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Flight to Mars (1951)
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Bud Brewster
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2018 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I guess I shouldn't hold my breath while waiting for comments about my proposed sequel, huh?

Oh well . . . at least I had fun writing it. Sad

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Custer
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2018 6:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Apparently Harvey Weinstein isn't taking any new movie proposals at the moment, sadly...

But a great concept - with that much plot, maybe it should be a trilogy? Otherwise there's a danger that the cute cat wearing the woolly hat could end up with its scenes left on the cutting room floor, or its digital equivalent.
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Bud Brewster
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Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2018 9:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Good point about the richness of the potential sequel!

It just goes to show what a gold mine this modest movie could have been in the hands of folks who saw the possibilities. Concocting a yarn like I described is easy. Just ask yourself what consequences would result from the major plot elements: the Martians' advanced technology, the ruthless ambition of several Martian leaders, the arrival of a spaceship with a design they wanted to use, etc etc etc.

As you indicated, Custer, I didn't restrict myself to proposing just enough plot for one sequel, I just ran with the idea to it's logical conclusion — for the pure fun of it! Very Happy

By gum, I think I'll find another 1950s sci-fi movie and do the same thing again! I enjoy the hell out of it. And if some of you folks enjoy reading it, that's just icing on the cake. Wink

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2018 2:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Don't forget to order your official 2019 Flight to Mars calendar will supplies last!




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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 18, 2020 1:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
________________________________

Thinking Outside the "Plot"!
________________________________

As I described in the post above, think of the possible story lines for a sequel!

Civil war on Mars could divide them into two camps: those who want to invade the earth and those who want be our friends and allies.

The pro-Earth faction builds several rockets and sends ambassadors to warn us of the anti-Earth factions who plan to invade and conquer us.

The rest of the plot in this odd version of War of the Worlds involves Earth being attacked by Martian invaders . . . but also about being defended by Martian allies!

The climax would be a colossal battle — both in space and on Mars — in which the Earth/Martian coalition defeats the hostile Martian forces, frees Mars from the its own brutal tyrants, and unites the two planets!

An era of peace between Earth and Mars begins as the two planets unite to make ambitious plans to mine the asteroids, build Moon bases and space stations, and develope their shared technology to create a fantastic future for both races! Very Happy

Here's an idea for a second sequel. This one would be about an advanced civilization on Venus.

Or rather . . . under it! Confused

The Venusians actually caused the global warming on Venus thousands of years ago, and as the planet got progressively hotter they frantically created underground cities far below the surface to protect them from the rising heat.






During the first century the cities were built in whatever natural caverns the Venusians could find.





But as the centuries rolled by the Venusians developed technology that allowed them to excavate caverns so large they had their own clouds and weather.





The irony of this is that once they had established their beautiful underground cities, they were trapped there by the hellish heat on the surface. Even though their technology progressed to the point where they could build sophisticated spacecraft, all efforts to launch them up through the atmosphere proved disastrous.

If they rose quickly, friction was added to the atmosphere's heat. If they rose slowly, the increased exposure time damaged the spacecraft before they reached space.

Even the upper portions of the tunnels they built to the surface were so hot, construction crews perished the closer they got to ground level! Shocked

On the plus side, boring down into the planet provided the Venusians with a treasure trove of metals and minerals! Their entire civilization was one gigantic mine! Very Happy

And here's a choice bit of irony, too. The intense heat near the surface provided limitless geothermal energy. On Earth we have to drill down to take advantage of that. On Venus . . . they drilled up! Cool

But eventually the Venusians developed highly advanced robots which were made of an incredible metal which could withstand the heat and complete the tunnels to the surface. The tunnels were lined with this metal, too. And spacecraft made of this metal could survive the passage through the scalding atmosphere.

And that's another bit of irony; their spaceships didn't have to survive the heat of reentry . . . they had to survive the heat of departure.

And so at last, the Venusians had a way to leave their inhospitable world and invade that lush, green planet just 26 million miles away — Earth! Shocked

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


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Thu May 05, 2022 2:16 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Maurice
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2020 5:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The average surface temperature on Venus is 864ºF. The Space shuttle faced re-entry heat of about 3000ºF. So the trick would be to cover the entire craft in a material that would dissipate heat, not just the underbelly.

The real trick would be getting off the surface with that 90 atmospheres of pressure and out of those sulfuric acid clouds.

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Maurice
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2020 5:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
The Internet Archive has all the Starlog issues on file, so if I can find the one that had the article about this movie, I can post it here.

But I'll be damned if I can find out which issue it was!!! Sad

FYI:

STARLOG INDEX here: http://www.schoolandholmes.com/Starlog%20Index.pdf

From that:
Flight to Mars
Issue Page
003: 46
004: 11
007: 59
015: 12

Most of the mentions of the film are in the context of other 50s films. Issue 15 (found here) has a short piece about Wade Williams titled Saved From Extinction that mentions it. But I see no in-depth articles on the film.

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2020 12:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________________________________________________

Much oblidged, Maurice! Very Happy

Before I obtained the VHS tapes or the DVD, I read that article about the movie's rescue from oblivion, and I was delighted to learn about this "lost classic".

I really like the movie, and it would have been a shame if prints of it hadn't been discovered.

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


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Thu May 05, 2022 2:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Brent Gair
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Joined: 21 Nov 2014
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PostPosted: Fri May 14, 2021 8:00 pm    Post subject: Blu-ray Disc Special Edition Reply with quote

Howdy folks!

