Articles & Profiles: Secondhand Thrills - By Philip Smolen
Posted on Thursday, July 02, 2009 @ 05:49:04 Mountain Daylight Time by Duane
 We all have movies that delight us even though they are not class A productions -- movies maybe we wouldn’t even admit to liking in social company for fear of the reaction we’d get (my favorite is the “you’ve got to be kidding” look). Maybe there’s a cheesy air about them. Maybe most of the performances are not particularly memorable. Maybe the director was a famous hyper speed guy like Lee “Roll em” Scholem or Eddie Cahn. Perhaps the special effects are really chintzy with obvious wires supporting the monster. But, no matter what, you like them. They’re part of you now. They’re the movies you return to watch year after year, decade after decade (if you’re as old as I am). As Bill Warren points out in Keep Watching the Skies, these films help us “recapture the uncritical receptive reactions we had at that [young] age.”1 You now laugh at the clunky dialogue, you can smile at the obviousness, and you’re aware of the silliness, but it doesn’t matter. You like these movies.
For me those films were the sci-fi and horror movies of my youth. I was raised to be a stoic Catholic. Life was put in neat little columns for me: church, school, chores (a lot of them), family (including awful family functions, bleh) and finally my free time. And although I didn’t realize it at the time, I rebelled against this regimentation. Part of my rebellion was the play and entertainment I chose. It irked my family when I plopped myself down in front of the boob tube and watched a cheap sci-fi or horror movie on a perfectly good summer day. And subconsciously I enjoyed irking them. I was always cajoled or reprimanded and told to go out and “get some air.” But I would always counter with some arcane fact about the film (that I read in Famous Monsters of Filmland) and would stop them in their tracks.
To this day, some of my most vivid memories are of watching classic (and not so classic) sci-fi and talking about them at school the next day. I regurgitated the scenes, memorized the dialogue and thrilled friends with my uber knowledge. For me the alpha and the omega were watching Chiller Theater, Supernatural Theater, Creature Features or even Fright Night. These shows and the films they ran had a power and a mystique that grabbed hold of some part of the primitive jelly in my brain and wouldn’t let go. Subconsciously, I must have grasped the sense of rebellion that all these films had. They appealed to me and I let them in. I’ve been happy ever since.
But it wasn’t just the classics that thrilled me. Oh sure, I always watched The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing, Them, and Forbidden Planet. These films were unbelievable influences and they still resonate five decades later. But during my youth I noticed that there were other smaller films from lesser known studios that gave me the same thrills as the big movies. Whenever I saw that they were playing, I always made time for them. And it was even better if I had the chance to experience them in the movie theatre! Even at nine years old, I knew that these films were “B” movies. There was usually only one star. The other actors seemed to be unknowns (although the British films discussed here usually drew from a larger talent pool of actors than their American counterparts). There was an enthusiasm and an energy there that was missing from a lot of their low budget cousins. The directors could always conjure up a scare or two or an impressive cathartic moment. There was less clunky dialogue and the effects might have been mediocre, but they still delivered. Overall, it just seemed that these films tried harder.
So let’s put on our rose colored glasses and take a look at some second level films of the 1950s that, while not major releases still had the ability to stir up the imagination of a young filmgoer and keep me glued to the screen with their vitality and spirit.
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1. WORLD WITHOUT END (Allied Artists, US – 1956)
In the year 1957 four astronauts (Hugh Marlowe, Christopher Dark, Rod Taylor and Nelson Leigh) are returning to Earth after an orbital mission around Mars. On the way home they encounter a powerful force field that causes their ship to accelerate to unbelievable levels. Our heroes black out and crash land in a strange new world. At first they believe they’ve crashed on an earth-like planet, but after entering a cemetery and reading the headstones, they realize that they’ve broken the time barrier and have landed on an Earth of the future that’s been devastated by atomic war. They encounter bean-bag-chair sized spiders, fierce malformed mutants and an underground human civilization that treats them suspiciously. It’s only after the plotting of a jealous rival is exposed, that our heroes are welcomed by the colony. The film ends with the time travelers showing their future counterparts how to build and live on the surface of the earth. World without End has some clunky moments. The spiders are pretty pathetic, (but that didn’t prevent director Edward Bernds from reusing them in two other movies!) the mutant makeup is mediocre and the less said about the model spaceship the better. But there is earnestness here and a real attempt to present something different. This was the first film I saw which presented the idea of astronauts being lost in time. And it was very intriguing. Of course, it’s been played to death now, but for years I thought this was one of the best treatments on the subject. All the actors are decent (even Hugh Marlowe). But I think what I liked most about this as a kid was the astronauts kicked butt. They’re the epitome of 1950s macho take charge guys. They’re outnumbered by the mutants? No problem. Let’s reinvent the bazooka and save the world from mutant communist aggression. World without End is definitely a 1950s curiosity, but it paved the way for a boatload of similar-themed films that can’t hold its jockstrap.
