5 Underrated Sci fi Movies of the 1950s
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- čas přidán 26. 07. 2024
- During the 1950s, my brother and I were fascinated by science and the science fiction so we took a trip to the local lunar theater. While there, we discovered five underrated sci-fi movies of the 1950s.
0:00 Introduction
0:41 The Man from Planet X 1951
1:45 Rocketship X-M 1950
3:05 Queen of Outer Space 1958
5:29 When Worlds Collide 1951
6:58 The Quatermass Xperiment 1955
#scififilms #scifi #1950s - Zábava
I remember seeing 'Queen of Outer Space' and 'When worlds Collide' . If done properly, some of these old movies could make a great comeback. I always thought that of the 'Black Lagoon' movies.. they scared me bad as a kid.
I agree. A sequel is made of so many movies these day. 'Queen of Outer Space' and 'When Worlds Collide' would be great.
@@endlessperceptions I was recently thinking a remake of Queen of Outer Space could be interesting and fun.
I have a model of the spaceship from When Worlds Collide. I loved the way they used rails to send off the rocket.
The BBC did a live remake of The Quatermass Experiment in 2005. I think there was a remake of When Worlds Collide in production that was cancelled when the film 2012 came out.
I always wanted to see those! I never did. I had the Creature model though, it was cool.
2:31 -- I love how the speedometer for a spaceship traveling through outer space--where there is no air--says, "AIR SPEED."
🤣I noticed it too. Others have commented on it. Vacuum Speed, perhaps?
Yes! I noticed this when I watched the movie on my own DVD years ago. In the Buck Rogers TV series pilot, Wilma flies her small spacecraft in outerspace and tells Buck his spacecraft is in restricted airspace. I got a laugh from that.
That's why they invented "inertial guidance", which is how a space speedometer works.
I hope it can integrate the varying pressures, from vacuum to 'whatever', when they land on Zyra. I mean, how can they pilot, knowing nothing? At least observations of mass, change of velocity, etc. could give some clues...
Good thing Mars was in their path. What are the chances?
I was in early grammar school when I saw the movie When Worlds Collide. I loved it! I was fascinated by the plot and the acting involved. I wondered if this story could happen-the premise was scary, but also exciting. That’s one of the signs of good science fiction, to make us wonder, “What if…”
Always Good to know how a channel creator got interested in the topic! Seeing pics of You and Your Brother brings it home. As to these films, I have seen them all. Thanks for doing this! ❤😊
I loved seeing you and your brother, then and now! I grew up in the 50s as well, so we are, no doubt, around the same age as both of you! I had to laugh during one of the clips where it showed the spaceship out of control and dial read "Air Speed" and was in miles per hour! LOL I think I saw all of those movies and thought the Queen of Outerspace was so cool! Thank you for the fun video and all your hard work putting it together! 🙂
It's difficult not to laugh when you see the amusing missteps. Thanks so much. More to come.
@@endlessperceptions Great! I'm looking forward to your fun videos!
Queen of Outer Space is good silly fun. When Worlds Collide is a sci-fi classic; I wouldn't call it underrated. The Quatermass Experiment is a hidden gem.
To this day I still get raked over the coals for thinking it was Zsazsa instead of Eva. Okay, I deserve that. 🤪
Quatermass Xperiment indeed a gem!
"Underrated" has become such a clickbaity term.
I was born in 1952 and loved watching Sci-Fi. I somehow missed 2 of these.
"It, the Terror from Outerspace," was a great low-budget film, and I am convinced it was the inspiration for Alien.
many people feel that way. me among them..... (1949, here)
I figured that too. I loved It! as a kid, but I did not really get into Alien, which I saw when it first came out!--because by then [1979] I found the creature's relentless viciousness and cruelty too Hollywood and no longer believable.
The fifties was a great decade for sci-fi.
I am still waiting for "After Worlds Collide".. already read the book. I LOVE these old films! All the Quatermass films are great!
Still chuckling at the "air speed indicator" and Rocket Ship XM
And the indicator didn't even show the true warp speed they were really moving at LOL. Glad you enjoyed it.
