20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH

The little Ymir with Joan Taylor and Frank Puglia

20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957). Director: Nathan Juran. 

An expedition from Venus crash lands on earth off the coast of Sicily and dislodges a life form indigenous to that planet, a tiny lizard-like creature with claws and a tail, and a taste for sulfur. Exposed to our environment, the creature quickly grows larger and larger until it is captured, then escapes from a lab to wreak havoc in Rome. The expedition's only survivor, Colonel Robert Calder (William Hopper), sets out to re-capture or kill the beast, although he hopes it can be studied so that future astronauts can survive Venus' deadly environment. 

The Venusian beast advances ... 

20 Million Miles to Earth is special effects man Ray Harryhausen's show all the way, as the lively and well-animated stop-motion monster is the true star of the movie and gets a great deal of footage. Its battle with a dog and a farmer in a barn is notable, as is its escape from the lab in Rome, its fight with an angry elephant, and its exciting and destructive pathway through Rome. The film makes very good use of such locations as the Coliseum, which figures in the finale. 

The ymir gets real big 

While this doesn't diminish the film's entertainment value very much, one might wish it had a better score, and that William Hopper -- although he was fine as Paul Drake on Perry Mason -- was a bit more interesting and dramatic as the leading man. As the female lead, a budding lady doctor named Marisa, Joan Taylor is a bit more peppery. Perhaps the acting honors should go to Frank Puglia, who plays her zoologist grandfather, and to little Bart Braverman as Pepe, who finds the creature when it is still inside its gelatinous sheath, and gets enough money from Marisa's grandpop to buy himself a cowboy hat. Don Orlando also makes an impression as Pepe's father, Mondello. Thomas Browne Henry is on hand as a major-general. If you missed Arthur Space it's probably because he plays a doctor on the expedition who has a disfiguring disease and dies early on in the story. 

Ymir vs elephant

At one point a scientist explains that the beast from Venus has no heart or lungs, but there is no explanation for why it appears to be clearly breathing with its chest rising and falling. One supposes it has a completely different inner structure. Ray Harryhausen, who has a silent cameo in the film, always referred to the Venusian monster as a "ymir," although it is never referred to that way in the film. I watched the colorized, remastered version of the movie, and I must say it was a treat to see it in that format. 

Verdict: Monster vs Rome with the Army intervening. ***. 

FLIGHT OF THE LOST BALLOON

Marshall Thompson and Mala Powers

FLIGHT OF THE LOST BALLOON (1961). Written and directed by Nathan Juran. 

When Dr. Joseph Faraday (Marshall Thompson) learns that the fiance, Sir Hubert (Douglas Kennedy), of Ellen Burton (Mala Powers of The Unknown Terror) -- daughter of explorer Adam Burton (Robert W. Gillette) -- has disappeared in Africa, he suggests a novel and quicker way of traversing the continent to find him: by balloon. But when it comes time to go, a mysterious man and guide known only as the Hindu (James Lanphier) arranges it so that Ellen goes along with him and Faraday instead of Adam Burton. Along the way the intrepid trio encounter a drunk cannibal queen and her cohorts, a flock of screeching attacking birds, bad-tempered gorillas, and a hostile 7 or so foot native named Golem (Felippe Birriel). On an island in Lake Victoria, the Hindu reveals his true colors. It all has to do with the ancient treasure of Cleopatra. 

James Lanphier

I suspect that Flight of the Lost Balloon was rushed out to compete with the following year's Five Weeks in a Balloon, as anything associated with Jules Verne -- who wrote Five Weeks -- was considered fair game after the success of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth. The movie is perhaps too low-budget to take advantage of its plot and scenery, with most of the trip by balloon -- which is never "lost" -- occurring via a mediocre blue screen process. 

Douglas Kennedy with Mala Powers

The actors are another story, as they handle the material with aplomb, especially James Lanphier as the very sinister Hindu, who is perfectly willing to torture Ellen to get her fiance to reveal the location of the treasure. Douglas Kennedy is also quite effective as the greedy Sir Hubert, who would rather spend years in captivity than give up the fabulous treasure he has been searching for. There's a good musical score by Hal Borne, but there isn't enough of it to drum up some excitement in key moments. Despite a lot of activity the film still threatens to become a bit tedious at times. Nathan Juran also directed First Men in the Moon and many others. NOTE: According to the Internet Movie Data Base this was an uncredited and very loose adaptation of Five Weeks in a Balloon, but 20th Century-Fox, who were working on their own version, forced them to remove all references to Jules Verne. 

