Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Fred F. Sears

Writers (WGA):

Donald E. Keyhoe (book)
Curt Siodmak (screen story)
(more)

Release Date:

July 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Before You Scoff at Flying Saucers - See the Greatest SHOCK Film of All Time !

Plot:

Extra-terrestrials flying in high tech flying saucers contact scientist Dr. Russell Marvin as part of a plan to enslave the inhabitants of Planet Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Rocket | Alien | Flying Saucer | General | Tape Recorder

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Hugh Marlowe	...	Dr. Russell A. Marvin
Joan Taylor	...	Carol Marvin
Donald Curtis	...	Maj. Huglin, Liason Officer
Morris Ankrum	...	Brig. Gen. John Hanley
John Zaremba	...	Prof. Kanter
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Vice Adm. Enright (as Tom Browne Henry)
Grandon Rhodes	...	Gen. Edmunds
Larry J. Blake	...	Motorcycle cop (as Larry Blake)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Aldrich	...	Airplane Passenger / Officer in Sighting Montage / Man in Saucer Attack (uncredited)
Holly Bane	...	Bit Role (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Nicky Blair	...	Military Officer at Experiment (uncredited)
Charles Evans	...	Dr. Alberts (uncredited)
Paul Frees	...	Alien (voice) (uncredited)
Duke Green	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Clark Howat	...	Sgt. Nash (uncredited)
Harry Lauter	...	Cutting, Generator technician (uncredited)
Don Marlowe	...	Bit Role (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Forbes Murray	...	Military Officer at Experiment (uncredited)
Alan Reynolds	...	Maj. Kimberly (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Officer in UFO Sighting Montage (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Officer / Civilian at Military Conference (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Crushed Beneath Wall (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Alfred Cassidy (uncredited)
Beal Wong	...	Radio Listener in China (uncredited)
William Woodson	...	Off-Screen Narrator (uncredited) (unconfirmed)

Directed by
Fred F. Sears

Writing credits (WGA)
Donald E. Keyhoe		(book "Flying Saucers from Outer Space") (as Major Donald E. Keyhoe)
Curt Siodmak		(screen story)
George Worthing Yates		(screenplay) &
Bernard Gordon		(screenplay) originally as Raymond T. Marcus

Produced by
Sam Katzman	....	executive producer
Charles H. Schneer	....	producer

Original Music by
Mischa Bakaleinikoff		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Fred Jackman Jr.

Film Editing by
Danny B. Landres		(as Danny D. Landres)

Art Direction by
Paul Palmentola

Set Decoration by
Sidney Clifford

Production Management
Leon Chooluck	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gene Anderson Jr.	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
J.S. Westmoreland	....	sound (as Josh Westmoreland)

Special Effects by
Russ Kelley	....	special effects
Ray Harryhausen	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Dale Van Sickel	....	stunts (uncredited)

Animation Department
Ray Harryhausen	....	special photographic and animation effects

Music Department
Mischa Bakaleinikoff	....	conductor
Daniele Amfitheatrof	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
George Duning	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
David Raksin	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Miklós Rózsa	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Hans J. Salter	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Leith Stevens	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Jack Erickson	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Clover Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1956) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Columbia Film-Verleih (1957) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (1999) (Japan) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (2002) (Japan) (DVD)
• NHK-BS2 (2003) (Japan) (TV)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2004) (India) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Cinema, The (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Invasion of the Flying Saucers

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:12 (nf) | USA:Approved (Certificate #17854) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Hyperion Water Treatment Facility - 12000 Vista Del Mar, Playa del Rey, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Clover Productions

Trivia:

One of the scenes of a saucer attacking jets is actually based on footage of an air show crash.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the offspeed playback, the reels are turning at close to normal speed, certainly at least half normal. For the high-pitched sound we heard earlier to have concealed an unnoticeable spoken message, the speed discrepancy would have had to be more than a factor of 10.

Quotes:

Brig. Gen. John Hanley: As you were, Sergeant.
Sgt. Nash: Unidentified Flying Object reported flying due West, sir. Probably a buzzard.

Movie Connections:

Features The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Terrific sci-fi movie. Like wine, gets better with age.

This is a terrific older sci-fi movie. It has all the elements to make it a sold movie; a good variety of characters, an interesting plot, and a solid script. The great special effects are just icing on the cake. Much of the movie is told in documentary style with a voice-over of someone, which adds to the realism.

You can feel connected with the main characters and what goes on in the movie. Even most of the characters that don't have much of a role seem realistic, not two-dimensional (like some in Spider-man). The plot has many viable twists and the movie comes to a exciting and feasible conclusion (un-like Independence Day). Many/most people will find it more entertaining than the "classic" sci-fi invasion movie War of the Worlds.

This movie, even though it was a relatively mid-budget movie made in the 1950's, should serve as a message to modern day Hollywood. It shows how a movie if made with a lot of thought and heart, as opposed to just violence and/or sensualism, can produce a real winner.