30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock, The (1959)

Everything in Candy Rock is owned by coldhearted businessman Raven Rossiter (Gale Gordon) except for the rubbish collection run by amateur inventor Artie Pinsetter (Lou Costello in a rare performance without Bud Abbott in what turned out to be his final film before his death).

Rossiter’s niece, Emmy Lou (Dorothy Provine), is in love with Artie, but Raven refuses to let them see each other.

When Artie is not collecting garbage, he is working on a time-travel machine called “Max”, which he hopes one day will make his fortune and advance the cause of science.

When a TV crew appears in town to interview Raven Rossiter, he is forced to change his nasty character to one of sweetness and light, as he hopes to use the telecast as a jumping-off place to run for governor – and so he tolerates Artie more than usual.

Artie sneaks Emmy Lou out of the house and takes her to Dinosaur Canyon, where radiation from a nearby cave causes her to grow to a height of 30 feet.

Suspecting the visit to the canyon was less than innocent, Rossiter insists that the couple now get married (which they are, by a nearsighted parson who misplaced his glasses).

The Army – in the area on missile manoeuvres – is bewildered by the huge Emmy Lou, but before they can harm her, Artie’s time-travel invention returns her to normal-size, and the future looks bright.

The story makes no sense at all, the special effects are laughable and the performances are fair at best. Direction and production are adequate.  The film wasn’t released until about five months after Lou Costello’s death.

Artie Pinsetter
Lou Costello
Emmy Lou Rossiter
Dorothy Provine
Raven Rossiter
Gale Gordon
Magruder
Jimmy Conlin
Stanford Bates
Charles Lane
First General
Robert Burton
Pentagon General
Will Wright
Sergeant
Lenny Kent
Aunt May
Ruth Perrott
Bill Burton
Peter Leeds
Bank Manager
Robert Nichols
Jackie Delaney
Veola Vonn
Pilot
Jack Straw
Carole
Carole Costello
Caveman
Joe Gold

Director
Sidney Miller