The Angry Red Planet (1959)

The one physically unharmed but traumatized crew-member to return from the first Mars space expedition is interrogated to find out what happened.

Director:

Ib Melchior

Writers:

Ib Melchior (screenplay), Sidney W. Pink (screenplay),

Stars:

Gerald Mohr, Naura Hayden, Les Tremayne

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gerald Mohr	...	Col. Thomas O'Bannion
Naura Hayden	...	Dr. Iris 'Irish' Ryan (as Nora Hayden)
Les Tremayne	...	Prof. Theodore Gettell
Jack Kruschen	...	CWO Sam Jacobs
Paul Hahn	...	Maj. Gen. George Treegar
J. Edward McKinley	...	Prof. Paul Weiner
Tom Daly	...	Dr. Frank Gordon
Don Lamond	...	TV Newscaster / Narrator / Martian (voice)
Edward Innes	...	Brig. Gen. Alan Prescott
Gordon Barnes	...	Maj. Lyman Ross
Jack Haddock	...	Lt. Col. Davis
Brandy Bryan	...	Nurse Hayes
Joan Fitzpatrick	...	Nurse Dixon
Duke Norton	...	Dr. Muller
William Remick	...	Dr. Hawley (as Wm. Remick)

Storyline

The first spaceship to Mars, presumed lost, is found in space and brought back to Earth by remote control. Only two from an initial crew of four are still alive, but one is unconscious due to an attached alien growth, while the other is traumatized, blocking out all memory of what happened. In hopes to save the unconscious crewman, the amnesiac is interrogated back into remembering. Those in charge thereby learn of the terrible dangers awaiting anyone venturing into the spooky, ruddy stillness of the very alien Martian ecosystem.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | martian | doctor | monster | astronaut | 

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Taglines:

Spectacular Adventure Beyond Time and Space ...

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

MGM Studios [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 November 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Invasion of Mars

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$190,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP), Sino

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

$54,000 - or just over a quarter of the film's budget - was spent turning the footage into the so-called Cinemagic process.

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Goofs

When leaving the ship, the crew's space helmets lack protective glass.

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Quotes

Col. Thomas O'Bannion: See anything?
Dr. Iris 'Irish' Ryan: Nothing. Everything seems to be dead out there. It's like a nightmare of unending silence.
Col. Thomas O'Bannion: I know, we all feel it.
Dr. Iris 'Irish' Ryan: Then it isn't just me, because I'm a woman?
Col. Thomas O'Bannion: Oh-ho. Women don't have any monopoly on fear. Men are more afraid of being called cowards. Cowardice is one thing I guess we can never forgive ourselves.

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Crazy Credits

The main title, cast and credits do not appear until the end of the film.

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Connections

Featured in Trailer Cinema (1992)

User Reviews

This movie has it all...

...no kidding!

Take every hackneyed gimmick you've ever seen in bad science fiction movies, add in bad acting, cornball dialogue, extraordinarily amateurish special effects, silly 'Martians', and add a garish crimson filter for your 'Martian landscape' shots, and you have a monster of a movie like this one turned out to be.

On the other hand, the monster ameba with the rotating eyeball was fun to watch, as was the gigantic rat-bat-spider creature.

This was made in those grand old days before 'political correctness' was so common; the Astronauts waste no time in wasting the local flora and fauna whenever they get the chance. Hey, why conduct a serious scientific expedition when you can romp around roasting the locals?

All its faults aside (and there are many of them), this is a fun movie to watch, particularly if you enjoy screaming in delight at all the bizarre events depicted on the screen.

Go ahead and rent this one, just make sure no one sees you with the evidence.