Doomsday Machine (1972)

Directors:

Harry Hope
Lee Sholem

Writer:

Stuart J. Byrne (original story and screenplay)

Release Date:

8 July 1976 (West Germany)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

See! The Earth Destroyed In A Nuclear Holocaust!

Plot:

Spies discover that the Red Chinese have built a "doomsday machine" capable of destroying the surface of the Earth...

Plot Keywords:

Space Travel | Noah's Ark | Nuclear War | Radiation | Doomsday Device

Cast

Bobby Van	...	Danny
Ruta Lee	...	Dr. Marion Turner
Mala Powers	...	Maj. Georgianna Bronski
James Craig	...	Dr. Haines
Grant Williams	...	Maj. Kurt Mason
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Dr. Christopher Perry
Essie Lin Chia	...	Girl Spy
Casey Kasem	...	Mission Control Officer
Lori Scott	...	Lt. Katie Carlson (as Lorri Scott)
Denny Miller	...	Col. Don Price (as Scott Miller)
Mike Farrell	...	1st Reporter
John Cestare
Raymond Mayo
Frank Gambina
Mark Bailey	...	Major / Astronaut

Also Known As:

Armageddon 1975
Doomsday
Escape from Planet Earth (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

First Leisure

Trivia:

Hosted by Elvira Mistress of the Dark on her show "Movie Macabre" on August 27 1983.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As the earth explodes the string holding the model planet is visible.

Quotes:

Katie: You're very forceful, aren't you?
Mason: Do I, er, need force?
Katie: I was talking about vibrations.
Mason: Oh. How are yours doing?
Katie: What do they say?
Mason: I'm not sure, but I like them.
Katie: And they like you. In time.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Movie Macabre: Doomsday Machine (#2.32)" (1983)

It ain't easy bein' cheesy.

Hey, a space ship that comes with its own seat belt equipped laz-e-boy recliners! OK, given that this thing was started by one bunch in the 60s and then finished by another group in the 70s you can pretty much figure that continuity is out the window. Hairstyles change, the Russian chick looses her accent, and boy does Danny's voice ever change. But given the circumstances, like two entirely different crews, I really don't think continuity and the lack of same ought to be a factor. The folks that took this thing out of mothballs and tried to make it work deserve kudos for the effort. And they did a fair job up until the very end. Pseudo-philosophical meanderings just don't fit well in a sci-fi movie that comes across like the B films of the same genre out of the 50s. But, thats rather where a lot of those flicks tried to go too, so I guess it was to be expected. At the end they even set it up for a sequel. Well, be thankful that never happened. The cast is fun, with players recognizable from "Wagon Train" to "M.A.S.H." and beyond. Its not so bad, and kinda fun to watch. With all the problems it survived, hey, maybe, at the edge of our solar system, there is an adventure awaiting the "last of man".