Return of the Fly

The Hollywood money-squeezing machine is obvious in this clearly exploitive sequel to The Fly ('58). Shot in budget-friendly black & white, 20th Century Fox re-used the original sets and a rehash plot, Return of the Fly (RotF) looks like (and was) a quick attempt to squeeze a few more box office bucks from the original's popularity. Fortunately, though, there was enough talent in the group that this sequel has merits of its own. Even though filmed in black and white, the widescreen CinemaScope format has a polish to it. RotF doesn't surpass the original, but for fans of the original, it was another ride.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Phillpe Delambre is determined to vindicate his father by successfully completing the experiment. His uncle Francois refuses to help. Phillipe hires Alan Hines from Delambre Frere, and uses his own finances. The funds run out before the equipment is complete. When Phillipe threatens to sell his half of Delambre Frere, Francois relents and funds the completion. After some tweaking, they use the transporter to "store" and later rematerialize test animals. Alan Hines turns out to be Ronald Holmes, an industrial spy. Ronnie tries to sell the secrets to a shadowy cohort named Max. Before Ronnie can get away with the papers, a British agent confronts him. Ronnie knocks him out and uses the transporter to "store" the body. When rematerialized, the agent has guinea pig paws. The guinea pig has human hands. Ronnie kills rodent and puts dead agent in trunk of his car, which he sends into the river. Phillipe confronts Alan/Ronnie about all the oddities. Phillipe is knocked unconscious in the fight. Ronnie opts to hide Phillipe as he had the agent, but in a twist of malice, catches a fly to put in with Phillipe. Ronnie escapes into the night. Francois rematerializes Phillipe, but he (predictably) has a fly head, one fly arm and one fly leg. There is also a fly with Phillipe's head. FlyPhillipe runs into the night. He goes to Max's and strangles him. He waits for Ronnie to arrive, then strangles him too. FlyPhillipe returns home. Inspector Beecham found and caught the ManFly. Both it and FlyPhillipe are placed in the device and successfully reintegrated. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
Everyone expects the story to somehow get a fly head on a man's body again. RotF manages to do the expected with enough twists and action to make an entertaining movie. The photography has a lush but moody "noir" feel.

Cold War Angle
The only hint of the Cold War is the suggestion of other nations being buyers of defense secrets. The story itself is much more of a dangers-of-science tale.

Notes
Storage Device -- RotF gets credit for highlighting the notion of a transporter device also have a storage feature. The original movie hinted at this, but did nothing with it. In RotF, it was a central plot feature. Once in the mainstream, this storage feature would reappear in later TV shows such as Star Trek and Stargate SG1.

Hollywood Recycles -- Production costs were saved by shooting in black and white, but also in recycling the props and sets from the first movie. Even Phillpe's own basement lab (why is it always a basement?) is full of recycled props.

Prop Splurge -- The one place RotF tried to improve on the original is the fly-head costume. Almost too large, the new fly head looked much more fly-like than the modest fly mask in the first movie.

Car Spotters -- Note the impressive land-yacht limousine at the film's beginning. A 1956 Chrysler Imperial limo. Massive. A more interesting find is Phillipe's little French sports car. Much less common to American eyes, is his 1957 Simca Aronde Oceane convertible.

Killer Flies? -- At one point, feverish Francois urges Inspector Beecham to find FlyPhillipe quickly before the "murderous brain of the fly" takes over. The what? Common houseflies are opportunistic scavengers at most. More vulture than raptor, the fly hardly merited such hyperbole. Perhaps the writers felt the need for more plot pressure.

Bottom line?
Fans of the first movie get another dose, albeit with more emphasis on the horror than the cerebral. There is more shock and mayhem, and very little of the original's exploration of a man's loss of identity. Still, the pace is good and the plot has enough new elements to stand on its own. RotF is an apt sequel.

