Creature From the Haunted Sea

FreeClassicMovies wrote:Released on June, 1961: Gangsters and escaped Cuban leaders hunt for a box of gold in the Caribbean while a funky sea monster kills them one by one as Secret Agent XK150 looks on.
Produced by Roger Corman
Directed by Roger Corman
Written by Charles B. Griffith
The Actors: Anthony Carbone (Renzo Capetto), Betsy Jones-Moreland (Mary-Belle Monahan), Robert Towne (Sparks Moran, narrator, Agent XK150), Beach Dickerson (Pete Peterson Jr.), Robert Bean (Happy Jack Monahan)

Allied Artists originally advertised this film as a giant monster epic, but in fact it's a lighthearted spoof of 30s and 40s gangster films with a rubber suit monster thrown in for yucks. The monster gets about a minute total screen time, most of that out of focus. It will immediately remind latter-day viewers of the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. The eyes are halves of tennis balls with halves of ping pong balls glued onto them. The setting - Cuba right after the communist revolution - gives historical interest to the film, but everything is played for laughs, so such interest is slight. One character is an animal-sound imitator because he is the son of a "famed Vaudeville bird mimic." Half the movie takes place on a boat. The movie's main appeal is the cool-cat voice-over narration with its one-liners and deadpan humor. Eighty percent of everything is silly, but the rest is funny - some of it very funny.

Goldweber, David Elroy (2012-06-14). Claws & Saucers: Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Film: A Complete Guide: 1902-1982 (Kindle Locations 15140-15151). David E. Goldweber. Kindle Edition.