MInd Boggling Trivia For 1950's Sci Fi Classics by Jongsstraw

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MInd Boggling Trivia For 1950's Sci Fi Classics

POSTED BY: JONGSSTRAW
UPDATED: Thursday, February 7, 2013 13:32
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Monday, December 10, 2012 1:51 PM

About 2 men who appeared in 2 classic 1950's sci-fi 'B' movies.....

Cecil Kellaway played the benign and grandfatherly scientific expert on dinosaurs in the movie 'Beast From 20,000 Fathoms'. His shocking death in the submerged bathoshpere while searching for the beast is something I've never fully recovered from even after 50+ years.

and

Edmund Gwenn, who played the benign and grandfatherly scientific expert on
ants in the movie 'Them'.

They were actually cousins in real life. Years earlier, Kellaway had turned down the role of Kris Kringle in 'Miracle On 34th Street' which subsequently was given to Gwenn.

** and if your mind wasn't completely boggled by those revelations, give this a try, if you dare...

Peter Graves changed his name from Arness. He was James (The Thing) Arness' brother. They both appeared in 1950's sci fi 'b' movies. Must have made for some interesting phone calls. James Arness fought giant ants in 'Them', while Peter fought off giant insects in 'Killers From Space', as well as giant locusts in "Beginning Of The End'.

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Tuesday, December 11, 2012 7:41 AM

MUTT999

Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
Cecil Kellaway played the benign and grandfatherly scientific expert on dinosaurs in the movie 'Beast From 20,000 Fathoms'. His shocking death in the submerged bathoshpere while searching for the beast is something I've never fully recovered from even after 50+ years.

Tell me about it. That scene is etched in my memory. I think it traumatized me as a kid. Just being so deep underwater and seeing this huge thing coming at you and.....well, you know the rest.

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Tuesday, December 11, 2012 9:37 AM

JONGSSTRAW

Quote:
Originally posted by MUTT999:
Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
Cecil Kellaway played the benign and grandfatherly scientific expert on dinosaurs in the movie 'Beast From 20,000 Fathoms'. His shocking death in the submerged bathoshpere while searching for the beast is something I've never fully recovered from even after 50+ years.

Tell me about it. That scene is etched in my memory. I think it traumatized me as a kid. Just being so deep underwater and seeing this huge thing coming at you and.....well, you know the rest.

Amen to that. Funny how certain elements from so long ago remain with us all our lives. I'm not a shrink, so I really don't understand why. I remember watching "Beast" many times on tv in the early 1960's. I've since seen documentaries on Ray Harryhausen and how he did the special effects for the movie. Pretty amazing stuff, and for me at least, much more creative and imaginative than a team of computer wonks creating stuff on a monitor screen. I haven't seen Beast in over thirty years but I can still visualize when the monster attacked the lighthouse, when it came out of the water in NYC, when it swallowed the cop, and when it destroyed the big roller coaster.

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Tuesday, December 11, 2012 11:15 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Jongs.

I had no idea that Peter Graves and James Arness where brothers!!! How did I get this far in my 50's sci-fi loving years without coming upon this sooner. Thanks for that nugget of information.

Well this in my favourite genre. Not just Sci-fi but 50's Sci-fi. I totally love it!

My favourite is Creature From the Black Lagoon, just by virtue that it was the first 50's Sci-fi flick I saw as a kid and then later when I was at college we saw the 3D print of it at the university. It was part of a double feature with "It Came From Outer Space"

But you make a valid point about imagery that sticks with you no matter what. I still think the underwater shots of the creature are some of the most enduring I've ever seen in cinema.

Beast is awesome too. There's something dark and menacing about the whole production of that film. Sort of Godzilla-esque but with the charm and brilliance of Harryhausen...

....Harryhausen - what a master! I was only this afternoon watching Mysterious Island. It's my "go to" flick when I just want to be caught up in the fantasy of cinema. I love the Giant Crab animation! Still very convincing and appealing. I have a few friends who do computer animation and while I do understand the hard work they put in, it just cannot compete with the charm of stop motion for me. It's impossible to quantify I guess, but to my eyes, it feels more a part of the scene than CGI.

Nice post J!

°...Well here I am.°

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Tuesday, December 11, 2012 5:30 PM

JONGSSTRAW

Quote:
Originally posted by THESOMNAMBULIST:
Jongs.

