The Man from Planet X (1951)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Edgar G. Ulmer

Writers:

Aubrey Wisberg (written by) and
Jack Pollexfen (written by)

Release Date:

27 April 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The WEIRDEST Visitor the Earth has ever seen!

Plot:

To study a rogue planet heading for a near-miss with Earth, Prof. Elliot sets up an observatory on the foggy moors of a remote Scottish island...

Plot Keywords:

Planet | Scientist | Reporter | Island | Scotland

Cast

Robert Clarke	...	John Lawrence
Margaret Field	...	Enid Elliot
Raymond Bond	...	Professor Elliot
William Schallert	...	Dr. Mears
Roy Engel	...	Tommy the Constable
David Ormont	...	Inspector Porter
Gilbert Fallman	...	Dr. Robert Blane
Tom Daly	...	Donal, a searcher
June Jeffery	...	Wife of Missing Man

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #15073) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Sherrill C. Corwin Productions

Trivia:

To stretch his meager budget, director Edgar G. Ulmer was able to use sets from the big-budget epic Joan of Arc (1948).

Goofs:

Continuity: When the alien's gas regulator begins to malfunction when he first confronts Lawrence and Elliott, he tries to turn the knob on his suit while standing up. But the close-up of him trying to turn the knob is an insert shot of a scene late in the film, when he is lying on the ground and again attempting to turn the knob back on.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Enid Elliot: You know, I think that creature was friendly. I wonder what would have happened if... if Dr. Mears hadn't frightened him.
John Lawrence: Who knows? Perhaps the greatest curse ever to befall the world, or perhaps the greatest blessing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Young, Hot 'n Nasty Teenage Cruisers (1977)

a day late and a dollar short

a diminuative alien arrives on Earth in what looks for all the world like an oversized Christmas tree ornament and terrorizes a sleepy little Scottish town. Ultimately, both he and his spaceship are destroyed just as Planet X whisks by the Earth. This early fifties sci-fi effort was rushed into production to capitalize on Howard Hawks' "The Thing", and looks it. How rushed? Would you believe a six day shooting schedule? Six days; that's all Mid-Century Films could afford with a budget of less than $60,000. Shot on sets leased from the Hal Roach Studios (most were originally used in the film "Joan of Arc") and with less-than-convincing backdrops, this film somehow manages to capture a moody atmosphere that's perfect for the genre. Add to this an eerie score, and you can just overlook the genuinely hilarious alien. Everything about this creature screams "CHEAP!!!", from the obvious duct tape around the mouthpiece to the control valve on his backpack that looks like it was stolen from Alice Kramden's sink. What optical effects there are are nicely rendered by Jack Glass, and most of the performances are okay, especially that of Roy Engel, who plays Constable Tommy with an accent that would make James Doohan envious. Margaret Field plays Enid, Professor Eliot's daughter and the (we guess) love interest for Robert Clarke, the American reporter. We used the modifier "we guess" because there's no chemistry between the two, despite Clarke's repeated - and obvious - advances. A good deal of the dialogue is pretty strained, as well. Example: Prof. Eliot says to the two: "Let us concentrate on this remarkable object" and:"Ssshh! The scale is delicate; it responds to a breath upon it." Does anybody talk like this? Nobody we know. In spite of all this, plus the fact that the terror is somewhat forced and just why the alien's spaceship comes equipped with a hypnotic ray is never explained, believe it or not, "The Man from Planet X" isn't really a bad film, just a cheap one, and Robert Schallert fans can add a star. Try it; believe us, you COULD do worse!