Mars

 

RED PLANET MARS-1952-Prof. Chris Cronyn (Peter Graves) and his wife Lynn (Andrea King; THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS) visit a giant telescope site where scientists there have just taken pictures of Mars which they believe show signs of life. This doesn't surprise Cronyn much as he claims to be getting radio signals from it. Meanwhile somewhere in the Andes a communist scientist Franz Calder (Herbert Berghof), a Nazi war criminal who once experimented on humans, tries to contact Mars for his superiors (led by Marvin Miller). Since he is the person who actually invented the device that Cronyn is using, he's rather bitter. Calder is not successful but can monitor Cronin's progress. Using Pi Cronin gets his Martian response. However this doesn't bode well with the US and it's economy starts to crumble. Everybody wants a piece of Cronyn but a Naval commander (Walter Sande) is sympathetic to him. The secretary of state (Morris Ankrum) wants the lab closed down and he and a General (Tom Keene) want the president (Willis Bouchey) to declare war on Russia. Just when all hope seems lost it's discovered God is on Mars! 

Communist Russia is destroyed by a religious uprising! However later when world peace has been established Calder shows up and drops a bombshell on Cronyn. He was the one sending the message replies, not Mars! Calder plans to tell the world of his charade but then a message really does come from Mars. Calder destroys the machine killing himself and The Cronyns but they die heroes. Vince Barnett, Henry Kulky and Gene Roth among others have small roles. 

This wild cold war propaganda movie was the debut film for director Harry Horner, also a production designer who who later made THE WILD PARTY. RED PLANET MARS is based on a play by John Balderston (who co-wrote the screenplay) author of the screenplays for FRANKENSTEIN (1931) and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935).

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Burtgordonus Rex

KING DINOSAUR-1955-The Earth sends a manned rocket to the newly discovered planet Nova. Narrator Marvin Miller explains the tests, plans and preparation that goes into sending a human into space. The crew includes anthropologist Richard Gordon (Douglas Henderson), geologist Nora Pierce (Patti Gallagher), Dr. Ralph Martin (Bill Bryant) and Prof. Patricia Bennett (Wanda Curtis). They discover Nova has the same atmosphere as earth and is home to a lot of stock footage Earth animals. Nora is intrigued by a smoky volcano and the island it's on. No one else shares her enthusiasm. At night Ralph and Pat leave their camp to be alone as they are apparently more than science colleagues. Ralph is mauled by a crocodile. Then he and his honey encounter a giant insect. Later while Ralph recovers Richard and Nora (and their pet lemur Joe) investigate the island. Richard is slashed by a giant iguana saving Joe. Then the giant reptile fights a giant alligator. 

Of course since Mr. BIG Burt I. Gordon directed this they are just small animals blown up by the magic of film. The group sets off an A bomb to destroy the nasty monsters who never did anything to them and return home. 

This was Burt Gordon's directing debut and started him on a career of fondly remembered, enjoyable horror/science fiction junk (THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN and it's sequel, THE SPIDER, ATTACK OF THE PUPPET PEOPLE). Executive producer Al Zimbalist produced ROBOT MONSTER (1953).

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