This Island Earth (1955)

Director:

Joseph M. Newman

Writers:

Raymond F. Jones (story)
Franklin Coen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

29 July 1955 (Finland)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The supreme excitement of our time!

Plot:

Aliens come to Earth seeking scientists to help them in their war.

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Alien | Kidnapped | Flying Saucer | Doctor

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jeff Morrow	...	Exeter
Faith Domergue	...	Dr. Ruth Adams
Rex Reason	...	Dr. Cal Meacham
Lance Fuller	...	Brack
Russell Johnson	...	Steve Carlson
Douglas Spencer	...	The Monitor of Metaluna
Robert Nichols	...	Joe Wilson
Karl Ludwig Lindt	...	Dr. Adolph Engelborg (as Karl L. Lindt)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charlotte Lander	...	Metaluna woman at decompression console

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | West Germany:12 | UK:PG

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

There was a sequel to This Island Earth (1955) in the works in 1956. Screenwriter Franklin Coen and producer William Alland submitted a script titled "Aliens In The Skies" to Universal Pictures, and for a short time it was announced as in "pre-production development" at the studio. However, the studio boss, Edward Muhl, shot down their proposal when he looked over their proposed budget for the film, to be shot in Technicolor and CinemaScope, and to co-star Rex Reason and Faith Domergue reprising their roles, to be released in 1957. It was too expensive, he said. Muhl's idea of a science fiction movie in the 1950s was a cheaply-made B-movie with a monster in it for the kids.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scenes from the formal dinner to when Cal and Ruth are taken aboard the alien spacecraft, Ruth's attire keeps changing. Initially she is wearing a white cocktail dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline, and no jewelry. Later her dress has a higher neckline and she is wearing a pearl necklace. Still later, the necklace is gone again, the dress has returned to the lower neckline, but it now appears to be a pale lavender color. In at least one scene she seems to be wearing a blouse with a darker skirt.

Quotes:

Dr. Cal Meacham: Sun lamp?
Dr. Ruth Adams: That's what it looks like. Only instead of a suntan, you get your brain cells rearranged.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Twilight Zone: A Day in Beaumont/The Last Defender of Camelot (#1.24)" (1986)

Soundtrack:

Eine kleine Nachtmusik: 2nd Movement

A Great Work of Science Fiction

I first saw this movie when it was released in 1954. I was about six. I didn't see it again until @1967/1968, as a theatrical re-release. The big screen did help, but this second viewing, and subsequent viewings on video (I own it), show that it wasn't as perfect as my youthful eyes saw it to be. However, I still consider it a great show. It has the same basic plot of world domination by aliens that other movies of its day had, but, it is so different in it's approach, feel, and delivery, it just never seemed like the same plot to me.

It was also a rare Sci-Fi motion picture. It was filmed in color. Of the eleven horror/sci-fi movies of 1954 (and this list might not be exactly complete), only three were in color. Riders To The Stars (1954), Phantom Of The Rue Morgue (1954), and This Island Earth (four if you put 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954) into this group). The remainder of the list range from the cheap quickie to the higher budgeted movie that had some effort put into them. The list is: Devil Girl From Mars (1954), Creature From Black Lagoon (1954), Killers From Space (1954), Godzilla (1954) [this is the Japanese release], Monster From The Ocean Floor (1954), Stranger From Venus (1954), Them! (1954), and Tobar The Great (1954). These black and white shows did have merit in their own way. And, they did what they were made for, to entertain a crowd of kids (and some adults). Almost everyone appreciates color more than black and white, and for a "Kid's" Science Fiction movie to be in color, it made This Island Earth all the more special.

Of course, the special effects, acting, and other aspects of this movie don't match up to today's standards. If it did, it would mean that there had been no advancements in over 40 years. For its day, the special effects are extremely well done. The sets were impressive. The script was intellectual without going leaps and bounds about the child viewer's head. The Mutant really wasn't as good as I remembered, but it was still impressive. Bud Westmore was the master of his day. He, Jack Pierce, and other makeup masters of the past, created the foundation for today's highly imaginative work.

Just think, future generations probably will give negative reviews of Stars Wars, Jurassic Park, E.T. and many of the other groundbreaking movies of our time. They will probably laugh at the "poor" quality of the special effects, or the stilted dialogue and acting just as some of the younger audience does today.

I agree with other writers that point out how much people miss by not watching a black and white, or even just not watching an older movie. They don't come across as hip, realistic, terrifing, or as erotic as today's fare, but, if you really look at these shows, you will find the cornerstone of today's movies created by that moldy oldy from 40, 50, 60, or even 70 years ago.