Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack

Capitalizing on the popularity of its television series “Battlestar Galactica,” ABC, Glen A. Larson Productions and Universal produced a theatrical release entitled: Mission Galactica: The Cylon Attack (MGCA, for short). There was no new footage. The film was an edited compilation of three episodes (more on those below). MGCA was a sort of a sequel to the pilot for the TV series, which had a very limited theatrical release.

Quick Plot Synopsis

After a quick recap of the backstory (via voiceover), the story opens with a mystery of why Captain Apollo and Lieutenant Starbuck have not returned from their scouting mission. It turned out that they were ‘captured’ by other Viper pilots from the Battlestar Pegasus. That ship was thought lost in the big Cylon attack that predates the story, but it, and it’s over-confident leader, Commander Cain, somehow survived. Cain is excited to have a second battlestar to attack a Cylon base. Commander Adama of the Galactica only wants fuel. His fleet of civilian ships is nearly out of fuel. Cain only wants to attack. There is much tension between the two commanders and their crews. Via deception and intrigue, Cain maneuvers Adama into helping him attack the base in order to get more fuel. The attack on the base succeeds. The fleet gets its fuel, but the sinister Count Baltar uses Galactia’s preoccupation with the base attack and fuel to press his own attack on Galactica. Suicide Cylon fighters ram Galactica, causing massive damage and out-of-control fires. Meanwhile, Cain uses Baltar’s preoccupation with Galactica to press his own surprise attack. Apparently, this succeeds. Surgery on the wounded Adama is successful and the fires are put out. The fleet has enough fuel to flee the scene. The End.

Why is this movie fun?

Obviously, fans of the original series would enjoy the mashup of several episodes. There is sufficient action and simple drama. Seeing the older, low-tech special effects has a nostalgia quality. Loren Green and Lloyd Bridges give the production some star power. The lovely Laurette Sprang offers fine late-70s eye candy.

Notes

Mashup — MGCA was cobbled together, primarily out of the two-part episodes 12 and 13: “The Living Legend”. These aired in late November and early December of 1978. Lloyd Bridges plays the Cain character well, riding the line between devious-treacherous and courageous-brilliant. The third episode in the mashup was #14, “Fire in Space.” This episode had nothing to do with Cain, but was well cut into the final battle sequences of “Living Legend” that it did not seem out of place. Much of episode #14 was omitted as tangental (or distracting) to the “Living Legend” story arc.

Star Boost — Larson was said to have the concept for his Battlestar Galactica story, developed in the late 1960s. It failed to arouse enough interest until after Star Wars blew open the sci-fi / western sub-genre. Borrowing heavily for sets, costumes and action from Star Wars, BG had a ready audience. Many of the visuals, such as the Big Ship Flyby are obviously parroting George Lucas’s work. The dogfights between Cylon fighters and Vipers are obvious copies too. Since Lucas was as successful as he was, Larson’s BG got a chance at life.

Short Life — Larson got his epic produced, but it did not last. Despite being popular and developing a cult following, ABC cancelled the show after it’s first season. Even though BG was lauded as “Best New TV Drama Series” in the People’s Choice Awards (Feb. 1979), ABC cited declining ratings and too-expensive production in their decision to kill the show. Ironically, MGCA was release a month after the last television episode aired. The handwriting was probably on the wall while MGCA was in post-production, but must have been too far along to be practical to scrap it.

Era of the Soft Hair — The late 1970s was an interesting period in personal fashion. Part of that fashion is captured in MGCA. Almost everyone has soft, fluffy hair. The hunky guys have long, fluffy hair. The hottie women have long, fluffy hair. The women’s hairstyles aren’t as flagrant as they would become in the 80s era of Big Hair, but you can see how it was getting started.

Corny Evil — It is interesting to see how obviously director Vince Edwards handled the sinister Count Baltar. In almost every scene with Baltar, he is set in strong up-light and told to wear a sinister grin. It’s the old flashlight-under-the-chin effect. Once or twice might have sufficed to assure the visual signal of Baltar’s evil-ness. But, Edwards does it every time. It’s hammy and amusing, though that’s probably not the effect Edwards was after.

Bottom line — MGCA does not age well, given modern CGI effects. There is much repetition of visuals, such as launching of fighters, and dogfight scenes. This is common enough in television, but in films, it looks more obvious and cheap. However, if the viewer can set aside modern standards for effects, and depth-of-plot, MGCA provides some simple entertainment, with plenty of action. It won’t impress anyone under the age of 30, but folks who lived TV in the 70s may have a more forgiving heart.

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Blood Beast from Outer Space

Shepperton Studios produced a modest sci-fi film in 1965 called The Night Caller. or Night Caller from Outer Space. When released in the USA, it was retitled Blood Beast from Outer Space (BBOS). The American distributors must have thought the British title was too subtle. John Saxon stars as Dr. Jack Costain. Maurice Denham plays Dr. Morley. Patricia Haines plays Ann Barlow. It is the somewhat typical story of an alien who comes to earth for “our” resources (women) and to warn us of the dangers of a nuclear future.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Radar detects an incoming asteroid that lands near London. When scientists and the army search, they find a beachball-sized translucent sphere. They take it back for testing, but it is obviously not of this world. While Ann stays late to type up notes, she feels sick and notices a glow in the store room. When she opens the door, a clawed hand grabs hers. She runs and sets off the alarm. No one is found, but a big clawed footprint is found in the dirt outside. Dr. Morley, Ann and Jack are certain the sphere is a transporter portal, sent from the 3rd moon around Jupiter: Ganymede. Dr. Morley wants to see the mysterious stranger, but gets killed by it. The stranger drives off the base in a nice Jaguar. Fast forward three weeks. 21 young women have disappeared mysteriously. Slowly, Scotland Yard and the scientists piece together that a mysterious stranger has placed an ad in Bikini Girl magazine, recruiting models. They disappear the day after their interviews. Scotland Yard sets up a trap for the stranger, now named Medra. Ann volunteers to be bait. She goes in, confronts Medra. They chat about about him wanting women for his planet. He then strangles Ann for knowing too much. Medra arranges one more abduction of a pretty girl. Police give chase to the Jaguar. They find it at a farm. Standing in front of a fire (for no apparent reason), Medra exposits about how his people are a thousand years advanced. They also discovered nuclear power and it all went bad for them. Most were wiped out. The survivors were mutants. Medra has one normal human hand, and one claw-hand - half a normal face and half deformed face. They want the pretty english girls as fresh breeding stock to clean up their gene pool. There’s nothing the army can do. Medra disappears. His portal ball shoots up into the sky as a fireball. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
British sci-fi of the 60s had a subtly to it that gave it a very different feel from American B-grade sci-fi. The director does a good job of keeping the alien hidden in the shadows. The fact that the “monster” amounts to just one rubber claw-glove, is nicely hidden.

Cold War Angle
Don’t Let This Happen To You — A common theme in 50s sci-fi was the cautionary tale. Sci-fi let audiences “see” the horrors of an unchecked nuclear future. This was the moral of the story in Rocketship XM (1950), in which the astronauts see the ruins of martian civilization, high radiation, and mutant survivors (as cavemen). BBOS repeats all these traditional Cold War tropes. Medra’s people suffered their apocalypse. They mutated into monsters. Medra tells the earthmen that it will happen to them too. Add in Medra’s mission, and his warning amounts to: Keep messing with nukes and you’ll wind up mutant monsters (like me) and you won’t have enough women.

Notes
Based on the Book — Frank Crisp wrote the novel in 1960, “The Night Callers.” The plot is essentially the same: an alien civilization is kidnapping young women, one by one. Crisp’s novel (and the ’65 film) have a very 50s feel to them, as they were a product of those times.

Klaatu The Abductor — Medra delivers a monologue at the end, which amounts to Klaatu’s warning from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). “A thousand years ago, we made our first stumbling steps into space. We visited the earth, only to find we could not survive its atmosphere. But we from Ganymede knew were were superior beings and had nothing to learn from you. We had knowledge that could lead to eternal peace and progress, but also embodying the darker powers of universal destruction, so our civilization ended, just as yours will.” Like Klaatu, Medra delivers his warning message and leaves. But this time, he took a bunch of earth girls with him. Medra wasn’t on a mission to warn Earth, so much as he was gathering breeding stock and got a little chatty before departure.

They ARE After Our Women — This old trope is sci-fi is sometimes hinted at, or danced around with visual metaphors. In BBOS, it is the essence of the plot. The aliens on Ganymede need earth women (with chromosomes free from nuclear-war mutations). Unlike in most films with this trope, the Earth men do not thwart the abductions by the “outsider” tribe. The aliens win. They get the girls. Still, the earthly parallel would be angst over “our” young women being stolen by immorality. Note how the ad is placed in Bikini Girl magazine and the bait of “modeling.” Note too, the glimpses of the seamy side of Soho and the greasy bookstore owner, Thorburn. Medra fits as metaphor for the dark side of society that “steals” the innocence of young women.

