ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

The effective screen version of Curt Siodmak's novel (written and directed by Felix Feist) is more faithful than the earlier version made in 1944, "The Lady and the Monster". Lew Ayres is a doctor and research scientist who experiments with monkey brains, keeping them alive in a tank of liquid nutrients after they've been surgically removed from the body.

When the private plane of an infamous tycoon crashes in the desert nearby, Ayres is called to the scene to render medical assist??ance, but the tycoon is dead. Ayres decides to use the brain as part of his experiments, removing it from the body and placing in a nutrient-filled tank.

The brain lives, and Ayres attempts to communicate with it by telepathy. The ruthless, strong-willed tycoon begins to take control of Ayres and re-establish control of his financial empire.

Nancy Davis (who later became First Lady Nancy Reagan) is Ayres' supportive wife. Gene Evans is his alcoholic friend and medical colleague. An intelligent and thought-provoking movie.





Forgive a minor flaw: the tank which holds the brain looks like exactly what it is, an aquarium filled with dirty water. The brain sits half submerged, twitching in the water when it gets excited.



The Colossus of New York did this idea to perfection, so try not to compare.


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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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I promise you'll find this trailer shocking! Watch closely during the first few seconds.


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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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Enjoy this great radio version of the story from the classic program, Suspense. It's the only two-part story that was done for the half-hour show, so the announcer explains that the second part will air in one week.

The Youtube video below is both parts 1 and 2, with Orson Wells as the star.

Furthermore, a few photographs from the movie are presented as a slide show during the program, along with a few of the posters!
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________ Suspense | Ep283 | "Donovan's Brain"


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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 saw this a few years ago & was quite impressed with the film which did not have a lavish budget by any means.

I generally dislike any remakes of the classic sci-fi films from the 50s.

However, I believe that DB is ripe for a reboot.

[Krel.]

My Dad once told me that Lew Ayers got a rotten break. Before WWII he was a popular actor. When WWII started, he volunteered to be an Army Medic because he was a conscientious objector. He was informed that if he joined, he could not pick his position, and would be put in a combat position. He didn't join and spent a year in a conscientious objector camp! The Army later let him become a Medic, where he saved lives.

My Dad was a Marine, and he said that a Medic is one of the most dangerous positions to have. A Medic has to go out into the battlefield, unarmed, where he is a prime target for the enemy.

Because he did not take a combat position it hurt his popularity after the war, and he never regained his position in the movies.

David.

[Bud Brewster]

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After listening to it today I decided that this radio version is every bit as good as the movie — if not better, thanks to Orson Wells' dynamic performance!

As I mentioned in my previous post, the version above has a few photographs from the movie which are presented as a slide show during the program, along with a few of the posters.

The story itself is so intellectual in nature that just listening to the audio presentation is actually more effective than the movie version, with it's rather poor prop which is little more than an aquarium with murky fluid and a plastic brain that seems to float on top of the water!





The story is much more complex than the movie, with additional plot elements such as the disturbing fact that Donovan's brain causes Dr. Cory to have his own wife committed to an institution to stop her from revealing the secret of the brain being in the laboratory . . . because Dr. Cory took the brain out of the millionaire's body while he was still alive, actually murdering the man by doing so!

Another difference between the radio play and the movie is that Dr. Cory has no idea Donovan takes control of him from time to time! Dr. Cory desperately keeps trying to communicate with the brain, but he doesn't realize that it's already assuming control of his body periodically and using it to do things like committing his wife to an institution to silence her.

Dr. Cory thinks his wife left him because she was repulsed by his experiment, and when his friend and his son (a character not in the movie) try to tell him that they don't know where she is, they begin to suspect the brain has caused him to do something to his wife!

I highly recommend that the fans of this movie listen to this remarkable radio version.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bogmeister]

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_______ Donovan's Brain (1953) - Official Trailer

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Based on the novel by Curt Siodmak and preceded by an earlier version, The Lady and the Monster (1944), this remains the most famous "super evil brain" movie, still regarded as the first and the best in most quarters.

Donovan refers to a ruthless, corrupt millionaire but we never actually see him; he is seriously injured in a small airplane crash in a desolate area as the story begins and is brought to the local doctor (Lew Ayres), who happens to be conducting radical brain experiments.