Womaneater

This is an obscure British sci-fi/horror film that is thin on "science" but also light on the horror too. What it does have is an eclectic blend of Frankenstein and Faust and Jack the Ripper. Womaneater is still a low budget B-film, but does rather well within those confines. There is a little bit of stock footage, but not much. The sets are simple, but sufficient. There is a strong sense of film-noir throughout, as almost none of the characters seem noble or heroic.

Quick Plot Synopsis
A London doctor travels to the upper Amazon because he had heard of a tribe of natives who have a "juju" which can restore the dead to life. He's suffering from "jungle fever" and his cohort is killed by a spear as they come across a native ceremony sacrificing a young woman to an odd "tree" with little wiggling arms.
Five years later, Dr. Moran has the tree (or one like it) in the basement of his manor house back in England. He also has one of the tribesmen, who is repeating the drum ceremony. They sacrifice a young red-head to the tree. Later, Moran extracts an inky serum from the tree and injects it into a heart in big beaker. The heart beats awhile, then stops. The police are trying to solve the disappearance of the red-head. Meanwhile, at a local traveling carnival, a young mechanic takes a fancy to a blonde "attraction" at a hawker's stand. He objects to how her boss talks to her. He punches out the boss. The blonde gets fired. The next day she walks to the mechanic's garage. He suggests Moran's house as a possible housekeeper job. She gets a job there, over the objections of the middle-aged housekeeper, Margaret. Moran stalks the streets of London looking for another victim for the tree. He follows and picks up Judy. He takes Judy to his manor. He and Tanga sacrifice her to the tree. Margaret threatens to leave. She and Moran argue. She tries to stab him with decorative dagger. He chokes her and kills her. Sally tries to leave, but Moran (who's fallen in "love" with her) tricks her and locks her in. He takes her his lab to see his triumph. More serum drained from the tree and injected into a body under a sheet. The heart beats, the lungs breath. The body sits up. It's Margaret. She's an unresponsive zombie, not really alive. Moran furious with Tanga (and his people) for cheating him by sharing only half of the secret. Zombie Margaret drops to the floor before getting to Sally. The police and the mechanic arrive in time to rescue Sally. Moran throws flammables on the tree. Tanga throws a dagger into Moran's back, then kneels before the burning tree. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
The pacing is pretty good for a low budget movie, with several interwoven threads. George Coulouris plays Dr. Moran rather well, keeping the character teetering on the edge of rationality. Joyce Gregg does a good job with the tormented housekeeper. Vera Day, who did Quatermass II the year before, plays the carnival exotic dancer, but does about the worst hula seen on film. The shot over her shoulder, between her pointy bra peaks, of Jack trying to concentrate on the car's wiring, is hilarious. It probably wasn't supposed to be, but it's so completely unsubtle that you can't help but laugh.

Cold War Angle
There's nothing of commies or nukes in Womaneater, whether actual or analogous. This is much more of a faustian tale of science being misused by an arrogant scientist.

Notes
Generic Brownies -- A peek at 50s race-insensitive thinking can be seen in "the natives." They're supposed to be descended from the Aztecs, even though the Aztecs were in Mexico, not the Amazon basin. The natives are of various shades, and include Africans. The feathered garb of the medicine man is aztecish but the ritual chants sound decidedly African. There's no one that looks credibly like an Amazonian native. Instead, they're a mishmash of native peoples. This is pretty typical for 40s and 50s jungle films. All them brownies look alike anyhow, ya know. Who'll notice? In the 50s, they didn't.

Bad Girls -- A surprise, is how misogynist Womeneater is. There are no good women in this story. The beautiful victims are rendered mindless by the hypnotizing drums. Even when the effect wears off just prior to being fed to the tree, they can only scream in fear. They are powerless victims. Margaret is the abused former flame who hangs around, taking the abuse on the presumption that she could have no life apart from Moran. Judy, the bar tramp, is a cheap floosie easily picked up by Moran. As he feeds Judy to the tree he says, "What's a few worthless lives compared to what I'm giving the world. It's turning death into life." Women are cheap tree food. Even the "good" girl, Sally is abused. She's helping Jack work on a car. Just after Jack asks her to marry him, he begins to berate her for not holding the light right and other little blunders (she's no mechanic). Okay, so Jack is a jerk. That's not so odd. The odd part is that Sally accepts all this bad manners between them as representing a normal married life. The subtle message in Womaneater is that all women are low-value creatures who foster dysfunctional relationships.