Transporter Device — An interesting tidbit to the story, is the sphere itself. Medra did not travel inside the sphere. Instead, it is a matter transporter that was launched at the Earth. Once landed, Medra could beam himself in and beam the girls out. In this, his sphere is reminiscent to Mr. Johnson’s closet in Not of this Earth (’57). But, instead of the vampire angle in NotE — beaming back people for food — Medra is wants his beam-back-ees to remain intact as women.

Advanced Killer? — In Medra’s monologue at the end, he boasts about how advanced their people are, and how they learned their lesson from their destructive nuclear past. However, Medra was pretty quick to kill earthlings who got in his way. This is what advanced looks like?

The Price of Equality — Rare for sci-fi films, the lead female is killed by the monster. He complements her as having “a mind nearly equal to my own.” Presuming Medra had an advanced mind, that meant Ann was actually the brightest of the scientists. However, as an equal, she was a threat to the abduction plans, so he kills her. No fancy ray guns. He just strangles her. It’s a bit grim.

Star Gazing — Beyond the more obvious John Saxon, watch for Aubrey Morris as the flagrant bookshop owner. He would later the equally questionable probation officer in A Clockwork Orange (’71). Fans of Fawlty Towers will see “The Major”, Ballard Berkeley, in a very Major-like role, but a pre-Fawlty serious one.

Bottom line? BBOS is a very British sci-fi, and fairly typical of the vintage. It is not an action-packed film, nor replete with special effects. It can be a bit talky at times. The expository ending feels like the writer ran out of time to tell the story, so just summed it up via the alien’s monologue. Still, BBOS has a mild and somewhat cerebral quality to it. The themes are the usual fare, but delivered without gore, or scary monsters, explosions or random nudity. Only the strangling of Ann and Medra’s mutant-half face would keep BBOS from being suitable for children.

The Man Who Fell To Earth

The last sci-fi film to review for the year 1976 was the enigmatic The Man Who Fell To Earth (MWFE). Released in May of 1976, this was the big film role for equally enigmatic signer/song-writer David Bowie. Paul Mayersberg created the screenplay, based on Walter Tevis’ 1963 novel of the same name. “Art” director Nicolas Roeg crafted the visuals. Between Mayersberg and Roeg, the film takes Tevis’ premise and puts a thoroughly 70s spin on it. An alien comes to earth from his dying world, but earth corrupts him.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Note: Roeg uses a rather non-linear style, with many intercuts and overlaps. This is a reassembled synopsis.
After a splash in a mountain lake, a lone man stumbles into a small town. He pawns some gold rings to raise cash. With the cash, he hires a patent attorney, Oliver Farnsworth. The alien, Thomas Jerome Newton (Bowie) has several advanced concepts which Farnsworth patents. The result are many revolutionary consumer products, such as an instant (digital?) camera, and modular music (mp3) player. Newton’s World Enterprises business makes him a multimillionaire. He applies his millions to a space vehicle project, employing Nathan Bryce (Rip Torn) a bored and philandering college professor to be his fuel scientist. The fragmented and suggested backstory is the Newton came from another planet that is suffering from massive drought. His plan is to either take water to his planet, or bring his family (wife and two children) to earth. While in the remote wilds of New Mexico (the rocket base location), he crosses paths with Mary-Lou. She falls in love with him. He (as a married alien) is intrigued with her. They begin a dysfunctional relationship (she drinks too much, he doesn’t care enough). He eventually reveals his true alien-ness to Mary-Lou, who freaks out. She gets over it, though it does not salvage what relationship they had. Shadowy forces (government and/or competitor businesses) bribe Newton’s driver to arrange for Newton’s capture. Doctors perform all sorts of pointless tests and procedures on Newton. Shadowy thugs kill Farnsworth. While in captivity, Newton’s space project falls into disrepute and is scuttled. Many years later, Mary-Lou and Bryce get together. Bryce tracks down the elusive Newton based on clues in a record album Newton recorded. He finds Newton, still rich, but doing nothing beyond drowning his despair. He’s stuck on earth, never getting back. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
MWFE is actually a fairly disturbing film, rather than fun. Yet there are still snippets of interest. The premise can be thought-provoking.

Cultural Connection
Generation X — MWFE captures some of the mood of “Generation X” before concept was in popular circulation. Gen Xers, born between 1964 and 1980 (dates vary depending on authors), were the latchkey kids. They grew up on TV, often because their working parents (Baby Boomers) let their careers come first. Generalized to be loners, skeptical, cynical and prone to despondency (as opposed to hopeful), Gen X kids were more prone to solitary video games than playing outside in the dirt. Disaffected Gen X youth fueled punk rock rebelliousness, but were also prone to become solitary entrepreneurs. They inherited their Baby Boom parents “free” approach to sex, drugs and rock-and-roll, but lacked the easily identified target of rebellion their parents had. MWFE is a Gen X film with Newton as the tragic Gen-X archetype.

Notes
Based on the Book — In 1963, Walter Tevis published a sci-fi novel about an alien who comes to earth, seeking to save his people. The movie follows the book, in some details, and in some general ways, but with some notable modernizations. In the book, Newton’s home world, Anthea, suffered many nuclear wars which produced a planetary drought that has killed off most of the inhabitants. Book Newton wants to build a rocket to bring the remaining Antheans to Earth. In the movie, Newton’s world (never named) is just a desert. No mention made of nuclear wars. Movie Newton’s goal is never made clear. He may be trying to take water to his planet, or ferry his family to earth. The book takes place in Kentucky, with the female lead being Betty-Jo, not Mary-Lou in New Mexico. The undefined shadowy figures of the movie are the CIA and FBI in the book. In the book, Newton tries to be a savior to both his people and Earth — by preventing nuclear war, via their super-intelligence. Both book and film end with Newton failing in his mission as savior. The book was more flagrantly partisan, in that the “scandal” over Newton, Democrats lose power to Republicans, who it is presumed, will push Earth into the nuclear apocalypse. The film did not dabble in politics. Newton just failed to save his family.

Reverse Abduction — An interesting twist on the tired alien-abduction trope, has earthlings “abducting” the alien and subjecting him to all sorts of vague and terrible medical procedures. (why was everyone so fascinated with Bowie’s nipples?) The alien is released from abduction, but no one will believe his story. He is alone with his experience.

Failed Savior — As a sort of noir flip-side of the Klaatu motif, Newton “falls” to earth, originally to save the people of his dying world (this also being an old trope). IN the book, he is simultaneously trying to save earthlings from nuking ourselves. Instead of standing strong, like Klaatu, he succumbs to earth vices (mostly gin, sex and television) and loses his motivation to do much more than be pitiful. In MWFE, the alien is neither hero, nor villain. He becomes a victim.

Art-Porn — Roeg has a reputation for artsy directing, but his overuse of naked bodies and exaggerated fake sex often strays over the line of artistic statement, to budget porn. When the naked/sex is there, pretty much just for the sake of having it there, it’s more porn than art. The final fling between Newton and Mary-Lou, with the bizarre chrome pistol prop tries to be more artsy than porn, though given both character’s development (estrangement), a gleeful hedonist fling with odd toys doesn’t fit. As art-porn, it didn’t have to fit.

They’re After Our Women — As with the classic old trope, the alien takes up with a pretty earth girl. Mary-Lou is attractive, if not particularly deep. Newton keeps her, rather than falls in love with her (in classic Gen X form), but as with many other sci-fi films in which the alien male wants (or “has”) the earth female, it is just assumed that the “mechanics” would be identical (enough). Learning English and earth customs from television is plausible, but functional sex? Pretty thin ice. Note too, that between Mayersberg’s script and Roeg’s direction, women come off pretty badly. They’re either shallow bumpkins, or “letcherous little girls”.  No noble "modern" women here.

Bottom line? MWFE is a complicated film with noir tendencies. It has it’s ardent fans. It has it’s harsh critics. The film benefits from the viewer knowing the story in the book. The film’s story can be seen as a sort of film-poem about Gen X, for whom the world was too-much-TV, cheap/easy sex, and too much booze. Also, subtly about the loneliness and despair, even in victory (Newton was amazingly wealthy, but never happy). As a sci-fi film, there are snippets of aliens on another world, but these stay fragmented and distant. MWFE isn’t for everyone. Given the frequent nudity and fake sex, it’s not a good choice for work or family night. Viewers who dislike non-linear art films, will likely be annoyed. Still, some rave about the film.

Dark Star

This film started out as a film school project for two film college students: John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon. Both would go on to create landmarks of 1980s cinema, Alien and the many Halloween films. Dark Star (DS) is a dark comedy sci-fi with some subtle social commentary. It caught the attention of Hollywood producer Jack Harris (of The Blob fame). Harris convinced Carpenter and O'Bannon to shoot some additional footage so the boys' 45 minute project would be feature film length. They did, and DS was released to theaters in the spring of 1974.