When "When World's Collide" was shown on TV in Britain in 1970, people who switched on their tvs at the point where the UN learns that " the world will end on July 12th", it WAS July 12th, and people ran screaming out into the street!
@trevormillar1576. Couldn’t blame Orson Welles for that one!
This old man was watching that time, and nobody panicked. This was the wartime generation and their kids. They'd heard predictions of the world ending before, and this meant they were all lies, as of course, they failed to happen, and many times.
Not surprising. Christians love the occasional Doomsday. It keeps their lives interesting.
Some of mine, in no order:
1. Invasion of the Saucer Men
2. It Came from Outer Space
3. Village of the Damned
4. Earth vs. The Flying Saucers
5. Visit to a Small Planet
I would love to see Village of the Damned. I've tried to get it here so far without success . .
Children Of The Damned is also a good British SF sequel to the 1960 movie Village Of The Damned movie. There is a remake of Village Of The Damned made in 1994 with the late Christopher Reeve as the main star.
I watched "When Worlds Collide" some years after "Green Acres" went off the air. Because of that odd juxtaposition, one scene from "When Worlds Collide" was unintentionally hilarious. Actor Frank Cady's character tried to get a seat on the spacecraft at gunpoint. That was supposed to be one of the most dramatic scenes of the movie, but all I could see was "Mister Drucker" of "Green Acres" with a gun in his hand. That was the hardest I laughed in a long time.
🤣Thanks to you, now I get the laugh too. I did not recognize 'Drucker' when I saw WWC right here on YT, but I sure do remember him from Green Acres, which I enjoyed when it first came out.
Superman got a similar response from audiences when he showed up in "From Here to Eternity."
@@henrybrowne7248 Oh, I didn't see it on CZcams; I saw it on TV some years ago. I can't find the full movie on CZcams. It's a shame.
@@AmericanActionReport It was here a few years ago . . hee-hee . . I snapped it right up. In fact I've snapped quite a few up . . .
I remember seeing all of these movies! Truly amazing how many well-known actors and actresses starred in these vintage sci-fi movies!
Yup! Remember those movies -- or movies just like them -- when I was a kid in the 1950's, too. I used to watch a TV space program called the "Space Patrol," too. I lived on the fringes of Hollywood, CA, where at least one of the cast members lived. I remember seeing some of the cast members coming to that person's house just across the street still attired in their costumes. I thought then that the Space Patrol people were "the real thing" just returned from an adventure. Thanks for the video! 😄
Thete was a series on British tv called "Space Patrol" (it was shown in the US with the title "PLANET Patrol") in the 60s, on which the cast were played by....puppets! It is often confused with another sf British puppet series called "Fireball XL5".
Great list. I also grew up in that era. Saturday Matinee. Thanks to dvd they can be enjoyed again and again.
Glad you enjoyed it. I love my dvd collection. This is my way of sharing my warm memories.
@@endlessperceptions Same here. A lot of old movies and TV shows.
I remember watching movies like this when I was young on The Late Show on Saturday night. I'm subscribing.
I used to stay up to watch the creature feature or spook show that would start at 11:30 on Friday nights on a local channel in Newport News, Va., during the late 60's--early 70's. I remember one night, sitting up in bed in my room with the small B&W TV on, watching the opening credits of the movie. After a bit, I thought to myself, "Man, these credits are running long!" Then the movie cut to _The Circuit Rider_ , which was the TV station's 5-minute end-of-broadcast-day homily.
Yes, I had totally zoned out and slept through the entire movie only to reawaken during the CLOSING credits. I was pissed. I told my mom all this the next morning over breakfast. She laughed.
Thanks! Based on this video, I added all five to my watchlist, and we saw the Quartermass Experiment yesterday. Super movie!
The Man From Planet X creeped the bejeebers out of me when I saw it as a first-grader.
I enjoyed your commentary on a very, very cold October night with a couple of glasses of red wine and homemade apple pie. I love your presentation and it was very entertaining. Thank you!
All are good picks and I would agree that "Quatermass" is #1. I went to the theater to see this when I was in grade school and left early because I was too scared.
Not to be confused with "Quatermass and the Pit."
I love all those old movies! Awesome list of little known treasures.