Verdict: Rocket ships and subs are more fun than balloons. **1/4. 

THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS

The Brain

THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS (1957). Director: Nathan Juran (as Nathan Hertz). Colorized. 

Nuclear scientist Steve March (John Agar of Bait) and his associate Dan (Robert Fuller of Death in a Red Jaguar) think that something weird is happening out at the isolated Mystery Mountain. Inside a cave they discover a huge floating alien brain creature named Gor who flash-fries poor Dan and takes over Steve's mind. Gor is fascinated by the human female, Sally (Joyce Meadows), Steve's fiancee, whom the brain finds "very exciting," and Sally discovers that Steve's new extra-passionate nature seems to know no bounds. His kisses go from being much more enthusiastic to downright brutal. Eventually Sally and her father, John (Thomas Browne Henry), discover the truth from another, friendlier brain that has taken up residence in Steve's dog. Meanwhile "Steve" destroys airliners with his mental power and tells an international council that he will wipe out capital cities if they don't comply with his demands. He is out to take over not only the earth but the entire universe!

John Agar

The Brain from Planet Arous is very much like a sci fi comic book story from the fifties. Despite its absurdities it plays reasonably well thanks to the acting by the principals. John Agar is commanding and sinister as the Gor-controlled Steve, laughing uproariously as he destroys planes and threatens the annihilation of entire cities. Joyce Meadows admirably plays with complete conviction whereas lesser actresses might have simply tossed off the lines with a pained expression. E. Leslie Thomas also deserves kudos as General Brown, especially in a well-played sequence when he confronts the evil Gor at a conference. Dale Tate, who was the TV news anchor in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, herein plays another professor and also does the voices of Gor, the friendlier brain, and an announcer on the radio. Tate was an associate producer on the film. Joyce Meadows amassed 75 credits. 

Verdict: Watch out for Agar's popping eyes! **1/2. 

FIRST MEN IN THE MOON

Lionel Jeffries and Edward Judd

FIRST MEN IN THE MOON (1965). Director: Nathan Juran. 

In 1899 a scientist named Cavor (Lionel Jeffries) creates a substance that cancels out gravity, to which purpose he decides to fly in a sphere to the moon. His companions are greedy, bankrupt playwright, Bedford (Edward Judd), and his fiancee, Kate (Martha Hyer) who is only dragged along to save her life when she comes to confront Bedford over his nefarious financial dealings. On the moon they discover an insect-like civilization of "selenites," but while Cavor approaches these creatures with respect and scientific curiosity, Bedford is more like a bull in a china shop, creating dangerous complications. 

a gigantic moon calf attacks

First Men in the Moon is a very loose adaptation of the novel by H. G. Wells. It takes nearly an hour for our trio to actually reach the moon and the first half of the film is full of supposedly comical incident largely centered on Cavor, who is riotously overplayed in very tiresome fashion by a normally dependable Jeffries. Just when you think the film can't get any sillier, our voyagers literally hit the moon and the film becomes much more interesting. A highlight is the appearance of unpleasant and bad-tempered moon calves -- like gigantic caterpillars -- who go on the attack thanks to the stop-motion artistry of Ray Harryhausen. In general the FX of the film are very, very good. 

Jeffries and Hyer inside the moon

There is a sub-text of Cavor's intellectual approach versus the macho meat-headedness of Bedford, but the film, determined to be as stupid as possible, sort of throws this away, dismissing the destruction of an entire civilization with a quip at the end. (Bedford was just as unlikable in Wells' novel as he is in the film). Judd plays his distasteful character adroitly, Hyer is fine as the throwaway gal who never appeared in the book, and the score -- especially the stunning theme music -- by Laurie Johnson is exceptional. Wilkie Cooper's widescreen cinematography is another plus. The story is bookended by a modern-day sequence with sixties astronauts arriving on the moon only to find a Union Jack implanted in the ground! Peter Finch has a cameo as a process server. 

Verdict: The moon sequences are generally quite well done, but the rest is hash. **3.4, 

THE BOY WHO CRIED WEREWOLF (1973)

Kerwin Mathews and Scott Sealey

THE BOY WHO CRIED WEREWOLF (1973). Director: Nathan Juran.

A divorced and somwhat chauvinistic father, Robert Bridgestone (Kerwin Mathews) and his young son, Richie (Scott Sealey), take off for a cabin in the mountains for a vacation. While there Robert saves his son from an attack by a strange person who bites Robert on the arm. Richie is convinced that the person who attacked them was a werewolf, and later that his own father has become one himself. A series of gruesome dismemberment murders in the area have the police stymied, but no one will believe Richie. 

