Unknown World (1951)

Scientists use a gigantic drilling machine for an expedition to the center of the earth.

Director:

Terry O. Morse (as Terrell O. Morse)

Writer:

Millard Kaufman (original screenplay)

Stars:

Bruce Kellogg, Otto Waldis, Jim Bannon

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bruce Kellogg	...	Wright Thompson
Otto Waldis	...	Dr. Max A. Bauer
Jim Bannon	...	Andy Ostergaard
Tom Handley	...	Dr. James Paxton
Dick Cogan	...	Dr. George Coleman
George Baxter	...	Carlisle Foundation Chairman
Marilyn Nash	...	Dr. Joan Lindsey

Storyline

Dr. Jerimiah Morley becomes convinced that the world is headed to an inevitable worldwide nuclear war. He organizes an expedition made up of a team of expert scientists and an atomic-powered rock-boring vehicle called a "cyclotram" to find a subterranean environment where holocaust survivors could live indefinitely. When funding falls through, independently rich adventurer Wright Thompson underwrites the project under the condition that he be allowed to go. As the group goes deeper beneath the Earth's crust, personalities clash, tempers flare, and the dangerous journey claims the lives of several expedition members. When they come upon an enormous underground expanse with its own ocean and phosphorescent light, it appears that their goal has been achieved.

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Plot Keywords:

begins with newsreel | underground world | bare chested male | nuclear explosion | nuclear weapon | 

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Taglines:

Drilling into the forbidding depths of the earth!

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Genres:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Night Without Stars

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lippert Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

His role as Dr. Morley made Victor Kilian the star of this film. However, because he was blacklisted (due to Communist witch hunts of the period), his name did not appear in the credits.

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Goofs

Their ship called the "cyclotram" was supposed to be under 2500 miles of water. That is impossible because the pressure increases 165 time per mile one goes under water. That would mean about 6 million pounds per square inch. No hull could stand anywhere near that pressure.

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Quotes

Dr. Jeremiah Morley: The world's changed since yesterday.

User Reviews

A second-string journey to the center of the earth

What should have been an interesting trip ends up as a rather dreary and none too exciting (despite filming in New Mexico's famed Carlsbad Caverns) slice of modest sci-fi. The main problem is not the cheap special effects (some are actually not too bad at all), but the characters. Without exception, they are a most unengaging lot. The heroine and Mr Kellogg are the only players that connect at all, though Miss Nash is often unflatteringly photographed and Mr Kellogg tends to out-stay his welcome. Otto Waldis, as usual, tries to hog the camera, managing to deduct at least two points from the film's appeal in the process. The other players just don't register at all. Blame Millard Kaufman's lackluster screenplay. This is certainly no Raintree County, let alone Bad Day at Black Rock.

Despite his second-string cast, Terry Morse's direction manages two or three moments of real effectiveness, but in a 74-minute movie, that's far from an acceptable figure.