ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

Edmond O'brien is a convict who undergoes experimental surgery intended to alter and improve his criminal personality. The procedure erases his memories — including the memory of where he stashed $130,000. Former criminal cohorts want to "help" him recall the whereabouts of the loot.

This remake of "The Man Who Lived Twice" (1936) was shot in less than two weeks and became the first major 3-D film to be released. "House of Wax" (a much more worthy effort all around) came out later the same year.

Like many early 3-D films, "Man in the Dark" takes every opportunity to poke, thrust, swing, or throw something at the audience. In plain 2-D such scenes are strange and puzzling to the viewer. (What is the hidden symbolism of that chair being hurled at the camera?)

"Man in the Dark" does, however, feature a 3-D roller coaster ride that tops the 3-D gimmicks used in most of its predecessors.

Directed by Lew Landers.
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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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One of the better trailers from the 1950s, and it really makes you want to see the movie — even though I'm not sure if we see a single frame from the actual film!

Watch it and you'll see what I mean.

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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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Hey, here's the full movie with a good picture. I really like Edmond O'Brien, so I'm looking forward to watching it. IMDB has this interesting trivia item.
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The first 3-D feature ever released by a major American studio. House of Wax (1953) went into production first, but Columbia rushed "Man in the Dark" — shooting it in a mere 11 days — to get it into theaters just days before "Wax" opened. (Bwana Devil (1952) preceded both of them, but United Artists was not considered a major studio in the early 1950s.)

___________________ Man In The Dark 1953


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

[Krel]

Bud, in the early 50s, Columbia was still considered to be a poverty row studio. They managed to climb above that label.

David.

[Bud Brewster]

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Brother, ain't that the truth!

Columbia is now one of the most successful studios in Hollywood, while many of the big studio like RKO, MGM, and others have dwindled or vanished.
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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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IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production,
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~ The first 3-D feature ever released by a major American studio. House of Wax (1953) went into production first, but Columbia rushed "Man in the Dark" - shooting it in a mere 11 days - to get it into theaters just days before "Wax" opened. Bwana Devil (1952) preceded both of them, but United Artists was not considered a major studio in the early 1950s.

Note from me: I wonder what audiences in the 1950s would think of Avatar in Imax and 3D. They'd probably wet their pants . . .

~ The cackling animatronic woman in Steve's dream sequence is called a "Laffing Sal". It was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and stood nearly seven feet tall. Many of these were installed at fun houses or "dark rides" at amusement parks across the country. This one, at the Ocean Park Pier, was called "Laffing Gertrude".

Note from me: Gee, if I had "Laffing Gertrude" in my living room and I set it to activate when a motion detector sensed an intruder . . . I could sleep soundly.

~ The $130,000 taken in the robbery would equate to $1,230,000 in 2018.

Note from me: Gee, and they say "Crime doesn't pay"! All you have to do is steal $130,000, hid it for about 60 years, and Bingo! You're a millionaire! You don't even have to invest it and run the risk of a market crash!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)