What about Blob?
BlobFest celebrates the famous schlock classic, which this year observes its 50th anniversary
PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. - It was just like a scene from a movie. At around 9 on a sultry July night in this small town 30 miles west of Philadelphia, a mass of shrill screams went up inside the old Colonial Theatre foyer. Suddenly, 600 screaming people ran out into the street, arms raised, mouths agape, eyes wide with . . . well, not exactly fear. More like mischievousness.
This was indeed a movie scene: The annual reenactment of the mass exodus from the 1958 B-movie "The Blob," at the very theater in which it was originally filmed. Dubbed the Running of the Blob, the run-out launched Phoenixville's ninth annual BlobFest, which took place last weekend, and marked the 50th anniversary of the film.
Immediately after the run-out, the crowd began a chant: "Blob! Blob! Blob!" A can containing the original Blob was hoisted aloft. That the Blob has survived is thanks in no small part to Wes Shank. He's fondly known in sci-fi circles as "the caretaker of the Blob." Shank pointed out that when referring to his blob, rather than the movie character, it should be spelled out in lowercase or called the blob silicone for legal reasons.
Shank, 62, added the blob to his now-vast movie memorabilia collection in 1965 after visiting the film's director, the late Irvin "Shorty" Yeaworth Jr., at nearby Valley
On July 12, Shank proudly displayed the blob on the theater's third floor. It looks like raspberry jam. In the movie, the Blob, a voracious alien that slithers from a meteor, was originally clear before it absorbed its first victim, an old farmer, and turned blood red. It's not nearly as mobile as it appears onscreen. Shank explained that when they needed it to "perform," the Blob was heated with lights to make it more pliable. Its menacing rolling movement was created simply by tipping the set forward or backward.
"Silly Putty is a close relative," joked Shank, who talks about the blob as if it were real. "We consider it an adopted son." Apparently, Shank's family, which includes a daughter who lives in Carver, feels as affectionate about the can of silicone as he does. Had he ever been tempted to sell it? "It's unique, how could you put a price on it? Even if I wanted to sell it, my family wouldn't let me."
The film's other star, Steve McQueen, received due credit at BlobFest, too. After all, the film arguably launched him to stardom. "The Blob" screening last Sunday was preceded by "An American Rebel: Steve McQueen," a documentary directed by Richard Martin, who introduced the movie. Others appearing included Kris Yeaworth, talking about his father's work; Ricou Browning, who appears as the Creature in the underwater sequences of "Creature From the Black Lagoon," which screened as a "Blob" double bill; and Tom Savini, special effects and makeup artist for many of George Romero's "Living Dead" movies.
In many ways, BlobFest's real star is the Colonial Theatre, whose marquee was lettered exactly as it appears in the film: Midnight Spook Show, Daughter of Horror, also Bela Lugosi. For the first time, a banner hung underneath, which read "Healthfully AIR CONDITIONED," adding another authentic touch from the movie.
At the sold-out afternoon screening on July 12, the audience cheered loudly at the theater scene and applauded heartily when, annoyed that Steve - McQueen's character's name, too -is disturbing their viewing with his warnings of a monster, one actor quips, "OK Steve, you made us waste our 80 cents, what gives?"
Rather than destroying them, "The Blob" has been good to the people of Phoenixville. When Needham native Beth Lennon moved here four years ago with her husband, Cliff Hillis, they became Colonial Theatre members and have attended BlobFest ever since.
"You know, you make the best of what you have," mused Lennon. "What's Phoenixville got? We've got 'The Blob.' "
