Pre-1980 Sci Fi Movie Thread

[jmilsom]

Whoops. I was going to post a picture with that.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[lampblack]

Now that is one whacky movie. I'll bet Santa put some major whoop-ass on 'em -- and gave 'em the ol' heave-ho ho ho. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

I am slow to post my comments on the next one as I got the first four series of <i>Red Dwarf</i> for Father's Day!!!<br /><br />Well this next movie was unexpected. From 1959, entitled:<br /><br /><b>Teenagers from Outer Space</b><br /><br />.. I was expecting some trash teen comedy.... but the movie is <i>serious!</i><br /><br />A group of young men (ahem sorry aliens) who happen to look exactly like humans and happen to speak English arrive on Earth looking for suitable planets on which to graze their <i>Gargon</i> herds. The <i>Gargons</i> are giant lobster creatures needed to feed the masses of vat grown aliens (er humans) on their home planet. They will destroy their grazing planet, by growing to massive size in a matter of days, and will be harvested from the air. <br /><br />However, you don't really get to see a <i>Gargon</i>. This was such a low budget film, that they simply use a lobster and project the shadow of it onto the screen in the few moments you get to see it! The story in this movie revolves around Derek, a young alien who rebels - asking what is it all for. He laments the lack of family etc on his home planet and realising there are intelligent beings on earth, goes AWOL to warn the inhabitants. As soon as he arrives in town he meets a pretty girl, with a pretty bad haircut. The ships sends another surprisingly human-looking alien in hot pursuit of Derek, who armed with a ray gun proceeds to turn everyone he meets into a skeleton!<br /><br />How will it all end? This is an incredibly low budget film and I found it one of the most entertaining so far on this set. It is ridiculous and made me laugh out loud a number of times. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Run away !!!!!!!<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[lampblack]

Yep... that's a bad case of the crabs, for sure! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

Having concluded <i>Teenagers from Outer Space</i>, I am now confronted with four Hercules movies. The first from 1964 was:<br /><br /><b>Hercules Against the Moon Men</b><br /><br />or by its original Italian title from which it is dubbed <i>Maciste e la regina di Samar</i>.<br /><br />Hercules is summoned by an old friend of his father to help the poor souls of the country of Samar. There, evil queen Samara, is sacrificing the town's children to appease the moon men who live in the mountain. Actually the queen is not beholden to them but plotting with the Moon Men. When they resurrect their Queen, they will make Samara the most powerful human on Earth. But Hercules links up with the Samaran underground in a bid to thwart the evil queen, the Moon Men and their groovy rock men servants. A nice story, but be prepared - each non-dialogue scene with a battle or suffering seems to go on endlessly. The scene where Hercules is being sandwiched in a clam-like iron maiden seems to go on for ten minutes!!! And there are lots of long shots of Hercules' oiled pectorals!<br /><br />My favourite line from the movie:<br /><br /><font color="yellow">When the planet Saturn comes into conjunction with Mars, and under the evil influence of Uranus then will occur unimaginable disaster!</font>- the Moon Man says this to beautiful Queen Samara! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[lsbd]

nothing good can come from the evil effluences of ur anus

 

[jmilsom]

Yes, when I heard that line, I thought, 'well, despite her beauty, the Queen must have a rather embarassing bowel problem - but harnessed by the moon men, it can be a source of great power.' <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

Well, the next one was quite an epic and not really SciFi. From 1961, the great English title is:<br /><br /><b>Hercules and the Captive Women</b><br /><br />Dubbed again from an Italian production, it was originally titled <i>Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide</i>. Why they didn't translate directly into <i>Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis</i> is beyond me. <br /><br />Well this is a great epic adventure. Greece is threatened by an unknown evil force. All the kings give lame excuses and only the King of Thebes resolves to confront this evil. He tricks Hercules into coming with him. They are shipwrecked on what turns out to be Atlantis and the first thing Hercules does is kill Proteus and rescue Queen Antinea of Atlnatis' daughter Ismene. She is the only captive woman in the movie so the plural 'women' in the title is quite misleading. The Queen is using the evil power of Uranus to build a master race (weird albino dudes with Roosevelt beards and no eyebrows) to conquer the world. Only Hercules can stop her! Not a bad film all in all and the cataclysmic scenes at the end are quite well done (well we all know what happens to Atlantis don't we!).<br /><br />As it was a few drops of blood from Uranus that landed on Atlantis and made it powerful, the movie has many memorbale lines, such as:<br /><br /><font color="yellow">Only the high priests know the mystic secrets of Uranus</font><br /><br /><font color="yellow">Today is dedicated to Uranus</font>&<br /><br /><font color="yellow">The blood of Uranus can never be destroyed</font><br /><br />Rather than a film poster, here is a picture of Hercules (Reg Park) and the lovely Ismene (Laura Efrikian). Reg Park was apparently a good friend of Arnold Shwarzenegger. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[vagueship]

