ALL SCI-FI

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The Rocket Man movie is currently available on Youtube. Picture quality isn't perfect, and this originally black & white movie is in color on YT, and the color is also not perfect.

But if you want to check it out, it's there.

[Bud Brewster]

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Hey, I've been wanting to see this movie for years! Thanks!!!

Sadly, the picture quality is horrible. It's a VHS recording from a horribly faded print. I downloaded it and tried to improve it on my TV, but it's so bad it didn't make much difference. The colorization doesn't help it a bit.

The script and the direction are plumb amateurish, which is amazing in view of the fine cast; Charles Coburn, Spring Byington, Anne Francis, John Agar, and the talented George "Foghorn" Winslow — all of whom appeared in fine 20th Century Fox productions in the early 1950s.

It's surprising to see them in this independent "Panaramic Studie" production.

The plot has some very puzzling moments. In an early scene, young George Winslow is standing on a grass hill next to a road, holding his newly acquired "space gun". He sees a young boy run across the road, but he suddenly just lays down right in the middle! Apparelty he was supposed to have tripped, but it looked pretty silly.

A speeding sports car being pursued by a motorcycle cop races up to the prone kid and stops inches from hitting him after George aims his "space gun" at the car.

Oddly enough, we don't see the space gun again for the next 30 minutes . . . when George uses it to stop a coo-coo clock in his room.

But shortly after that, the spaceman who provided the gun appears in George's room while he's asleep and talks to the slumbering boy . . . to tell him that the gun is "his magic lamp to be used for good, never for evil. Use it wisely".

The police officer walks up to the driver and discovers the man is drunk. So he pushes the man over into the passenger seat, gets behind the wheel, and drives off to take him to jail . . . leaving his motorcycle sitting by the road!

Wikipedia has this to say about the movie.
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The New York Times found the fact that comedian Lenny Bruce was one of the film's screenwriters was the "strangest aspect of the low-budget production", noting that the film contains little of Bruce's trademark humor.
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I've often been tempted to buy the DVD from 20th Century Fox Archives ($19.8, but the movie just isn't very well done, so I'll pass.

_____________ The Rocket Man 1954, Colorized


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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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Well hush my mouth! I made it through the horrible YouTube video of The Rocket Man and realized that the movie is better than I thought!

First of all, the "space gun" element of the story is downright confusing, because it only appears in the movie a few times.

But each time young George Winslow uses it, the alien device causes an event that helps the people in George's life. It either prevents some kind of tragedy (like saving a boy who was almost run over), or causing some kind of event that's beneficial to the people of the small town .

The most significant of these occurs when Charles Coburn joins a small poker game and bets his meager savings ($250), hoping to win enough money to allow his lady love (Spring Byington) to buy the local orphanage and help all the poor kids there.

My point is that the mysterious "space gun" — whose function has (until now) seem inconsistent and random — is actually a device which reads George's mind and causes the right thing to happen at the right moment!

In a way, this alien gizmo is a hand-held Krell machine!

This entertaining movie's cast includes Anne Francis, who looks just as lovely as she does in Forbidden Planet — except that we don't get to see her legs.

Because of my new-found appreciation for this movie, I've changed my mind about buying the 20th Century Fox Archive DVD. I'm gonna pony up the $19.88 and order it!

What the heck, I found out today that I needed a new hot water heater, and the new one will be installed tomorrow.

Total cost = $2,800

So, what the hell — a piddling $19.88 doesn't phase me bit.
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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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Today it occurred to me that my previous comments about the space gun in The Rocket Man work extremely well with my early the comments which suggested that the amazing device was created by a hi-tech industry based on the planet Metaluna!

To restate my concept, before the war with Zagon the Metalunan's possessed a thriving economy, fueled by numerous industries which used their highly advanced science. These industries provided the Metalunan — along with other alien races in their region of the galaxy — with everything they needed to sustain their civilizations.

In my earlier post I stated that one of these industries created hi-tech educational toys for the offspring of various alien races. And I suggested that the alien in The Rocket Man was a representative of the corporation on Metaluna which made the space gun. He brought a prototype to Earth and secretly gave it to a carefully selected human child to see it the device was “user friendly” enough for the potential customers it was designed for.

When I wrote that post I hadn’t actually scene the movie yet, I was just basing the idea of what I’d read about the story.

But after receiving my new DVD I’m delighted to report that the plot fit perfectly with my concept!

Young George Winslow’s character is the quintessential sci-fi lovin’ kid from the 1950s. He lives, breaths, and eats science fiction!

The relationship between George Winslow and Spring Byington is plum heartwarming. George is a highly imaginative young orphan which Spring agrees to take home when the local orphanage he resides in becomes over crowded. The wise and sensitive woman skillfulyl wins the boy’s trust with her tolerate and understanding attitude.

I was impressed by the way Miss Byington respected Georges imagination and his constant fantasies about being a character in an imaginary space adventure.

For example, the scene of him in his pajamas, standing in front of a bathroom mirror as he pretends to send a message to "all planet patrols, from Major Taleray" is priceless. It's something we all did when we were kids.

Then he jumps into the empty bathtub and pretends the knobs are the controls of his spaceship.

Miss Byington comes in, quickly realizes what George is doing, and says, "Sir, we've just received a report from the planet Venus! You are to be spic 'n span at the medal ceremony, after which your dinner will be served in your quarters!"

George never bats and eye as he responds in character, "The orders will be carried out!"

At this point we realize that George is the lucky ward of the perfect person to raise him with love and understanding.

Later that night, when George is asleep in bed, the alien materializes in his bedroom and tells him that the space gun is his “Aladdin’s lamp”, a device he can use for good, never for evil. In other words, it causes the right thing to happen — whatever that might be — whenever George mentally controls the device.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)