The Mole People (1956)

A party of archaeologists discovers the remnants of a mutant five-millennia-old Sumerian civilization living beneath a glacier atop a mountain in Mesopotamia.

Director:

Virgil W. Vogel (as Virgil Vogel)

Writer:

László Görög (as Laszlo Gorog)

Stars:

John Agar, Cynthia Patrick, Hugh Beaumont

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Agar	...	Dr. Roger Bentley
Cynthia Patrick	...	Adad
Hugh Beaumont	...	Dr. Jud Bellamin
Alan Napier	...	Elinu, the High Priest
Nestor Paiva	...	Prof. Etienne Lafarge
Phil Chambers	...	Dr. Paul Stuart
Rodd Redwing	...	Nazar
Robin Hughes	...	First Officer
Frank Baxter	...	Himself (in introduction) (as Dr. Frank C. Baxter)

Storyline

On an archaeological dig in Asia, Dr. Roger Bentley finds a cuneiform tablet referring to an ancient society, the Shadow Dynasty, that was destroyed. An earthquake soon after reveals an ancient artifact and the scientists discover the ruins of an ancient temple world on a remote mountain site. It leads them to an underground world, lost in time, where people have adapted to low light. The High Priest Elinu doesn't welcome the presence of the new arrivals and wants them eliminated.

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Plot Keywords:

albino | archaeologist | ishtar | flashlight | tablet | 

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Taglines:

Here is terror to shatter your nerves!

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Mole People

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was the inspiration for The Dickies' song Attack of the Molemen.

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Goofs

The writing displayed on the wall is clearly Egyptian hieroglyphs, not Sumerian cuneiform.

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Quotes

Dr. Roger Bentley: Jud, come here. Take a look at this.
Dr. Jud Bellamin: Claw marks! Maybe a hand. There're four cuts.
Dr. Roger Bentley: Some hand. Whoever it was needs a manicure.

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Crazy Credits

Opening Credits rise up from a hole in the ground.

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Connections

Featured in The Universal Story (1996)

User Reviews

Tunnel Vision

Coming from 1956 is another of Universal-International's science-fiction pleasures. They made about twenty of them in the 1950s, brought on by the enormous successes of "It Came From Outer Space" (1953) and "Creature From the Black Lagoon" (1954). An interesting prologue with a real professor on the Earth's interior cores is followed by a great title sequence accompanied by a superb score. John Agar leads an archaeological expedition in Himalayan mountains to search for an underground lost civilization. Eventually they find them, an albino tribe (although I think, they would be blonde, not with dark hair, due to lack of melanin), who have trained the half-human "Mole People" to be their slaves. Agar falls in love with the lone pigmented character, lovely light-haired Cynthia Patrick, who brings a quiet dignity and gentleness to the part which is most appealing. She's beautifully photographed, appearing simply radiant in her close-ups. Her part is like the eye of a hurricane in story terms, and her scenes are the only ones that permit the audience to relax. Sacrifices, revolt and chaos ensue, with the Mole People actually the sympathetic characters, an unexpected ending, shadowy cinematography, and solid direction by Virgil Vogel, make this enjoyable. And it started a mini-trend of "..... People" movies: "The Gamma People" (1956), "Attack of the Puppet People" (1958), "Invasion of the Animal People" (1959), "The Alligator People" (1959), "The Slime People" (1963), "Isle of the Snake People" (1971), "The Twilight People" (1972), "The Bat People" (1974), more.