Specifically, Dr. Cory has managed to keep a monkey's brain alive outside the body. He is assisted by his wife (Nancy Davis a.k.a. Mrs. Ronald Reagan) and an alcoholic doctor (Gene Evans). Donovan dies almost immediately, but we can guess what Dr. Cory decides to do to further his experiments.




The new experiment is a great success — but even more than anticipated. The disembodied brain of Donovan actually thrives and even starts to grow in mass. Very soon, it begins to subtly manipulate and control Cory. When Cory goes to a California to conduct business, and his behavior & mannerisms are very un-Cory-like.

He is obviously behaving like a certain recently-deceased millionaire.

Donovan, using Cory's body, has certain plans to get back at various business partners and relatives who were trying to sabotage him before he died. Cory's wife and doctor friend realize what is happening, but they aren't sure what to do.

All this is unsettling and disturbing up to this point, but things escalate further with the interference of a snoopy reporter who also blackmails Cory for a couple of grand. When the reporter attempts to get more money, Donovan's brain deals with him with finality, and now we're talking outright murder.

Donovan's brain will dispose of anyone who gets in its way, and that includes Cory's wife and his friend. This brain will not go quietly into the night.

Some fans of this film think that the evil being represented here is big business (not science), but this also is off the mark. Donovan is someone who perverted the ideals of the business world. He was an aberration which, unfortunately, was pulled into Cory's scientific research.

The ending is curiously benign and anti-climactic.

BoG's Score: 7 out of 10


BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus

[Bud Brewster]

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Thinking Outside the "Plot"!
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~ A Question for the Members: If a disembodied brain which has been removed from a man's body can establish telepathic communication with a willing recipient, could modern medicine set up a facility which provides "rescued brains" like the one in this movie with living surrogates?

~ My Theory: I think this could become a thriving industry in the future for deceased wealthy people who are willing to pay vast fortunes to have their brains preserved after the death of their bodies — so they could then inhabit the minds of impoverish volunteers.

These would be desperate people who'd actually LOVE to become the willing vessels of these rich and powerful individuals! It would allow them to live virtual "fantasy lives" as the "Rich and Famous" people whose brains controlled their bodies!

Their own weak-willed minds would be suppressed by the consciousness of the "preserved brains" who inhabited them! But they would still experience all the physical pleasures and personal ambitions of their "host" minds!

The world would end up being populated by droves of "common people" who have surrendered their bodies and minds to the powerful brains being preserved in tanks of nutrients whicn kept them alive for centuries!





(Wow, what a creepy concept. What do you guys think?)
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

Sounds like a terrific idea for a film or TV series, Bud.

I was just watching an enjoyable Wild Wild West episode that put me in mind for "Donovan's Brain."

"The Night Of The Druids Blood" from season one first aired on March 25, 1966.

Brilliant scientists are assassinated and their brains are surgically removed by an evil doctor.

He collects these brains and places them individually in jars of liquid that are in turn are hooked up to a large electrical life support machine.

The doctor intends to use the collective knowledge of these brains to conquer the world of course.

[Bud Brewster]

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That certainly sounds like one of the better episodes! _

Hey, I always wonder why these villains want to "conquer the world"!

Do they think they can lead mankind to new heights and better achievements by ruling them wisely and preventing the waste and destruction of things like war?

If so, they might have the right idea!

Or do they just want to be praised and adored by cheering masses of foolish followers who are convinced that their Fearless Leader is smarter than them . . . even though he really isn't?

Wow, thank God that never happens in the real world, eh?
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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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Here's a new thought about that idea I presented above, concerning those preserved brains in vats of nutrients — the brains which are able to control other people's bodies.

Let's expand the idea a bit with a story about a hi-tech law enforcement organization which uses this technology after several brilliant and noble men die — and their brains are preserved so they can telepathically communicate with skilled agents in the field!

Each "field agent" and their "brain partner" comprise a unique team. Together they become something similar to the agents in the TV show Search, the guys who had a hi-tech support team in Probe Control.

