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Sci-Fi Movies from the Early 1950s

Destination Moon, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing

Aug 3, 2008

Science fiction movies of the 1950s were strongly influenced by the paranoia of the Atomic and Cold War Eras or the feeling that we are not alone.

The period between 1950 and 1957 is sometimes called “The Golden Age of Science Fiction Films” and for good reason. The special effects in these movies might not have been up to today‘s standards, and the acting was sometimes wooden, but the stories that they told, often based on sci-fi novels and short stories of the period, were good ones that reflected the doubts and fears of that time period.

The First Step: Destination Moon (1950)

Director: Irving Pichel
Cast: John Archer, Warner Anderson, Tom Powers, Dick Wesson, Erin O’Brien-Moore
Source Material: Loosely based on Robert Heinlein’s Rocketship Galileo (Heinlein also contributed to the movie as a technical adviser.)
Synopsis: Fearful that the Russians will beat the U.S. to the moon, a group of American investors decide not to wait for the government and build a rocket of their own. After establishing a base on the lunar surface, the astronauts are faced with the problem of whether there is enough fuel to return to Earth.

The film features producer George Pal’s Oscar winning special effects led by Chesley Bonestell’s beautifully hand painted lunar landscapes. Also, the movie should be noted for its fairly accurate portrayal of what a space flight would look like and it’s prophecy of the future. A decade after the movie, President John F. Kennedy offered a challenge to Americans to be the first on the moon.

Aliens with a Message: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Director: Robert Wise
Cast: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe
Source Material: Adapted from the short story “Farewell to the Master” by Harry Bates
Synopsis: A visitor (Rennie) from an unknown planet and his giant robot companion land in Washington, D.C. to warn the Earth that if it continues to use its newly discovered atomic energy for war and not peace that it will result in the planet’s destruction. Attempts by Rennie to persuade the world’s population results in his death, a brief resurrection and a final warning.

The special effects in the story are average at best, but the strength of the movie is in the strong peace message crafted by director Wise who would go on to win two Oscars for the musicals, West Side Story and The Sound of Music. A remake is scheduled to be released in December, 2008.

The visitor’s use of the name Carpenter while on Earth and his death and resurrection has suggested to some that the movie is a Christian allegory.

Aliens with an Attitude: The Thing from Another World (1951)

Director: Christian Nyby
Cast: Kenneth Toby, Margaret Sheridan, James Arness, Robert Cornthwaite
Source Material: Based on John W. Campbell, Jr.’s novella, Who Goes There?
Synopsis: Air Force personnel and scientists at an Arctic outpost battle an aggressive, alien creature (Arness, in his pre-Gunsmoke days) after finding his frozen body and accidentally thawing him out. At the same time, they must contend with one of their peers (Cornthwaite) who believes it is his scientific duty to make every effort to save the creature even after it has gone on a murderous rampage.

This movie is regarded as one of the best alien invader movies ever made. It also has been seen as an anti-communist political tract with its theme of an evil force attempting to take control of the world.

The film is fast paced, features sharp, snappy dialogue, in-depth characters, and often has a claustrophobic feel. It is now believed to have actually been directed by its producer, Howard Hawks.

A much bleaker and depressing remake, directed by John Carpenter and more faithful to Campbell’s original story, was released in 1982.

The copyright of the article Sci-Fi Movies from the Early 1950s in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Films is owned by John K. Davis. Permission to republish Sci-Fi Movies from the Early 1950s in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.