Superman and the Mole Men is an independently made 1951 American black-and-white superhero film, produced by Barney A. Sarecky, directed by Lee Sholem, and starring George Reeves as Superman and Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane. The film was released by Lippert Pictures Inc. This is the first feature film based on the DC Comics character Superman. Previously, two live-action, multiple chapter Superman serials from Columbia Pictures (1948, 1950), starring Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill, had been shown in weekly installments in theaters. Superman and The Mole Men 's original screenplay was by "Richard Fielding", a pseudonym for Robert Maxwell and Whitney Ellsworth, and was shot in a little more than 12 days on a studio back lot. The film was just 58 minutes long and served as a trial balloon release for the syndicated Adventures of Superman TV series, for which it became the only two-part episode, "The Unknown People".
Cast
- George Reeves as Clark Kent / Superman
- Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane
- Jeff Corey as Luke Benson
- Walter Reed as Bill Corrigan
- J. Farrell MacDonald as Pop Shannon
- Stanley Andrews as The Sheriff
- Ray Walker as John Craig
- Hal K. Dawson as Chuck Weber
- Phil Warren as Deputy Jim
- Frank Reicher as Hospital Superintendent
- Beverly Washburn as Child
- Billy Curtis as a Mole-Man
- Jerry Maren as a Mole-Man
- John T. Bambury as Mole-Man; uncredited
Themes
As with many of the early episodes of the Adventures of Superman, the film is adult-themed, with a good deal of conflict and violence, or the threat thereof, and is played with total seriousness by all the actors; Reeves' Superman, in particular, is all business, displaying none of the humor that the character would develop over time in the TV series.
The sympathetic view of the strangers in the film, and the unreasoning fear on the part of the citizenry, has been compared by author Gary Grossman to the panicked public reaction to the peaceful alien Klaatu in the film The Day the Earth Stood Still, which was released the same year. Both films have been seen retrospectively as a product of (and a reaction to) the "Red Scare" of post-World War II era. Grossman also cites a later film, perhaps inspired by this one, called The Mole People (1956).
Production notes
The central image of actors Reeves and Coates on the theatrical release poster (above) is a painting derived by reversing ("flopping") a publicity photo image of the two actors, with Superman's "S shield" emblem then reversed in order for it to be read correctly. The still (above) depicts the film's final scene.
Some elements of the theatrical film were trimmed when converted into the two-part "The Unknown People" episodes of the Superman TV series, including some portions of a lengthy chase scene and all references to the term "Mole Men".
The theme music used for the film had a generic "sci-fi sound", with nothing suggesting a specific "Superman theme". The title cards used were similarly generic, with low-grade animation of comets sailing by Saturn-like ringed planets.
The film's original film score by Darrell Calker (Woody Woodpecker) was removed when Superman and the Mole Men was re-cut into the two-part Superman TV episode. It was replaced with "canned" production library music used in the first season of the Superman TV series.
The laser-like weapon of the Mole Men, which they retrieve from their subterranean home in order to defend themselves and rescue their injured comrade, was a prop made by combining an Electrolux vacuum cleaner body and a standard metal funnel.
if you wanna know the rest, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_and_the_Mole_Men
Queen of Outer Space is a 1958 American CinemaScope science fiction feature film starring Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming and Laurie Mitchell in a tale about a revolt against a cruel Venusian queen. The screenplay by Charles Beaumont was based on an idea supplied by Ben Hecht. The film was directed by Edward Bernds, has been broadcast on television and has been released to VHS and DVD.
Cast
Production notes
The Three Stooges and The Bowery Boys director Edward Bernds recalled that after famed producer Walter Wanger was released from prison for shooting agent Jennings Lang in the groin for having an affair with his wife Joan Bennett, Wanger could only find work at low-rent Allied Artists (formerly Monogram Pictures). In 1952 Wanger brought a ten-page idea for a screenplay by Ben Hecht called Queen of the Universe that was a satirical look at a planet run by women. Several years later, with the idea of science-fiction films being more common, Allied Artists revived the project with Wanger replaced on the film by Ben Schwalb, who was then producing The Bowery Boys films. Screenwriter Charles Beaumont didn't think there was much in the Hecht screenplay, but Schwalb suggested spoofing the idea and had former Three Stooges screenwriter Ellwood Ullman touch up Beaumont's screenplay.[1] Allied Artists retitled the film Queen of Outer Space as they thought the original title sounded more like a beauty pageant.[1]
The film recycled many ideas, such as a planet ruled by women, from other science-fiction films of the era, such as Abbott and Costello Go to Mars, Cat-Women of the Moon (both 1953) and the British Fire Maidens from Outer Space (1955). Queen of Outer Space also recycled many props and costumes, most prominently the C-57D crewmen's uniforms and Altaira's wardrobe from Forbidden Planet (1956),[2] models, sets, and special effects from Bernds' World Without End (1956), the usual stock footage of an Atlas and a rocketship model (and stock footage) built for the film Flight to Mars. The model was eventually used by The Bowery Boys in Paris Playboys (1954), which was co-written by Bernds and Ullman. The Queen's guards wore uniforms reminiscent of (and may have influenced) those worn on the later Star Trek television series and came in the same three Starfleet colors, red, gold and blue.