Faust -- Unlike the archetypal naive scientist who unwittingly creates a monster, Dr. Moran fits the mad scientist mold. He's bent on controlling the amazonian's "juju" which can bring the dead back to life. He's doing it more for his own glory than any sort of altruism. In fact, he's quite willing to sacrifice young women's lives for the "gift" he's planning to give mankind. Not much of a gift at that price. There's nothing redeeming about Moran.

What's in it for Tanga? -- An obscure question is why the native, Tanga, agreed to come to England with the woman-eating tree when he knew all along that his people only shared half the secret of restoring life. He knew Moran's experiments would come to nothing, but played along like a good minion. His angle? He apparently just wanted the tree to be fed young women. This was his religion. The more sacrifices he tree-god received, the better.

Echo of Prohibition -- There's a curious little exchange between Moran and the bartender when Moran is stalking Judy. Moran asks for a whiskey. The bartender asks if he's a member. Moran scoffs and puts some money on the bar. The bartender smiles and pours his whiskey. What was that all about? It's a hint of earlier British culture. In the early 1900s, when the Prohibition movement was sweeping the USA, similar sentiments were astir in England. The British could not come right out and ban alcohol, as the Americans tried. Instead, they banned pubs serving drinks to just anyone. Private clubs, however, could serve drinks, but only to members. London gentlemen did like their clubs. By the 50s, the official private-club laws were a faint formality, largely ignored by both bars and patrons. The little exchange between Moran and the bartender captures that. This is a trivial little nugget as far as the movie goes, but it's a fun little snip of history.

Bottom line? Woman Eater is an oddly noir sort of film. It's a little thin on the "science" for a sci-fi, but no less than other sci-fi/horror hybrids in circulation in the late 50s. It ran as the B film to the American release of The H-Man -- making for a people-eater double feature. Woman Eater isn't a top priority film to see, but has some entertainment value.

Warning From Space

Produced by Daiei Motion Picture Company in 1956, the original title was (roughly) "Spacemen Appear in Tokyo". The later english dubbed version was retitled Warning From Space (WFS). Not all Japanese sci-fi movies were kaiju. There are some aliens and some destruction of model buildings, but there is no "giant" rubber-suit monster. Instead, WFS is a medley of prior sci-fi movie themes. WFS is historically significant as the first Japanese sci-fi movie shot in color -- just months before Toho's Radon was released. Unlike Rodan, however, the english dubbed version was not a re-edit, but the original Japanese director's cut. This makes it both peculiar (or frustrating) and yet intriguing.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Scientists observe a new satellite over the earth. It spews "meteorites" which are reported all around the globe as flying saucers. Shortly afterward, people report seeing monsters. Dr. Kamura's daughter Taeko sees one starfish shaped being outside her door. The starfish beings leave radioactive traces that glow blue. The starfish men are from the planet Paira, which is in an opposite orbit with the earth -- so we've never known of Paira. They, however, have been watching us detachedly. Now they break their detachment to warn earthlings of a rouge planet on a collision course with the earth. To circumvent that running and screaming at the sight of one-eyed starfish creatures, the Pairans transmorph one of themselves (and later others) into a human form -- that of a popular nightclub dancer. The new stargirl is found "with amnesia" and taken into the scientist's home. She scolds Dr. Matsuda for his formula for "Nurium 101": an explosive substance far more powerful than mere H-bombs. Japan asks the World Congress to authorize blasting Planet R with earth's existing nukes to knock it off course, but the politicians refuse. Dr. Matsuda is kidnapped by underworld thugs to get his formula. Meanwhile, the earth is becoming scorched as Planet R nears. The politicians reconsider, but all the nukes do nothing. Earth suffers more. The Pairans rescue Dr. Matsuda and use his formula to make a super bomb. This they launch at Planet R and successfully destroy it. Earth is saved. Bunnies come out of their holes and children run squealing into the grassy hills. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
It's interesting to see classic stories recast through different cultural eyes. The cycloptic star-alien costumes are unforgettable. As an original (Japanese) edit, there are apparent plot non-sequetors and odd tangents to keep you wondering.