I saw "When Worlds Collide" at a matinee showing on a Navy base sometime in the later '50's. I guess I was 7 or 8 years old. It absolutely terrified me -- the idea that all those people would be killed by the rogue planet seemed awful, and even though he was mean and evil, it was desperately agonizing when the guy in the wheelchair missed out on boarding the spaceship. I had a nightmare that night, and my mom said, "It was that space movie! She shouldn't have seen that space movie!" But I got over my fear and LOVED sci-fi growing up, especially many of the films you listed in this video! "Queen of Outer Space" was one that my pre-teen sister and I thought was "sexy" in the early '60's.
In spite of my light fears, my parents encouraged me to see all kinds of horror and sci fi. Great times.
I loved the spefx with the the rockets looking like they were being driven bu cheap and nasty fireworks lol but when you were young it still captured your attention
Thank for talking about some of my favorite films.
I agree with 4 of your underrated sci-fi movies, but "Queen Of Outer Space" should never be used in the same sentence with "UNDERRATED!" "Hello Dahhhhling! Welcome to a crummy B-movie", says Zsa Zsa! "The Man From Planet X" has always been one of my favorites. Not bad for its time!
Thank you for including the cast members and director. Many don't.
You're welcome. I felt it was important.
Four of the five you mentioned have been long-time favorites of mine. I'll have to check out Queen at some point.
Some very good choice. Love the commentary! Thank you!
You mentioned Forbidden Planet. To me that is the best Sci-fi movie and deserves many replays on sites like You Tube.
Another good vid, thanks. I enjoy your touches of humor.
Glad you like them! Thanks for watching.
The Queen of Outer Space scared me in 1958. It was the guy getting squished in the door that did it.
Liked and subscribed! A fun look back at these gems, and great presentation.
My favorite is The Thing from another World, 1951. Best ever.
This Channel is definitely UNDERRATED!
By the GRACE OF GOD, 100k subscribers soon...
Stay blessed!
Robert-
Wow, thank you, Robert. You stay blessed also.
@@endlessperceptions
Hi, saw the photo you flashed regarding where you lived as a kid, could be one of several places. Michell lama housing in the Bronx, west side of Manhattan or peter Stuyvesant complex on 14 street...?
I grew up in Manhattan and your photo looks so familiar!
What's really Amazing is I saw every one of those movies on Channel 11 on Chiller Theater, along with the original Frankenstein, Ah the Good old days when the Monsters were only on TV and not in Congress.
Funny. Years after seeing them at the theater, Channel 11 on Chiller Theater was my favorite.
Very well done! Im going to watch them all.
With the exception of 'When Worlds Collide' I'd say these are all underrated for good reason.
I wholeheartedly agree with your 1950's sci-fi list, each film well worth the watch, thank you Sir!!!🙏👌👻❣️
"When Worlds Collide" is one of the movies I'll watch any time. ❤ I saw "The Man From Planet X" years ago and I'd like to see it again.
Your posts are good! Keep going!🎉🎉
As usual a great choice mate l can remember having a model of the ship from When Worlds Collide ,l love your work so many good memories. 😊😊😊
I've had my share of monster and space ship models, also but that's a story for another day. Thanks a lot.
If he worked on it, the narrator could do a great Vincent Price impression.
INVADERS FROM MARS gave me the willies for years...still does.
Thank you for the list. i love 50s Sci Fi, and I have seen only When Worlds Collide from this list. My favorites are The Incredible Shrinking Man and Tarantula.
I too think The Incredible Shrinking Man is an amazing movie. The last five minutes alone encompasses some very deep notions about space and time and even what some nowadays would call, quantum physics! It made a lasting impression on me as a 6 yr old child which still remains to this day, 60 years later!
Me too! I bought The Incredible Shrinking Man and Tarantula on Bluray disc together.
