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Satellite in the Sky (1956)

 
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote



* This is a horrible poster for this great movie. Go figure . . .

This well-made British science fiction film features a top-notch cast, an ambitious story, and high production values. "Satellite in the Sky" was released in both color and CinemaScope.

The story concerns the launch of a new exploratory space vehicle called the Stardust. Kieron Moore ("Darby O'Gill and the Little People") plays the head of the space program and the pilot of the Stardust. Donald Wolfit is the inventor of a new atomic weapon so powerful it cannot be tested on earth. Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny from the James Bond series) is extremely impressive as a reporter who suspects a secret reason for Stardust's mission.

She's right, of course. The Stardust is given the task of taking Wolfit's new bomb into space and testing it in high orbit. The authorities believe the explosion will be visible to everyone on Earth, and they hope the sight of it will convince mankind to embrace peace rather than risk the production of more bombs as powerful as this one.

Unfortunately, when the experimental bomb is released in orbit the thrusters fail to push it away from the Starduster, and it becomes magnetically attached to the hull. Attempts to dislodge it are unsuccessful. The rest of the story is a desperate struggle to get the spacecraft free before the blast takes place.

The Stardust is a gorgeous spacecraft, both inside and out. It even features a seven-foot observation port — something not included on any other 1950s rocket, even though such ports were frequently shown on the covers of sci-fi magazines.

The space suits and other props are equally impressive. Wally Veevars (who later worked on "2001") was part of the FX team.

The special effects include the ship in high orbit, an underground space complex, and the launch of the Stardust from a sloping track, similar to "When Worlds Collide". However, a word of warning — the FX scenes of the rocket are badly flawed by bilious smoke pouring from the engines. The low-budget 1950s TV show "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger" never made this fatal mistake.

And yet, this is a minor flaw in a fast-past and intelligent science fiction story. Fans of the genre can only hope that a proper DVD of this unique motion picture will eventually be released.

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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Thu Mar 01, 2018 12:06 pm; edited 3 times in total
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Pow
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 8:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wasn't Space Angel's spaceship the Starduster?
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 11:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wikipedia says you are dead-on right! And Wiki is never wrong! (Okay, hardly ever . . . ) Very Happy

________________________________________

The series chronicled the adventures of three astronauts who worked for the Earth Bureau of Investigation's Interplanetary Space Force on board the spaceship Starduster.
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 6:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Satellite in the Sky was an ambitious sci-fi movie for its time. It comprised original sets, props, and costumes, detailed miniatures, and matte shots for a look that holds at least a candle to the better contemporary sfx movies being made. This image is a three-frame composite of a panning shot of the spaceship miniature.



Another angle, showing the retractable wings deployed. At launch time the platform under the ship's launch carriage tilts down at the rear into alignment with the inclined rails.



Most of this shot is a matte painting.



This is a three-frame composite of a camera tilt combining a miniature ship and set with a matte painting.



Crew members going in to prepare the experimental tritonium bomb for deployment.



Two views of the ship with the bomb clinging to the tail, and the EVA elevator lowered so crew members can try detaching the bomb. The second image shows two crewmen making their way toward the bomb.




One last shot combining a matte painting with two separate live action sets.



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Robert (Butch) Day
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 7:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The only thing I couldn't forgive was the smoke coming from the tubes and moving UP.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 10:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wayne, those pictures are amazing -- especially the ones made from panning shots, allowing us to see even more than the film frames provide.

You've presented the unique features of the Starduster beautifully: the retractable wings, the drop-down airlock, the extending view port that allows the astronauts to actually stand (two or three at a time) and gaze out into space, looking left, right, up, and down, with a wider range of vision than any spacecraft in the history of film making!

Your pictures also show how remarkable the interior was, with a wealth of pipes, conduits, control panels, lighted indicators, and support structures. The bulkheads alone give us various types of surfaces -- some smooth, some textured, some light grey in color, and some reflective metallic.

I would venture to say that the interior of the Starduster offers almost as much fascinating detail and hi-tech design as the C-57-D herself!

If we had a large number of high definition photographs of every part of the interior -- instead of just soft focus screen grabs restricted to the areas the camera happened to point at -- I think we'd find design treasures aplenty.
Very Happy
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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Apr 27, 2016 2:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 3:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Robert (Butch) Day wrote:
The only thing I couldn't forgive was the smoke coming from the tubes and moving UP.

On top of that, the pyrotechnic mix they were using liquefied as it burned and dripped out the exhaust ports, then resolidified as it cooled, forming stalactites.


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 6:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In the fantastic Disney science fact episode, Man and the Moon, the special effects are flawless. The exhaust of the rocket is animated, but it looks perfect -- and there's no smoke!



The interior of the rocket is awesome as well.






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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 9:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Wayne started this thread with links to his terrific CAD drawings of the rocket. I couldn't resist posting them right here on the thread — which is probably better, because Wayne's Photobucket account is blocked, so I used my Imgur account to display the drawings.