Cold War Angle
The customary not-mature-enough-for-nukes moral is present, but seriously undermined by the rest of the story. Mankind might be aggressive and impetuous, but if confronted by a danger that regular weapons can't stop, resorting to a super-weapon is sometimes necessary. This is the Cold War Dogma in a nutshell.

Notes
Two Remakes In One -- The two most obvious sci-fi remakes in WFS are The Day the Earth Stood Still and When Worlds Collide. The first half of the movie is TDESS. An alien comes to earth to deliver a message that the earth is in danger and mankind not mature enough for super weapons. "The earthlings must be stopped, and terminate their blundering," says the Pairan leader. The second half remakes WWC in having a rogue planet about to crash into the earth. The two are stitched together in that the Pairans contact earth to warn Earth about our nuclear blundering. This shifts to a common danger: the coming of Planet R. Stargirl (Ginko) is surprised to see Matsuda's formula for Nurium 101. The Pairan's wanted earth to use their "blundering" but then suggest we use our nukes to divert Planet R. It is when we bungled the job (due to bureaucrats dawdling) that the Nurium super bomb becomes necessary.

Remake Medley -- Two other classics lend their flavor as well. The opening scenes are very reminiscent of Paramount's War of the Worlds with meteors falling around the globe, radio static, etc. The theme shifts after this opening to scenes reminiscent of Creature From The Black Lagoon with the star-shaped Pairan's looming up out of dark murky waters to (unintentionally) frighten people. This theme is pretty quickly dropped too in favor of the TDESS theme.

Folklore Foundation? -- It is said that WFS was based on a novel which was itself based on an old Japanese folk tale entitled "Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." The association is loose, at best. The both have an alien come to earth in the form of a beautiful young woman, her growing up with an earth family, and ultimately returning to her heavenly home. Beyond that, the two diverge. This folk tale heritage does help explain the apparent non-sequetor of Star-Hikari (Ginko) being "found" and having no identity (like a baby) and why she stays with Dr. Matsuda's family. The pattern would be more familiar to Japanese audiences than American.

Quirks Explained? -- Some "plot holes" may be more a matter of a viewer expecting blatant explanations and tidy summaries. Japanese directors seem to have liked subtlety.
1. Why would the Pairans, who profess to have been monitoring earth for thousands of years, think that looming up out of the water, or lurking outside of dark doors, was the way to make contact with humans? Perhaps they knew we were easily spooked, so thought a quiet one-on-one with common folk was the way in. "Pssst, Hey, earthling..."
2. How could Ginko be so instantly familiar with the Nurium formula, yet the Pairan's still need Matsuda in order to make some? The Pairans never finished developing it, knowing how über-powerful it was, they stopped. Matsuda's formulae was the rest of the puzzle they avoided. Not everything was in that notebook. Much was still in Matsuda's head.
3. And, how did poor Dr. Matsuda survive being tied up in that chair for a month? Perhaps the underworld thugs have been continuing to hold him there. Feeding, bathroom breaks, etc., in hopes of getting the formula. We just don't see them doing so. They fled when the earthquakes began.

Dies Bling -- The handy communicator ring appears to be a bit of Dies Ex Machina jewelry. Planet R is fast approaching and no one knows where Matsuda is -- not even the Pairans. What to do? Home in on his honkin' huge communicator tracking ring, of course. Duh. Trouble was, no one ever mentioned this ring before. It was the classic dies ex machina device, dropped in to solve an unsolvable problem. American audiences like foreshadowing better than god-via-machine devices.