H. G. Wells "The First Men in the Moon"<br /><br />Didn't know if it was mentioned. I didn't feel like all that reading.

 

[jmilsom]

The next one (and why on earth are this in a SciFi movie collection???) from 1964 was:<br /><br /><b>Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon</b><br /><br />There is nothing particularly memorable about this film except for the gigantic, silly club that Hercules used. Babylon is ruled by two brothers and a sister. They raid surrounding countries for slaves, but Hercules starts to thwart them. His Queen is among the slaves and he sets out to rescue her, befriending the King of Assyria in the process. In a mildly interesting story of intrigue and counter intrigue, Hercules manages to demonstrate many marvelous feats of strength and save the day. One impressive feature of the film is some very large army scenes which must have been quite a challenge to prepare and direct. <br /><br />Trivia: the star of this film Peter Lupus holds two world records for lifting a total of 76,280 pounds in 27 minutes, set in 2002 <i>at age 70!</i> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

And the last in my very tentatively SciFi, Hercules series, from 1959:<br /><br /><b>Hercules Unchained!</b><br /><br />Dubbed from the Italian movie, Ercole e la regina di Lidia (Hercules and the Queen of Lidia), and this time starring Steve Reeves, it was a bit more watchable than the last one. Returning to Thebes from far flung adventures with Ulysses by his side, Hercules finds the former king deposed and his two sons vying for the throne. While attempting to make peace between them , Hercules drinks from a fountain that wipes his memory, and he becomes a pleasure slave of the wicked Queen Omphale. Will he break free of the spell and return to save Thebes? Quite a tight plot, great period costumes, and a lot more leg than the previous installment. Trivia: in one ealry scene, Hercules battles Antaeus the Giant, who is played by Primo Carnera, a 6'6" former world heavyweight boxing and wrestling champion. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[spacefire]

are you sure your poster isn't referring to Robin William's Mrs Doubtfire 2100: Spacebodysuit adventures? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

Now, this one from 1953 was more SciFi like:<br /><br /><b>Mesa of Lost Women</b><br /><br />This film starts with the chance discovery of a man and woman struggling through the world's most inhospitable desert in Mexico. Brought back to an oil company office, they recover and recount their tale.........<br /><br />The most noticeable feature of this film is the melodramatic narration and constant ridiculous pseudo-Mexican music that pounds out at you. It strives constantly to make dull scenes exciting!<br /><br />Basic plot is that a mad scientist, Dr. Arana is trying to create a super-race by mixing human and spider pituitary growth hormones. The women are tall strong and deadly and the men are misshapen dwarves. Dr. Arana invites the other foremost scientist to visit him, when he does not agree to join him, he experiments on him and drives him mad. He is confined to a mental institution in a small Mexican town. The tale of of the man in the desert begins in this town, where he, as the pilot, has made an emergency landing. A newlywed couple go to a local bar while waiting for him to repair his plane. The insane guy from the mental institution comes in and sits with them. His goal - to slay the beautiful dancer who is one of the mad doctor's spider women. He then forces them to fly off and lo, they crash on the mesa and the fun and action really begins. <br /><br />This is in the 'so bad that it is entertaining category.' A lot of fun to watch! The music is still rattling around in my head! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

That's a lot of leg for 1953:<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

<b>The Lost Jungle</b><br /><br />Feature film version from 1934.<br /><br />Well I guess this was SciFi for it's day, what with dirigibles and over the top circus acts. An animal trainer (Clyde Beatty playing himself) travels to a lost island to search for his girlfriend and her father while his jealous assistant tries to knock him off. This film was based on a series in which Clyde Beatty, a famous animal tamer showcased his circus acts. Some of the scenes and treatment of animals is quite cruel compared to today's standards. Half of the film is just circus animal acts, so it is a little boring. The cobbled together story is rather silly. Health Warning: there is a comedian sidekick (Syd Saylor) who must have been the Jim Carey of the 30s and 40s, over the top exaggerated, goofy expressions that make you grimace. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[yevaud]

