When Worlds Collide (1951)

As a new star and planet hurtle toward a doomed Earth, a small group of survivalists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take them to their new home.

Director:

Rudolph Maté

Writers:

Sydney Boehm (screenplay), Edwin Balmer (novel)

Stars:

Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, Peter Hansen

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Derr	...	David Randall
Barbara Rush	...	Joyce Hendron
Peter Hansen	...	Dr. Tony Drake
John Hoyt	...	Sydney Stanton
Larry Keating	...	Dr. Cole Hendron
Rachel Ames	...	Julie Cummings (as Judith Ames)
Stephen Chase	...	Dr. George Frye
Frank Cady	...	Harold Ferris
Hayden Rorke	...	Dr. Emery Bronson
Sandro Giglio	...	Dr. Ottinger

Storyline

South African bush pilot and carefree ladies man Dave Randall finds he has been let in on the greatest and most terrible secret in the world when an eminent astronomer pays him to deliver some mysterious photos from to an equally prominent colleague in the U.S. The recipient, Dr. Hendron, confirms the awful findings of the sender: the star Bellus will collide with Earth, destroying our planet. Despite widespread disbelief, Marston and Spiro, a pair of millionaire philanthropists, give Dr. Hendron all their assets to begin construction on a huge rocket ship that will, at least theoretically, transport a nucleus of survivors to Zyra, a planet which orbiting Bellus that may or may not be habitable. The funds aren't enough to complete the spaceship, and Dr. Hendron solicits a contribution from elderly wheelchair-bound tycoon Sydney Stanton, a wheelchair-bound old man who, unlike the selfless Marston and Spiro, demands a place on the rocket, even though space and weight will be too ...

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Plot Keywords:

planet | astronomer | cab | radio | radiogram | 

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Taglines:

SEE Frantic preparation to start new world!

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Portuguese Spanish

Release Date:

15 November 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cuando los mundos chocan

Filming Locations:

Calabasas, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$936,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The rescue helicopter is a Hiller 360 (UH-12)

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Goofs

When landing on the new world, the final shot of the space ship plowing through the snow shows an obvious string extending upward from the nose of the ship, that is being used to move the model.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: [spoken over a shot of outer space] Needles in a heavenly haystack. There are more stars in the heavens than there are human beings on Earth. Through telescopes men of science constantly search the infinitesimal corners of our solar system seeking new discoveries, hoping to better understand the laws of the Universe. Observatories dedicated to the study of astronomy are set in high and remote places, but there is none more remote than Mt. Kenna Observatory in this part of South ...

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Alternate Versions

In the German dub, the observatory from the beginning of the film is located in southern Germany and is named the Kepler Observatory.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Frankenstein 1910 (2009)

User Reviews

When Worlds Collide is a slightly compelling George Pal sci-fi

When Worlds Collide was George Pal's second sci-fi film after the success of his previous Destination Moon. It's also one of the earliest depictions of "the end-of-the-world" scenario since it was based on a 1932 novel. While the premise was interesting and there were some cool effects for a '50s Technicolor movie, there's the formula "girl has to choose between two men" that seemed par for the course in many of these genre flicks. The best performance was that of John Hoyt as the billionaire who finances the rocket move after the government turns scientist Larry Keating down. Richard Derr and Barbara Rush are the adequately compelling leads. Besides Keating who was the fourth Harry Morton on Burns and Allen, other familiar faces from later TV series include Hayden Rorke from I Dream of Jeanne (though it took a while before I recognized him since he wore a beard here) and Frank Cady from Petticoat Junction and Green Acres (though again he wasn't easily spotted without his mustache or gravelly voice). If you're a sci-fi fan of Pal, this film is worth a look. Just don't expect too much in the way of logic.