I had no idea that Peter Graves and James Arness where brothers!!! How did I get this far in my 50's sci-fi loving years without coming upon this sooner. Thanks for that nugget of information.

Well this in my favourite genre. Not just Sci-fi but 50's Sci-fi. I totally love it!

My favourite is Creature From the Black Lagoon, just by virtue that it was the first 50's Sci-fi flick I saw as a kid and then later when I was at college we saw the 3D print of it at the university. It was part of a double feature with "It Came From Outer Space"

But you make a valid point about imagery that sticks with you no matter what. I still think the underwater shots of the creature are some of the most enduring I've ever seen in cinema.

Beast is awesome too. There's something dark and menacing about the whole production of that film. Sort of Godzilla-esque but with the charm and brilliance of Harryhausen...

....Harryhausen - what a master! I was only this afternoon watching Mysterious Island. It's my "go to" flick when I just want to be caught up in the fantasy of cinema. I love the Giant Crab animation! Still very convincing and appealing. I have a few friends who do computer animation and while I do understand the hard work they put in, it just cannot compete with the charm of stop motion for me. It's impossible to quantify I guess, but to my eyes, it feels more a part of the scene than CGI.

Nice post J!

°...Well here I am.°

Thanks for your response and kind words. It's very encouraging for me to see someone who appreciates the old sci fi classics from the 50's and 60's. Like you, I love those movies, and I watch the dvds all the time. You really hit one of my hot buttons hard when you used the word "charm"! Yes their charm is what makes me love them all to this day. The best example of that was something I wrote about years ago; a comparison of the 2002 Time Machine versus the 1960 Time Machine. The original drips with charm and sweetness, and while the remake wasn't too bad, it couldn't hold Mrs. Watchett's candle to it.

Creature From The Black Lagoon is a favorite of mine. And Mysterious Island is one of the coolest movies ever made. It Came From Outer Space is one of the classic originals. I'm a big Barbara Rush fan and she was as breathtaking in that as she was in When Worlds Collide.

Some of my other personal favorites of that era are...

World Without End
It, The Terror From Beyond Space
Killers From Space
Brain From Planet Arous
Angry Red Planet
Creation of the Humanoids
The Crawling Eye
...and hundreds more!

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Tuesday, December 11, 2012 6:55 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:

It, The Terror From Beyond Space

Oh, the pre-remake of Alien. Yeah, it was cool!

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012 4:08 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Originally posted by Jongsstraw:

Quote:
Thanks for your response and kind words. It's very encouraging for me to see someone who appreciates the old sci fi classics from the 50's and 60's. Like you, I love those movies, and I watch the dvds all the time.

Well there aren't many of us out there. None of my friends understand my fascination with 50's sci-fi and it's pretty much a regular point of ridicule. But I don't mind, I accrue so much enjoyment from these old classics.

Just to let you know presently I'm living in Spain near Granada, and d'you know how many Harryhausen films were shot out here! It's amazing. Jongs, have you seen the 7th Voyage of Sinbad? Well it was shot in the Alhambra in Granada, it doubled for Persia or Bagdad.... I took two friends there last year (I'm an hour and a half away). Incredible to think all those greats worked here back in the day. Also I've been to the beach where they shot the bulk of the Mysterious Island exterior shots too. It was a real fluke too, it was only later after researching that I realised.

Quote:
You really hit one of my hot buttons hard when you used the word "charm"! Yes their charm is what makes me love them all to this day. The best example of that was something I wrote about years ago; a comparison of the 2002 Time Machine versus the 1960 Time Machine. The original drips with charm and sweetness, and while the remake wasn't too bad, it couldn't hold Mrs. Watchett's candle to it.

Ha,ha Indeed! The remake is actually one of the better remakes that has been done, so no beef there, but the original.. Man you cannot beat it. Pal basically was in love with this story and it shows with every flickering frame of celluloid. It's a beautifully designed film.

Quote:
Creature From The Black Lagoon is a favorite of mine. And Mysterious Island is one of the coolest movies ever made. It Came From Outer Space is one of the classic originals. I'm a big Barbara Rush fan and she was as breathtaking in that as she was in When Worlds Collide.