Not a movie, but I thought I'd throw it in for honorable mention:<br /><br /><b>Space Academy</b><br /><br /><i>A group of young adults with various powers, skills, and backgrounds came together at the Space Academy. Under the guidance of Commander Isaac Gampu, the crew of Space Academy encountered new lifeforms, planets and civilization as part of their training and mission. One of the first things they encountered was Loki, a young boy with the power of invisibility. Aiding the team in their mission was Peepo, a short robot with its own personality. Each adventure provided a learning experience for the crew and almost all of the stories had a moral to them (it was produced by Filmation, so it should be expected). </i><br /><br />Space Academy<br /><br />And it's spin-off successor:<br /><br /><b>Jason of Star Command</b><br /><br /><i>Hidden away on the same base as Space Academy, Jason and his various partners (Nicole, Parsafoot and Samantha) and his pocket-sized robot, Wiki work as agents for Star Command, a secret organization whose mission is to combat evil. Dragos, Jason's main adversary, intends to rule the galaxy and it is up to Jason and the Star Command gang to stop him.<br /><br />During the second season, the series changed from an extended, 16 part serialized adventure into shorter, 4 part adventures. Besides the changing of story lengths, there were some cast changes as well - Nicole and Commander Carnavin were replaced by Samantha and Commander Stone.</i><br /><br />Jason of Star Command <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

Cool, I wish there was more like that on this 50SciFi DVD set I am slowly getting through. I am starting to feel a little ripped off, what with all these Hercules and jungle movies. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Aetius]

<i>Jason Of Star Command</i> was my favorite TV show when I was 8. I looked forward to it every week! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />The funny thing is, for the last 20 years I've thought that Jason was played by Chris Sarandon, and Parsafoot was played by Joe Regalbuto. I was so sure that I never bothered to look it up. I'm glad that I know who the real actors were...even if took 30 years.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing.

 

[lampblack]

<font color="yellow">Yes, when I heard that line, I thought, 'well, despite her beauty, the Queen must have a rather embarassing bowel problem - but harnessed by the moon men, it can be a source of great power.'</font><br /><br />Well, yeah... harnessing the power methane and all that. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

What makes the lines stand out in those films is how they pronounce Uranus.<br /><br />People these days in order to avoid embarassment tend to say: You-ra-nus. But in the film it was a resounding: You-ray-nus.<br /><br />I see in the Oxford dictionary, that phonetically, both pronunciations are acceptable. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[lampblack]

Yep, I remember being surprised when one of my teachers -- in 10th grade, I believe -- suggested the less scatological form of the planet's name as being the one folks should use.<br /><br />But as a Trekker, I couldn't get past the old toilet paper joke about cling-ons circling your anus.<br /><br />The older form of the planet's name has always seemed appropriate to me -- pertaining, as it does, to a planet orbiting in the <i>back end</i> of nowhere. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

This one is a classic wooden spooner! From 1960:<br /><br /><b>Assignment Outer Space</b> a.k.a. Space Men<br /><br />A reporter goes on a mission to outer space initially for a "routine check of infra-radiation flux on galaxy M12." To get there on his three staged neo-hydrazine salt shaker, he must go into hibernation, which is "a congealing process resembling death." After reviving, he also must experience "weightlessness caused by lack of gravitation!"<br /><br />They arrive at "International satellite Zulu Extra 3 4, which is by the way an "artificial satellite." Armed with his old fashioned bulky movie camera he is shot 2,000 feet through space to the satellite. This satellite refuels rockets by connecting a giant fuel tube to their rear-ends, and has flowers that convert hydrogen into oxygen!<br /><br />There is some secret intergalactic emergency so they must travel to Mars. Enroute, they see a stricken ship being attracted to Mars? They are being drawn towards the planet and one of the spacemen panics and jumps out. He falls down onto the planet LOL <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />. The ship blows up, but they land and get the guy who fell out!!!<br /> <br />Then they change course and head to the international base on Venus. And the secret is revealed. An out of control space ship, the Alpha 2, is heading toward earth. It's two photonic generators are producing photonic heat as hot as the sun in a shell 5,000 miles around the ship. It is heading to earth and will destroy humanity.<br /><br />More great quotes follow like: "Not everyone can handle 15 gamma" and when someone suggests giving their own life to save humanity "It's a useless sacrifice!"<br /><br />This is very funny to watch. The shell around the ship is like a split orange so they have a chance to save the earth. Will they prevail?!?!?! Highly recommended for a good laugh. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[lampblack]

Sounds like a classic! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br />I don't recall whether anyone else has said this yet, jmilson -- but thanks for taking the time to share these reviews. I really enjoy reading them. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

Hi lampblack - thanks. It is fun to watch these films and I enjoy writing down my thoughts on them. Haven't watched any for a while though.<br /><br />However, just watched the original 1962 version of:<br /><br /><b>The Day of the Triffids</b><br /><br />I was not aware of this original version of the film. The only adaptation I had seen was the mini-series from 1981, which I thought was quite good. The original is not bad though considering when it was made. They convey the blindness catastrophe pretty well, and you get a good sense of the peril facing mankind. The Triffids were a bit strange though - sort of like the Krynoid on the Dr.Who episode 'The Seeds of Doom' (anyone remember that?) The Day of the Triffids is a classic book and this first attempt at getting it onto the silver screen is well worth watching.<br /><br />Behold! A terrifying Triffid! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>