Saturday, March 10, 2012

Best B-Movies…oops, I mean, Bee Movies

I originally wrote this post in 2009 to generate some buzz. After considering several possibilities, I seized on a honey of an idea and decided to do one on bees in the cinema (no, not bees in movie theatres, but rather bees depicted on film). Since the number of quality bee films is limited, I dipped into television, too. Here are my top five:

1. Mysterious Island (1961). Bees hit the big time, or rather they were big in this lively adaptation of the Jules Verne novel. Castaways on the title island battle giant bees, courtesy of special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. Bottom line: Harryhausen + giant bees = cool scene.

2. The Outer Limits episode “Zzzzz” (1964). An entomologist studying bees needs a new lab assistant. A queen bee who can transform herself into human form needs a new mate. The entomologist is married. We now have a conflict. This entertaining episode benefits mightily from Joanna Frank, who scores as the exotic bee queen determined to get her way.

3. The Deadly Bees (1966). OK, it’s not a great movie, but it didn't deserve to be spoofed on Mystery Science Theater 3000. It was directed by famed cinematographer Freddie Francis, so it looks good. Plus, it earns its spot on this list just for including a plotline about liquidizing the “smell of fear” and for featuring great a tag line: “Hives of Horror!”

4. Ulee’s Gold (1997). Too recent to qualify as a classic film, but we’ll toss it in here as an example of a serious bee movie. Actually, the bees are strictly supporting players in this low-key tale of a beekeeper and his family in northern Florida. Still, it earned Peter Fonda his best reviews in years.

5. The Swarm (1978). Irwin Allen made other big-budget films after this one, but Swarm marked the beginning of the end for the Disaster Movie King. Still, if you’re going to have an all-star cast fight hordes of bees, you could do worse than Michael Caine, Henry Fonda, Richard Widmark, Olivia de Havilland, and Fred MacMurray. Plus, it was nominated for an Oscar! For Best Costume Design (?).

Honorable Mentions: The Savage Bees, The Bees (1978), Terror Out of the Sky, and Invasion of the Bee Girls (a Roger Ebert favorite). I don’t remember bees in The Hellstrom Chronicle, but surely they were some. I omitted recent films like Bee Movie and The Secret Life of Bees.

What other bee films are there? I’m hoping someone can up with a humdinger! Or at least one that buzzworthy!
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17 comments:

  1. Paul 2September 21, 2009 at 7:53 PM

    I love Invasion of the Bee Girls. It's the Bee Knees. Sorry about that I'm sort of Buzzed after reading this post.

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  2. ClassicBeckySeptember 21, 2009 at 9:05 PM

    this reminded me of classic TV -- the bees on Saturday Night Live with John Belushi. I still don't know exactly why they were so funny, but they made me laugh everytime. Maybe it was because of those silly antennae that were always bobbing around on their heads!

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  3. sarkoffagusSeptember 21, 2009 at 10:36 PM

    Bees were like the horror beacon in CANDYMAN. Not a great example but an example nonetheless.

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  4. Rick29September 21, 2009 at 11:47 PM

    Becky, I forgot about the bees on SNL! Sark, I have three words for you: "Candyman, candyman, candyman" (you're looking in a mirror, right?). Paul, here's a trivia question for you (though probably too easy): What's the connection between Angela Dorian in ROSEMARY'S BABY and Victoria Vetri in BEE GIRLS? What famous Hammer movie starred Victoria?

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  5. The Lady EveSeptember 22, 2009 at 12:41 AM

    Angela Dorian and Victoria Vetri are the same person, Vetri being the real name, Dorian the name the young lady used not only for ROSEMARY'S BABY but also as Playboy Magazine's "Playmate of the Year - 1968." What happens to such playmates? I don't know...but I understand novelist Dan Brown is a big fan of hers...oh, and she was born in San Francisco...

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  6. Paul 2September 22, 2009 at 12:50 AM

    Rick Eve got here first. Did you know she was a art student at Los Angeles City College(LACC ) in the 60's

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  7. sazballSeptember 22, 2009 at 1:12 AM

    Very cleverly done, Mr. Rick. The Outer Limits episode you mention is one of my favorites.

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  8. DawnSeptember 22, 2009 at 8:26 AM

    i got a buzz from reading your beeeeeautiful blog..i need a minute to think about this one.

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  9. JazzGirlSeptember 22, 2009 at 10:07 AM

    Nice read! Haven't seen one of these but still . . . =D

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  10. The Lady EveSeptember 22, 2009 at 11:00 AM

    Paul and Rick - Apologies for jumping in on Angela Dorian. I've been watching ROSEMARY'S BABY in advance of writing about it in Oct. and got so excited when I saw the question I managed to miss somehow that it wasn't an open question. Paul, I owe you one. What would you like?

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  11. frankt65September 22, 2009 at 11:44 AM

    I agree with Paul2...viva Invasion of the Bee Girls, written by Nicholas Meyer (author: The 7% Solution) and starring Anitra Ford who used to be one of the models on The Price Is Right. You can watch the entire movie of Fancast.com.

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  12. Paul 2September 22, 2009 at 1:32 PM

    Frank good to see you here. No worries about to much Coffey here.I forgot Nick did Bee Girls And Herb Ross Film of 7 % is one of my all time favorite Holmes Films. How Can I not like a film where Ms Eager is DR Watson's (Bob Duvall) wife.

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  13. Rick29September 22, 2009 at 11:39 PM

    Sazball, here's my Joanna Frank story: My wife is always very good about spotting famous actors in early roles (well, except for Robert Redford once). But she impressed me the most when we were watching an episode of ROUTE 66 and I commented that the female guest star looked familar and my wife said: "Oh, that's the bee queen from THE OUTER LIMITS." And it was--that blew me away. My wife had only seen the "Zzzz" episode once a couple of years ago. And Joanna didn't look like a bee queen-in-human form at all!

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  14. Mr_SheldrakeMarch 9, 2012 at 10:04 PM

    I think I hurt myself groaning at all of those. Thanks for the post, hive a good one!

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  15. toto2March 10, 2012 at 9:00 AM

    This was a beelicious post, Rick! There was a memorable episode of the TV series "The Lost World" which featured one of the regulars being stung by a giant bee and poisoned and his friends have to search for the hive and discover the Queen's nectar to heal him. It was quite entertaining, too.

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  16. ClassicBeckyMarch 10, 2012 at 8:39 PM

    I remember this post well, Rick. I hate bees and wasps so much I did one myself quite a while back. In looking through the comments, I realized I had forgotten about Candyman and those bees! Oh Lord that makes me scared just to think about!

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  17. TerrybrownMarch 14, 2012 at 9:51 AM

    One more beeautiful movie....MY GIRL. Thomas J. Sennett (Macaulay Culkin) dies from an allergic reaction to bee stings while searching for Vada's (Anna Chlumsky) mood ring.

    And if you stretch this to music videos, there is Blind Melon's NO RAIN, which starred a bee girl who just wanted to bee loved. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qVPNONdF58

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