One Million B.C. (1940)

Carole Landis Victor Mature

In 1940 Carole starred in the prehistoric adventure One Million B.C. She plays Loana, a beautiful cave girl who falls in love with a caveman from another tribe. Victor Mature plays a rough cave man named Tumak who must learn to get along with Loana's tribe. They also co-starred in I Wake Up Screaming and My Gal Sal. Carole does not speak one line of dialogue in the entire movie. There is a narrator but the actors only grunt and gesture. The cast includes Lon Chaney Jr, Conrad Nagel, and John Hubbard, and Jean Porter (she and Carole shared a dressing room). Producer Hal Roach chose Carole for the role of Loana because she looked best running in the skimpy costume. This was her first starring role in a big budget film.

Carole Landis One Million B.C.Carole Landis One Million B.C.

Carole Landis Victor Mature
Carole and Victor Mature

One Million B.C. was filmed in California and Nevada from November 1939 until early 1940. Special effects were used to make small lizards look like prehistoric animals. Hal Roach and his son Hal Roach Jr. directed the movie after D.W. Griffith quit. During filming Carole had a brief romance with Hal Roach Jr. The movie's tag line was "UNBELIEVABLE! The World at the Dawn of Time!". One Million B.C. was released on April 5, 1940. Carole's sister said she had never seen her as happy as she was at the premiere. The movie was a modest hit and the publicity from the film made her a star. Despite some bad reviews it got two Academy Award nominations (special effects and musical score).  One Million B.C. was re-released as "Cave Man" in 1952 and was remade in 1966 with Raquel Welch and John Richardson.

Carole Landis One Million B.C.Carole Landis One Million B.C.
Carole on the set

Carole Landis Victor Mature


Carole Landis Victor MatureCarole Landis Victor MatureCarole Landis One Million B.C.

Carole Landis One Million B.C.Carole Landis Victor MatureCarole Landis Victor Mature

Carole Landis One Million B.C.Carole Landis One Million B.C.