Quick Plot Synopsis
The ship Dark Star has been on its mission for 20 years, although the crew has aged only three. Their mission is to destroy unstable planets in distant solar systems that might someday get colonized. Aboard the cramped ship are Lt. Doolittle, Stg. Pinback, Boiler and Talby. Their commander, Powell, died earlier, from an exploding seat back. The four find an unstable planet and go through the familiar routine to drop Bomb #19. They do, then hyperspace a safe distance away before it explodes. En route to the next system, the crew go about dealing with abject boredom. Talby stays in the observation dome, watching the stars go by. Boiler occupies himself with target shooting (n the hallways) with the ship's laser rifle. Doolittle reminisces about his former life, especially surfing off Malibu. Pinback is a moody gadfly trying to be sociable, but only achieving annoyance. Pinback goes to feed the alien they rescued/adopted. It's a mischievous beachball thing, which escapes. Pinback has to pursue it through the cramped passages. A tranquilizer dart actually kills it by deflation. At the next unstable planet, the boys go to drop Bomb 20, but while downloading to the bomb its programming, the laser comm link was interrupted by Talby who was trying to work on a malfunction. The bomb then won't drop, but its detonation sequence continues. The three boys are in chaos to find a solution. Pinback and Boiler fight over whether Boiler should shoot out the link pins. Doolittle consults with "dead" Powell, kept in a cryogenic vault below decks. The "spirt" of Powell (after some self-absorbed distractions) tells Doolittle to talk to the bomb about phenomenology. Doolittle dons as space suit and goes EVA to talk to the bomb. Boiler and Pinback wrestle over the laser in the hallways. Doolittle talks phenomenology with the bomb, causing it to doubt its order to arm. The bomb puts itself back in the bomb bay. All seems fine. Doolittle tries to enter through the airlock, but this just ejects Talby who was lying in there. Doolittle jets out to rescue Talby. While he's away, the bomb starts thinking it is God. When it gets to "Let there be light," it blows up. Talby drifts away and is "taken" by the glowing Phoenix Asteroids. Doolittle, drawn back to the planet, surfs down on a hunk of ship debris, ending in a fiery poof. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
Of course, it's a comedy, so it's fun. Some of the humor is physical and slapstick (like the naughty beach ball alien). Much of the humor is dry and subtle (like the "dead" Commander Powell not being very worried about the bomb going off in a few seconds (he's already dead, you see), so kvetches on and on about not getting many visitors.)

Cultural Connection
John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon would go on to make significant names for themselves in 80s cinema (and beyond), so it is intriguing to see what amounts to the "school project" film.

Notes
2001 Homage -- DS, as a project, was begun just two years after Kubrick's 2001 had rocked the sci-fi world. DS's plot is not especially similar, except for the deep, lonely space mission setting. One scene, however, is obviously an homage. When Talby is woodshed out of the air lock and goes spinning off into space, Doolittle goes after him. It would be hard not to see the paraphrase of Kubrick's scene in which Dave goes after spinning Frank. Where Kubrick's vision of deep space was clean, crisp and almost spacious, Carpenter and O'Bannon made theirs cramped and malfunction-prone. Where Kubrick's astronauts were nobly exploring "where no man has gone before," Carpenter's astronauts amounted a blue-collar demolition crew on an underfunded banal job. An interesting "compare and contrast."

Proto-Alien -- The scene in which Pinback (O'Bannon) hunts for his lost alien, was the additional footage inserted to bring DS up to Feature Film length. Viewers will note how no other actors are really involved in the scene, making it easier to graft in mid-story. Note too, how the beach ball alien thread has no bearing on the overall plot. It's just filler. It is, however, a prototype, of sorts, for O'Bannon's later epic, Alien (1979) -- just from a decidedly comic point of view instead of the horror point of view.

HyperWoosh -- Note the "woosh" of the star field as the Dark Star jumps into hyper-space. This seems like one of the first feature film occurrences of this visual effect prior to Star Wars ('77) making it famous (and ubiquitous). Perhaps not coincidentally, Dan O'Bannon was on the effects crew of Star Wars, providing computer animation and optical effects.

Sophomore Self-God -- The collegiate roots of DS are humorously on display in the "phenomenology" banter between Doolittle and Bomb 20. The whole "how do you REALLY know" gambit is straight out of Philosophy 101 lectures. In a rather penetrating bit of social commentary on the upcoming "ME Generation," Carpenter has his ego-isolated, self-aware bomb decide that if IT is all there is, then it must be God. Pretty deep satire for a comedy.

Bottom line? DS lacks big-budget polish for sets and special effects, so if that sort of thing is a turn-off, then avoid DS. It's a pretty elaborate class project, but that's still what it is. Viewers that can get past that, will find witty writing and actually pretty good acting, given the college-boys cast. DS as sci-fi comedy, is worth seeking out.

Supersonic Saucer

Before launching into sci-fi films of 1972, we'll start the year off with a bit of digression. This week's digression is back to 1956 and a very obscure British sci-fi for the children's film market. Supersonic Saucer (SS) was the last film produced by Gaumont-British Productions. No theatrical poster was readily available, hence the screen capture of the title. GBP was much more active in the 30s and 40s, though in decline in the 50s. The writer of the story was Frank Wells, younger son of H.G. Wells. One of the curious things about SS is how little has been written about it on the internet already. What there is, seems to mostly include one questionable review, picked up and repeated on other sites. More on that below.

Quick Plot Synopsis
A group of students is on a field trip at an observatory. While Rodney is taking his turn looking through the telescope at Venus, he sees a flying saucer spin off towards Earth. No one believes him, of course. Later that day, most all the children depart the boarding school for the holiday break. All, except Sumac and Greta, who haven't the money to travel to their far-away parents. Rodney and his little brother Adolphus, are the sons of the schoolmaster. After all the parents left, the schoolmaster's family are putting all the school's silver trophies back into the safe. The shifty janitor sees this. He goes to tell his boss, #1, about it. Meanwhile, Sumac and Greta play outside. They hear a whirring, and see a little white saucer land in a tree. This morphs into a little white puppet creature with big eyes. They can understand it, telepathically. They take it back to show Rodney. They decide to name it Meba. The girls telepathically "read" more backstory that Meba is a young Venusian who just learned to turn into a flying saucer and flew too high (i.e. to Earth). He wants to learn more about earthlings. The children are hungry so Meba flies off to town and brings a load of sweets from a bakery. The kids say, no, they can't eat what's not theirs, so Meba takes it all back. Rodney wishes they had a proper fire (in the fireplace), so Meba causes the drapes and furniture to burst into flames. No, not like that. Meba puts out the fires. While the girls are chatting in bed, they lament not having a million Pounds to go visit their families. Meba flies off and brings a million Pounds from the bank. In the morning, the kids discover the loot. Meba can't take it back in broad daylight, so they put it in the safe. The janitor sees this too. He tells #1, who then plans a burglary with his gang. That night, Meba takes the money back, but the burglars steal the trophies. The janitor kidnaps Meba as a potentially useful burglary tool. (He got in and out of the bank with a million pounds, after all.) While captive in a box at the gang's hideout, Meba sends out distress thought that the children pick up. They each arrive at the abandoned house. The gang try to capture the kids, but are too inept. Greta frees Meba, who sets a fire to bring the firemen. They come, with a policeman who arrest the inept bad guys. The kids get a hefty reward for capturing the notorious gang. The girls get to go see their parents. Meba is free to return to Venus. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
Well, it's a kids' movie. It's supposed to be fun. The little alien, Meba, is so benign and naive, compared to contemporary mid-50s aliens, that it's a refreshing change. The stairway gag is mildly amusing.

Cold War Angle
There is none. The moral of this story is "Be careful what you wish for." and that crime doesn't pay -- especially for bumbling oafs.

Notes
Spielberg Rip-off? -- As mentioned in the introductory paragraph, someone had posted they thought Spielberg plagiarized SS to make his 1982 film E.T. That one short review appears to have been copied, translated and recopied across various internet sites. There are some general similarities between E.T. and SS, but almost as many differences. E.T. is not an updated copy of SS. The two films do have a lone alien (who is not menacing), and a group of kids as protagonists. The little alien has some amazing powers. There are a group of adults "after" the alien -- but for different reasons. The original reviewer said that SS had a scene in which the kids take Meba for a bike ride and that this scene was proof of Spielberg's plagiarism. The copy I watched did not have any such scene. Perhaps it was cut. (My copy ran 49 minutes. Imdb says 50 minutes) Did it happen in the "missing" minute? Even if such a scene existed in SS, it was hardly the pivotal plot scene it was in E.T. In the older film, the alien came to earth alone (not left behind) and could leave anytime. The case for plagiarism seems weak.

If anyone has actually SEEN this Meba-on-bike scene, (not just read about it) feel free to let me know via the Comments feature.

No Growing Up -- All four child actors in SS did only a few movies as child actors, but none of them went on to adult acting careers.