All good flicks. And yeah Barbara Rush, what a beauty. When Worlds Collide was great fun too (actually that sounds like I'm missing the point given the nature of the story), but there's something so enjoyable about watching those films. I think it's the innocence, or the colour tones, or even the very simplistic science, but whatever they're so endearing.

Quote:
Some of my other personal favorites of that era are...

World Without End
It, The Terror From Beyond Space
Killers From Space
Brain From Planet Arous
Angry Red Planet
Creation of the Humanoids
The Crawling Eye
...and hundreds more!

Hmm I've not seen Killers From Space, Angry Red Planet or Creation of the Humanoid so will have to seek those out.

While we're on favourites:
1) Creature from the Black Lagoon.
2) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (original cut)
3) The Thing (1951)
4) Mysterious Island
5) War Of The Worlds
6) Day the Earth Stood Still
7) the 7th Voyage of Sinbad
8) Time Machine
9) Jason and the Argonauts
10) The Incredible Shrinking Man (Best ending along with Planet of the Apes)
11) The Beast from 20,000 fathoms
12) The Quatermass films: III, II, I
13) Journey to the Centre of the Earth (James Mason)
14) This Island Earth
15) First Men on the Moon
16) 20 million miles to earth
17) Destination Moon
18) When World's Collide
19) Dr Cyclops
20) Invaders from Mars.

I could go on...... As you say hundreds more.... I'm really in the mood for a massive 50's Sci-fi fest now!

°...Well here I am.°

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012 4:13 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Quote:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:

It, The Terror From Beyond Space
Oh, the pre-remake of Alien. Yeah, it was cool!

To quote Daffy Duck:
"Indubitably!"

°...Well here I am.°

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012 5:34 AM

MUTT999

Quote:
Originally posted by THESOMNAMBULIST:
18) When World's Collide

Another one that sticks in your mind. Who gets to go, and who has to stay behind. Good stuff.

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012 11:19 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Quote:
Originally posted by MUTT999:

Quote:
Originally posted by THESOMNAMBULIST:
18) When World's Collide

Another one that sticks in your mind. Who gets to go, and who has to stay behind. Good stuff.

Yep. That imagery of the Rocket on the ramp has always stuck with me. And once again the astro artist Chesley Bonestell supplied the imaginings for the New World.

°...Well here I am.°

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012 11:22 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

HOLD THE FORT!!!!

The Forbidden Planet!! How the hell did I forget that one! That's a true masterpiece.

That would have to go in the top ten at least, maybe even top five.... Jeez. Can't believe I left that out!

°...Well here I am.°

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012 2:55 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

Quote:
Originally posted by THESOMNAMBULIST:
The Forbidden Planet!! How the hell did I forget that one!

I was about to mention that one myself.

And two more: Destination Moon and Earth vs. the Flying Saucers.

Quote:

12) The Quatermass films: III, II, I

I assume that is the way you are ranking them, but for me it would be III, I and then II. I've always wanted to see the original BBC productions too.

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012 4:40 PM

JONGSSTRAW

Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:

And two more: Destination Moon and Earth vs. the Flying Saucers.

They're both classics of 50's sci fi. Love the Woody Woodpecker segment in Destination Moon. And don't forget its big brother "Conquest Of Space", based on the Willy Ley and Chesley Bonestell book. Bonestell painted the movie backdrops, and the ship and space station designs were taken from their series that ran in Collier's Magazine from 1950 to 1952.

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012 4:51 PM

JONGSSTRAW

Quote:
Originally posted by THESOMNAMBULIST:
Hmm I've not seen Killers From Space, Angry Red Planet or Creation of the Humanoid so will have to seek those out.

Time to get cracking!

Quote:
While we're on favourites:
1) Creature from the Black Lagoon.
2) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (original cut)
3) The Thing (1951)
4) Mysterious Island
5) War Of The Worlds
6) Day the Earth Stood Still...
7) the 7th Voyage of Sinbad
8) Time Machine
9) Jason and the Argonauts
10) The Incredible Shrinking Man (Best ending along with Planet of the Apes)
11) The Beast from 20,000 fathoms
12) The Quatermass films: III, II, I
13) Journey to the Centre of the Earth (James Mason)
14) This Island Earth
15) First Men on the Moon
16) 20 million miles to earth
17) Destination Moon
18) When World's Collide
19) Dr Cyclops
20) Invaders from Mars.

That's an impressive list of classics. Here's a few more to think about or see if you haven't yet...