Mathews begins his transformation

The Boy Who Cried Werewolf is the last film directed by Nathan Juran, who worked with star Kerwin Mathews on two fantasy adventure pictures, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jack the Giant Killer. The premise of this film is a good one, but not enough is done with it. A big problem is the fact that while Mathews made a fine swashbuckling hero in the aforementioned movies, in this his acting is insufficient. Little Scott Sealey gives an earnest performance and is a likable youngster, but he doesn't quite hit the mark, either. Elaine Devry is more than acceptable as the boy's mother, and there are some flavorful character performances sprinkled throughout. 

Kerwin Mathews and Elaine Devry

The movie has uneven scoring and missed opportunities, although there are some exciting action sequences, such as when the werewolf attacks a trailer and some other people and causes a great deal of havoc. A psychiatrist who accepts the werewolf explanation much too easily (even if he's right!) is savagely murdered, but unfortunately the shrill, annoying head of a hippie commune is spared that fate. The make up by Tom Burnam is good even if one might question the werewolf's pompadour. 

Verdict: A boy and his werewolf. **1/2.

ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN

Allison Hayes after she grows to fifty feet

ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN (1958). Director: Nathan Hertz (Nathan Juran). 

"It's a sure thing it wasn't a Japanese gardener." -- The sheriff studying some giant footprints. 

Nancy Archer (Allison Hayes) has a number of serious problems. Being married to the unfaithful "Handsome" Harry (William Hudson) has turned her into a raging dipsomaniac. She has particularly been affected by Harry's affair with Honey Parker (Yvette Vickers), whom he's got stashed in to the local hotel. 

Yvette Vickers and William Hudson

But poor Nancy has a much bigger problem. Driving away in a huff from her husband, who's been eyeing Honey at the bar, she comes across a spherical UFO in the highway. A huge giant man (Michael Ross, who also plays a bartender) steps out of the UFO and makes a grab for her fabulous diamond, the Star of India. Later on Nancy again encounters the giant, with brave Harry leaving her to the big guy's tender mercies. Nancy is later found on top of her mansion's pool house. 

"Something's happened to Mrs. Archer!" Eileen Stevens

If that weren't bad enough, during the night poor Nancy grows into a giantess, almost throwing her hysterical (in every sense of the word) nurse (Eileen Stevens) into conniptions. Then comes the titular "attack," with Nancy bursting out of her elephant chains, tearing the roof off of her mansion, and strutting into town to take care of her husband and "Honey." Has Handsome Harry finally met his match? 

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is a hoot. It is very clear that the filmmakers, everyone involved in the production, did this with their tongues in their cheeks, and were having fun with the whole concept and all of the characters as well. Playing it straight, more or less, just makes the flick more entertaining. Considering that Nancy is not only rich but rather sexy in her way, one wonders why Harry wants to bother with that tramp, Honey Parker, although it's a possibility that his wife's neurotic qualities might have driven anyone to distraction. Hayes is effectively angst-ridden as Nancy, Hudson is fine as the cold-blooded Harry, and Yvette Vickers nearly walks off with the movie as Honey. After Harry implies that he will murder Nancy so he can run off with Honey, he tells her to "read the papers." Unfortunately, his murderous mission is interrupted by Nancy's abrupt change in size. When Honey next sees Harry, she scornfully states "I read the papers." Vickers is an amusing. sexy vixen who knows her way about a line. Another funny scene (of many) is when Nancy throws her drink at a TV set when the announcer (Dale Tate) intones: "Come now, Mrs. Archer -- A man may ignore a million dollars, but fifty!"

The effects of the movie are catch as catch can. You can see through the giant and the giant-sized Mrs. Archer, but the space man's huge prop hand isn't bad. The movie never tells us what happens to Nancy's bedroom after she "blows up like a balloon," but one can imagine that her expanding body knocked down a few walls and she has to lie on the floor wrapped in sheets. Roy Gordon and Otto Waldis are fun as Nancy's doctors, Frank Chase is a delight as Deputy Charlie, who also has a yen for Honey, Ken Terrell makes a convincing manservant, Jess, and George Douglas is solid as the sheriff. Ronald Stein's evocative score is a decided asset. A 1993 TV remake completely missed the mark because it went for out and out comedy. 

Verdict: Great fun, and a virtual catalog of 1950's Americana. ***.