Target Earth (1954)

Director:

Sherman A. Rose

Writers:

Paul W. Fairman (story)
James H. Nicholson (writer)

Release Date:

7 November 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

You'll be paralyzed with fear!

Plot:

Giant robots from Venus invade Chicago. Stranded in the deserted city are Frank and Nora (who has recently attempted suicide) |

Plot Keywords:

Giant Robot | Robot | Ghost Town | Woman Shot | Extraterrestrial

Cast

Richard Denning	...	Frank Brooks
Kathleen Crowley	...	Nora King
Virginia Grey	...	Vicki Harris
Richard Reeves	...	Jim Wilson
Robert Roark	...	Davis, the Killer
Mort Marshall	...	Charles Otis
Arthur Space	...	Lt. General Wood
Whit Bissell	...	Tom, Chief research scientist
James Drake	...	Lieutenant (as Jim Drake)
Steve Pendleton	...	Colonel
House Peters Jr.	...	Technician

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Abtcon Pictures

Trivia:

The killer, (played by Robert Roark) got his part because his father, a doctor in LA would invest in the film if his son was given a part. After this part he went on to play in many movies and became a producer.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As the robot ascends the hotel stairs, an electric cord attached to the robot is visible

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Mars Attacks! (1996)

An eerie 1950's sci-fi

I recently seen Target Earth for the first time and found eerie and haunting, despite the low budget.

Chicago is evacuated due to being invaded by robots from Venus. A small group of people who were not aware of this situation go into a hotel for safety, but the robots find them at the end. Two survive. Sound waves invented by a scientist 'kill' the robots and the "Windy City" is saved, as is the world.

The cast in this movie includes 50's sci-fi regulars Richard Denning (Creature From the Black Lagoon) and Whit Bissell (The Lost Continent). These and the other stars play good parts. The music and score to this movie is quite impressive for a low budget picture. The robots look pretty cheap though. They look like washing machines.

This movie is worth watching and I enjoyed it.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.