Not Of This Earth... w/ Beverly(My Three Sons)Garland; remade w/ Traci Lords
The Blob...w/ Mayberry's favorite teacher Helen Krump and The King Of Cool
Atlantis, The Lost Continent...just adore every minute of this Pal treasure
The Lost World... w/ Michael(Klaatu)Rennie and David(Voyage To Bottom of The Sea)Hedison
First Spaceship On Venus...the lovely Yoko Tani covered in space goo!
Red Planet Mars...another one w/ Peter Graves
Queen Of Outer Space...same ship and snow landing as World Without End
Beyond The Time Barrier...raping mutants set free by murderous Russian babe
Attack Of The Crab Monster...w/ the Professor, no Maryanne
Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman...big gal kills the smoking hot Yvette Vickers
Rodan...worms and big egg scared me to death as a kid, final scene is epic
War Of The Planets...Italian sci fi fun
Kronos, The Planet Killer...w/ Jeff (This Island Earth) Morrow
The Giant Behemoth...second cousin to Beast From 20,0000
Gorgo...w/ Bill Travers from Born Free
Journey To The Seventh Planet...Agar at his cheesiest w/ hot Euro babes
Journey To The Center Of Time...cool flick
Women Of The Prehistoric Planet...Agar even more cheesier, w/ Elvis babe Irene Tsu
The Time Travellers...w/ sci fi legend John(When Worlds Collide)Hoyt and sexy Merry Anders
Day Of The Triffids...Howard Keel w/o singing
From The Earth To The Moon..w/ the lovely Debra Paget and suave George Sanders
Village Of The Damned...another George Sanders classic
Island Of Terror...intense and scary
She Demons...not for the weak of heart, Nazis, young girls, radiation
Horror Hotel...w/ beautiful Venetia Stevenson and Christopher Lee
Missile To The Moon...giant walking rocks, killer sunburn, big spider
Rocketship XM...w/ Lloyd (Commander Cain of the Pegasus) Bridges
Project Moonbase...Jeannie's Dr. Bellows sends 50's sweater girl to the moon

** Special thanks to WOR Channel 9 in New York for airing Chiller Theater every Saturday night, and Million Dollar Movie every weekday after school before dinner. You helped make me the immature man I am today.

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Thursday, December 13, 2012 3:25 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Originally posted by ecgordon:

Quote:
And two more: Destination Moon and Earth vs. the Flying Saucers.

Yes! Love those. Good call.

Quote:

I assume that is the way you are ranking them, but for me it would be III, I and then II. I've always wanted to see the original BBC productions too.

I'm partial to Quatermass 2 for the atmosphere. But love the whole trilogy.

BBC series was awesome. A friend bought me that years ago. I had to leave it behind in my travels. Well worth a watch EC.

°...Well here I am.°

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Thursday, December 13, 2012 10:52 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Originally posted by Jongsstraw:

Quote:
Not Of This Earth... w/ Beverly(My Three Sons)Garland; remade w/ Traci Lords

Not seen

Quote:
The Blob...w/ Mayberry's favorite teacher Helen Krump and The King Of Cool

Have seen and I love it! And the remake is rather good. Shawnee Smith's character is very close to Buffy!

Quote:
Atlantis, The Lost Continent...just adore every minute of this Pal treasure

I just watched this this afternoon upon your recommendation. Yeah I liked it. Some of the Design was very impressive. The Atlantian Sub!

Quote:
The Lost World... w/ Michael(Klaatu)Rennie and David(Voyage To Bottom of The Sea)Hedison

Always liked this film. I loved the set design and the saturated colours. Quite a large character list too. Brave.

Quote:
First Spaceship On Venus...the lovely Yoko Tani covered in space goo!

Sounds interesting :D Space goo eh?

Quote:
Red Planet Mars...another one w/ Peter Graves

Looking forward to this.

Quote:
Queen Of Outer Space...same ship and snow landing as World Without End

I think I may have seen this, but can't remember for sure....

Quote:
Beyond The Time Barrier...raping mutants set free by murderous Russian babe

Is this a Russian Sci-Fi? I've been on the look out for those...

Quote:
Attack Of The Crab Monster...w/ the Professor, no Maryanne

With a title like that... You gota watch it right ? :P

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Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman...big gal kills the smoking hot Yvette Vickers

This film always made me feel sad on so many levels.

