The Amazing Colossal Man
A 1957 sci-fi film about a man who grows to 60 feet.
**The Amazing Colossal Man** (also released as *The Colossal Man*) is a 1957 American science fiction film in black and white, produced by American International Pictures. Bert I. Gordon handled both production and direction, with a cast that included Glenn Langan, Cathy Downs, William Hudson, and Larry Thor. The story, though not credited as such, draws from Homer Eon Flint’s 1928 short novel *The Nth Man*.
The plot follows U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Glenn Manning, who endures a plutonium explosion and begins growing eight to ten feet each day, eventually reaching a height of sixty feet. As he grows, his mental stability deteriorates.
In the 1960s, American International Television syndicated the film for television. Both this film and its 1958 sequel, *War of the Colossal Beast*, were later featured on *Mystery Science Theater 3000*.
**Plot**
At a military site in Desert Rock, Nevada, a planned test of a plutonium bomb fails to detonate as expected. When an unidentified civilian plane crash-lands nearby, Lt. Colonel Glenn Manning rushes into the blast zone to rescue the pilot. The bomb then explodes, exposing Manning to the radioactive blast.
Manning survives but suffers third-degree burns over nearly his entire body. He is treated by Dr. Paul Linstrom and military scientist Dr. Eric Coulter. His fiancée, Carol Forrest, waits for news, though Linstrom withholds the grim prognosis. The next day, Linstrom and Coulter are astonished to find Manning’s burns completely healed. That evening, Carol is denied a visit and learns Manning has been moved to a rehabilitation and research center in Summit, Nevada. She drives there and gains entry. When she enters his room, she faints in horror: Manning has mutated into a giant, roughly sixteen feet tall.
Linstrom explains to Carol that the plutonium blast caused Manning’s cells to multiply at an accelerated rate, leading to abnormal growth. He admits they do not know how to stop it, and if they fail, Manning will keep growing until he dies. When Manning wakes, he is initially frightened, then deeply disturbed. Carol visits to comfort him, but by then he is about twenty-two feet tall, distant, and depressed. The public knows he survived the explosion, but the military has concealed his true condition.
As Manning reaches thirty feet, Linstrom suggests Carol spend time with him. Despite her encouragement,
- Release date
- August 28, 1957
- Director
- Bert I. Gordon
- Studio
- American International Pictures
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Format
- Black-and-white
- Running time
- Not specified in article
Lore & Background
The film's storyline concerns U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Glenn Manning who survives a plutonium explosion and grows 8 to 10 feet a day, ultimately reaching 60 feet tall, but loses his mind in the process. At a military site in Desert Rock, Nevada, a test explosion of a plutonium bomb does not detonate as expected. When an unidentified civilian aircraft crash lands near the site, Manning runs into the detonation area to rescue the pilot, and the bomb goes off, catching him in the radioactive blast. Surviving with third-degree burns, he is treated by Dr. Paul Linstrom and Dr. Eric Coulter. His burns heal completely overnight, and he mutates into a giant about 16 feet tall. His growth continues, and his heart grows at only half the rate of his body, leading to declining sanity and eventual heart failure.
Reader's Guide
The Amazing Colossal Man was produced to capitalize on the success of The Incredible Shrinking Man, released six months earlier in 1957. It was Bert I. Gordon's first film for American International Pictures. Critical reviews were generally positive, with The New York Times calling it an 'imaginative story premise' and Variety noting that 'Glenn Langan delivers persuasively.' On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 38% approval rating based on 8 reviews. During the 1960s, American International Television syndicated the film to television. It and its sequel, War of the Colossal Beast (1958), were mocked on Mystery Science Theater 3000, where actor Mike Nelson portrayed the title character twice in host segments. The film was also parodied in Robot Chicken in 2005.
Did You Know?
- The film is an uncredited adaptation of Homer Eon Flint's 1928 short science fiction novel The Nth Man.
- Special effects technician Paul Blaisdell designed and built all of the tiny-sized props used in the film.
- The film was released on August 28, 1957, screening at the Paulo Drive-in theatre in Anaheim, California, with Cat Girl as a double feature.
- The film's trailer has been shown at the Disney's Hollywood Studios restaurant, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater.
More in American science fiction films 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record