Cheap Puppet Success -- As befitting a kids movie, the alien is very obviously a simple puppet with movable eyes. No serious attempt was made for "realism" (whatever that might mean for an alien) Even in the mid-50s, no adult movie could get away with such a cheap puppet. (The Giant Claw as an example of such failure) The Meba puppet has no mouth, does not speak and does not move except for a bit of turning left or right, or hunkering down to turn into a cheaply animated flying saucer-critter. The kids tote Meba about like a doll. While adult viewers could not stretch their imaginations to allow such a puppet to "be" an alien from Venus, kids obviously could. Puppets in kids shows were common. (Howdy Doody, anyone?) Kids had little trouble letting their imaginations allow puppets to "live." The work of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, in such programs as Stingray and The Thunderbirds was probably on the tail end of this age of innocence. By the late 60s, puppets just couldn't cut it anymore.

GB's Quiet End -- Gaumont-British Pictures Corporation was a big name in British cinema in the 30s. It started as a subsidiary of the French Gaumont company, but by 1927 was wholly independent. GB produced some famous early Alfred Hitchcock films, such as The 39 Steps and The Man Who Knew Too Much. It also produced pre-nuclear sci-fi films: The Tunnel and The Man Who Lived Again (starring Boris Karloff). Through the early 40s, war and spy films were common. After the war, GB shifted quietly into purely educational or documentary films. Supersonic Saucer appears to be one of the last films in their list before GB was acquired by the Rank Corporation.

Bottom line? While quite obscure, there are a few movie sites on the internet which will sell copies of SS. Whether the price is worth it, depends on the viewer. As a kids film, it is predictable and repetitive for adults. Still, the film has nostalgic innocent-age entertainment value.
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Yog: Monster From Space

This study has included only a few of the many kaiju films produced since Godzilla. ('54) After the first few, the kaiju genre veered in a different direction (e.g. Gamera, etc.). The japanese title of "Yog" was: "Gezora, Ganime, Kameba: Kessen! Nankai no daikaijû". The english-dubbed re-release was, Yog: Monster From Space (Yog) . It is included here for its historical value and for having more of a classic 50s sci-fi plot device -- an amorphose alien from outer space who wants to conquer the earth. Yog was a sort of "last hurrah" of the Toho team and director Ishiro Honda. Since their first effort, Godzilla, was such a landmark of 50s sci-fi, it seemed fitting to bookend with the team's last.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Two parallel threads start the story. Thread One involves an earth probe sent to Jupiter to study it. En route, the probe goes "missing" because a sparkly blue "amoeba" being enters the probe and sends it back to earth. Thread Two involves a hotel developer who hires a photojournalist to shoot the remote island for promotion. He's not keen on the job, but the island is where he saw Helios 7 parachuting down. He and the pretty developer's rep, Ayako set out. They are joined by a Dr. Mida who wants to study the biology of the island and a shifty Mr. Obata who says he's an anthropologist keen to study the islanders. On the island, a giant squid monster rises up, terrorizes a villager named Rico, trashes some huts and disappears. The islanders think the outsider are angering their gods. The squid monster, named Gezora, attacks again, trashing the village. The humans use fire and leftover WWIi ammunition to drive Gezora back into the sea. The amoeba leaves dying Gezora and enters a crab which becomes Ganime. The crab does about the same and is eventually blown up. The amoeba leaves fragments of Ganime and returns in a giant turtle-thing: Kameba. Rico comes out of his amnesia stupor to recall that bats confused Gezora. The group search for bats and find a cave with many. The amoeba inhabits Obata (who was actually an industrial spy for a rival developer). The voice-over alien exposits about how they, the AstroQuasars, plan to conquer the earth with monsters. Possessed Obata almost destroys the bats (with fire), but human Obata resists and lets the bats out. The bats confuse a new Ganime and Kameba so they revert to their natural behavior -- fighting with each other. They epic-battle themselves into falling into a volcano. Possessed Obata throws himself into the volcano, so as to kill off the last AstroQuasar. Everyone is sad. The ship comes back to the island and everyone is happy, though no one will believe their wild tale.

Why is this movie fun?
The giant rubber-suit-monster genre became somewhat tedious in the 60s, but Yog has something more to it. For one, the monsters are somewhat interesting in their portrayal. A walking squid? The story of an amorphous alien returning to earth in an earth spacecraft, is SO 50s that there is nostalgia value.

Cultural Connection
As mentioned in the first paragraph, Yog is something of a bookend for the Toho/Honda era of kaiju. About the time Yog, Toho would undergo a management change and much of the team would be dispersed. On one end of their era is Godzilla, on the other is Yog.

Notes
Dubbing -- The english dubbed version was released in the summer of 1971 as Yog, Monster from Space or Yog: The Space Amoeba. The dubbing was problematic, as it usually was. Whatever sincere mood Honda might have created, was damaged with the shrill voice-over for Ayako or sound-booth grunting or footsteps or background crowd murmurs, etc.

Ro-Man, Plan 9 and AstroQuasars -- The rather shallowly written aliens, the AstroQuasars, give no reason for why they want to conquer the earth. They just do. Their use of monsters to do so, is reminiscent of Robot Monster ('51) in which Ro-Man uses dinosaurs to do his conquering (that is, recycled footage from One Million B.C. ('40)). It is also reminiscent of Ed Wood's Plan 9 From Outer Space ('59) in which dead humans are raised to do the conquering for the aliens. The trope had been used by Toho several times too, during the 60s. It was a bit cliche by 1970s.

Redeemed by Death -- A recurring trope in japanese movies (not just kaiju films) was the sacrificial hero. He was usually a good guy, like Sezawa in Godzilla, who gives his life to stop the monster and save the others -- all a very noble kamikaze sort of sentiment. In Yog, it was the shifty Obata who atones for his own shifty-ness by defying his AstroQuasar possessor and throwing himself in the volcano. Yes, he was bad, but he did good in the end.

Vicarious Victory -- Just a hint of vicariously rewriting history lurks beneath Yog. The islanders find a japanese ammo dump left over from the war. Using their WWII weapons, they successfully repel the invaders.

Bottom line? Yog is not a great film, and it's easy to see why it's fairly forgotten. It is almost just another multi-monster battle of the rubber suits, but it's just a little bit more. The dubbing can be annoying, but Honda keeps the pace brisk and the visuals varying. Gezora, while a bit hokey as a kaiju, is actually kind of fun to watch. Fans of the 60s monster vs. monster stories will find more of the same. Fans of Honda's Godzilla will find just enough of his human touch to the story to make it worthwhile. Not great, but worthwhile.

The Bubble

Arch Oboler, who gave us Five ('51) and The Twonky ('53) had been away from the big screen for many years. He returned in force, with The Bubble (aka, The Zoo, Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth). Oboler wrote, produced and directed this sci-fi story mostly (it would seem) as a promotional vehicle for "Space-Vision" -- a new, cheaper, method of making 3D movies. The story itself is rather scant. Some liken it to an episode of Twilight Zone, padded to feature film length, and stuffed with 3D moments to show off the technology.

Quick Plot Synopsis
A pilot is flying a woman in labor, and her husband to a hospital. They are engulfed in a storm and set down. It turns out that they landed on the outskirts of a strange town where everyone acts semi-drugged, but going about whatever their usual tasks were. Cathy's baby is delivered okay. Mark looks around town, which is an eclectic mix of styles, dates and functions. Mark and Tony (the pilot) explore. His plane is missing. Back in town, they find an odd fake-rock structure. Inside is an odd chair. Tony sits in it and is shocked. He has an extended "dream" sequence, then goes into the same sort of trance the other people are. When Mark, Cathy and their baby are out of the hospital and driving through town some time later, they encounter Tony throwing flowers into the air. After a well-placed right cross, Tony regains his wits. They travel to an abandoned mine outside of town and camp there. Tony shows up one day with an army truck and the zombie saloon girl. Everyone packs into the truck and attempt to drive to freedom. 20 miles out, they encounter a clear plastic wall. They search miles to either side, but it is continuous. Tony tries to ram the wall with the truck, but it blows up. The burning truck is also mysteriously drawn up into the night sky. They have to walk back to the mine. Back in town, Mark tries to question the zombie folk, but to no avail. He exposits to Cathy vague notions of inhabited alien worlds, and bugs collected in a jar by children. Mark guesses that the zombie folk get their nutrition from the rock-structure. A shadow passes over the town. Everyone looks up. A woman and her baby are taken up into the sky screaming. Cathy freaks out. The next morning, Cathy is gone. Mark searches, eventually finding her hiding in the basement of an old mill. He schemes to dig under the plastic wall. He travels to town for supplies. He damages the rock structure's shock chair. He finds Tony. They drive until they get a flat. The shadow comes. Mark hides in the woods. Tony and the jeep are taken up into the shadow. Later, Mark is digging in the mill again. The shadow lingers over the mill, freaking out Cathy. Mark finally finds the bottom of the plastic wall. The doctor comes down the mill's ladder. He says the people in town are hungry (because Mark damaged the chair). In town, the crowd chants for food. Mark preaches about freedom, notes that the wind is blowing. It starts to rain. The keepers are gone. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
Between all the 3D moments, there is still a kernel of a story which tries to be engaging. The isolated town trope, and the alien abduction trope, are interesting.