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Rodan...worms and big egg scared me to death as a kid, final scene is epic

Good sales pitch J. Will have to watch this. Cheers!

Quote:
War Of The Planets...Italian sci fi fun

Oh really? OK I like Italian Horror so this may be interesting.

Quote:
Kronos, The Planet Killer...w/ Jeff (This Island Earth) Morrow

I like Jeff Morrow!

Quote:
The Giant Behemoth...second cousin to Beast From 20,0000

Not seen it.

Quote:
Gorgo...w/ Bill Travers from Born Free

Think I've seen this.....

Quote:
Journey To The Seventh Planet...Agar at his cheesiest w/ hot Euro babes

Exploitation Sci-Fi eh? :D

Quote:
Journey To The Center Of Time...cool flick

No don't know of it, but sounds awesome!

Quote:
Women Of The Prehistoric Planet...Agar even more cheesier, w/ Elvis babe Irene Tsu

Sounds hilarious! It's a must!

Quote:
The Time Travellers...w/ sci fi legend John(When Worlds Collide)Hoyt and sexy Merry Anders

Awesome!

Quote:
Day Of The Triffids...Howard Keel w/o singing

truly chilling!

Quote:
From The Earth To The Moon..w/ the lovely Debra Paget and suave George Sanders

Big fan of George Sanders. Saw this about twenty years ago and loved the pacing!

Quote:
Village Of The Damned...another George Sanders classic

Oh simply awesome! Clever, and smart Sci-fi. Probably Val Guests best. Children was good too!

Quote:
Island Of Terror...intense and scary

Is this the one where the animals turn on the people? I think I've seen this.

Quote:
She Demons...not for the weak of heart, Nazis, young girls, radiation

Ha,ha. Sounds like a Russ Meyer flick :D

Quote:
Horror Hotel...w/ beautiful Venetia Stevenson and Christopher Lee

Oh yes.

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Missile To The Moon...giant walking rocks, killer sunburn, big spider

Really! That sounds fun!

Quote:
Rocketship XM...w/ Lloyd (Commander Cain of the Pegasus) Bridges

Yup loved it!

Quote:
Project Moonbase...Jeannie's Dr. Bellows sends 50's sweater girl to the moon

Not heard of it, but I love moon based themed Sci-fi :D

Thanks for those Jongsstraw. I'll endeavour to catch those whenever I can. One that just came to mind is Attack of the Mole People. Have you seen that?

°...Well here I am.°

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Thursday, December 13, 2012 2:57 PM

JONGSSTRAW

Quote:
Originally posted by THESOMNAMBULIST:
Hmm I've not seen Killers From Space, Angry Red Planet or Creation of the Humanoid so will have to seek those out.

Angry Red Planet is really a terrific movie for many reasons. The female lead is Nora Hayden, and a more vivacious fiery red-headed space gal you won't find. The martian creatures and landscapes are imaginative, and the ending is quite foreboding. Made by Ib Melchior, it has many of his trademark elements.

Killers From Space is an early 'b' movie starring Peter Graves. Starting a bit slow, it builds up little by little to make it a very enjoyable campy flick. A favorite of Chiller Theater, it gave me nightmares as a kid.

Creation Of The Humanoids is a strange and eerie film. It has a mood and atmosphere that is quite unique; a story about a post-apocalyptic world where some humans (flesh and blooders) are fighting against their perceived threat of humanoid robotic domination. Has a great ironic ending.

You took some time and thought into your post below. It's a lot of fun to go through it. Here's some more details that may be helpful...

Quote:
Originally posted by THESOMNAMBULIST:
Originally posted by Jongsstraw:

Not Of This Earth... w/ Beverly(My Three Sons)Garland; remade w/ Traci Lords

Not seen

The 50's b&w original is good and scary. A worthy effort! The remake is campy and fun. It stars Traci Lords in her first non-porno movie, but fret not, there is some gratuitous nudity.

Quote:
Atlantis, The Lost Continent...just adore every minute of this Pal treasure

I just watched this this afternoon upon your recommendation. Yeah I liked it. Some of the Design was very impressive. The Atlantian Sub!

