ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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The 1950s had truly great sci-fi movies, but it also had mediocre ones and real losers, too.

Below are three examples of the mediocre kind. They’re all enjoyable enough if your standards aren’t too high. And as usual, the posters were often better than the movies.


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The Cosmic Man (1959)

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Great poster, huh? Zoom in on the small picture of the two girls in baby doll nighties and read the caption. Hot stuff!

The movie is pretty good, too. John Carradine plays a visiting alien who has trouble convincing anybody he's come to Earth with friendly intentions.

To give him a proper "alien" quality, most of the shots of Carradine are superimposed reverse-negative images. The alien heals a crippled child. indicating his good intentions. His space-ship is a 10-ft wide sphere which floats noiselessly in a rocky ravine.

Scientist Bruce Bennett (one of the first screen Tarzans) tries to prevent thickheaded army general Paul Langton ("It! The Terror from Beyond Space") from stealing the aliens ship!

Directed by Herbert Greene from a screenplay by Arthur C. Pierce. Special effects by Charles Duncan. Music by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter. The cast includes Angela Greene and Scotty Morrow. ____________________________________________________________________

The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)



The second sequel to "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" manages to achieve a bit more originality than "The Revenge of the Creature".

During the creature's capture it becomes badly burned, and two scientists (Jeff Morrow and Rex Reason, both from "This Island Earth") operate on the monster to save its life.

During surgery the scientists discover that the creature possesses a second layer of non-aquatic skin beneath the burned outer layer and a dormant set of lungs. After the scientists stimulate the creature's lungs, it undergoes a dramatic transformation, developing more muscle tissue and a new skin surface -- all of which make it capable of living on land.

Jeff Morrow's inhumane treatment of the creature eventually causes it to go beserk; the climax is a great scene in the which the monster literally wrecks the furniture in a house!

The land-bound creature is played by Don Megowan ("Creation of the Humanoids"). Terrific music, credited to the great Hans Salter (portions of which are available on an album). Directed by John Sherwood ("The Monolith Monsters") from a screenplay by Arthur Ross (who co-wrote the original). ____________________________________________________________________

Creature With the Atom Brain (1955)

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Nice creepy little sci-fi yarn about a scientist who creates robot-men by sawing open the heads of corpses and installing "atomic brains".

No grisly operations are shown, just the Frankenstein-like results, complete with a gruesome line of stitches running 'round their heads. Gangsters put the super-strong automatons to work as hit men. The atomic zombies can bend steel bars and walk through a hail of bullets.

A very low budget film, but not entirely without action. In the climax, a half-dozen zombies march against a group of policemen and army personnel.

The cast includes Richard Denning ("The Creature from the Black Lagoon") and Tristram Coffin ("King of the Rocket Men"). Directed by Edward L. Cahn from a screenplay by Curt Siodmak.

Cahn followed this one with several low-budget (but enjoyable) horror and sci-fi films, including "Curse of the Faceless Man" and "It! The Terror from Beyond Space".
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)