Cold War Angle
There is more of a freedom vs. authority theme than anything clearly Cold War related. There is one moment of Cold War thinking. Mark wonders if maybe the rest of the world has been destroyed and their odd bubble existence may be all that's left.

Notes
For 3D's Sake -- Much of the footage in Bubble is shot purely to show off the 3D technology of "Space-Vision". Almost never do the 3D moments do anything for the plot. A tray of beers floats up to the audience. Some firemen carry a ladder up to the audience. An accountant (?) pokes some tweezers at the audience, several times. A billboard man pokes his brush at the audience, etc. etc. None of these events have anything to do with the story. They exist only as set pieces to show off the technology.

Oboler the Trailblazer -- Back in 1952, Oboler wrote, produced and directed the first 3D movie. Bwana Devil used a synchronized twin projector system developed by his brother-in-law. Each projector shone through a polarized filter. Viewers wore polarized glasses. The result was dim, as one might expect wearing sunglasses in the dark. In 1966, Oboler was back blazing trails again. Bubble was the first movie shot in "Space-Vision." This was also a polarized process, but had both left and right images on the same film. This made 3D less expensive and more feasible for smaller theaters (with single projectors). As with Bwana Devil 14 years earlier, The Bubble was panned by critics, but popular with audiences. They liked the 3D experience, even if the story itself was fairly lame. Red/Blue anaglyph copes were made too which exist in VHS and DVD.

Libertarian Lament -- If Oboler wrote any meaning into his screenplay, it came through one of several expositions delivered by Mark. He complains that life in the alien's bug jar was not so different from "real" life beforehand. Someone is always watching you anyway. Parents, teachers, army officers, bosses, the government. How, Mark muses, was life before their abduction really different than the bug jar? The undercurrent motivation of Mark and Cathy is to gain their freedom from their captors at all costs.

Non-Ending -- For whatever reason, (lack of budget, lack of time, etc.) Oboler doesn't resolve his story. He simply ends it. Once Mark has dug beneath the plastic bubble's walls, the mysterious never-seen alien is simply gone. The bubble itself simply goes away too. Wind and rain return to the eclectic "town." The movie ends with Mark and Cathy all smiles at the return of their freedom. Viewers, on the other hand, are left hanging. At least at the end of The Thing, everyone is aware that they are no longer alone. We must continually watch the skies. At the end of The Bubble, everyone is happy. Whew, glad that's over. Let's go eat.

Bottom line? If one approaches Bubble as a Twilight Zone episode, chock full of non-sequetor 3D moments, it isn't too bad. Even in anaglyph, the 3D is kind of fun (if usually pointless). Anyone expecting a deeper story (or an ending) is apt to come away disappointed.

Queen of Blood

The 60s saw quite a few foreign sci-fi dubbed into english, with new english-speaking actor footage inserted. Queen of Blood (QoB) is a bolder and more expansive example of that sub-genre. While others stayed fairly true to their original stories, Curtis Harrington (writer and director) turned the original, Mechte Navstrechu, on its head. Much of the first half of QoB is made out of footage from the 1962 original. The second half of QoB is almost all new footage starring John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Judi Meredith and Dennis Hopper. Harrington turned a sentimental soviet sci-fi romantic piece into a moody sci-fi horror story.

Quick Plot Synopsis
See the original plot synopsis here. Briefly, signals are received on earth from an alien spaceship on its way to earth. It crashes on Mars for unknown reasons. Earth sends one team of astronauts to mount a rescue. After that team encounters trouble en route and is low on fuel, a second ship is sent to help out. Turns out there were no survivors on the main alien ship. An escape pod is found on Phobos, with an alien woman still barely alive. They all regroup and take her aboard their ship for the trip to earth. On the way, she regains consciousness, but cannot speak. She does not eat, but has strangely hypnotic eyes. She feeds on Paul, drinking his blood. He is found dead the next day. Anders argues that she should not be killed, but studied on earth. She gets him the next night. Allan ties her up, but that next night, she uses her heat vision to burn the ropes. She is feeding on Allan, but Laura interrupts her. In a mild scuffle, Laura scratches the alien, who runs screaming. Allan revives and finds the alien dead. She bled to death (green blood). As they land on earth, Laura discovers dozens of pulsating eggs hidden around in the ship. Dr. Farraday wants them saved for study. Fade to black, The End.

Why is this movie fun?
Two reasons. One, is that it uses the very cool models and set shots from Mechte Navstrechu which are a visual treat. Two, is the well paced moody monster flick that is the (mostly) new material in the second half.

Cold War Angle
There is more of an ancient xenophobia in QoB than anything political or nuclear. In this, it is more akin to Bram Stoker's Dracula, in an era when people feared the influx of foreign immigrants, than an angst analogy over nuclear disaster.

Notes
Laungton's Nightmare -- In the original soviet movie, the token westerner, Dr. Laungton, is derided for his worry that first contact with aliens might be dangerous. QoB plays out perfectly as the alternate ending as imagined by Laungton. Ironically, QoB reinforces the soviet writers' assertion that westerners are fearful pessimists. Harrington takes their romantically optimistic vision (MN) and turns it into a grim horror piece.

Specimen or Beast? -- An ethical question raised during QoB, (a couple times) is whether the guilty party (the alien "queen") should be put to death for her "crimes" or preserved for science to study. Allan (John Saxon) espouses the cowboy justice point of view in wanting her killed for her first crime. Anders and later Dr. Farraday argue she is too valuable to science to kill. Anders even suggests that her survival is so important that he, Laura and Allan should give blood donations to the queen to keep her (a) from getting so hungry she kills them and (b) to keep her alive for study on earth. Science demanded it's "pound of flesh".

Foundations of Alien -- QoB is one of the movies cited as a precursor to the 80s blockbuster Alien. Great things seldom come totally out of the blue, but draw upon foundations set by others. It! Terror from Beyond Space ('58) featured the crew trapped in a ship with a killer alien theme. QoB repeats this, but with the feeding-upon-them twist. Of course, the other famous It was The Thing ('51) in which the alien used human blood to nourish its eggs. QoB draws on this too. Night of the Blood Beast ('58) featured an alien which implants embryonic "young" into the body of a living human host. QoB adds the eggs while it repeats the monster-onboard device.

Cut n' Paste -- While most of the first half of QoB reuses footage from Mechte Navstrechu, several model scenes (rockets, mostly) are used from Nebo Zovyot. Corman acquired the rights to both, so used them like a clip library. Viewers will note that the moon base "Lunar 7" is also reused from Corman/Harrington's prior re-edit movie Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet ('65).

Commie-ectomy -- Unlike most movies in the re-edit sub-genre, There is almost no dubbing. Only one TV announcer is kept and dubbed, as well as one small scene where a scientist talks via a videophone to an assistant. Other than that, all the original Russian actors are cut out Their roles are roughly filled with english-speaking stars. Distant shots of the Russians in their space suits are kept. The Americans are given roughly similar (though cheaper looking) spacesuits. The result was pretty well done, such that someone not familiar with the original would not notice any discontinuity.

Bottom line? QoB is actually a pretty well done mash-up of prior soviet sci-fi footage and new footage. While its story line is entirely new, it is well presented and develops a fair bit of atmosphere.

The Creeping Terror

Sometimes nominated as one of the worst films ever, The Creeping Terror (TCT) is, nonetheless, fascinating in its badness. It has developed a cult following over the years, with much written about it. Many rumors and several urban legends surround this movie and its producer/director: Arthur Nelson. TCT exhibits many of the foibles of films produced, directed and starred in, by the same man (under the stage name of Vic Savage). Other low-budget features, such as local/amateur actors and production "economies" all leave their mark too. Perhaps because of this "perfect storm" of shortcomings, TCT has a sizable fan base. Ostensibly, the tale of a couple of alien monsters who slowly rampage around eating people. A lone scientist thinks he has some answers. A newlywed deputy sheriff must stop the beasts.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Deputy sherif Martin and his wife Brett are returning from their honeymoon. They don't see the rocket land in the woods, nor the first monster emerge. Sheriff Ben, Martin and Brett investigate the reported plane crash. Ben goes inside and gets eaten by a second monster still strapped inside. A Colonel Caldwell's crack unit of six soldiers are dispatched. A Dr. Bradford, expert on "space emissions," is also dispatched. The monster eats a young woman. Martin and his deputy buddy Barney discuss the pros and cons of being single vs. being married. The monster moves on to eat a housewife as she hangs up laundry. The monster then eats a young boy and his fat grandfather. Unsated, the monster attacks a picnic hootenanny, eating everyone. Martin and Barney investigate all the missing person reports. Dr. Bradford conducts tests on the rocket, but learns little. The monster attacks the Community Dance Hall, interrupting extended dancing sequences. Everyone obligingly bunches up in one corner, so the monster can eat them all. Despite the abundant meals, the mosnter moves on to Lover's Lane. It eats some. Some escape. Finally, Caldwell's men arrive to battle the beast. It's bullet proof and eats all but two of the soldiers. Outraged, the Colonel attacks the monster with a grenade. This kills the monster. Bradford finds some electronics in a hunk of the flesh. Based on an unstated epiphany, he rushes back to the spaceship. Martin follows in the sheriff's car. Bradford rushes into the ship, but it explodes inside. This mortally wounds Bradford, but also frees the second monster. This second monster almost eats Bradford before Martin rams it with his car, killing it. Bradford says the creatures were data collectors. With both creatures dead, transmission would begin. Martin tries to disable the ship's transmitter by beating on the equipment, but this fails. Bradford says it might not be so bad. Maybe the aliens were dead. He then dies. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
TCT is just too bizarre to not find fascinating, in a sort of forensic sort of way. Everyone in TCT is so earnest that it lends an amateur charm.

