ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

Bud and Lou play maintenance men who accidentally blast off in an experimental rocket. Despite the movie's title, they don't actually go to Mars, they go to Venus — and only during the last twenty-five minutes of the film.

Before they get there they waste thirty minutes of the story by landing in New Orleans — which they think is Mars. Two escaped criminals stowaway aboard ship and try to hi-jack the rocket after a second accidental lift-off, but the boys outwit them and the rocket finally lands on Venus.





Admittedly Venus is worth the wait; all the Venusians are gorgeous contestants from the Miss Universe Pageant, and their queen is Maria Blanchard ("She Devil"). Anita Ekberg (Miss Sweden) is one of the gals, but you'll have to look quick to spot her. Sets, props, and special effects are excellent.





Watch for several props which were also used in other Universal sci-fi films (the death ray device in "It Came from Outer Space" and the bullet-car from "This Island Earth"). Not the funniest A & C comedy, but decidedly enjoyable for sci-fi fans. Don't miss it. Directed by Charles Lamont.

This is not a great movie, but it sure provides us with some nice pictures, eh?








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Model maker Brent Gair's great rendition of the rocket.





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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Rocky Jones]

An obscure footnote to -Go To Mars is that it was one of the first films with music composed by Henry Mancini, who is best known for the Pink Panther theme and others. When Mancini started in Hollywood he worked with Universal for several years, composing music (often uncredited) used in such sci-fi classics as This Island Earth, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, It Came from Outer Space and Tarantula. Actually, some of his works used in these were considered "stock music" and the same pieces may have been used in multiple films. But it's kind of fun to know that before Breakfast at Tiffany's and Hatari! Mancini had sci-fi roots.

[Bud Brewster]

Very interesting facts about the score, Rocky! Thanks.

Your post brought me back to the thread and made me realize I'd neglected to include the poster. I found two nice ones, and after enhancing the faded colors on the original jpegs, I couldn't decide which one to use — so I used both!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Custer]

[Krel]

[Pow]

I have a book on the films of A&C;a comedy team that I very much enjoy.

In the book the author includes a harsh review of A&CGTM where the reviewer writes "And its about time."

Ouch!

[Bud Brewster]

It is indeed a strangely unsatisfying comedy. They spend all that time doing unfunny things in New Orleans, and then they don't got to Mars. They go to Venus -- which nobody would have minded a bit, in view of how nice the scenery was on Venus.

But they should have spent a lot more time there.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

I'm unsure as to exactly where the problems lie with the A&C films.

Some are clearly funnier than others but that can be said of any comedy team.

Were Bud & Lou not critical enough of the scripts they received? Insisting that rewrites be done, having objective people give input, etc? Keaton, Chaplin, Lloyd were perfectionists on their films & would not simply do just any old script. They were right there in the writers room creating their projects.

Another issue was that Bud & Lou became comfortable with doing their tried & true routines. Understandable as they honed them over the years in vaudeville.

But you need to come up with new tricks once the audience has seen your old ones.

They did not do this & stuck to the same ole routines.

I like A&C, but I think that some of their films might have been greater than they were had they cared more about the product.

[Robert (Butch) Day]

If it only was in color!


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Common Sense ISN'T Common

[Bud Brewster]

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IMDB has some interesting trivia about this movie, like these.

"A very young Harry Shearer [the obnoxious newsman in Godzilla (1998)] appears as one of the boys seen near the beginning."

"Most foreign posters publicized the fact that the protagonists actually set foot on Venus, not on Mars."

* But I could a single example of these.

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______ Abbott and Costello Go to Mars - Trailer


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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The inaccuracy of the title could be corrected in two ways.

(1) Dub the movie so that all references to Venus are changed to Mars.

(2) Change the title of the movie. That one is easier!


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Custer]

Looks like they have the right planet here:

[Bud Brewster]

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I'm trying very hard to resist the urge to change the word "VIAGGIO" in that poster to the word "VIAGRA"!

It would be SO easy.

Discipline, 007. Discipline . . .
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Custer]

Why the duo had such different names in Italy I can't imagine - maybe "Costello" was already taken? But by searching for "Gianni e Pinotto" I found this poster as well:



I assume "edizione restaurata" means the print was restored, rather than it being suitable for showing in restaurants. Feel free to make suitable amendments, though preferably not in my post!

[Eadie]

Using Google translate - https://translate.google.com/#auto/en/edizione%20restaurata - as
"restored edition". Maybe meaning that some cut scenes were restored.