The Concrete Mixer (31 Jan. 1992)
"The Ray Bradbury Theater" The Concrete Mixer (original title)

An invasion force from Mars heads to Earth, prepared to overcome a strong military resistance. Instead, when they arrive they are greeted by glad-handing community representatives, a ... See full summary »

Director:

Eleanor Lindo

Writers:

Ray Bradbury (screenplay), Ray Bradbury (story)

Stars:

Ray Bradbury, Ben Cross, John Gilbert

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Ray Bradbury	...	Himself - Introduction
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ben Cross	...	Ettil Vyre
John Gilbert	...	Assignor
Howard Jerome	...	Van Plank
Derek D. Lewis	...	Ket Vyre
Jan Alexandra Smith	...	Tylla Vyre

Storyline

An invasion force from Mars heads to Earth, prepared to overcome a strong military resistance. Instead, when they arrive they are greeted by glad-handing community representatives, a marching band, and the key to the city. The aliens are soon introduced to the vulgar and consumer-oriented "American way of life" which turns out to be a bigger threat than an armed resistance would have been.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Release Date:

31 January 1992 (France)

Company Credits

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

Instead of the usual series theme, a quiet, poignant tune plays over the closing credits.

User Reviews

Killing with kindness

Ray Bradbury sure must have had fun writing this. It's written entirely with tongue-in-cheek. Beneath the humor too is perhaps even a social commentary, who knows? Or it could simply be a matter of me reading into things too much.

Yada yada yada … the setting (insert yawn), yes, that tired old Red Planet. The planet Mars has been used, it seems, as many times as our own within this television series. I think if Ray had had the choice of emigrating there he would have.

As good as this episode turns out to be it doesn't start out all that promisingly. It opens on the planet Mars and the interior sets are glaringly chintzy in both color and décor. Here the humanoid Martians dress in dorky-looking powder-blue capes and robes.

A martial fleet is getting ready for take-off. Their quest? To invade Earth.

Ben Cross plays Ettil Vyre, whom his superior, the Assignor (John Gilbert) describes to him as being the "bearer of the most famous name in our military tradition." Only this time Assignor considers him a coward, for Ettil refuses to join the mission. "It is an ill-conceived escapade," the renowned soldier replies. "You will all be destroyed. I choose to die at home."

It seems Ettil has been reading too many Earth-published comic books. Which always speak of Earthlings being the victor against the little green spacemen. He regards this reading material as historical record, and he's quite earnest about it. Little does he know that our comics are works of fiction.

Eventually coaxed into going by his wife and son, Ettil acquiesces and decides to tag along with the Earth-bound space crew.

Here is where the episode switches gears and takes a turn for the humorous. It all begins the second the hatch-door to the spaceship opens up to terrestrial soil and the Martians immediately mistaking a warm and friendly reception, of gift-bearing and a welcoming parade, for a clever Earthling ruse, a set-up behind the hospitality.

The remainder of the teleplay continues along this line – one of culture shock and Martian cynicism towards their "just-too-nice" hosts.

Indeed, the scene in which Ben Cross is greeted on the street by an old born-again Christian lady is priceless, and will have you belly-laughing, the way in which Cross rolls his eyes at this self-perceived wacko in his midst.

Okay, I mentioned at the outset how there might be some didacticism here. In order for me to discuss this, the following spoiler must be overlooked.

So it ends up that Ettil was right, in his thinking that his fellow beings wouldn't stand a chance against the Earthlings. Only, not in the manner he had initially thought.

This is where we find out the meaning behind this seemingly misleading title.

There is a scene which has Ettil sending his beloved wife back home an interstellar telepathic transmission from the war zone. Here are his words:

"To think that in my naiveté I imagined the Earthmen would have to counter-attack with guns and bombs. But no. . . .We have been dropped like a shovel-ful of seeds into a large concrete mixer. Nothing of us will survive. We will be destroyed not by the gun, but by the glad hand."

Indeed they are – insidiously, via distraction and hedonistic corruption. The Martians' guard is made to be let down; whether this is done by design or not remains unclear.

Again, what only prevents this well-told story from attaining a higher rating is its low-tech, primitive special effects … as if there were budget constraints and they had to improvise. For example, to mimic the turbulence of touching down on Earth, the actor Ben Cross merely shakes his body back-and-forth, as if this were the theater and he atop the stage.