Rocketship X-M (1950)

An astronaut crew on their way to the Moon are unexpectedly propelled by gravitational forces and end up on Mars instead.

Director:

Kurt Neumann

Writers:

Orville H. Hampton (additional dialogue) (as Orville Hampton), Kurt Neumann

Stars:

Lloyd Bridges, Osa Massen, John Emery

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lloyd Bridges	...	Col. Floyd Graham
Osa Massen	...	Dr. Lisa Van Horn
John Emery	...	Dr. Karl Eckstrom
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Maj. William Corrigan
Hugh O'Brian	...	Harry Chamberlain / Voice on Loudspeaker
Morris Ankrum	...	Dr. Ralph Fleming
Patrick Aherne	...	Reporter #1 (as Patrick Ahern)
Sherry Moreland	...	Martian Girl
John Dutra	...	Physician
Kathy Marlowe	...	Reporter (as Katherine Marlowe)

Storyline

Astronauts (Lloyd Bridges, Osa Massen, John Emery, Noah Beery, Jr., and Hugh O'Brien) blast off to explore the moon. Because of craft malfunction and some fuel calculations, they end up landing on Mars. On Mars, evidence of a once powerful civilization is found. The scientists determine that an atomic war destroyed most of the Martians (who surprisingly look like humans). Those that survived reverted to a caveman-like existence.

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Plot Keywords:

blood pressure | meteor shower | outer space | bare chested male | rocket ship | 

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Taglines:

The screen's FIRST story of man's conquest of space!

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 June 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Journey into the Unknown

Filming Locations:

Mojave Desert, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$94,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lippert Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The musical score by Ferde Grofé Sr. was the first time a theremin was used in a science-fiction movie.

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Goofs

As the rocket descends to the Martian surface, Harry continually reports their altitude. Their rate of descent increases until, from 15,000 feet to 6000, Harry is calling out the loss of altitude at the rate of 1000-2000 feet per second. At 6000 feet, Eckstrom says, "We're losing altitude too fast. Increase thrust to 3000 tons," whereupon Floyd slowly shifts the controls to increase the thrust. Between the time Ekstrom starts talking and the moment the rockets are heard starting their heavier thrust, at least 7 seconds elapse - which, according to the accelerating rate of descent previously called out by Harry, would mean that the ship should have crashed before Ekstrom finished his sentence.

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Quotes

Dr. Ralph Fleming: Tomorrow we start construction of RXM-2.

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Alternate Versions

In the original theatrical version, the Mars scenes were tinted pink/red.

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Connections

Edited into Fire Maidens of Outer Space (1956)

User Reviews

A great score!

Ferde Grofe, one of America's great composers, was somehow persuaded by Lippert Productions to write the music score for their low budget production of ROCKETSHIP X-M. It is a wonderful operatic score, because RXM, after all, is a space opera. The main title is heroic in nature; the weightless music conveys that feeling perfectly, and there is a lovely tune, begun by a solo violin, that suits Lisa and Floyd's mild flirtations perfectly( very similar to THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY by Tiomkin, but written two years earlier). When the ship approaches and lands on Mars, the theremin is included in the orchestration for music that truly sounds alien. As the crew faces doom as they attempt to return to earth, the music takes on very dramatic moods. The picture's music ends with an upbeat Hollywood thrust. This is truly one of the outstanding sci-fi scores, and except for an original soundtrack LP album on the Starlog label (released in the 1970s) it has been virtually ignored. This score deserves a new and updated recording.