Quotable Movie Line: “You know if this is Venus or some other strange planet, we’re liable to run into some high domed characters with green blood in their veins that’ll start blasting us with their atomic death ray guns and there we’ll be with these - these poor old shooting irons.”
2. THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN OF THE HIMALAYAS (Hammer Films, UK [Regal], US – 1957)
Leave it to Hammer Films to come up with the best treatment on the old abominable snowman theme. There hasn’t been a more thoughtful and restrained film on this topic since this underrated classic debuted. Peter Cushing stars as Dr. John Rollason a British botanist who has come to the Himalayas to try to discover and study the reclusive snowman. He agrees to join the expedition of Tom Friend (a boisterous Forest Tucker). However, he quickly realizes that Friend is here only to make his fortune by capturing the beast. The team very quickly kills one the creatures, but the humans are prevented from claiming their prize by the other snowmen who harass the team as they proceed down the mountain. Soon it’s only Cushing and Tucker who are left (the rest of the team is deceived by Tucker; this deception leads to their deaths). Only Cushing survives and has an epiphany with the snow creatures. Nigel Kneale’s screenplay juxtaposes the behavior of the “inhuman” men versus the humane snowmen. They only want to be left alone but can’t because of the team’s efforts to capture them. Wisely, director Val Guest keeps the creature in the background and only permits the audience to see its face once. It’s a striking moment as Cushing comes face to face with a wizened visage that clearly represents a race of thinking and feeling creatures. Cushing (as always) is wonderful. He plays the scientist with such a sense of earnestness and honor that you really believe that he’s a scientist. This is one of the three British sci-fi films that Forest Tucker made in 1958. He plays the role of the deceptive Friend with all the energy and verve he can muster. It’s a shame that this is the only film that Tucker and Cushing made together. They make great adversaries. Perhaps if they had made a few more movies together, fans would be talking about the Cushing and Tucker team rather than the now famous team of Cushing and Christopher Lee.
Quotable Movie Line: “There is no Yeti.”
3. KRONOS (Regal, US – 1957)
Kronos is perhaps the strangest American alien invasion film of the 1950s. I never saw anything like it until similar films from Japan (like The Mysterians) were released later on. Dr. Leslie Gaskell (Jeff Morrow) works at Lab Central along with fiancée Vera (Barbara Lawrence) and co-worker Dr. Arnold Culver (George O’Hanlon). They track a very large asteroid (M-47) as it approaches the planet Earth. Missiles are launched to destroy it but they only succeed in altering its course and it plunges into the Pacific Ocean. Unknown to the team, M-47 is really a spaceship and the aliens inside have already taken control of Lab Central’s director Dr. Hubbell Eliot (John Emery). The Lab Central team races to the Pacific to search for traces of the meteor. They get the shock of their lives the following morning when a giant robot (our title monster and filmdom’s first giant robot) is deposited on the beach and begins moving up the coast and searching for energy supplies to drain. It’s up to the Lab Central team to destroy the energy accumulator which, if not stopped, will drain the earth of all sources of power. Part of the appeal of Kronos is the effective screenplay by Lawrence Louis Goldman (from a story by effects artist Irving Block). While written in clichéd 1950s terms, it presents such a unique idea for a giant menace that I’m surprised it hasn’t been reused by other film producers (the basic idea is even more topical today). On the down side, there’s too much stock footage and the only actor who distinguishes himself is John Emery who gives a good performance as the tortured lab director. The special effects (led by Jack Rabin, Louis De Witt and Irving Block) are very ambitious for a giant monster on the loose film, but not totally effective. They do, however, convey the proper mood and menace. At times, Kronos really does seem awesome and unstoppable. It’s a shame that in the annals of giant monster history, Kronos doesn’t hold a higher position with film critics. It’s still one of the most distinctive menaces ever presented in a sci-fi film.