Cold War Angle
It is doubtful that there is any serious analogies in use. Instead, TCT is a sort of reflection of more earnest works. They had monsters as metaphors for Soviet invasions. TCT has monsters because they did. Nothing deeper.

Notes
Art or Scam? -- Rumors claim that Arthur Nelson was a scam artist always working an angle. It's not like unscrupulous men were rare in the movie business. Scam or not, we have at least the film he convinced his investors to make. Nelson wasn't a good actor, nor a good director. He did, however, appear to have some talent as a producer/promoter. His one-man-show production is reminiscent of Mikel Conrad's The Flying Saucer (1950) and Russ Marker's The Yesterday Machine ('63) as a home-grown product acted by locals. In TCT, several people do get their brief (and glorious) moment on the big screen: Betty with her laundry gets several minutes; the brunette who gets to say,"My God, What is it?"; the sergeant who did not get eaten -- scam or not, they all got to be in a movie.

A Tale of Two Monsters -- Observant viewers will note that there are two different monster costumes used for the same monster -- collectively called the "carpet monster" for its resemblance to being made up of carpet remnants. Fans have labeled the first carpet monster "clamhead", the other, "shovelhead," for differences in how the "head" was shaped. They vary from scene to scene. A plausible explanation is that Jon Lackey, the man who created the first (clamhead) costume left the production over a dispute (not getting paid for his work) and took clamhead with him. Undaunted, Nelson had a second costume made. Though similar, Shovelhead was less well-crafted. The alternating appearances are due to scenes being shot out of sequence. (a common practice in movie making). Clamhead's scenes (mostly outdoor stuff) were apparently shot early on, while Lackey was still waiting for his check. Post-Lackey footage was shot with Shovelhead and intercut.

Cheap Sound -- A popular urban legend surrounding TCT is that the audio track was somehow lost or destroyed, thereby requiring dubbed sound and a heavy reliance of narration. The supposedly lost audio may well have never existed. It was not that unusual in low low budget productions to not bother with as-shot audio. This saved a whole load of expenses for sound equipment and a sound crew on the site. It was cheaper to dub in audio in post-production. We just saw this rather well done in The Flesh Eaters ('64) and not so well in Horror at Party Beach ('64). A classic example of this -- including heavy reliance on narration -- is Beast of Yucca Flats ('61). Nelson may well have planned post-production audio in the first place.

Mixed Messages -- As a director, Nelson had an eclectic set of messages worked into his project. Part of him was (apparently) a staunch social conservative. There was the extended treatise on the virtues of marriage and how it changes men. There was the somewhat traditional subliminal message that bad things happen to kids who slip away from adult supervision to make out. The dance hall scene and subsequent massacre seems like retelling of the old modern-decadence-begets-doom trope. Yet, amid these conservative staples, are mixed exploitation bits, like the first victims making out in swimwear, and the ample shake-n-jiggle in the dance hall. Less conservative, and more bizarre, is Nelson's fixation on seeing women's butts and bare legs sticking out of the carpet monster's mouth. Viewers get quite a few repeats of this, yielding a lot of screen time. The monster does eat men too (equal opportunity) but they are off-camera and assumed.

Germ of an Idea -- Lost in all the cheap production, was a somewhat intriguing idea by the writer, Robert Silliphant. Knowing the biological make-up of earth beings, they could engineer a bio-weapon to either clear the planet turn us into willing slaves. This would save on all that expensive blasting famous landmarks. Dr. Bradford's reassuring last words -- that earth will be okay because the aliens probably live far far away (so might be dead by now) -- seem like small hope. Whose to say the rest of them aren't halfway to earth in the mother ships, or even in orbit already?

Bottom line? TCT is definitely not a movie for people offended by cheap production values and weak acting. For fans of low-budget sci-fi, or just fans of bad movies, TCT has tons to love.

Invasion of the Animal People

More of a re-edit than a new film, Invasion of the Animal People (IAP) was built upon the 1959 Swedish-American production Rymdinvasion i Lappland (Space Invasion of Lappland). The American title was Terror in the Midnight Sun. Producer Jerry Warren inserted some newly shot footage into the original and released it (again) in 1962. At its heart, it remains a pretty basic monster story with hints of Frankenstein. The overall original story of a "meteor" landing in Lappland, which turns out to be an alien spacecraft remains. The title is a misnomer, as only one "animal person" ever appears and it's not clear if it is invading or not.

Quick Plot Synopsis
A young woman awakens to a piercing sound only she can hear. It causes her to need hospitalization. This coincides with sightings of a UFO over Lappland. She gets better and goes to live with her uncle. He is called to investigate a meteor landing in Lappland. Many dead and mangled reindeer are found near the site. Diane tags along. Diane is smitten with handsome Eric, one of the team's scientists. Eric is smitten with her too. The team flies to the landing site. While they are discovering that the meteor is really a spherical space ship, a 30' tall yeti-thing smashes their plane. Diane and Eric ski off for help. They rest in a remote cabin. The monster attacks. Diane runs. Eric is hurt but found by the other scientists. The beast finds Diane in the snow after a raging storm. It carries her off to a suddenly abandoned Lapp hunting camp and leaves her there. It trundles down to the village where it is greeted with more bullets. It rages around smashing things, including a second airplane, some cabins and Saami teepees. Meanwhile, Diane wakes up near the campfire, but three tall-headed aliens block her escape. She passes out again. The creature comes up later and carries her away. A mob of angry Sami chase the beast with torches. They trap it at a cliff edge. The beast sets down Diane and the Sami let fly their torches. the creature catches fire and tumbles over the cliff. The aliens leave. What they wanted, no one will know. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
There is much about IAP that is comfortably familiar, but the snowy arctic environment provides some novelty. Barbara Wilson is fine as eye candy.

Cold War Angle
IAP is more of a cryptic monster story with a lot of skiing and only a dash of aliens. Political parallels are notably absent.

Notes
They're After Our Women -- One of those traditional tropes is that aliens and monsters cannot resist a pretty earth woman. King Kong, Ro-Man, Gill Man, etc: even though they were all non-human, they fall victim to an all too human weakness (for men, anyhow). The big creature destroys herds of reindeer, airplanes, cabins and Saami villages, but tenderly carries Diane around. Even the tall-head humanoid aliens come out of their ship to surround Diane. Since the trope has become almost cliche by this point, it may not have any symbolic significance. That's just what monsters and aliens do -- fixate on our pretty girls.

Mash-up Mania -- Terry Morse did a mash-up with Ishiro Honda's original Godzilla ('54). He shot some new footage with Raymond Burr as the star, and rearranged the original japanese footage. The goal was to make a film more palatable to American audiences. Warren followed this model. He added the introduction shots with John Carridine blathering about mankind and science. Carridine's voice also provides narration where Warren must have thought audiences would not "get it." He also inserted several small-room scenes with more people talking about what's happening elsewhere. He also created the odd opening scene with Diane running down the street in her pajamas, fleeing the maddening sound. His efforts did not really improve the story. This mash-up tradition will continue in the early 60s as Roger Corman and others do exactly this same hack-n-mash process to other foreign sci-fi movies in order to make some quick, cheap American release features.

Yeti or Wookie? -- In neither the original or IAP, is the monster's existence explained. Was he an alien beast, like an über-Wookie, or an earthly yeti? The poster for "Terror" suggests that the aliens brought him. The poster for IAP suggests that the aliens were trying to use mind control on earth yeti -- a sort of snowy Plan 9. Did the aliens leave because their "army of one" was killed? Or, was the experiment already going badly because the lure of a pretty girl was a stronger influence than their advanced alien brains? We may never know.

