KILLER, a delightful fable in which a handsome young man saves a beautiful princess from an evil wizard who wants to use the fair maiden as a means of taking over England.

The story opens with a close up of an old book and an unseen hand turning the pages, as the narrator tells of a king banishing Pendragon, a sorcerer, who was using his black magic to harm the realm. Pendragon was angry at being evicted from England but, even though he was sent to an old castle on an island in uncharted waters, the vindictive wizard plotted revenge against the king, his family and people.

The scene shifts to England many years later, as the King’s Princess-daughter celebrates her 18th birthday, and visiting monarchs from many lands come to the palace to bestow their gifts upon the girl. One stranger presents what looks like a harmless jack-in-the-box to the princess. What the Princess and the King And Queen do not know is that the well-to-do monarch is really Pendragon (Torin Thatcher) in disguise.

That night, while the Princess is asleep, Pendragon uses his powers to turn the clown-like figure into a murderous Cyclops. The giant beast grabs the Princess and takes her to Pendragon's ship. The screams of the poor girl are heard the next morning by a farm boy named Jack (Kerwin Mathews) who kills the giant with his sicle. The King and his army has followed the Cyclops and they are grateful to the young fellow for saving his daughter.

Despite his good deed, Jack is fearful that Pendragon may make another attempt to kidnap the princess. His fears are confirmed when one of the soldiers spots the villain's ship being taken over by one of his demonic henchman, a troll (Walter Burke, who would appear as Flitch in THE THREE STOOGES GO AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAZE a year later). The troll returns to the realm of Pendragon and informs his master of his failure to capture the young maiden.

When he asks his henchman how he could have failed his task, he states that a young farmer named Jack had killed the Cyclops and clobbered him, forcing the troll to flee for the open seas. Outraged, Pendragon returns to England where he overhears the King planning to send his daughter to Normandy, to a cloister, where she will be safe until efforts can be made to find Pendragon's lair and the demented magician can be stopped.

Using his black arts, Pendragon bewitches one of the ladies-in-waiting and the Princess is soon taken by the villain to his castle. When the Princess is found missing the next day, the King and Queen angrily question the Princess' handmaiden. After obtaining the truth from the woman, Jack is assigned to find the Princess and save her from Pendragon. Jack sets sail on one of the King's best ships in the fleet, but Pendragon creates a storm which sends the vessel to the briny deep.

Luckily, Jack and cabin boy Peter (Roger Mobley, who would go onto movie and TV fame as one of Walt Disney's proteges) are rescued by a kindly old Viking (Barry Kelly). With the aid of the Viking and an imprisoned Leprechaun (Don Beddoe), Jack and his friend save the Princess and Jack kills Pendragon when, during a flight over the sea, where the villain turns himself into a flying dragon and the young fellow stabs his foe with his sword. With Pendragon and his demons finally destroyed. Jack frees the leprechaun from his bottle and the grateful little man creates a rainbow which helps show the group the route back to England, and a well deserved hero's welcome.

I first saw JACK THE GIANT KILLER with my grandmother at the Globe Movie Theater in the Bronx, New York back in the fall of 1962. I was enchanted with the film, and to this day I still enjoy watching it on TV. Sadly, the film was pulled from release when Columbia Pictures claimed that the plot was too similar to their THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD. When it was rereleased many years later, to prevent any legal problems, new voiceovers and a new musical score was added to the film. (The songs for the film were composed and arranged by Moose Charlap, who worked with Betty Comden and Adolph Green on the songs for PETER PAN in the 1950's). Needless to say, the musical version of JACK THE GIANT KILLER was not successful, and the music score and voiceovers were dropped.

In recent years, the film has been fully restored and released to TV and home video with it's original titles intact, and the picture quality more beautiful than ever. The script is wonderful, the special effects engaging, and the performances of Mathews, Thatcher, Burke, Barry, Mobley and the others enchanting and thrilling. This was Kerwin Mathews' last fantasy film.

- Kevin S. Butler