ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

If you're not a member of All Sci-Fi, registration is easy. Just use the registration password, which is —

gort

Attention members! If you've forgotten your password, just email me at brucecook1@yahoo.com.
________________________________________________

On tap today is an undersea adventure, an outer space adventure, and unique adventure that involves Martians which may-or-may-not exists!

The thread about the undersea adventure includes a discussion about which of two ladies is the most attractive. Perhaps you'd like to express your opinion.

Here are the choices.Tough call, eh?




Around the World Under the Sea (1966)

IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production.
________________________________

~ The nuclear-powered 'Hydronaut' was actually built as the 'Submanaut' in 1956. It was originally a working scientific submersible whose primary function was to inspect underwater pipelines, but was diesel-powered and carried only two crew members. It could also not circumnavigate the world.

Later in the 1960s it was used to shoot underwater films for various movie companies and TV productions in the clear waters off Florida and The Bahamas.

Initially built by Martine's Diving Bells of San Diego California at a cost of $1.5 Million, it was purchased in the early 1980s by Six Flags for $500,000 to be displayed at its Atlantis water park in Dania, FL and then by nearby Grand Prix Race-O-Rama for only $12,500 in October 1992.

Sadly the Submanaut was cut up on-site and sold as scrap in the early 2000s.

Note from me: What an interesting history to the real-life submersible that was used in this movie.

~ The all-white ship that is seen at the beginning of the film is the USCGC Diligence (WMEC-616), a Reliance-class United States Coast Guard 210-foot Medium Endurance Cutter. She was commissioned in 1964, and began her service at the Key West Coast Guard Station (also seen in this film).

The 'Dilly' is still in Active Service as of this writing (Mar 2020), and has lived up to her name receiving countless honors including numerous service commendations, medals, and special operations ribbons during her 55 plus years of service.

Note from me: This a true testament to the fine maintenance which this vessel received from her crew.

~ When Dr. Volker (David McCallum) is setting up the radio signal near the end of the movie the noise it emits is the same as the communicators from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964), which also starred McCallum.

Note from me: Truly, what ARE the odds, eh?
_______________________________________________

Rocketship X-M (1950)

IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production.
________________________________

~ The film underwent several changes in concept before finally being filmed as it is.

Initially, producer-director Kurt Neumann wanted to make a movie about an expedition to Mars that encounters living dinosaurs, but producer Robert L. Lippert rejected the script.

Around the same time, special effects man Jack Rabin approached Lippert with a script about a space flight to the moon, to be called "Destination Moon". Producer George Pal, however, had just copyrighted that title for his own picture about a lunar mission — Destination Moon (1950) — but Lippert changed his mind and, to take advantage of the publicity for Pal's "Destination Moon", brought Neumann's and Rabin's ideas together for his own film about a spaceflight to the moon.

Subsequent threats of legal action from Pal forced Lippert to change the venue of his film from the moon back to the planet Mars--the locale in Neumann's original script.

Note from me: What a great backstory for this classic movie.

~ The film was originally to have been entitled "None Came Back", but writer-producer-director Kurt Neumann changed it to "Rocketship X-M" because the initial title gave away the film's ending

Note from me: I gotta agree — that title sucks, for exactly the reason named above.
_______________________________________________

Red Planet Mars (1952)

IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production.
________________________________

~ This movie foresaw the flat panel TV at least 40 years before they were commercially available. The scientist husband and wife main characters had what looked like a 40-inch equivalent over their fireplace and were seen watching the news on it in several scenes. Images on the television set were very accurate matte inserts.

Note from me: Also, they used a remote control which was attached to the surface of the end table next to the sofa.

The fireplace in my living room has a mantle above it which is meant to have a TV on it.

But the mantle is well above eye level when I'm sitting on the couch, and I didn't want my TV to be that high! And since I had no desire to use my fireplace because North Carolina is rarely very cold, I placed my TV stand and the television directly in front of it!

The mantel is filled with cool stuff like lava lamps, robot toys (Gort and Robby), spinning desktop decorations, and hanging models of the ships from Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future.

This older photo below of the living room doesn't show all the stuff that's on the mantel now, but the the second photo of the mantel itself does — except that the plant has dropped down so many hanging vines now that the area behind all the decorations looks like a miniature jungle!





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