Beyond the Time Barrier (1960)

In 1960, a military test pilot is caught in a time warp that propels him to year 2024 where he finds a plague has sterilized the world's population.

Director:

Edgar G. Ulmer

Writer:

Arthur C. Pierce (original story and screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Clarke, Darlene Tompkins, Vladimir Sokoloff

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Clarke	...	Maj. William Allison
Darlene Tompkins	...	Princess Trirene
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	The Supreme
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	...	Captain
Stephen Bekassy	...	Gen. Karl Kruse
Arianne Ulmer	...	Capt. Markova (as Arianne Arden)
John Van Dreelen	...	Dr. Bourman
Ken Knox	...	Col. Marty Martin
Jack Herman	...	Dr. Richman
Don Flournoy	...	Mutant
Tom Ravick	...	Mutant
James 'Ike' Altgens	...	Secretary Lloyd Patterson (as James Altgens)
William Shephard	...	Gen. York (as William Shapard)
Neil Fletcher	...	Air Force Chief
John Loughney	...	Gen. Lamont

Storyline

Experimental pilot testing a new rocket powered craft (actually a Convair F-102 interceptor) manages to fly into the future and land at the now deserted airbase he left. He ends up in a city with people who are suspicious he is a spy and who want to keep him to procreate with the rulers daughter because the majority of the inhabitants are sterile. He manages to escape and return to his own time but "with consequences".

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Plot Keywords:

escape | held at gunpoint | sterility | woman shot | mutant | 

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Taglines:

Adam and Eve of the year 2024! Only they could repopulate the world!

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

The War of 1995

Filming Locations:

Carswell Air Force Base, Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$125,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miller Consolidated Pictures (MCP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the "X-80" is actually a Convair F-102 Delta Dagger in most scenes, a few stock footage shots show an F-106 Delta Dart. The most notable difference is the shape of the vertical stabilizer, the upper portion of which is flat rather than pointed.

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Goofs

The X-80 is depicted by the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, but during re-entry, some footage of a Convair F-106 Delta Dart is used, giving the impression that the plane changed from an F-102 to an F-106 and then back again.

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Quotes

Captain: I don't trust that man. Especially his thoughts.

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Connections

Featured in Planet X: Episode #2.3 (2006)

User Reviews

A Good 'Time" Was Had

Beyond the Time Barrier is an old-fashioned science fiction film made in 1960 that has the look and feel of a science fiction serial. It has some obvious flaws, most of which spring from its low budget. The special effects are woefully un-special. The sets are cheap-looking as are the costumes and any make-up used. Acting is mediocre at best with a few actors doing reasonable work. Darlene Tompkins is a lovely actress and does a pretty good job in her role as a deaf princess. Robert Clarke should be nicknamed Robert "Stonewall" Clarke for his stone-like performance. His performance isn't wooden, it's petrified. Nonetheless he is fun to watch. Boyd "Red" Morgan is, on the other hand, painfully bad a a captain(earlier referred to as a major?). The film tells a very complex story about Clarke leaving the year 1960 and crossing a time barrier and reaching the year 2024 where plague and pestilence are common. The human race has divided into factions of mutants and non-mutants(really people in the very first stages of being mutants). I found the story quite interesting despite not really believing the scientific aspects behind it. Sure the film is talky, but that was okay with me as I liked the story. The film was directed by Edgar Ulmer and it has some wonderful Ulmer moments. I particularly liked the way the mutants were locked up...a well-shot scene. Also, the climatic fight scenes were very good too. Ulmer uses a triangle of another scene interspersing into the already existing shot quite often as well for a neat little effect. An interesting science fiction film with a message.