The ordeal of fire and water in the sunken triangle pit. I guess they actually had to build that amazing thing.
The half-men/half-animal creations by their wicked scientists.
The two small crystals and the large mobile crystal death ray weapon.
The holy man who helped Demetrius was Ed Platt from Get Smart fame.
The giant crystal weapon firing randomly and vaporizing the bad guy into a skeleton.

Quote:
The Lost World... w/ Michael(Klaatu)Rennie and David(Voyage To Bottom of The Sea)Hedison

Quote:
Always liked this film. I loved the set design and the saturated colours. Quite a large character list too. Brave.

Jill St. John and Fernando Lamas (TRIVIA ALERT: Ricardo Montalban's brother).
Love when the greedy guide gets the diamonds and then gets swallowed by the dinosaur.
Love when Lamas sacrifices himself by grabbing the lava lake retaining log.
Love the native girl leading them though the underground world.

Quote:
First Spaceship On Venus...the lovely Yoko Tani covered in space goo!

Quote:
Sounds interesting : Space goo eh?

Kind of a silly movie, but yes, lots of bubbling crude.

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Red Planet Mars...another one w/ Peter Graves

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Looking forward to this.

Interesting movie with strong religious and anti-communist themes.

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Queen Of Outer Space...same ship and snow landing as World Without End

Quote:
I think I may have seen this, but can't remember for sure....

Great movie with a bad title.
Stars Eric Fleming from Conquest of Space and Rawhide fame.
Mysterious beams attack Eaqrth's space station.
Beams carry spaceship at speed which breaks the indicator pointer (like World Without End)
Zsa Zsa Gabor is not the Queen, She's a rebel scientist desperate for love.
Laurie Mitchell is the evil and bitter Queen with a great body and glittery mask.
Used the costumes and weapons from Forbidden Planet.

Quote:
Beyond The Time Barrier...raping mutants set free by murderous Russian babe

Quote:
Is this a Russian Sci-Fi? I've been on the look out for those...

No. Made by and starring American Robert Clarke (Hideous Sun Demon).
Air Force pilot tests new jet and breaks the time barrier.
Later, in the future, one of the greatest explanations of how he travelled in time is given by a group of pre-plague scientists called 'scapes'....as in they escaped the plague which devastated and divided humanity.
One is a Russian female named Markova. She's sexy and sneaky.
Captured mutants escape from 'The Pit' and wreak havoc on the folks.
Time barrier effect is a little lame, but I like it nonetheless.

Quote:
Attack Of The Crab Monster...w/ the Professor, no Maryanne

Quote:
With a title like that... You gota watch it right?

Yeah, it's a classic. Scary campy fun! You may have an urge to go to Red Lobster afterwards.

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Rodan...worms and big egg scared me to death as a kid, final scene is epic

Quote:
Good sales pitch J. Will have to watch this. Cheers!

My favorite Toho film. Great intensity and many memorable and haunting scenes.

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Journey To The Seventh Planet...Agar at his cheesiest w/ hot Euro babes

Quote:
Exploitation Sci-Fi eh?

A tad exploitive, but definitely worth a watch. They go to Uranus (how often does that happen?) There's a creature there using mental energy to read their thoughts and memories to create familiar landmarks. It's creepy and surreal in spots. The gals are top notch!

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Journey To The Center Of Time...cool flick

Quote:
No don't know of it, but sounds awesome!

Fun movie, but not as good as Ib Melchior's Time Travellers.

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Women Of The Prehistoric Planet...Agar even more cheesier, w/ Elvis babe Irene Tsu

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Sounds hilarious! It's a must!

Saw this many years ago late at night and it instantly became one of my favorites.
One ship from a space fleet crashes on an unexplored planet.
The command ship turns around to rescue them.
Because the fleet was travelling at light speed, 18 years go by on the planet before the rescue ship arrives after a three month journey.
They explain that to you a couple of times...the optic speed time paradox and such.
The fleet ships were bringing native people back to their home world from Centauri, a once-great, but now desolate world.
Centaurians are Oriental in appearance.
Robert Ito (from Quincy) is Tang.
Irene Tsu is Linda.
Tang loves Linda.
Linda loves Tang.
Linda loves bananas and apples. So does Tico.
Merry Anders loves the first officer.
John Agar holds it all together in charming McCoy-ish style.
Other female crew members and survivors are sexy, bitchy, and horny.
And it goes on and on...but this gem is not available on dvd. It is on Mystery Science Theater, but it's not as good seeing it that way.

