This Island Earth (1955)

Aliens come to Earth seeking scientists to help them in their war.

Director:

Joseph M. Newman (as Joseph Newman)

Writers:

Raymond F. Jones (story "The Alien Machine"), Franklin Coen (screenplay)

Stars:

Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, Rex Reason

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jeff Morrow	...	Exeter
Faith Domergue	...	Dr. Ruth Adams
Rex Reason	...	Dr. Cal Meacham
Lance Fuller	...	Brack
Russell Johnson	...	Dr. Steve Carlson
Douglas Spencer	...	The Monitor
Robert Nichols	...	Joe Wilson
Karl Ludwig Lindt	...	Dr. Adolph Engelborg (as Karl L. Lindt)

Storyline

The electronic engineer Dr. Cal Meacham is a prominent scientist that is studying industrial application of nuclear energy and also a great pilot. One day, he receives a different condenser and soon his assistant Joe Wilson receives a manual instruction and several components of a sophisticated machine. Carl and Joe build a communication apparatus and a man called Exeter contacts Carl. He tells that Carl has passed the test assembling the Interocitor and invites him to join his research. The intrigued Carl decides to travel to meet Exeter that sends an unmanned airplane to bring him to an isolated facility in Georgia. He is welcomed by Dr. Ruth Adams but she mysteriously does not recall their love affair in the past. They team-up with Dr. Steve Carlson and they note that the other scientists in the facility have been transformed, having a weird behavior. They decide to flee in a car, but they are attacked by rays and Steve dies. Carl and Ruth also witness the facility blowing-up and ...

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Plot Keywords:

scientist | alien | dying planet | science | human needed to save an alien planet | 

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Taglines:

2-1/2 YEARS IN THE MAKING ! ...to bring you sights of FANTASTIC AMAZEMENT never before possible on the motion picture screen!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 June 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bloodlust in Outer Space

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

With the newfound popularity of 20th Century Fox's Cinemascope and other widescreen processes in the mid-1950s, Universal Pictures commenced to develop its own widescreen technology (which would eventually be known as Technirama). As Technirama would not be perfected until 1956, in the interim approximately 50 Universal films released between 1955 and 1957 (including This Island Earth (1955)) would be shot at full-frame (1.37:1) but carefully composed and photographed in such a way to allow theaters to comfortably exhibit these films at 2:1 (with matting at the top and bottom of the projected image to produce a widescreen effect). Essentially, the same print could be sent to any theater allowing it the option of projecting either a full-frame presentation (in older theaters) or a cropped presentation (for those theaters that had been recently renovated for widescreen exhibition).

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Goofs

When Cal Meacham is asked to move the lead slab closer to the Interocitor, before Exeter burns a hole through it, a circular, discolored area is visible in the center of the slab, where the special effects incendiary cap is concealed.

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Quotes

[the cat appears]
Dr. Ruth Adams: It's only Neutron. We call him that because he's so positive.
[sic]

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Alternate Versions

When originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'U' rating. All cuts were waived in 1987 when the film was granted a 'PG' certificate for home video.

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Connections

Referenced in The Twilight Zone: A Day in Beaumont/The Last Defender of Camelot (1986)

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Soundtracks

Eine kleine Nachtmusik: 2nd Movement
(uncredited)
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

This is a great treat from a wonderful era of Sci-Fi.

This is a great treat from a wonderful era of Sci-Fi. Those who complain of the hardware aspects have no romance - an Earth scientist receives an unsolicited manual and roomful of parts to build a futuristic two-way TV, but the parts are a marvel and the pages of the manual aren't paper, but some manner of flexible metal. After constructing the "Interociter", our hero receives a broadcast from Exeter, a fellow scientist with a suspiciously prominent forehead, inviting him to join his research team of the world's greatest experts in their fields. What follows is a comic book come-to-life, and in vivid, 3-part Technicolor! This film is beautiful to look at, and apparently many of today's best Sci-Fi filmmakers did. Rex Reason is fine as our hero, Jeff Morrow is one of the most memorable aliens of the era, and Faith Domergue is a fine actress and is mysteriously one of the most unsung beauties ever. And as to the hardware, the special effects, etc - there is actually nothing to complain about at all...the spaceship, the planet Metaluna, aliens, etc, are not merely passable for the 50's, they are compelling by today's standards. If you have just a bit of imagination, this is one of the best Sci-Fi classics of it's time, and still makes many contemporary efforts pale in comparison.