Friday, March 29, 2019

The Pest Years of Our Lives

 

They're growing enormous in size
They ogle with horrible eyes
Tarantula! Ants!
Does Man stand a chance?
I know! Let's transform into flies!  



Top: Tarantula (Jack Arnold; 1955); Above: The Fly (Kurt Neumann; 1958).

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Bite Torrent



Them pinch middles tightly--such grips!
Squeeze inches from right off your hips!
Them draw you in close
To gnaw you...it's gross! 
A clinch with Them's nightmarish lips!

James Whitmore has had enough of Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954). Title by David Cairns, who is certainly no Tory.

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

AdvANTS!



Man cowered in fright from attack!
Devoured as light insect snack! 
Our best are deployed
The pests look annoyed
Now our guys are biting THEM back!

The army brings it to THEM! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Never Say Formicidae

Image result for Them! 1954 James Arness




Beware of these six-legged freaks!
They'll snare you, snick-snick, with their beaks!
Their mandibles hew you
Like candy they'll chew you
One tear, you'll spring sickening leaks!

David Cairns

The real stars of Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954) are the giant ants.

Monday, March 25, 2019

Ant Agonism



Them's giants are mauling our dames!
Defy Them's appalling ant-aims!
Too meek to destroy Them
You seek to annoy Them
But why bother calling Them names?

Edmund Gwenn hurls insults at Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954). Title by David Cairns agonistes.

Friday, March 22, 2019

Ant's Tomb



Don't let Them's six feet in your yard!
To better defeat Them--bombard!
Shoot, smash, gas and burn Them
To ashes you'll turn Them
Don't sweat it, just heat Them till charred!

James Whitmore sets fire to Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Ant Misbehavin'



These buggers are gruesome and icky
They're ugly, and ooze something sticky
Their pincers will squeeze
You'll wince and you'll wheeze
Their hugs leave a bruise like no hickey.

James Whitmore battles Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Anty Maim



"Life's a banquet!" we've been told it's true
Here's what rankles: the dinner is you
First they squish up your guts
Then you're dished as cold cuts
Drive a tank and you're tinned food for two.

David Cairns

James Whitmore takes one for the team in Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954); with Joan Weldon and James Arness.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Insectually Active



Those rude and yet keen might deduce
That this brood's insect queen must be loose
Where others grow dizzy
This mother gets busy
And dude, how these things reproduce!

Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954) is giant ants.

Monday, March 18, 2019

A Little Bite Music



Beware of that eerie ant-sound!
Prepare--what appears will astound!
These bugs are not docile
They're ugly, colossal
And terribly near--turn around!

Joan Weldon is about to meet Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954). From Wikipedia: The sounds the giant ants emit in the film were the calls of bird-voiced tree frogs mixed in with the calls of several birds.

Friday, March 15, 2019

A Child Shall Feed Them!



Yes, Them are supposed to be small
But Them sometimes grows big and tall
See, Them will defeat us
For Them like to eat us
And Them will dispose of us all.

James Whitmore tries to comfort traumatized Sandy Descher and in THEM! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Anty-Pasta



Them hunger, seek something to eat
Your young make the yummiest treat
No teeny insect, Them
DDT won't affect Them
So run--if you stumble, you're meat.

Sandy Descher and James Whitmore in THEM! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

On Fire Ants



This truly big game has mutated
It grew out of frame, and has waited
In spite of its size
The mighty ant dies
Consumed by the flames, immolated.

Giant, irradiated ants are THEM! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Sisterhood of the Traveling Ants



In storm drains their queen is pupating
Now dormant, serenely she's waiting
But hem in that mom
And Them born-by-bomb
Will swarm till the screen needs X-rating.

David Cairns

The army confronts THEM! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Monday, March 11, 2019

Man and Super Ant



When you nuke an ant's nest expect trouble
By some fluke they're infesting the rubble
Grown massive in size
With big faceted eyes
Grab bazooka and kill, on the double!

David Cairns

James Whitmore fights back in THEM! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Friday, March 8, 2019

Whitmore or Less



Huge insects that skitter...appalling!
Your skin, like these critters, is crawling!
As chow some folks eat them
But how to defeat them?
You'll win when James Whitmore starts brawling!

James Whitmore uses a submachine gun, bazooka, and flamethrower against THEM! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Ants-er Me This



What the atom bomb cleanses will die
We get splattered, defenseless we fry
But give ants radiation
By some chance dispensation
They grow fat; Edmund Gwenn can't say why.

David Cairns

James Whitmore and Edmund Gwenn in Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Pro and D-Con



In tunnels they've dug in to stay!
We're done if these bugs have their way!
On people they're feeding
Down deep they've been breeding
There's hundreds, so - ugh! - time to spray!

Surly Hack with David Cairns


Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954). Title by the D-lightful James Finn Garner.

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

To Lav or Lav Not



The bugaboos scared the kids snotless
So theater loos were soon totless
Who'd lower their pants
Near so many ants?
Their fear made them choose to go lot less.

Donald B. Benson

The iconic, bloodcurdling scream of little Sandy Descher heralds the arrival of THEM! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Monday, March 4, 2019

May the Best Mandibles Win



Edmund Gwenn was quite keen on ecology
With a yen for routine entomology
Once enraptured by ants
Now he's crapped in his pants
So he renders the queen an apology.

David Cairns

Edmund Gwenn and James Whitmore in Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954).

Friday, March 1, 2019

Pronoun Trouble

 

THEM'S brittle, enormous, hard-working
A chitinous swarm, never shirking
When they're hit by the fall-out
These critters go all-out
Just like IT in the storm drains they're lurking.

David Cairns

Them! (Gordon Douglas; 1954) stars James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, and James Arness.