Dang Politicians -- Where the obvious heros of WFS are the scientists -- honest men, good fathers, altruists. The clear villains are the unseen world politicians. While doom approaches, they posture and dawdle. When it is too late, they decide to act. The gangsters are bad, yes, but not too bad. All they did to Matsuda was give him an extended 'time out' to make him talk.

Bottom line? WFS is entertaining on several levels. It is still B-grade sci-fi and not high art, but fun nevertheless. It is an homage to several prior 50s sci-fi classics.

Rodan

To continue this Digression Week, we have another famous Japanese monster movie. Following on the success of Gojira (Godzilla), Ishiro Honda and Toho Studios created similar giant monster (kaiju) movie. Rodan was the first Toho monster movie in color. The original Radon was released in Japan in 1956. Given Godzilla's success in America in 1955, American distributors (the King Brothers) were quick to buy the rights for an American release. Rodan was surprisingly well dubbed and faithful to the original story. It did very well for the King Brothers. Rodan is like two monster movies in one. The first half has giant bugs attacking coal miners. The second half has a giant pteranodon attacking the world (mostly Japan).

Quick Plot Synopsis
(this is for the original Japanese cut) -- Two coal miners have a history of quarreling and fighting. One of them is found dead in the mines, as are three more sent in to investigate. The other is suspected. Shigeru, the mine engineer, consoles Kiyo, his fiancee. A giant larval bug enters her house. Men chase it up on a hillside, the bug attacks two policeman. The army is called in to kill the bug. Down in the mine shaft, the attack it with heavy machine guns, but to no effect. Shigeru gets separated into another cavern. He is attacked by larvae, but assumed lost in a cave-in. Biologists figure the big bugs are the larval stage of prehistoric dragonflies. An earth tremor causes a huge are of earth to collapse. Shigeru is found wandering in the new pit, but he has lost his memory.
Reports come in of a supersonic UFO. Jets are scrambled, but one is rammed by the UFO. Planes are missing. A pair of honeymooners are missing, as are several cattle. Scientists deduce that the UFO is a giant pteranodon. Shigeru regains his memory and confirms this. He recalls seeing it hatch in the cave and eat the larvae. The Rodan causes destruction in many cities, especially Fukuoka. Turns out there are two Rodans. They nest in caves on Mt. Aso (an active volcano). The military evacuate civilians, then attack the volcano with tanks and rockets to seal the caves. This also causes the volcano to erupt. The two Rodans escape the rubble, but one is too hurt to escape and falls into the lava. Its mate hovers for awhile, calling, but then settles into the flames beside it. They die together. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
There is much to enjoy in Rodan. It's Godzilla 2.0. It is a rich and layered tale beneath the veneer of a rubber-suit monster stomping model cities. See Notes for more points of interest.

Cold War Angle
Like Godzilla, Rodan's appearance is blamed on imprudent nuclear testing. This impossible to miss in the American cut. Rodan is similarly an analogy for the destructive power of modern war. There is complexity amid the usual nuclear cautionary tale.

Notes
What's in a Name? -- In the Japanese original, the monster is called Radon.
This is a contraction from pteRAnoDON. The Japanese posters have the three big katakana characters for RA-DO-N. Yet, for the American release, the vowels were swapped to yield rOdAn. Why? Various theories exist. There was a toy that had trademarked the name? There is an atomic element by that name? Neither of these are convincing. Whatever the reason, Rodan is how Americans knew the flying monster.

Nice Dub, Man -- The english dialogue lines up pretty well with Japanese actors' lip movements. The english script follows the original plot line. In some ways, the english dub makes for a clearer story. Some narration (ostensibly by Shigeru) over some longish or vague scenes, fills in some details and backstory that Honda left subtle. Listen for the unmistakable voice of Paul Frees as the police chief, mining boss and others. George Takai (later Lt. Sulu) also provides voice talent.

