Beware of the Blob, it creeps

And leaps and glides and slides

Across the floor

Right through the door

And all around the wall

A splotch, a blotch

Be careful of the Blob

(Lyrics from “The Blob” 1958)

One of the joys of a long life is to recall memories of events that made an impression on us long ago, only to find that we are not alone in making these withdrawals from our memory banks.

As a die-hard science-fiction fan, I remember very distinctly the first time I saw the B-listed horror film, The Blob, in 1958 starring Steve McQueen in his first lead role. Shortly after the beginning of my sophomore year at East Stroudsburg University, I came home to Summit Hill, and my girl and I went to the Palace Theatre in Lansford to see the movie, which was getting a lot of buzz from my friends and movie critics. The theater was packed, and there was a lot of screaming when the blob made its appearances.

Terrified as it grew in size, my girl closed her eyes and held on to me tightly, just what I had hoped would happen, because, after all, I was her comforter and protector.

What made the movie so special is that parts of it were filmed in Phoenixville and Downingtown, Chester County. There were two scenes in particular which underscored the local angle. In one, the Blob envelopes the Downingtown Diner, about 14 miles from Phoenixville. In the other, patrons of the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville run screaming from the movie house as the Blob slithers through the air conditioning ducts into the audience.

The film concerns a carnivorous amoeba-like alien that crashes to Earth from outer space inside a meteorite. It absorbs living beings, growing larger, redder, and more aggressive as it does, then oozes through buildings in the communities with a nasty attitude.

The story recounts how McQueen’s character and his girlfriend avoid becoming victims of the visitor from outer space. It is ultimately discovered that only an ultracold environment will keep the Blob in check.

After freezing the Blob with the contents of fire extinguishers, it is carried by an Air Force heavy-lift cargo plane and deposited on an Arctic ice field. While the Blob is not dead, at least it has been stopped. McQueen’s character says, “Yeah, as long as the Arctic stays cold.’’

How ironic was this statement, long before global warming became a buzz phrase? The film ends with parachutes bearing the blob on a pallet down to the ice field with the superimposed words “The End’’ which then morphs into a question mark, implying that perhaps the Blob will return.

Earlier this month, after an absence of two years because of COVID-19, thousands of fans gathered in Phoenixville for the 23rd annual Blobfest in which attendees dressed in ‘50s-like attire. Some even emulated the Blob. Of course, the film was shown at the Colonial Theatre, and one of the highlights of the presentation was when the audience went running from the theater and screamed as they fled on Bridge Street, emulating a key scene from the film.

McQueen, who was 28 at the time, went on to have a sensational film career. Known as the “King of Cool,’’ McQueen was a top box office draw during the counterculture era of the 1960s and ‘70s.

He died a premature death at age 50, and there was speculation that the cancer with which he was afflicted was spurred on by asbestos exposure possibly because of the auto racing suits he wore.

McQueen turned down a deal for 10% of the profits from The Blob, opting instead for a straight $3,000 payment. Bad decision. The Blob, which cost just $110,000 to make, wound up grossing $4 million at the box office and is still shown worldwide until this day.

The movie’s title song, “The Blob,” was written by famous songwriters Burt Bacharach and Mack David and performed by a studio group called the Five Blobs, although there was just one singer, Bernie Knee. His voice was overdubbed to give the impression that a quintet sang it.

The novelty song peaked at #33 on The Billboard Top 100 chart in November 1958. The song features the sound of a person putting his finger inside of his cheek and pulling it out making a popping sound, which is followed by the lyrics, “…beware of The Blob.”

By BRUCE FRASSINELLI | tneditor@tnonline.com