One Million B.C.

One Million B.C.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHal Roach
Hal Roach Jr.
Written byMickell Novack
George Baker
Joseph Frickert
Produced byHal Roach
D. W. Griffith
StarringVictor Mature
Carole Landis
Lon Chaney Jr.
Narrated byConrad Nagel
CinematographyNorbert Brodine
Edited byRay Snyder
Music byWerner R. Heymann
Production
company
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • April 5, 1940 (1940-04-05)[1]
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$462,730[2]

One Million B.C. is a 1940 American fantasy film produced by Hal Roach Studios and released by United Artists. It is also known by the titles Cave Man, Man and His Mate, and Tumak.

The film stars Victor Mature as protagonist Tumak, a young caveman who strives to unite the uncivilized Rock Tribe and the peaceful Shell Tribe, Carole Landis as Loana, daughter of the Shell Tribe chief and Tumak's love interest, and Lon Chaney Jr. as Tumak's stern father and leader of the Rock Tribe. Chaney's billing differs from that of his home studio Universal Pictures in that Hal Roach elected to retain the "Jr." instead of billing him under his father's name, possibly because Roach was co-directing the film with his own son Hal Roach Jr.

The film was a popular success and was nominated for two Academy Awards for its special effects and musical score, although the film is controversial for its use of live animals dueling.

  1. ^ Hanson, Patricia King, ed. (1993). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1931–1940. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. p. 1570. ISBN 0-520-07908-6.
  2. ^ Ward, Richard Lewis (2005). A history of the Hal Roach Studios. Southern Illinois University Press. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-8093-2637-2. - figures are producer's share from US/Canada