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ZOTZ!
1962
A Columbia Pictures Production
Directed by William Castle
Based on the novel by Walter Karig
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With:
Tom Poston, Julia Meade, Jim Backus, Fred Clark, Cecil Kellaway, Margaret Dumont
Julia Meade stars as Prof. Virginia Fenster in the 1962 Columbia Pictures production of the comedy ZOTZ!. Prof. John Jones, Julia's love interest played by Tom Posten, finds the ancient ZOTZ! coin, and discovers its powers, which include slowing down time when the word "ZOTZ!" is uttered. If Prof. Jones points at someone, it immobilizes them with pain. If he points and uses the word in combination, it kills them. He tries to give the secret to the U.S. government, but the Pentagon is not amused and dismisses him as a lunatic.
However, the discovery of the coin and its power become the interest of foreign agents, who attempt to steal the secret. Prof. Jones is captured, then escapes and is pursued. The coin is lost, the U.S. government realizes its error, and a massive search for the coin ensues.
ZOTZ! employs some ambitious special effects for its day, including a rooftop "slow bullet" scene where Prof. Jones utters the magic word "ZOTZ" and freezes a .45 slug in mid-flight. He steps easily out of its path, leaps from the rooftop and falls end-over-end in slow motion, as normal speed action continues in the background. Additional fun was provided during the film's original run when the theaters handed out plastic ZOTZ! coins as souvenirs. |
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