How The Blob Reproduces

I'm referring to the original The Blob from the 1958 movie The Blob, the Earl Rowe version. I know, everybody says "The Steve McQueen version" and true enough, Steve's in there pulling his share. But for my money, convincing as he is as a callow youth, as a leading actor he hadn't quite yet grown into his boots here, and it is the kind yet stern turn from Earle Rowe as Lt. Dave that provides the film's moral center.

I'm most definitely not referring to the 1988 movie The Blob featuring Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith, with the appalling performance of Jeffrey DeMunn as what I can only assume was meant to be this film's "Lt. Dave." But that's not why I'm most definitely not referring to this version for my little thesis. For one thing, in this film we're expected to believe that The Blob was the result of a low-earth-orbit germ-warfare experiment gone awry. Oh, I'm sorry, did I spoil the twist for you? Screw you, Blob remake! I will spoil your twist every damn day it occurs to me to do so! You're lucky Michael Crichton didn't sue you for a "story by" credit. No amount of Shawnee Smith in that sweater can redeem this.

Since I'm being so hard on it, I should include a contrary viewpoint from another reviewer, for balance:

I agree with him on this: if The Blob met another movie character I think The Blob would probably win, because it eats people up. It probably could eat Chucky or anybody up.

But I've gotten sidetracked. I wanted to explain how The Blob reproduces. You know what, I'll get into that in my "Pt. 2." It's more involved than you might think.