Quotable Movie Line: “Gaskell, you must listen to me. Here on earth we have learned only one half of the nuclear secret. We can transform matter into energy. Up there, they have the other half. They transmute energy into matter. They have learned how to create the basic elements of matter electrically and atomically. But their planet has become depleted of energy... What has happened to them may well happen to us if we continue using our resources at the present rate.”
4. THE CRAWLING EYE (DCA, UK – 1958)
There are horrible things happening on the Trollenberg. There have been an increased number of climbing accidents. And some of the dead climbers have been found without their heads. There’s also a strange radioactive cloud on the mountain that doesn’t move. Kindly Professor Crevett (Warren Mitchell) calls in his friend from the United Nations, Alan Brooks (Forest Tucker again), to help him investigate this strange phenomena. Also involved are a British mind reading act, Sarah and Ann Pilgrim (Jennifer Jayne and Janet Munro) and a newspaper reporter Philip Truscott (Laurence Payne). Together this group must come together and stop an invasion from outer space by evil tentacled brain-like aliens from an unknown galaxy bent on planetary conquest. The Crawling Eye is one of the wildest alien invasion flicks ever made. I have never seen a film with so many diverse elements that was so thoroughly entertaining. I mean giant brain aliens with tentacles that rip people’s heads off? Wow! And that’s just the beginning. We’ve also got dead humans being controlled by their alien masters, characters with ESP, a final stand in a fortified location and a full fledged bombing strike by the United Nations! Of course some of the elements in Jimmy Sangster’s screenplay don’t integrate well, such as the character of Professor Crevett, who as well as being a physicist, is also an MD (he dispenses meds) and a qualified medical examiner! And there are a lot of questions that aren’t answered such as where do the aliens come from, where is their spaceship located and why do they rip some people’s heads off and only make zombies of the others? Les Bowie’s special effects don’t really totally convince either, but they are very ambitious and the first appearance of the aliens through the hotel door is very creepy and memorable. It sent me through the roof the first time I saw it! Stanley Black also contributes a wonderful eerie score. Just like The Quatermass Experiment, The Crawling Eye was adapted from a six part BBC serial. While it does not reach the dizzying heights of Nigel Kneale’s classic, The Crawling Eye is still a superior example of British sci-fi.
Quotable Movie Line: “The man had been dead for 24 hours. I know. I know. It’s impossible of course. But you see there are certain changes which take place in the body after death. They follow a pattern that can not be altered. The man had been dead already 24 hours. There was no doubt.”
5. THE LOST MISSILE (United Artists, US – 1958)
If there ever was a movie that overcomes its humble origins to become the great unknown classic of the 1950s, it’s The Lost Missile. This is truly one of the forgotten and unfamiliar sci-fi films of the last fifty years. Radars around the world pick up a strange and powerful object approaching the Earth. When the object’s approach is too close for the Russians, they launch powerful rockets at the intruder but only succeed in knocking it into a sub-orbital trajectory. The hydrogen-powered rocket (first example of this in sci-fi history) from outer space is now circling the earth at 4000 miles an hour and its exhaust is burning a swath of destruction across the planet. Parts of Alaska as well as Ottawa, Canada have been vaporized. New York is next. Can the city be saved? It’s up to a pair of brave scientists (Robert Loggia and Ellen Parker), who work at the nearby research base in New Jersey, to come up with a solution. I think what makes The Lost Missile work for me is that I was seven during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Growing up during that time made this film all that more real to me. Here I was practicing “duck and cover” routines at school while on TV they’re running entertainment pictures with an alien rocket that’s going to burn up the east coast! But there is another element that works here as well. It’s the screenplay by noted science fiction and fantasy author Jerome Bixby. He doesn’t add any extraneous elements to the story. He gives it a very strong focus, much like his screenplay for It the Terror from Beyond Space. There is the missile and the destruction that it can cause. Everything in the movie is focused on stopping the missile. Both Robert Loggia and Ellen Parker make an attractive (though clichéd) “Ozzie and Harriet” couple. On the down side, the special effects are minimal and at least one third of the picture’s running time consists of stock footage. But this footage is integrated well. Despite these shortcomings, The Lost Missile remains an unsung classic from the decade of paranoia. And in this day of rogue nations and missile launchings, it’s more topical than ever.