In this case, the brain partners are like Probe Control, sending valuable info to the field agents and helping them solve problems they couldn't have solved on their own!

Imagine the other advantages this would have!

~ If the field agent is knocked unconscious, the brain partner can quickly take control of the body and immediately start dealing with the situation . . . as if the agent was still conscious! He could either flee or he could fight by using martial arts skills which the brain partner learned while he was "alive".

~ At any time, the brain partner could consult with others in the organization about how to handle new developments — and then relay these new orders and updated strategies to the field agent.

~ And since the brain partner has the ability to invade peoples' minds, read their thoughts, and even control their bodies. he could assist the field agent by telling him what a villain knows or was planning to do.

~ I fact, since the brain partner can control peoples' bodies, he could even stop the actions of the bad guys at crucial moments — and turn them into saboteurs within their own organization!
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Being a field agent with a brain partner who could guide and assist in all these ways would awesome! And the possible combinations of these teams is fascinating to ponder!

Consider these, for example!
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~ A macho, tough-guy field agent could be assisted by a brain partner who was a brilliant female scientists . . . but she learns about love and passion from the man she's assisting.

~ Flip that idea around and you get a brain partner who was a man of cold logic and few emotions . . . assisting a female field agent who is both intelligent and hot-blooded!

~ And how about a male field agent and female brain partner who were both brilliant scientists . . . as well as having been a happily married couple until the woman's tragic death?

Now she's working remotely with her beloved husband to keep him safe in his new and dangerous assignment . . . to track down the villains who deliberately caused his wife's murder!

Wow, the dramatic situations which that particular partnership presents are staggering!

For example, the poor disembodied wife might decide to "possess" some beautiful woman's body and use it as her surrogate so that her husband can make love to "her" — even though he's actually having sex with some female the wife chose to inhabit!

This tragically separated couple would be able to enjoy a few hours "together" . . . even though the man is actually having sex with a stranger, and the wife is actually a brain in vat, kept alive by nutrients!

Sound kinky? Well, sure it is!

But ain't ALL sex pretty kinky?

(Damn! I LOVE coming up with sci-fi stuff like this!)
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

Some other examples of the trope of an evil living brain in a case.

DC Comics: The Doom Patrol. The Brain is the leader of the Brotherhood of Evil, a villainous group who battles the DP in a number of issues. First appearance of the Brain was in the March 1964 issue of the DP.

The Outer Limits episode "The Brain of Colonel Barham," January 2, 1965. Since robot solar system probes cannot deal with unexpected crises in outer space, Dr. Hausner proposes installing a living human brain as a component that can resourcefully resolve random factors. Naturally Col. Barham is not a decent human being.

[Pow]

Keep Watching the Skies! by Bill Warren.

Despite being rather slowly paced in some sections, it's an intelligent, unsensational and well thought out science fiction film. Felix Feist's direction for Donovan's Brain is committed and interesting. The picture is a little plodding, but that's because Feist is not an especially good director: he does seem to have been involved with the material. Feist rarely tries for shocking effects, concentrating instead on the value of the story. Dialogue scenes take precedent over lab scenes; the brain itself is not treated for horror, but shown matter-of-factly floating in a fish tank; Ayres' transformation scenes are unsensational. The entire film is designed to be believable and realistic, within the bounds of the budget and the melodramatic plot. Despite the slowness, the result is a good, low-budget SF film which holds up to viewing today. Ayers in particular is very good.

The brain prop itself, however, is a mistake. It looks like it's made of rubber, and when it begins pulsating as Donovan sends out his controlling brain waves, the rubbery look is emphasized. The brain also lights up from the inside at these times, which is a terrible error; it becomes a comical prop, rather than a malignant lump of tissue. There is also entirely too much music, and key scenes are heavily overemphasized by the score. It's too dramatic throughout, and not worthy of the careful, intelligent script and acting.

Donovan's Brain is not a major SF film of the 1950s, but is definitely one of the more intelligent and better-made of the minor ones.

[Bud Brewster]

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I think Lenard is right on all counts when he criticizes the way the "brain floating in the fish tank" was presented. It's unfortunate that the makers of this movie gave us this —





— when they could have done something more like this.



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