You Talk Funny -- It is interesting that the voice talent were instructed to talk with japanese accents. The most egregious of these is Paul Frees, but others are oddly affected too. One character says in his exaggerated accent, that he is completely baffled -- "I ahm compweet-awee baff-ood". The director must have felt the english dubs needed to "sound" japanese.

Super Models -- The model work in Rodan is actually very well done. Note, especially, the attention to detail in the buildings being destroyed by Rodan's wind. Notice all the delicate roof trusses when Rodan stomps on the train station. Note all the moving parts on the trucks and tanks. Anyone who has build models can see the Rodan sets were no slap-dash cheepo toys. These were A-grade model-miniature special effects.

Reconcilable Differences -- The King Brothers edits are surprisingly faithful to the original. New footage, such as the beginning with the nuclear bomb test, fit the original story. Longish scenes were pared down. Implied details were made blatant (such as there being two Rodans). Watch for repeated original footage, reversed left/right to serve as additional shots. Watch the footage of F-86 Saber Jets. In the original, they all had Japanese markings. In the American version, some footage clearly shows American markings. Overall, though, the King Brothers' version is no hack job. It is more of a re-edit with a different (but still competent) editor.

Moral of the Story? -- Ishiro Honda said Godzilla was an analogy for nuclear power (and nuclear war). Rodan fits this pattern as well, but not quite as neatly. The ending is enigmatic. The male Radon choosing to die with its mate in the volcano has a tragic nobility to it. This doesn't square with Honda's customary anti-nuke sentiments. Here is my take: Rodan is a retrospective analogy for WWII, seen in a sort of passive civilian view. War comes. It causes death and destruction. Civilian lives are disrupted (and lost). The Rodans are the old imperial Japan. The "new" Japan doesn't defeat the old so much as they're consumed by the fire. The final scene is like a respectful bit of mourning for the death of the "old" Japan.

Bottom line? Don't let the cheap kaiju movies of the 60s put you off. Rodan is a quality story about a giant terror of the skies, far better than a poor American copy the next year, The Claw. Watch Rodan for some quality kaiju. If you are really a kaiju fan, watch the japanese original (with English subtitles) first, then watch the King Brothers' re-edit. It makes great "compare and contrast" fodder.

The Rocket Man

Time for another Digression Week. A couple more candidates for this study came in after their year had come and gone. Up first is an obscure family movie, a light comedy that is even lighter on the sci-fi.

Science fiction had been a part of American culture long enough to be material for comedy. Abbott and Costello made a big budget sci-fi spoof in 1953 with Abbott & Costello Go to Mars. 20th Century Fox's smaller budget comedy, Rocket Man (RM) is a light, heartwarming tale that is also light on the science fiction. Essentially, it is a story of honesty and virtue triumphing over lies and corruption. The story could have been told just as successfully with a magic rock or a leprechaun, or some other magic to provide the Dies ex Machina moments, but the writers opted for the sci-fi craze.

Quick Plot Synopsis
At a Captain Talray promotional stop at an orphanage, all the cool toys are handed out before little Timmy can get one. A mysterious, and apparently invisible, man in a space suit appears and causes a ray gun to appear in the empty box. The gun has magical properties. Timmy uses it to stop a speeding drunk driver from running over one of his playmates. The drunk is a political big wig. His arrest sets in motion a plot for revenge against the local Justice of the Peace, Ameila Brown. Brown takes in little Timmy. Brown is also supposed to take in a parolee. Big Bill Watkins' spy is mistaken for the parolee and taken into Brown's home. There, he falls for Brown's daughter, June. Before this, however, Tom did his dirty work and files a bid to buy the orphanage for Big Bill. He is discovered and the romance chills. Brown cannot raise enough money to top the bid. Timmy uses his ray gun to "help" Ed (the mayor and suitor of Brown) to win a poker game. Even this is not enough as Big Bill uses obscure laws to thwart Brown. At the big election eve rally, Timmy uses his ray gun to make Big Bill tell the truth. This stark admission of his arrogance and greed costs him the election. The orphanage is saved. Tom and June are romantic again. The parolee has a job. All is right in the world. The mysterious space man smiles, nods and takes a bit of his (presumed) green cheese sandwich. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
The plot, while at times quite predictable, is nevertheless complex enough to keep some interest. There are a few spots of interest that give it some value too. See Notes section below.