Quotable Movie Line: “This is no Scandinavian flight. This thing is traveling at 4000 miles an hour!”
6. THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (Allied Artists, UK – 1959)
I’ll never understand why The Giant Behemoth doesn’t get the attention and respect of Eugene Louriè’s other two giant dinosaur on the loose movies (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and Gorgo). True it is very derivative of Beast, but to these eyes it offers its own unique pleasures. In coastal England large numbers of dead fish have washed up on the beaches and a fisherman has been burned to death by a strange radioactive charge. Scientists Steven Karnes (Gene Evans) and James Bickford (Andrè Morell) investigate and soon establish that a giant radioactive dinosaur (called a “paleosaurus” in the film) is patrolling the English waters and preparing to strike. The authorities reject their claim and it isn’t until the behemoth capsizes a ferry, that they realize what they’re up against. The radioactive monster rises up from the Thames and cuts a destructive swath through the British capital. It’s up to Karnes (in a miniature submarine) to destroy the creature before it obliterates London. Growing up, The Giant Behemoth was the scariest dinosaur movie I ever saw. The scenes of the behemoth destroying London by crushing everything in sight and then burning people with its radioactive charge gave me nightmares for years. And I loved it! Louriè’s live action footage of frightened British citizens fleeing in terror along the run down buildings and streets really helps establish the mood of the film. He also further establishes the mood in the scene where Evans follows strict scientific protocol to determine if fish from any nearby estuary have been contaminated with radiation. His use of low level lighting and shadow really helps build the tension. But special attention has to be paid to Willis O’Brien and Pete Peterson for creating such superb dinosaur footage on a miniscule budget (reportedly just $20,000 for all the effects). O’Brien and Peterson were paid as subcontractors by effects Chief Jack Rabin for their work. While the behemoth model doesn’t look as good as Ray Harryhausen’s Rhedosaurus (check out when it crushes the car, you can see the wire frame of the model’s foot), Peterson’s animation truly gives the behemoth a life of its own. It has a ferocity and power that is missing from some other dinosaur movies that had much better effects budgets. When you add in the somber ending, Edwin Astley’s powerful score and good performances from Evans, Morell and Jack MacGowran (as the wistful paleontologist Dr. Sampson), The Giant Behemoth is one the better giant monster on the loose movies to come out of the 1950s.
Quotable Movie Line: “One thing’s for sure. Something happened here that isn’t in the books. Something came out of the ocean. And now it’s gone back.”
7. THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE (Allied Artists, US – 1960)
In the near future both military and commercial submarines cruise around the North Pole (which is widely used as a great shipping lane). However a recent series of sea disasters there prompts the United Nations to send the US atomic submarine Tiger Shark to investigate. There they encounter a flying saucer with a turret light (that they dub “Cyclops”). Attempts to destroy Cyclops fail so the commander of the submarine Captain Dan Wendover (Dick Foran) rams the alien vessel and the two sink to the ocean floor locked together. A five man crew is sent over to the Cyclops to investigate. There they find a one-eyed alien (are there any other kind?) who informs our team leader Reef Holloway (Arthur Franz) that he finds earth very suitable for colonization. It’s up to Reef and the team to convince the alien that the men of earth don’t plan to give up without a fight. Out of all the movies on this list, The Atomic Submarine is the one that I almost feel guilty about including. The direction by Spencer Gordon Bennett (an old hand at directing serials) is, at best, bland. The dialogue from writer Orville Hampton is really clunky with Arthur Franz saying the majority of them. Too much time is spent getting the Tiger Shark to the North Pole and the use of the map showing their path to the pole reminds me of an old Warner Brothers cartoon. But just when you’re about to eject this movie from your DVD player, it gets good. The entire last third of the movie, spent on the alien ship, is wonderfully eerie. The sets are sparse, yet effective. Alexander Lazlo’s score gets really creepy during these scenes, giving the film a much needed boost. But best of all is that wonderful cyclopean alien. With its oversized eye, small stubby tentacles and rich baritone voice (supplied by John Hilliard), it strikes the right balance of horror, amusement and creepiness. There have been better aliens in sci-fi movies, but the Cyclops remains an iconic image in the annals of the sci-fi film.
