Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

Extraterrestrials traveling in high-tech flying saucers contact a scientist as part of a plan to enslave the inhabitants of Earth.

Director:

Fred F. Sears

Writers:

Bernard Gordon (screenplay), George Worthing Yates (screenplay)

Stars:

Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Hugh Marlowe	...	Dr. Russell A. Marvin
Joan Taylor	...	Carol Marvin
Donald Curtis	...	Maj. Huglin
Morris Ankrum	...	Brig. Gen. John Hanley
John Zaremba	...	Prof. Kanter
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Vice Adm. Enright (as Tom Browne Henry)
Grandon Rhodes	...	Gen. Edmunds
Larry J. Blake	...	Motorcycle Cop (as Larry Blake)

Storyline

While driving through the desert with his wife Carol Marvin to a military base to send the eleventh rocket into Earth orbit to assist the exploration of outer space in Operation Sky Hook, Dr. Russell A. Marvin and Carol see a flying saucer and accidentally records a message on their tape recorder. Once in the base, Dr. Russell is informed by his father-in-law and general that the ten first satellites mysteriously fell back to Earth. When Dr. Russell decodes the message, he encounters the aliens, who ask him to schedule a meeting with the leaders of Earth in Washington in 56 days in order to invade Earth without panicking the population. Dr. Russell develops an anti-magnetic weapon that becomes the last hope of the human race against the hostile aliens.

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Plot Keywords:

sonic weapon | alien | rocket | flying saucer | invasion | 

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Taglines:

Warning! Take Cover! Flying Saucers Invade Our Planet! Washington, London, Paris, Moscow Fight Back!

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Invasion of the Flying Saucers

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch - 411 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Clover Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the buildings struck by crashing flying saucers is Union Station, Washington's main train station. This may have been inspired by a 1953 accident when a runaway passenger train smashed into the station concourse.

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Goofs

During the opening sequence, just as Marlowe is nuzzling Taylor's neck whilst she's driving, the rear-projected film behind them indicates, not only, that Taylor is driving quite fast, but that her car is also passing another on the two-lane highway. Taylor's actions and demeanor in no way indicate such a critical maneuver.

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Quotes

Carol Marvin: My father! What have you done to him?
Alien: You're addressing General Hanley's mind, not General Hanley.

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Connections

Featured in Monsters, Madmen & Machines: 25 Years of Science Fiction (1984)

User Reviews

My favorite Si Fi, for obvious reasons

I always wondered how they managed to pick the name of the main character in this movie (Dr. Russell A. Marvin). That is my name, and it is very uncommon. When I saw the credits in the IMDB, I realized the answer. The inspiration for this movie was a book by Donald E. Keyhoe, who was consulted on this film. In 1956, Keyhoe started an organization called NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena). In 1956, I was a real flying saucer enthusiast, and was one of the very first people to join NICAP. I believe that they picked my name off of Keyhoe's membership list. I was 14 years old at the time. Anyway, it's a good flick with some great special effects (done the old fashioned way) by the legendary Ray Harryhausen.