Day the World Ended (1955)

In a post-Apocalyptic world after an atomic war seven disparate people find themselves in a protected valley in the home of a survivalist and his beautiful daughter.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

Lou Rusoff (original story and screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Denning, Lori Nelson, Adele Jergens

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Denning	...	Rick
Lori Nelson	...	Louise Maddison
Adele Jergens	...	Ruby
Mike Connors	...	Tony Lamont (as Touch Connors)
Paul Birch	...	Jim Maddison
Raymond Hatton	...	Pete
Paul Dubov	...	Radek
Jonathan Haze	...	Contaminated Man
Paul Blaisdell	...	Mutant

Storyline

After a nuclear war, an unlikely group of people, including a rancher, a geologist, a crook and his girlfriend, find themselves trapped in the middle of nowhere while battling an ugly mutant created by Paul Blaisdell. The geologist and the crook also find the time to fight over the rancher's daughter, while the moll fumes.

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Plot Keywords:

barefoot woman | nuclear holocaust | end of civilization | rabbit | b movie | 

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Taglines:

Human emotions stripped raw!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Remade, almost line for line, as In the Year 2889 (1969).

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Goofs

Throughout the movie, Ruby is supposedly wearing Louise's clothes. They fit perfectly, even though they have completely different body types.

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Quotes

Jim Maddison: Sometimes I have a feeling of doom.
Rick: All I know is there are two forms of life fighting for survival here in this valley, and only one of them can win. It's got to be us!

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Alternate Versions

When originally released theatrically in the UK in 1956, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'X' rating. All cuts were waived in 1991 when the film was granted a 'PG' certificate for home video.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Shake, Rattle & Rock! (2018)

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Soundtracks

The S.F. Blues
Solo by Pete Candoli

User Reviews

One of Corman's better movies

The Day the World Ended deals with The End of the World...not the one prophesied in the Book of Revelation, but the one popular with Hollywood. After all, if Christ returns for His own, how can you make a movie on the Millennial Kingdom?

"Day" is one of Roger Corman's first forays into low-tech, low-budget science fiction movies. His first effort is commendable; if only he had remembered his lessons when he made some of his more notable bombs. A Navy vet and his daughter are living in a home protected by a plot contrivance - it's basically sheltered from radiation from the surrounding mountains. Hills, mind you, that deadly radiation cannot get over, but are easily traveled by an old man and his burro.

Beyond that, it is an intriguing story of what happens when a little pocket of humanity survives mankind's worst nightmare. Mike "Touch" Connors does an interesting turn as a bad guy with a moll whose old enough to be his mother. Connors has the hots for the Navy vet's daughter, and would like to repopulate earth with her. Other stowaways include an archeologist and a man suffering from radiation poisoning. In this movie, radiation poisoning either kills you, turns you into a monster, or makes you look like Moe Howard.

Even with the end of the world, God is not left out. Notice that the Navy vet asks his daughter to marry the archeologist before they seek to restart humanity, as well as his later statement that, "I prayed and then I stopped worrying."

Sterno says "Day" is a great movie for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

December 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Day the World Ended

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$96,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden State Productions, Selma Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1