Quotable Movie Line: “Adapt a complicated guidance system to a huge ballistic rocket. Convert it to a water to air interceptor missile. It was foolish. It was insane. It was fantastic. But it was their only hope – and the earths’ only hope.”
8. THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE (Melina Productions, UK – 1962)
This was one the first sci-fi disaster movies I ever saw and it blew me away. It caused a sensation throughout the world (and a sensation at my own house as well). When it ran on Million Dollar Movie for a week straight, I used to ask my mother and sisters what they would do if the events depicted in the film ever came true. That drew such varied responses that I still remember the discussions to this day. Told through the eyes of alcoholic reporter Pete Stenning (a wonderfully macho Edward Judd) The Day the Earth Caught Fire tells the story a how two atomic bombs set off by the US and Russia (at the same time and at opposite ends of the earth) change the planet’s permutation and cause our world to sail off into the sun. Temperatures change, disasters follow and the world is bought to the brink of destruction. Two even larger bombs are then set off to see if the damage can be reversed. These events have a cathartic effect on Judd, who regains his humanity by finally accepting his divorce (and the subsequent estrangement of his son), kicking the bottle, falling in love with a beautiful young phone operator (Janet Munro) and becoming a great reporter again. Seldom has a disaster movie been told in such human terms. Director Val Guest focuses on how the events that are spinning out of control affect Judd, Munro and Leo McKern (who plays Judd’s trustworthy Bill McGuire). We see worldwide events unfurling just like a train wreck, but there’s nothing anyone can do except make a better life for themselves out of the ashes of the oncoming fire. Everything about this movie is superlative. Guest’s direction is assured. The screenplay by Guest and Wolf Mankowitz is sharply focused with brilliant and biting dialogue. Judd, Munro and McKern all put in marvelous performances. The low budget effects (by Les Bowie, once again) convey just the right feeling of discomfort. I remember feeling very hot and being very thirsty while watching this film. It’s a great shame that The Day the Earth Caught Fire isn’t run on television anymore. With all the talk of global warming, this movies represents an early look at what can happen when humans decide to mess with Mother Nature.
Quotable Movie Line:
McGuire: “We’ll here’s to him [Stenning’s son]. May he turn out to be a hard drinking, hard fighting son of a...”
Stenning: “...bitch. Yeah, well that part of his parentage is for sure.”
9. ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS (Paramount, US – 1964)
This is the only major studio release on this list. I’m including it because Paramount treated this as a B movie and dumped it on US theatres as a second feature to a Jerry Lewis film. The first orbital expedition of Mars headed by Colonel Dan McReady (Adam West) and Commander Christopher Draper (Paul Mantee) are forced to land after their craft almost collides with a large meteor. McReady doesn’t survive his landing, but Draper does. His first order of business is to figure out how to live on the red planet by finding adequate supplies of food, water and air. He skillfully manages to do this, but then loneliness becomes his major problem. With only his pet monkey Mona, Draper looks like a sure bet for either the loony bin or suicide. His prayers are answered when an alien mining vessel descends and an escaped slave (Vic Lundin) comes to him for help. The rest of the film then becomes a chase with Draper and Friday trying to avoid the alien ships (who clearly want Friday back). For famished sci-fi fans in the 1960s, Robinson Crusoe on Mars represented a real treat. Here was a moderately budgeted film from a major studio that while flawed, delivered the goods. The alien ships resembled the manta ray Martian vessels from War of the Worlds. The wonderful composite footage of Mantee exploring the Martian surface with the strangely colored sky is also quite memorable. Director Byron Haskin really makes you feel the astronaut’s struggle on the planet. He takes you from crises to crises (air, water, food, loneliness) and always shows Mantee’s thinking process along the way. Yes, some of the elements in the screenplay make you scratch your head (ie – if there is little oxygen on Mars, where do all those huge flaming fireballs come from? How do the yellow rocks burn if there’s little oxygen?). But despite the flaws, this was such a fun film to see, I went back three times to the Ritz Theatre in Elizabeth to satisfy my cravings. I dragged my mother the first time, but after that, I got to go alone. I didn’t even stay for the Jerry Lewis movie. To me it couldn’t compare to the thrills I just witnessed. Robinson Crusoe on Mars was a film I grew up on. I know that it’s not a great film, but it represents such a wonderful part of my youth, that I can’t separate myself from it.