if you wanna know the rest, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Outer_Space
The sympathetic view of the strangers in the film, and the unreasoning fear on the part of the citizenry, has been compared by author Gary Grossman to the panicked public reaction to the peaceful alien Klaatu in the film The Day the Earth Stood Still, which was released the same year. Both films have been seen retrospectively as a product of (and a reaction to) the "Red Scare" of post-World War II era. Grossman also cites a later film, perhaps inspired by this one, called The Mole People (1956).
Production notes
The central image of actors Reeves and Coates on the theatrical release poster (above) is a painting derived by reversing ("flopping") a publicity photo image of the two actors, with Superman's "S shield" emblem then reversed in order for it to be read correctly. The still (above) depicts the film's final scene.
Some elements of the theatrical film were trimmed when converted into the two-part "The Unknown People" episodes of the Superman TV series, including some portions of a lengthy chase scene and all references to the term "Mole Men".
The theme music used for the film had a generic "sci-fi sound", with nothing suggesting a specific "Superman theme". The title cards used were similarly generic, with low-grade animation of comets sailing by Saturn-like ringed planets.
The film's original film score by Darrell Calker (Woody Woodpecker) was removed when Superman and the Mole Men was re-cut into the two-part Superman TV episode. It was replaced with "canned" production library music used in the first season of the Superman TV series.
The laser-like weapon of the Mole Men, which they retrieve from their subterranean home in order to defend themselves and rescue their injured comrade, was a prop made by combining an Electrolux vacuum cleaner body and a standard metal funnel.
if you wanna know the rest, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_and_the_Mole_Men
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| Frame from Superman and the Mole Men. |
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Queen of Outer Space is a 1958 American CinemaScope science fiction feature film starring Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming and Laurie Mitchell in a tale about a revolt against a cruel Venusian queen. The screenplay by Charles Beaumont was based on an idea supplied by Ben Hecht. The film was directed by Edward Bernds, has been broadcast on television and has been released to VHS and DVD.
Cast
- Zsa Zsa Gabor as Talleah
- Eric Fleming as Capt. Neal Patterson
- Dave Willock as Lt. Mike Cruze
- Laurie Mitchell as Queen Yllana
- Lisa Davis as Motiya
- Paul Birch as Prof. Konrad
- Patrick Waltz as Lt. Larry Turner
- Barbara Darrow as Kaeel
- Marilyn Buferd as Odeena
- Mary Ford as Venusian Girl
- Marya Stevens as Venusian Girl
- Laura Mason as Venusian Girl
- Lynn Cartwright as Venusian Girl
- Kathy Marlowe as Venusian Girl
- Coleen Drake as Venusian Girl
Production notes
The Three Stooges and The Bowery Boys director Edward Bernds recalled that after famed producer Walter Wanger was released from prison for shooting agent Jennings Lang in the groin for having an affair with his wife Joan Bennett, Wanger could only find work at low-rent Allied Artists (formerly Monogram Pictures). In 1952 Wanger brought a ten-page idea for a screenplay by Ben Hecht called Queen of the Universe that was a satirical look at a planet run by women. Several years later, with the idea of science-fiction films being more common, Allied Artists revived the project with Wanger replaced on the film by Ben Schwalb, who was then producing The Bowery Boys films. Screenwriter Charles Beaumont didn't think there was much in the Hecht screenplay, but Schwalb suggested spoofing the idea and had former Three Stooges screenwriter Ellwood Ullman touch up Beaumont's screenplay.[1] Allied Artists retitled the film Queen of Outer Space as they thought the original title sounded more like a beauty pageant.[1]
The film recycled many ideas, such as a planet ruled by women, from other science-fiction films of the era, such as Abbott and Costello Go to Mars, Cat-Women of the Moon (both 1953) and the British Fire Maidens from Outer Space (1955). Queen of Outer Space also recycled many props and costumes, most prominently the C-57D crewmen's uniforms and Altaira's wardrobe from Forbidden Planet (1956),[2] models, sets, and special effects from Bernds' World Without End (1956), the usual stock footage of an Atlas and a rocketship model (and stock footage) built for the film Flight to Mars. The model was eventually used by The Bowery Boys in Paris Playboys (1954), which was co-written by Bernds and Ullman. The Queen's guards wore uniforms reminiscent of (and may have influenced) those worn on the later Star Trek television series and came in the same three Starfleet colors, red, gold and blue.
if you wanna know the rest, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Outer_Space
to be continued...
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