Teasing Shadows -- As a sop to the young males in the audience, Director Vogel included a scene in which shapely Diane undresses so her wet clothes can be dried by the fire. While this is done off camera for modesty's sake, Vogel provides a bright spotlight so her "naked" silhouette can be oogled on the wall behind Erik. It's a cheap thrill for the pubescent, but it also speaks to an earlier era's boundary lines of "decency".

Bottom line? IAP is a poor reworking of what was already a marginal B film. If you can watch Terror in the Midnight Sun first, you'll get a better (though still weak) story. Watching IAP afterward can provide some laughs at Warren's lame additions. IAP does provide a curious example a hybridized foreign film.

Journey to the Seventh Planet

Searching for new ways to produce B movies as cheaply as possible, AIP outsourced Journey to the Seventh Planet (JSP) to Denmark. JSP is not a Danish movie dubbed into english, but an American movie produced in Denmark. It is partly a traditional low-budget 50s rocket mission film, but has elements which look to the next generation of sci-fi. The 1950s was obsessed with the moon and Mars. The 60s began to look farther out into the solar system.

Quick Plot Synopsis
A utopian post-nuclear Earth is exploring the solar system. Strange radiation signals are detected coming from Uranus, the seventh planet. A five-man mission is sent to investigate. When they arrive, strange things begin to happen. They land on the supposedly frozen surface, but find a lush evergreen forest, exactly as Sven recalled from childhood. Eric reminisces about his childhood village, and it magically appears behind him. In the village is Ingrid, whom he was keen on. Don (Agar) the highly libidinous, remembers past girlfriends, and they magically appear. They don space suits and explore outside the energy barrier to see who is behind all the recreations. They find something deep in a cave. Via voice-overs and overlaid light effects, we learn that an alien lives in the cave, and can read minds and make them see or experience whatever it wants. It is, at first, intrigued with the newcomers, eventually planning to travel to earth for greater fun and comfort. The earth men plot to kill the creature, and it fights back with nightmare beasts. The men devise a torch gun, but the brain-thing sabotages it. With the liquid oxygen, the men freeze part of the brain, such that their laser rifles cause damage. Thus distracted, the brain-thing cannot prevent their take-off. Erik decides to bring Ingrid with him, though when they're far away from the planet, she fades away to nothing. Sad Erik. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
The plot is so quirky that it is hard not to be entertained. The idealized dream-babes make for fine eye-candy. The whole film has a very 50s feel to it.

Cold War Angle
This more of a psycho-drama than Cold War analogy. Only the prologue offers the customary moral overtones. The narrator intones about how "Now in the year 2001,the world is no longer threatened by wars of annihilation. Man has conquered space. Man has learned to live with himself."

Notes
Agar's Brains -- An amusing co-incidence in JSP, is that the evil alien turns out to be a giant brain with one large eye. John Agar had to battle a giant brain alien a few years earlier in The Brain from Planet Arous (1957). Fate?

Space Jerk -- Agar plays the role of a womanizing playboy astronaut who, handily enough, has fond memories of many prime babes for the brain-thing to conjure up. Agar plays the role with his usual smug smile. With this, he does not come across as suave or a ladies man (as Dean Martin or James Bond could). Instead, he comes across as a total jerk. He is so bent on his own gratification, that it really didn't matter to him if the babes were actual women or only illusions.

Trek Fodder -- The key trope in JSP (using men's thoughts to create a 'reality') was reused in a first season episode entitled "Shore Leave." In the Star Trek adaptation, the dream builder was benign.

Babes In Space -- As shallow as it is, JSP carries on the traditional trope that outer space is populated with beautiful women. Ever since Flight To Mars in 1951, sci-fi movies have usually pictured other planets to be well stocked with lovely twenty-somethings in very short skirts.

Spiders In Space -- A careful observer will notice recycled footage of a tarantula in a cave, (now tinted blue) from Earth vs. The Spider ('58). These bits of footage are said to have been included when the American producers disliked (and discarded) the Danish special effects for the spider attack. A quick eye will note that what comes out of the alien's eye is a thing with more of a skull with crab legs. It is hard not to wonder what that deleted scene looked like.

Lights Ahead -- Note the 'psychedelic' lighting effect (double exposure) to indicate when the brain-thing was "speaking" to the men's minds. This has more of a 60s feel to it, foreshadowing the orgy of colored lighting effects in 2001.

Bottom line? JSP has the usual shortcomings of a low-budget film, but with an unusual story line. It is just right for a fan of 50s B sci-fi.

Visit To A Small Planet

Sci-fi comedy is a rare commodity. Jerry Lewis helped kick off the 60s with a fine example in Visit to a Small Planet (VtaSP). The premise is a bumbling alien (with amazing powers) comes to earth to study us. He wants to experience things as humans do, but comes to regret it. As one would expect, there are ample close-ups of Lewis making funny faces, and many physical humor gags.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Kreton (Lewis) is an errant student on planet K-19. He regularly exasperates his instructor, Mr. Delton, with his obsession with planet Earth. Mr. Delton decides to let Kreton go to Earth to teach him a lesson and get it out of his system. Kreton arrives in his saucer. He shows up at the Spielding home, dressed as a Confederate officer, expecting to watch the Civil War. His calculations were off by 99 years. Conrad (Earl Holliman) is forever trying to make out with Ellen Spielding, so Kreton decides to study human romance instead. Many sight gags hinge off of Kreton having an invisible force field that no one can penetrate. No one is permitted to tell anyone else that he's there. More gags stem from this. Ellen takes Kreton to a beatnik club. More gags flow at the expense of the beatniks. On the way home, they pass a lover's lane. Ellen coaxes Kreton to kiss her, but his forcefield stops it. He makes it go away and is swept away by passion. Mr. Delton makes it rain on them to cool Kreton off. Conrad, jealous of Kreton, convinces Ellen to elope with him that night. Mr. Delton allows Kreton to feel pain too. Conrad punches Kreton, chases him, and locks him in a barn. The state police are called in, but the tear gas blows back into the crowd. Kreton escapes in Mr. Delton's saucer. He's learned his lesson and won't visit Earth ever again. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
It's a comedy. It's supposed to be fun. Lewis still a young man, so many of the gags feature very physical humor. The pacing is brisk and the supporting cast good.

Cold War Angle
This is background material, but Mr. Mayberry as the ever vigilant Civil Defense spotter (complete with white CD helmet), always watching the skies with his binoculars, was an everyday part of Cold War culture.

Notes
Prop Watch -- Conrad comes in dressed in a Destination Moon space suit instead of an 1860 costume as everyone else was for the Civil War party. The clear spherical helmet was from somewhere else, but the old DM suit still looked good.

Adapted Play -- Writer Gore Vidal wrote the stage play upon which the screenplay was adapted. This gives VtaSP wittier writing and social satire beyond the usual B movies. The actors are veteran comedy actors, so the farce takes on a life of its own.

The Power of Love -- A familiar trope shines again. Earth women teach alien men about love. Here, it's comical, but the trope shows up in earlier 50s sci-fi in a more serious form. We earth men think our women are pretty special.

Pre-Carrey -- Modern viewers (born after 1980 or so) will see a lot of similarity between Jerry Lewis's style, facial expressions and mannerisms, with comedian Jim Carrey. But, Lewis came first. Carrey wasn't born until two years after this movie.

Pre-Hippies -- Seems each era has its mainstream and counter-culture. The 90s and 00s had their hiphop gangs, Goths and Emo. The 60s and 70s had their Hippies. The 50s had their Beatniks. The beatniks portrayed in the "Hungry Brain" scene in VtaSP are exaggerations of the stereotype, but interesting nonetheless.

Bottom line? VtaSP is a "lite" diversion for a sci-fi fan. Nothing too deep, though the writing is a cut above the usual B screenplay. If you're a Jerry Lewis fan, this is more of his usual gags and schtick.

The Atomic Submarine

There was more to 50s science fiction than just rockets and outer space. The nuclear powered submarine was also a hot new technology. The deep sea was mysterious too. Irving Block and Jack Rabin's short story focused on the nuclear sub. The screenplay for Atomic Submarine (AS) turned out to be more of hybrid between horror, sci-fi invasion tale, and the traditional submarine movie genres. Having the effects men from Forbidden Planet, Block and Rabin, helped, but could not completely compensate for the low budget. It seems fitting that the last sci-fi movie of the 1950s was an alien invasion tale. The plot had become stereotypic. A flying saucer and monster-like alien plot the invasion of Earth (surrogates for the earthly enemy Americans already feared).