Quotable Movie Line: “All right. Here’s another note for you guys in survival, for you geniuses in human factors. A guy can lick the problems of heat, water, shelter, food. I know. I’ve done it. But here’s the hairiest problem of all. Isolation -- being alone. Boy, here’s where he’ll crack. Here’s where he’ll go under. I know, I know. I had great training including two months in the isolation chamber. But when I was in that chamber, I knew I was coming out. I knew I’d be with people again. But up here on Mars, you’ve got to face the reality of being alone forever.”
10. ISLAND OF TERROR (Planet Films, UK – Universal Pictures, US – 1966)
On a remote island off the coast of Ireland, cancer researcher Dr. Lawrence Phillips (Peter Forbes-Robertson) begins a new experiment to produce cancer-eating organisms. He succeeds, but the new life form (called “silicates”) turn out to devour more than cancer – they also devour human bones. As soon as a boneless dead body turns up, Dr. Reginald Landers (Eddie Byrnes) takes the island’s only launch [boat] to the mainland for help. He arrives back (via helicopter) with bone specialists Dr. Brian Stanley (Peter Cushing), Dr. David West (Edward Judd) and Dr. West’s girlfriend of the moment Toni Merrill (Carole Gray). They proceed to Dr. Phillips house where they find the dead scientist and his crew. After reviewing the researcher’s notes, they return to his house and discover two of the deadly silicates. Dr. Landers is killed and the others barely escape with their lives, when by chance, the creatures divide. It’s then a race against time as a means of destroying the monsters must be found before the island is overrun by the marrow munching menaces. Island of Terror represents a real milestone because it’s probably the last true representative of the1950s style of sci-fi filmmaking. And the great irony is that it was directed by the man who began the genre’s demise by directing horror films for Hammer. Although director Terrance Fisher never liked working on science fiction, (it was well known that he could phone in some of his efforts), he really strives to create terror. The climax of the film is unbearably tense as the remaining survivors barricade themselves in a small room against the final silicate onslaught. Here amid all the action, Fisher focuses on the silent moral dilemma between Cushing and Judd as they decide whether or not to give Gray a lethal dose of drug to spare her from the silicates. Fisher also has the benefit of working with the great Peter Cushing who positively crackles as Dr. Stanley. Edward Judd is also fine, but it is the supporting cast (Eddie Byrne, Niall MacGuinnis and James Caffrey) that really help elevate this production. The special effects are decent for a 1960s film and the silicates represent an unusual type of monster. Overall Island of Terror makes a great swansong for the 1950s style of sci-fi film.
Quotable Movie Line: “We must keep calm. Fear and panic will defeat us just as sure as the silicates. We need all your help and your cooperation. We must work together.”
Well, fellow sci-fi buff – what films would be on your list? For me these 10 represent a partial list of fun low budget sci-fi that really hits the spot. Whether it was the acting, some cool dialogue or a great monster, these movies have wormed their way into my heart and will have a place of honor there for the rest of my life.
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Citation
1. Warren Bill. Keep Watching the Skies. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company Inc, 1986. Volume Two; Page 47.
Selected References
Jensen Paul M. The Men who made the Monsters. New York, New York: Twayne Publishers, 1996.
Johnson Tom and DelVecchio Deborah. Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company Inc, 1996.
Warren Bill. Keep Watching the Skies (Two Volume Set). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company Inc, 1982 and 1986.
Weaver Tom. Attack of the Monster Movie Makers. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company Inc, 1994.
Weaver Tom. Eye on Science Fiction. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company Inc, 2003.
Thursday, July 02, 2009 @ 05:49:04 Mountain Daylight Time Articles & Profiles | |
