Destination Inner Space (1966)

This has a special attraction to many sci-fi fans despite its low budget and flimsy creatures; for such fans, the mysteries of the sea are almost as beguiling as the mysteries of outer space - and this one does manage to combine the two (inner space as opposed to outer space, yes). This takes place at a Sealab (remember Sealab 2020, the later animated series?) - an obvious small model. Scott Brady plays the gruff tough navy commander who is sent in to investigate the concerns of the resident chief scientist (Gary Merrill). There's a mysterious object moving nearby the lab - it's not a whale, not another sub - what is it?

Sheree North, who started her career as a possible replacement for a troubled Marilyn Monroe, is the love interest for Brady, Wende Wagner (Green Hornet series) is the lovely young ingenue scuba diver and Mike Road, who did a lot of work as a voice artist, plays Brady's rival - they have a bad history, having to do with an incident on a sub 3 years ago. Brady looks a bit too old for the role - he was in his mid-forties, but looked past 50 due to being overweight - but North's character still goes for his macho appeal. This was one of Brady's last starring roles -he also starred in the wretched Journey to the Center of Time a year later.

This has mystery in the first act and slows down in the middle. Then the sea creature shows up (I won't give away from where), looking like a rubbery, wider cousin to the Creature From the Black Lagoon. The director, Lyon, did try to keep things lively with what he had... but everything is severely limited by the dime store budget, making most of this laughable. The acting isn't too bad, though. BoG's Score: 4 out of 10