I also "rescued" his pictures from two of his posts above and put those, too, on my Imgur account. Very Happy






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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 7:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________



This has the distinction of being the first British sci-fi film in color and CinemaScope. The plot concerns the launch of the rocketship Stardust (piloted by hero Kieron Moore), first a test flight and then into orbit.

Lois Maxwell, future Ms. Moneypenny in the Bond films, plays an opinionated reporter (she thinks it's a waste of time and money, considering all of Earth's problems, as well as too dangerous) who has some friction with the hero. But the two soon fall for each other.

As written elsewhere, this has the now-standard slow British pace, but it's usually interesting to look at. It emphasizes the now-classic look and feel of giant rockets, emblematic of the golden age of sci-fi cinema.



Things get complex when the pilot finds out that the true purpose of this experimental flight is military — he is to transport the new “tritonium” bomb up there, where it will be exploded.

This bomb is much more powerful than previous bombs (Hydrogen, Atomic) and would cause too much damage if exploded on Earth.

A further complication — and a very unlikely one — is that the female reporter manages to stowaway aboard the rocketship when it launches on its mission. Most of the male crew don't mind her presence, but one older nasty scientist (Donald Wolfit) is very upset — though he's upset over everything. As the hero points out, if the calculations for a successful launch were based on precise weight, she may have killed all of them ("I didn't think of that" she says meekly).



The final complication — and the biggest one — is that the bomb's propulsion fails and it drifts back to attach itself to the rocketship. It now looks like all of the reporter's misgivings have been realized.

For the final half-hour, it looks like the rocketship and its crew will blow up with the bomb, unless . . . some sacrifice is made.

There's some clumsy, unnecessary soap opera stuff involving a couple of astronauts and the women in their lives and the conflict aboard the ship after the bomb gets hooked to the ship is a bit over-wrought (Wolfit's mean scientist panics). Maxwell seems caught up in overemotional rhetoric — the fate of many a female characters those days.

Still, it's not a bad trip into outer space.

BoG's Score: 5.5 out of 10



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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 11, 2020 5:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I found an interesting YouTube video for this movie, a brief clip of the soundtrack.

Enjoy!_


_____ Albert Elms: music from Satellite in the Sky


__________

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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Apr 18, 2021 4:33 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Maurice
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 4:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:

* This is a horrible poster for this great movie. Go figure . . .

Funny, I don't think it's horrible. I think it's a little Soviet/Eastern Bloc looking but it's bold and dynamic.
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 8:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I finally got to watch this movie last night (I got a 6 movie set of Classic SF from Amazon.) and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

"Smoke" in the rocket exhaust aside (Heck, maybe it was water vapor.....Would make sense if the fuel was mainly hydrogen and oxygen!) and some other "wonky" science about bombs etc, the story was actually 50's style interesting and the effects and sets, design etc were very good.

The beginning of the film was a bit of Brit "RIGHT STUFF" with beautiful shots of the Avro Vulcan Bomber....

All and all, it was a decent movie very much worth watching!

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Last edited by Gord Green on Sun Jul 05, 2020 5:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 10:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Gord, those pictures of the aircraft are beautiful! I'm glad you enjoyed Satellite in the Sky. It's an amazing movie, despite the flaws in the science, like the stuff about the bomb being so magnetic can't be shaken loose.

The plot elements involving Lois Maxwell and Kieron Moore's relationship is a real plus. A very "pro space exploration" aspect of the plot. Cool

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~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 12:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production. Very Happy
________________________________

~The delta wing aircraft in the opening minutes of this movie was the long-range British heavy bomber the Vulcan. The Vulcan was in use from 1952-1984 and saw service in the Falkland war.

Note from me: Delta wing aircraft are aesthetically pleasing, but there aren't as many of them as the traditional swept-wing aircraft. The only ones I can think of right off are the F-102 Delta Dagger, the B-58 Huster, the French Mirage, the Avo Arrow, and the British one shown in this movie. But their are several others I'm sure.












~ Special effects director Wally Veevers also worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), and Superman (1978).

Note from me: Impressive credentials. Cool

~ The Test Aircraft used to test the fuel is a Folland Aircraft Co. Midge the prototype for their 2 seater Gnat.

Note from me: Just whose idea was it to saddle this poor plane with a name that refers to a small, annoying insect! Rolling Eyes

~ Britain's first color science fiction film.

Note from me: I wonder why it took them six years to do what Hollywood starting do (occasionally) in 1950? Confused

~ Lois Maxwell, who plays the feisty female reporter, is best known as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond films. Her macho male lead, Kieron Moore, played the bully in a small Irish town in Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959).

Note from me: Miss Maxwell's character and her performance enrich this movie significantly. And she's a good-looking gal, too! Very Happy

~ This early (1956) sci-fi and early jet-aviation film uses an interesting mish-mash of aircraft footage to tell the story. As both a sci-fi and aviation buff, I thought the film was very entertaining.

Note from me: The author of the above comment offered it as the brief intro to his long and detailed description of all the aircraft shown in the film. I drank three cups of coffee just trying to get through it! Shocked

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