@@wicky4473 The little man's soliloquy at the end as he finds peace in himself after all he endured. "To God there is no zero, I still exist"- Richard Matheson
Hey there Endless Perceptions, another terrific list of excellent films that us 1950's Sci-Fi buffs love and cherish. Coincidentally, I just watched The Man From Planet X about a month ago, however, your list showed me one I haven't seen yet, Rocketship X-M and I'm going to try and find it later this evening. The rest of the movies I've seen and my favourite today is The Quatermass Experiment. The ending (last 10 minutes) is somewhat cheesy but the rest of the film is top notch with plenty of suspense and chilling scenes. Keep 'em coming. Cheers from Ontario, Canada!
Thanks so much and of course, I plan to keep 'em coming.
I took that crazy ending as hilarious.
@@henrybrowne7248 I agree, it was hilarious but I suppose I was expecting something with a little more substance considering the first part of the movie. It still remain one of my favourite 1950's Sci-Fi flicks, it's very well made. Cheers!
@@ultimatespinach It was also an open door to a sequel . . .
Thanks Dudes
That was a nice trip
"When Worlds Collide" lost a lot of details from the original novel, but was- and still is- a classic, nonetheless. Thanks for the stroll down Memory Lane!
Books and movies are two different mediums with different styles of storytelling. It is unfair to expect them to be identical either way (Book to movie or movie to book). In many cases, only the barest of ideas from a book are used in the movie it is supposed to be based on. The Day the Earth Stood Still and Total Recall are good examples.
I understand that. To my mind, the movie version of "WWC" actually does a decent job of capturing the essential elements and mood of desperation- and finally, hope- from the book. @@Laceykat66
Wylie & Balmer also wrote a sequel-- _After Worlds Collide_ --worth reading if you can find a copy. Note: It annoys me that, as I sort the novels on my shelves by author and then title, the sequel comes before the original. Grrr....
Nice review! So many of the sci-fi movies from the 50's and 60's are wonderful and it was always a treat for me when I got home late and tired from work to find one of these (often rough) gems playing on one of the (typically non-major network) TV stations late at night so I could loose myself in it and a large pile of snacks and forget the days stresses and troubles! 🙂 A favorite of mine is Kronos from 1957.
This was great! Thanks for putting these clips together.
In the 'Queen of Outer Space' the American spacemen of the future were armed with 1896 Mauser 'Broom Handle' pistols.
Gonna watch them all- thanks!
Thanks for your great reviews! I have discovered so many new old movies to watch, thanks to your posts! 😊
Appreciate you bringing these underrated gems to the fore! I think my fav 50s sci-fi movie will forever be "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."
Let's not forget the Bamboo Saucer.
Rocket X-M is said to have the first theremin music in a sci-fi film. The theremin was first used in the Soviet film "Odna"(alone)in 1931. Some Hollywood movies used it in the forties notably to indicate psychological states.
I believe Forbidden Planet was the first movie to use the theremin. The use violated union rules with the musicians and the film industry so the performers had to be listed as technicians and not musicians.
@@Laceykat66 That was a year or two later.
@@Laceykat66 The Day The Earth Stood Still used it in 1951. Forbidden Planet used electronically produced sounds for the musical score as well as for various sound effects. 😊
@@ARWest-bp4yb You are correct. I must have switched this somewhere. Thanks.
I believe the theremin was used in the classic The Thing From Another World [1951]. Dimitry Tomkin.
You have chosen well. I've seen all of'em, 3 right here on CZcams! But it's been many many years for Man From Planet X and Queen of Outer Space, which I saw as a kid in the early 60s. More underrated from the 50s: The Head [1959], Germany; X the Unknown [1956]; the second Quatermass movie, Enemies From Space, and I believe the third one was Quatermass and the Pit, remade in the US as 5 Million Years to Earth [1967]; Not of This Earth [1957], one of my favorites, was remade TWICE and all of'em were good.
Very much enjoy your reviews. Brings back memories of movies I'd long forgotten. One that I think would be good to cover is This Island Earth. I was always fascinated by this one ever since seeing it in the theater as a kid, I think because it was one of the very few that was in color.
That casting couch must have been busy for Queen Of Outer Space.
I hate it when I fly to the moon but accidentally end up on Mars.
I have all of these movies, a collection and more.
I absolutely love your videos. Hearing your stories of seeing these films in the cinema when first released is so exciting. Thank you for sharing your history with film!