Cold War Angle
The sci-fi aspect is only a background foil for a more conventional family-movie. As such, none of sci-fi's usual analogies are explored.

Notes
I Dream of Klaatu -- The mysterious space man who delivers the magic ray gun is the customary benevolent alien. He's here to help us. He could just as well have been a witch or a genie or a leprechaun and delivered the magic macguffin. His magic is modeled after the human notion of what divine intervention is supposed to be like. The ethereal Klaatu tells Timmy, while he sleeps, that the gun can grant wishes, but tt can only help people and never be used for selfish gain. "Use it wisely." That is what Klaatu and his many copies wanted for us -- wisdom.

Rockets on Parade -- In the first few minutes of the film, there is a glimpse of 50s life -- a science fiction character and his rocket, make a promotional stop in a small town. Such was the science fiction craze in the early 50s. In this case it is the fictional Captain Talray. Dressed in Destination Moon space suits, they bring a box of toys for the orphan boys out of their "rocket." Such tours did crisscross the country in the early 50s. Several copies of Rocky Jones' "Space Ship Mars" toured to promote Silvercup Bread. There was also a Ralston Rocket touring. RM captures a slice of this americana.

Star Gazing -- RM is a minor film, but sports several stars of 50s sci-fi. Anne Francis plays June, the typical love interest role. She would be famous for Dr. Morbius' daughter Altera in Forbidden Planet ('56). John Agar plays the romantic leading man, Tom Baxter. RM appears to be Agar's first of many B sci-fi appearances. Watch for Beverly Garland in a bit role as parolee Bob's girlfriend, Ludine. Garland would later steal the show as Claire in It Conquered the World ('56) and nurse Nadine in Not of This Earth ('57).

Car Nut Moment -- RM features a very rare automobile which is worth noting. In the early part of the movie, Big Bill Watkins is driving a Kaiser Darrin roadster. Only 435 were made in early 1954. The Darrin was the first American production car with a fiberglass body, beating the Chevrolet Corvette to market by only a few months. The Darrin was an attempt to revitalize the sagging Kaiser-Frazer brand, but was not enough. KF stopped producing cars in 1955. Nowadays, restored Darrins fetch six figure prices. Also noteworthy is the Darrin's sliding doors. Quick-eyed viewers can see this when Officer O'Brien gets out of the Darrin in front of Amelia Brown's house. The door slides forward into the fender.

Bottom line? Rocket Man is not much of a sci-fi movie, but does at least showcase the cultural sci-fi craze of the early 50s. For this reason alone, it's worth watching. Catching Francis, Agar and Garland in a movie together before they became sci-fi regulars, is fun too. It is still a B movie, so needs some slack cut for it.