Quote:
The Time Travellers...w/ sci fi legend John(When Worlds Collide)Hoyt and sexy Merry Anders

Quote:
Awesome!

I love the window to the future.
I love the semi-nude indoor tanning scene.
I love Merry Anders in a lab coat!
I love the ending.

Quote:
Island Of Terror...intense and scary

Quote:
Is this the one where the animals turn on the people? I think I've seen this.

I'm not sure. I forgot how it starts. I just remember it being good and scary. Edward Judd (First Men In The Moon) stars in it.

Quote:
She Demons...not for the weak of heart, Nazis, young girls, radiation

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Ha,ha. Sounds like a Russ Meyer flick

Yes... like Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls Meets Dr. Mengele. It's more campy than scary.

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Missile To The Moon...giant walking rocks, killer sunburn, big spider

Quote:
Really! That sounds fun!

Scared me when I was a kid.

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Project Moonbase...Jeannie's Dr. Bellows sends 50's sweater girl to the moon

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Not heard of it, but I love moon based themed Sci-fi

The girl, Donna Martell, looks like Annette Funicello. Wears a t-shirt throughout the movie.

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Friday, December 14, 2012 7:17 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Jongsstraw.

Thanks very much for all that breakdown. I can clearly see you're more than a match for me with 50's Sci-fi trivia and general savvy :D. This is really impressive knowledge. I will endeavour to try and see most of, if not all of these! Currently trying to find a copy of Angry Red Planet.

(oh and I've definitely seen the Zsa Zsa Gabor flick. I remember that because I think she looks into the camera one or two times :P )

It's a pleasant surprise to find someone as into these as I am. Can I ask what was your first exposure to 50's Sci-fi ?

For me it was watching Joe Dante films. I was really into his stuff when I was a kid and I caught "The Explorers" You ever see that? One of the characters really likes 50's Sci-Fi and much of the film has clips of them in the background; there's even a great spoof film within the film starring Robert Picardo - and it's hilarious!! That sort of stirred my wonderings and I found myself trying to hunt them down. All of them!

Thereafter it snowballed into what it is now, a full on preoccupation!

Thanks again J. Really very kind of you.

°...Well here I am.°

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Friday, December 14, 2012 10:37 AM

JONGSSTRAW

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Originally posted by THESOMNAMBULIST:

Jongsstraw.

Thanks very much for all that breakdown. I can clearly see you're more than a match for me with 50's Sci-fi trivia and general savvy :D. This is really impressive knowledge. I will endeavour to try and see most of, if not all of these! Currently trying to find a copy of Angry Red Planet.

I thank you for this most enjoyable stroll down memory lane. I have some good knowledge of the subject, but I also know many others whose knowledge would put me to shame. All any of us can do is continue to watch the movies, and continue to be passionate in our pursuit of the genre. BTW, I bought 'Angry' from a dvd seller at a sci fi con years ago. The quality is very good.

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(oh and I've definitely seen the Zsa Zsa Gabor flick. I remember that because I think she looks into the camera one or two times :P )

Next time you watch 'Queen' check out the monitor screen in her chambers. She uses it to look in on the status of the beta disintegrator being prepped to destroy Earth. It is in fact exactly as modern-day big screen computer monitors look now, even down to the angled support hinge from the base. Star Trek always gets the credit for its pioneering technical and visual futurism, but in this instance, 'Queen' beat 'em to it.

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It's a pleasant surprise to find someone as into these as I am. Can I ask what was your first exposure to 50's Sci-fi ?

I'm 59 years old. When I was six or seven I'd watch many of these movies on Saturday night's Chiller Theater which aired on Channel 9 in New York. My first memeory of any movie is Attack of the 50-Ft. Woman. I spent my childhood watching all their broadcasts which always showed cool sci fi movies. There was also Million Dollar Movie, which would show a movie at 4:00 pm and repeat it every day Monday thru Friday. I remember seeing Forbidden Planet and many others from those days. There was also a movie theater in Valley Stream, NY that showed sci fi movies early on Saturday mornings. My friends and I went almost every week, paid the .50 admission, bought a pack of banana splits candy for a dime, and sat back and enjoyed the show. I saw The Time Machine, Village of the Damned, Atlantis, and many others on the big screen. It didn't take too long for me to know that my developing passion for these types of movies was going to last all my life.