All great movies! Although I haven't seen Queen of Outer Space yet. Great short list. How about making one for 15 more (Top 20 underrated)? Haha. I love finding good ones I didn't know about.
Thank you so much. I'm such a perfectionist, it takes me a while to develop greatness (LOL). Twenty top movies would make for a long wait. More to come.
Great job, nice presentation. I’d go with 4 out of 5 (Queen of Outer Space would be a pass for me, fyi).
A nice selection. I've seen 3, so I'm now going to look up the others for a watch.
When Worlds Collide is one of my all time favorites. I e see it more times than I can count. There always seems to be a rumor that a remake was in the works but it has never materialized.
I liked "It the terror from beyond Space" , "Missle to the Moon" and "Planet of the Vampires" , but these flicks on here are pretty cool too especially "When Words Collide"
Interesting. "The 27th Day" and "The Magnetic Monster" are my faves.
Great picks…keep it going!
As a child of the 50's and early 60's I remember most of these, most watched on late night tv, a couple at local small town theater. The one that scared me the most, the one I found outright creepy with its atmosphere and pathos of lead actor....The Quatermass Xperiment, and it's now available on blu-ray. Excellent selections, enjoyed!
Born in 1950 I have seen all of those movies. They’re all great thanks for the list
Good work... thank you
Liked and subscribed. All of these you mentioned are faves of mine since I was like 5 years old. Thank You! 👍👍. 🇺🇸.
You're welcome. Thanks for the sub!
These were all stinkers in the best tradition of 50s sci fi. I ate this stuff up as a kid. Thanks for trip down memory lane.
I absolutely love your videos. There are not many of your movie choices that I have not seen or didn’t have on my sci-fi movie watch list when I was a kid. One movie I have not seen on your lists is Target Earth … with the go-to sci-fi actor Richard Denning, and of course, Whit Bissell. Denning was incredible in how many ‘bad but good’ sci-fi films he was in. His character always was a heartbeat away from saving the world. Don’t know anything about him but love that guy. Can’t find the movie anywhere. Please continue with these great low budget sci-fi gems from the 1950s. And when you run out of them to report on just start over. As opposed to going to other decades or genres. Yours is a labor of love.
_Target Earth_ is on YT somewhere. After seeing that, see _The Earth Dies Screaming_ and tell me if you don't think the later British film wasn't inspired by _Target Earth_ . :)
At 3:17 the photo of actor Eric Fleming is shown. He was the lead actor in the TV show Rawhide alongside actor Clint Eastwood who played the character Rowdy Yates
Eastwood also appeared in the great 1955 film Tarantula
Eastwood also appeared in Tarantula & Revenge of the Creature
The first SF movie I saw on a black and white TV set (Australian TV channels didn't transmit in glorious colour until 1974 ) was in 1971 at a friend's place because my family couldn't afford a set. I was just a naive 11-year-old boy and I loved this cheesy low-budget SF movie made in the early 1960s; Santa Claus Conquers The Martians. I recently bought this movie on DVD.
Great job - subscribed
For me it was 1. War of the Worlds, 2. The Day The Earth Stood Still, 3. The Forbidden Planet, 4. When Worlds Collide. Thank you for putting this together
I saw most of these and for the time they were pretty good.
The Man from Planet X was a big succes(1,2 million) and made on sets from the big budget movie:Dragonwyck.The Quatermass Experiment features a terrific performance from Richard Wordsworth.
It is also considered the first "alien" movie (As opposed to people from outer space in the Buck Rogers-like series).
I'll be damned. I was little when I saw a rerun in the early 1960s and thought it was pretty creepy.
Will rewatch "Rocketship X-M". 👍
Very interesting selection; I'm a big fan of 1950s sci-fi movies, which now seem to have been made during an age of innocence. Being British, the Quatermass films are particular favourites of mine, so I'll just add the minor quibble that your Jack Warner photo is a portrait of the Hollywood studio executive, rather than the English actor who shared the same name.
I had all 5 in my collection but traded in my copy of Queen of Outer Space. I still have the 4 others.
Quatermass is a true classic, but I have seen all of these when they were syndicated for TV.
Great film. I just watched all three recently.
