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.

---

Plot Keywords:

sonic weapon | alien spacecraft | psychotronic film | the white house | alien | 

---

Taglines:

The Battle of Your Lifetime!

---

Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

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:

Sam Katzman 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

Whilst Dr. Marvin, his wife, the major and the police officer are being transported in a saucer, a large view screen is displaying their movement away from earth. One of the shots displayed is of earth and the moon with a haze-like fog. This shot is taken from the opening credits of "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Actor Harry Lauter, who played the generator operator in "Earth v The Flying Saucers" also played the tank soldier in "Day the Earth Stood Still" that Klaatu handed the damaged device to that "would have allowed the President to study life on the other planets".

---

Goofs

The language translation computer shown is a differential analyzer, a special-purpose analog device. It could not be programmed for such a task.

---

Quotes

Dr. Russell Marvin: [talking into tape recorder] To the best of my knowledge my wife and I are the only ones left alive since we have not seen or heard from anyone for hours.

---

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Space Children (1998)

User Reviews

an underrated gem

While "War of the Worlds" is probably the most heralded of the 1950s alien invasion films, this one is a lot more fun. There are none of the heavy-anded quasi-religious sub-texts that weighed down WOTW. There are no pretensions of any kind. "Earth" gets right down to the business at hand...aliens coming to Earth with the sole purpose of kicking our asses. Throw in the always fun Harryhausen effects, in which real life monuments are destroyed (later incorporated in the equally dumb and equally fun "ID4"), and what's not to like?