The Killer Shrews

McLendon Radio Pictures entered the movie making world with this film and Giant Gila Monster distributed as a double feature. Gordon McLendon, Texas radio mogul, and producer Ken Curtis tried to shave production crew costs by shooting the two films concurrently. Killer Shrews (KS) is the more polished of the two, though still very much a low-budget B grade sci-fi. KS even has a tiny bit more science in its fiction. It rehashes the old trope of the misguided, though well-meaning scientist who unintentionally creates a deadly monster. In this case, 100 pound hyper-viscious rodents who quickly multiply and dominate the scientist's small island.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Thorne Sherman and his first mate Griswold are delivering the monthly supplies to some scientists on a remote island. When they arrive, Dr. Craigis wants Sherman to take his beautiful young daughter, Ann, off the island. A hurricane is brewing up, however, so departure must wait for the next day. At the lab compound, the mood is ill at ease between the various researchers. Meanwhile, Griswold is securing a line from boat to shore when he is attacked and killed by a pack of giant shrews -- coincidentally the size of large dogs. Eventually, the back story comes out, that Craigis was conducting experiments on tiny shrews. One mutation grew to dog size. Jerry, the assistant, was drunk and allowed them to escape. Once free, they bred to a pack of hundreds. With all the available food on the island consumed, they will come for the people next. One shrew gets in the house. It bites the servant, Mario, who quickly dies of the venom. In the morning, Jerry and Sherman try to get to the boat, but the skiff is wrecked. They find Griswold's shoes. Back at the house, another shrew bites Radford on the leg. He dies too. The remaining four abandon the house as it's overrun by shrews. Sherman's escape plan is to use empty oil drums as personal armor. They lash four barrels together and cut some eye holes. Jerry refuses to participate. Craigis, Ann and Sherman duck-walk under their barrel armor. The pack of shrews attack, but can't get through. Jerry makes a run for it while the pack is busy, but another pack gets him. The three make it to the water and safety. They swim to the boat. Ann and Sherman kiss. Craigis smiles. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
The story almost follows the familiar mad scientist monster formula, but with enough quirks to keep things interesting. The actors do a reasonable job. Sure, the special effects are minimal and the shrews are just dogs in costume, but story works and is fairly well paced, particularly near the end.

Cold War Angle
There really isn't any Cold War in KS. Radiation didn't cause the killer shrews, so it isn't even an atomic cautionary tale.

Notes
Population Time Bomb -- The cautionary moral of KS is delivered gently. Dr. Craigis is conducting genetic experiments in an effort to slow down human metabolism. If successful, people would need less food. The planet could support everyone without starvation. He uses shrews because they have a generational cycle of just three weeks. Some of his experimental shrews, however, went wrong. The grew huge. The escaped shrews became a model of an overpopulated world. They ate everything on the island and were turning on each other to survive. "Eventually, there will be just one shrew left on the island," Craigis says, "and he will then starve to death."

Isolated Case? -- The opening narration tells of giant killer shrews starting out in Alaska and working their way south. The rest of the script, however, has them only happening on Craigis' remote island and could not swim. This suggests that the opening narration was an afterthought -- perhaps a bit of marketing spice grafted on.

Inland Sea -- The script calls for Sherman to be delivering supplies to a remote island somewhere in the caribbean or Gulf of Mexico. A hurricane threatens. Viewers familiar with the sea will notice how oddly dead-calm the water is during the boat shots. Not typical for the hours prior to a hurricane. This is because it was shot on Lake Lewisville (formerly Lake Dallas). McLendon's Cielo Ranch (and studio) fronted on the lake.

Budget Cast -- It is noteworthy that KS's producer and primary financial backer also acted in the movie. Ken Curtis, the producer, played the role of Jerry and did a creditable job of it. Gordon McLendon, the deep pockets, played the role of the quirky assistant scientist Radford. McLendon was accustomed to being on-air in his radio broadcast business. He seemed comfortable enough in front of the camera too.

Non-Sequetor Swede -- Ingrid Goude, Miss Universe 1957, plays the customary B-movie role of beautiful young love interest for the hero and bone of contention for the usual love triangle. She does a fair job in her role, but with a notable swedish accent. At one point, she chastises Sherman for being too complacent about all the odd things about the island. "Don't you wonder about my accent?" He doesn't, and no explanation come out later. Audiences are left wondering.

Bottom line? Despite it's low budget production, KS is still an entertaining story. The giant shrews aren't the focus. They're an outside threat and source of pressure for the human drama. As such, it doesn't matter that they're just dogs in costumes. The plot has more depth than B movies are noted for. Killer Shrews is a worthy addition to a 50s B sci-fi collection.