The Blob, Steve McQueen and the Rising Teen
The Blob, Steve McQueen and the Rising Teen  
Podcast: Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever*
Published On: Sat Mar 15 2025
Description: As usual there are spoilers ahead!  Somewhere in the late 1950s society began to come to terms with the idea of the teenager. Teens were heading to the cinema leaving younger siblings and parents at home. The Blob (1958) isn't a tale of rebellion or film warning about teenage delinquency but a thoroughly enjoyable time with a catchy theme tune.  I have two wonderful guests to help us unravel this classic 1950s sci-fi.  The Experts  Roger Luckhurst is a Professor at Birkbeck, University of London. He has written/edited numerous  of articles and books on cultural history and film.  Matthew Rule Jones is a senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Exeter and the author of Science Fiction Cinema and 1950s Britain: Recontextualising Cultural Anxiety.  Chapters  00:00 Introduction  03:22 The origins of the film  06:05 Moral panic, the teenager and the AIP film formula 11:36 Red scare as red herring: Jello and suburbia   16:25 The intention vs the interpretation of films  17:32 The Blob   20:00 The theme song vs the earnest tone  24:15 The cinema scene and self-reflection  28:32 The double bill offering  29:56 Steve McQueen: The adult teen  39:10 What are we gonna do?  39:40 Legacy: Sequels and the education system  48:55 Recommendations for the listener The Next Episode!  The next episode we will focus on the film I Married a Monster from Outer Space. You can buy or rent the film from many outlets or check the Just Watch website to see where it may be streaming in your region   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.