Gee, I feel a little guilty about not posting FOREVER but I just ran out of things to say. After all, they aren't making old movies anymore Smile.

Then I got the mailing from Bud and thought I should try some more posting here. (sorry if the image is a bit large).

I've got this pre-ordered for July.

So here is the claim. This is supposed to be a 4K restoration done from 35mm color separations of the original Cinecolor negative! Sounds a bit too good to be true. We'll see.



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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat May 15, 2021 11:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________________________________________________

Bless my soul, Brent! I contacted the Canada government about year ago and begged them to investigate your disappearance — but they refused to take me seriously. Rolling Eyes

However, I'm tickled pink by both your triumphant return and the happy news that a really good Blu-ray of Flight to Mars is finally being released.

I just pre-ordered mine too from Amazon. Thanks for sharing this great news. And please don't go so long between visits, sir!

The fun thing about All Sci-Fi is thinking of something new, interesting, and possibly controversial things to say about OLD movies.

I'll just toss out a suggestion to illustrate my point. Can you prove conclusively with any screen shot or publicity photo that Altaira was actually wearing panties? Shocked

Kinda makes ya think, don't it . . . Confused

(Just for the record, I think this photo has been altered, so it doesn't count.)




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


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Thu May 05, 2022 2:43 pm; edited 3 times in total
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Brent Gair
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 21, 2021 2:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It has arrived!

I hope to watch it later tonight...but it looks real Smile.


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2021 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________________________________________________
Mine arrived on Tuesday. I too plan to watch it today. In fact, I'm watching it right now . . . with the commentary by Justin Humphreys. Cool

I've seen this movie so many times that I decided to watch the new Blu-ray with the commentary. And it was a wonderful experience. Justin Humphreys did a great job! He was both respectful and knowledgeable about this movie and the sci-fi genre in general.

The picture quality of this Blu-ray is wonderful! The restoration is flawless! I was very pleased. Very Happy

The horribly damaged portions of the Wade Williams versions are — thankfully — gone from this Blu-ray! The print has been fully restored, so the image is free of scratches, cuts, and film gaps!

I was amazed by how beautiful this "lost" science fiction movie looked after being repaired! Very Happy

If you've seen this movie many times over the years (as I have), the commentary will jazz up your enjoyment with interesting comments. Throughout most of Justin Humphrey's commentary he was respectful of the movie — but towards the end he began to criticize it, and I disagreed strongly with his complaints.

Finally, there's this. This Blu-ray gives the movie such a gorgeous look that it elevates my opinion of it to the point where I now consider it almost equal to movies like Destination Moon and Conquest of Space.

Those movies might be more intelligent — but aesthetically they aren't a whole lot better.

This movie offers science fiction fans a story rich in imagination and packed with sci-fi eye-candy — like futuristic architecture, beautiful rockets, and sexy ladies in short shirts!





This movie has all the drama of Destination Moon and Conquest of Space while portraying a cinematic version of the colorful comic books we loved as kids.

Not every movie needs to be thought provoking. Sometimes we just want to relive the thrill we got when we were young and idealistic. Cool

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


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Thu May 05, 2022 2:46 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Pow
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud, your sequel story would make for a splendid movie.
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Bud Brewster
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17016
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sat Jul 24, 2021 11:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________________________________________________

Thank, Pow! Very Happy

I re-read my "second sequel to Flight Mars", and I realized I didn't finish it!

I never tied in the Venusian subterranean civilization with the newly united Earth/Mars coalition. Here's how the second sequel I described above ends, followed by what should have come next.


Bud wrote:
Eventually the Venusians developed highly advanced robots which were made of an incredible metal which could withstand the heat and complete the tunnels to the surface. The tunnels were lined with this metal, too. And spacecraft made of this metal could survive the passage through the scalding atmosphere.

And that's another bit of irony; their spaceships didn't have to survive the heat of reentry . . . they had to survive the heat of departure.

And so at last, the Venusians had a way to leave their inhospitable world and invade that lush, green planet just 26 million miles away — Earth!

What the Venusian don't realize is that the beautiful blue third planet with the perfect ecosystem is in fact the home of a thriving civilization, one which is allied with the inhabitants of the deceptively barren fourth planet — Mars — which also has a vast underground civilization similar to Venus! Shocked

However, the Venusian technology is more advanced than the now-combined technologies of Earth and Mars, and they've been preparing for a mass exodus from their hellish world for thousands of year.

Unfortunately, they weren't able to start sending out space probes until they finally constructed the tunnels lined with the heat-resistant alloy. Prior to that, the only knowledge they had of Earth was acquired thousands of years earlier while they lived on the surface, before they caused Venus to become so hot they were driven underground.

For this reason, the Venusians knew nothing of mankind's evolution and his advancing civilization, nor of the Martian civilization, which had been underground for centuries.

The Venusians are therefore shocked to discover two advanced planetary civilizations that are not willing to be subjugated by a race of technologically advanced aliens who are fully prepared to make a mass migration to Earth!
________________________________

One of the things I love about this concept is that it turns our largely lifeless solar system into a place with three separate inhabited planets, all technologically advanced, with each planet distinctly different from the other two! Cool

The futuristic spaceships used by both the Venusians and the Earth/Martians can be so advanced they make round trips between the worlds in a few hours or days, not years! Very Happy

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


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Thu May 05, 2022 2:47 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Brent Gair
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wonder if the crew on the first REAL flight to Mars will also be wearing leather jackets and smoking pipes?
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