Quick Plot Synopsis
Ships are being lost, mysteriously, all around the arctic. The US Navy sends its most advanced nuclear sub, the Tigershark, to investigate. Tensions mount as an outspoken anti-war scientist is assigned to the mission. Dr. Nielson is the expert handler for the small experiment explorer sub "Lungfish," for examining seabed evidence. More ships are lost. The crew figure out that the sinkings happen within 1000 miles of the pole. They wait at a gap in the line. They get high energy readings and see a lone light moving underwater. They can see that it is a saucer craft, but are never able catch it. More ships lost. Nielson theorizes that the saucer must return to the pole after each attack to recharge its batteries from the Earth's magnetic field. They position themselves between the last sinking and the pole. when the saucer comes, they try to torpedo it, but this fails. Desperate not to have the saucer outrun them again, they ram it. The bow of Tigershark gets stuck in the saucer's hull. The saucer appears damaged, but is still able to move slowly towards the pole. Nielson thinks it will recharge and escape. With little time left, a crew of five man Lungfish to attempt to cut Tigershark free. At the saucer, they find it has air inside. In the dark and spooky interior, the two frogmen work to free the sub, but die of melting. Commander Holloway hears a voice calling him on. He comes to a dome structure with a tentacled cycloptic alien inside. The alien is studying earth for possible invasion. Holloway shoots the alien in its big eye and runs. He and Nielson return in Lungfish. The alien heals himself. Tigershark pulls free. They pursue the saucer and arm an missile. The saucer breaks free of the ice and zooms toward space. The missile follows, finally finding its target. Earth is saved. Light banter ensues. The end.

Why is this movie fun?
There is a charm in the old fashioned invading-alien-monster-in-a-saucer story. The mixture with the war-movie flavor (submarine setting) is different. Rabin and Block's models add some interest. The minimalist interior of the saucer (pitch black except for lit ramps and catwalks) has a German impressionist feel to it.

Cold War Angle
Aside from the mere presence of a nuclear powered and nuclear armed submarine billed as the "deadliest in the fleet," there is the subdued "moral" to the tale. In the end, even the anti-war advocate has his eyes opened to the very real menace "out there." In the end, it is American military weaponry that nips the threat in the bud. Even the pacifist concedes the value in having brave men with strong weapons to deal with the threat. In the 50s sci-fi tradition, the alien is a stand-in for the feared communist hoards plotting to invade our Eden. Our troops and our nukes will protect us. Rest assured.

Notes
Inspired by the Headlines -- In July 1958, America's first atomic submarine, USS Nautilus, made the first ever transit under the North Pole's arctic ice. This accomplishment was a two-edged sword. If WE could send a sub under the arctic ice, then so could THEY. While the topic was still hot, Allied Artists wanted to push out a quick atomic submarine movie. Shooting took less than two weeks.

Proto-Voyage -- Two years before Irwin Allen's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, AS featured a very advanced nuclear sub, equipped with a mini-sub, and scientists aboard, all engaged in the wonders (and dangers) of the deep. Toho Studios would put out Kaitei Gunkan (Undersea Warship) in 1963 as a third super-sub movie (AIP releasing it in America in 1965 under the title of Atragon). Atragon was more fantastic. Voyage had a much bigger budget and is much better remembered, but AS was the first of the super-subs.

Cargo Subs -- A fascinating detail, easily lost in the action, was the notion of cargo-carrying submarines. In the 50s, nuclear power was imagined to be so cheap as to make the idea seem economically feasible. Trade routes under the polar ice could open markets and reduce costs. The idea was new. In 1916, the Germans dabbled with cargo submarines to evade the British blockade during WWI. The Deutschland was one of two built. Since America was the big customer for German goods, the entry of the US into the war in 1917 put an end to submarine cargo runs.

Ship, Heal Thyself -- The notion of a ship as a semi-lving thing, which can heal itself, was unusual, but entirely new. The Devil Girl from Mars (1953) had a ship that could repair itself, given enough time and raw material. Still, self-healing ships were fairly rare yet.

Hawk vs. Dove -- Dr. Nielson Jr. (played by Brett Halsey) is portrayed as the anti-war idealist. Commander Holloway (Arthur Franz), a proud military man. Nielson and Holloway have running debates over the need for nukes. There was a nascent anti-nuclear sentiment, even in the 50s. AS is a sort of rebuttal.. Nielson is a straw man for the pro-nuke faction. The obvious moral to the story is that in the face of an unarguably hostile threat (the alien, and by analogy, the communists), nuclear weapons are necessary.

Bottom line? AS is a B movie in the classic pattern. It has stern narration, ample stock footage and inexpensive sets. it's unusual venue lends interest. For fans of aliens in saucers, threatening to invade Earth, it is a fun variation on the theme. That said, folks who are not fans of 50s B sci-fi, will likely be unimpressed.

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 Cosmic Man

The premise behind The Day The Earth Stood Still had enough power to spawn many remakes. Cosmic Man is yet another of these. A mysterious stranger comes from outer space to warn us to change our ways, as us earthlings are headed for trouble. This is the second remake. The first was the British film Stranger From Venus ('54). This remake pulled in a couple of other tropes from the original TDESS. The marketing was typical of the day, strong on hype and playing up the horror angle. Cosmic Man isn't a horror movie. It's basic, low-budget B sci-fi.

Quick Plot Synopsis
A mysterious UFO is tracked to a landing in the mountains of California. The military and a scientist, Dr. Karl Sorensen, search for it. They find a 10' diameter white sphere hovering a couple feet off the ground. The military secure the area. Karl and Colonel Mathews take rooms at a nearby vacation lodge run by a pretty young widow, Kathy. Karl theorizes that it uses anti-gravity as propulsion. The military are obsessed with getting at the advanced technology within, but the sphere defies all attempts to cut it open. Hints suggest that an invisible stranger is in the area and shows up at the lodge. Kathy sees a shadowy black silhouette and screams. People in the nearby village also see a shadowy black shape and get collectively upset. In Karl's lab, the shadow studies Karl and Rich's plans for solar motor (which has thus far not worked). He makes some changes to the schematic drawings, then leaves. Karl and Rich later wonder at the now-working solar motor. Proof of the alien's superiority. Worry spreads in town and among the military about this Cosmic Man. Personal danger? National Security risk? Amid this turmoil, a mysterious stranger in typical big hat and dark glasses arrives at the lodge. He's presumed to be another scientist. He befriends Kathy's wheelchair-bound son, Ken. The Cosmic Man appears to the Col. and scientists in the lodge. He delivers a monologue about man needing to change his philosophy before embarking on space travel. His message delivered, he will leave in the morning. In the morning, the stranger and Ken are missing. A fevered manhunt finds them near the sphere. The stranger heals Ken's crippled legs. Soldiers shoot the stranger as he approaches the sphere. He disappears, leaving his disguise on the ground. The sphere glows brightly, then wooshes up. Ken walks out from the rocks. Wonder, amazement, hope for the future. The End.

Why is this movie fun?
John Carradine always adds interest, even if he gets little screen time. A fan of TDESS can be amused at the reworking of the plot and premise -- imitation being a form of flattery.

Cold War Angle
As a TDESS remake, the cautionary moral is also remade. Man must be more careful with this new power. The Cold War isn't analogized, but it does act as a familiar stage for the drama. The military men banter Cold War polarized thinking about "sides", the urgency for superior technology and the pressure to acquire them before the Russians do.

Notes
Philosophical Debate -- Dr. Sorensen and Col. Mathews have a running debate throughout the movie about the right course of action. Mathews is all for blowing up the sphere or capturing the alien, and particularly keen to pry loose some secrets of the alien's technology to help give American a military edge. Dr. Sorenson, on the other hand, argues for restraint, trying to meet and talk with the alien.

TDESS Affinity -- Carradine's Cosmic Man is clearly a neo-Klaatu. He is mysterious, but benevolent. He is feared and hunted by the military. The Cosmic Man proves his advanced knowledge by solving an earth scientist's problem (on a blueprint instead of a chalkboard). He delivers his cautionary message from the benevolent powers in space. He has Christ-like powers, and (like Christ), is killed by the authorities, yet "the tomb is empty." In the end, he ascends into the heavens. As well, there is a pretty widow with a little boy who befriends the stranger.

TDESS Deviations -- The Cosmic Man comes across as more creepy than likable. This was probably an attempt at injecting some (pointless) horror or mystery flavor. Carradine has no threatening robot Gort to add a sense of danger. The only 'threat' is oblique and fairly dormant. The widow does not interact or have any interest in the stranger. Instead, the love triangle is among other characters.

Never Too Old For Love -- Producer pundits seem to have always pushed that scripts need to have love triangles in them. Perhaps they didn't think a sci-fi topic alone was enough. Cosmic Man was no exception. What was mildly interesting about this (pointless) love triangle is that all the participants were fairly 'mature.' Kathy was quite the flirt, for a despondent widow. But Karl as possible love interest? Even Col. Matthews is a bit mature to have been unattached. Perhaps people waited much longer back then to date.

Bronson Space Port -- Keen eyed viewers may recognize trusty Bronson Canyon as the site the sphere lands in. This has been the site of many an alien landing. Good old Ro-Man is never far from us.

Bottom line? Cosmic Man is a remake, and certainly doesn't surpass (or even match) the original, but it has its points of interest. For fans of TDESS, this is more of an homage than a sacrilege. Let it be a B movie and enjoy it as such.