Quote:
For me it was watching Joe Dante films. I was really into his stuff when I was a kid and I caught "The Explorers" You ever see that? One of the characters really likes 50's Sci-Fi and much of the film has clips of them in the background; there's even a great spoof film within the film starring Robert Picardo - and it's hilarious!! That sort of stirred my wonderings and I found myself trying to hunt them down. All of them!

I liked 'Explorers' when I saw it on cable in the 80's. I remember the aliens looking at a clip from It, The Terror From Beyond Space...when Marshall Thompson shoots his .45 at the creature while fleeing up the staircase to the next deck.

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Thereafter it snowballed into what it is now, a full on preoccupation!
Thanks again J. Really very kind of you.

If you have to have a preoccupation, 50's and 60's sci fi is a damn good one. Good luck finding them. Most of my collection was purchased from dvd sellers at sci fi cons I've been attending for over 30 years. I got a lot from Amazon also. Thanks!

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Sunday, December 16, 2012 6:08 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Originally posted by Jongsstraw:

Quote:
I'm 59 years old. When I was six or seven I'd watch many of these movies on Saturday night's Chiller Theater which aired on Channel 9 in New York. My first memeory of any movie is Attack of the 50-Ft. Woman. I spent my childhood watching all their broadcasts which always showed cool sci fi movies. There was also Million Dollar Movie, which would show a movie at 4:00 pm and repeat it every day Monday thru Friday. I remember seeing Forbidden Planet and many others from those days. There was also a movie theater in Valley Stream, NY that showed sci fi movies early on Saturday mornings. My friends and I went almost every week, paid the .50 admission, bought a pack of banana splits candy for a dime, and sat back and enjoyed the show. I saw The Time Machine, Village of the Damned, Atlantis, and many others on the big screen. It didn't take too long for me to know that my developing passion for these types of movies was going to last all my life.

Wow I would love to be able to see some of these in the cinema. That's the only drawback of watching them these days, it's all on TV's. Which is fine, I'm not grumbling, but there's certainly a whole different atmosphere to watching them in the cinema. The best I had was, as I say, seeing the Creature From The Black Lagoon in 3D at the university. That was fun. We went as a big group of us, maybe 12-13 of us and we all spent pretty much four hours in the pub afterwards just talking about that and It Came From Outer Space. We had such a good time. Without doubt the best cinematic experience I had. And it was only a 16mm print of it too :D.

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I liked 'Explorers' when I saw it on cable in the 80's. I remember the aliens looking at a clip from It, The Terror From Beyond Space...when Marshall Thompson shoots his .45 at the creature while fleeing up the staircase to the next deck.

That's right. As well as War of the Worlds, This Island Earth and I think The Beast ! All I know is I made it my mission to see all those films shown within the Explorers.

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If you have to have a preoccupation, 50's and 60's sci fi is a damn good one. Good luck finding them. Most of my collection was purchased from dvd sellers at sci fi cons I've been attending for over 30 years. I got a lot from Amazon also. Thanks!

Yeah I know it's not easy. I did have quite a collection before I moved and had to sell them all, but I'm determined to start the collection up again. Still it's maybe easier now than it ever was so, that's encouraging.

By the way, sorry not to have replied yesterday. I had a full day/night of work. So had no time to get on.

....Hmm kind of in a Forbidden Planet mood now...

°...Well here I am.°

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Wednesday, February 6, 2013 11:08 PM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Hey Manatee.

Nope we overlooked 20000 Leagues under the sea. Shame on us! It is indeed an awesome film. A classic. Never bettered. I wonder if Fincher's version will do anything to challenge Disney's version.

And you're right. What an awesome submarine.

°...Well here I am.°

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Thursday, February 7, 2013 7:08 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Yes I have Manatee. I'm a big fan of Joe Dante so I'll watch pretty much anything he puts his hand to. It has been a while though I wonder how it'd hold up these days?

°...Well here I am.°

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Thursday, February 7, 2013 1:32 PM

JONGSSTRAW

I watched The Time Machine a few weeks ago on Turner Classics. They aired it in widescreen which was great. I actually was able to see the "atomic satellite zeroing in" over London. All the years I watched it in pan and scan I never saw it because it's in the upper left corner of the screen. That always bothered me, but in widescreen it was there in all its ominous magnificence.

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