I plan to delve into the sequels and the tv series. More to come.
The Earth Dies Screaming, Quatermass and the Pit, Chronos,etc. Used to see all the Brit films on channels 5,9 and 11, here in NJ. Reg Brit films too.
And Then There Were None(aka 10 Little Indians)was the first.
Don't forget the British contributions.
Gorgo
Day of the Triffids.
I'm now 68 yrs old & can remember watching these on TV. My first theater memory would be King Kong vs Godzilla.
The B&W 1950's were the best.
Tj , there is a great British science fiction film nobody talks about, 1964s Unearthly Stranger. The best overlooked science fiction movie of the 1960s
@@randyacuna5643 Rainy day in New York. I’m setting up the popcorn.
@TJ-zl3tx would like to hear your take on this movie after when you get a chance to see it.
@@randyacuna5643 I’ve seen quite a few Sci-fi movies over the last six decades. This one seems to have slipped thru the cracks. Unique is an understatement. Memory has failed me in attempting to compare the plot to anything I’ve seen. Low budget, non existent special effects, but believable acting & a storyline that captivates. The one scene where her mere presence empties a schoolyard is unforgettable. Thanks for the recommendation.
@TJ-zl3tx so glad you like it . Let your other friends know about this gem of a movie.
Great Vid
Subbed & Liked
Much appreciated!
Wow - amazing that you got to see these at the cinema! I've only seen Queen of Outer Space, and When Worlds Collide on weekend creature-feature TV programs as a young kid. Of the other three, I've only heard of The Quatermass Xperiment, but everyone seems to think it's great, so it's about time I check it out. Really excited to see The Man from Planet X, as Edward G. Ulmer is one of my all-time favorite filmmakers, as well as Rocketship X-M. Thanks for posting these!
P.S. What was the name of your local movie house? Is it still there?
I saw Quatermass Xperiment here on CZcams and was surprised at how effective it was. Really a grisly, nightmarish horror film in some ways, with a kind of hilarious ending. Check it out.
The photograph accompanying actor Jack Warner in 'The Quatermass Experiment' is of the film executive Jack Warner of the Warner Brothers film studio, not Jack Warner the English actor in the film.
Good finds. I think I'll find and watch that last one. An earlier version of "the Blob".
Thanks. I agree about the blob on his arm. It reminded me of the jelly attached to the astronaut's arm in Angry Red Planet.
I can't be the only person who glanced at the thumbnail and thought it was Hawkeye (Alan Alda) in the last episode of _M*A*S*H._
Now I have to watch "Queen of Space." It was obviously the main inspiration for "Amazon Women on the Moon." Sort of like "Zero Hour" inspired "Airplane!"
My Favorite is Queen of Outer Space.on This List.
I remember watching some of these 🎥 on MST 3000.
I love that show. Their takes on movies was hilarious.
When Worlds Collide is the best of the best
When world's collide is one of my favorite movies from that era, but I wou,d advise people to reas the book and it's sequel after world's collide.
Deleted scene from "Queen from Outer Space":
"'Kiss?' What is 'kiss,' Earth Man?"
"Forget about 'kiss,' baby. Ever hear of 'b___ j__s'?"
Can't leave out the angry red planet. The photography was cheesy but the Martians were crazy great
_The Angry Red Planet_ (1959) had a budget of $200k and only nine days in which to film, per the wiki of pedia. (Not mentioning the site by name because it seems that whenever I mention the wiki of pedia, my posts get deleted. Weird.)
Though if you want to go for the pinnacle (nadir?) of movie budgets and still have a watchable movie, nothing beats _Teenagers from Outer Space_ (less cheesy than the title suggests). Read about it also on the wiki of pedia.
Cool Thanks
Finally, at 64 years of age and
knowing of the film since
childhood)... I watched
"The Quatermass Experiment"
and was really impressed.
Tried finding the other films
after finding out the writer/
producers actually made 3
Quatermass films as a trilogy,
but alas... I couldn't find one of
them anywhere. Too bad,
'cause this is great (actually
very well done) Sci-Fi that
was ahead of it's time.👍🏾
3:55 Taffeta, darling!