Kronos (1957)

Aliens from another world send a huge robotic accumulator to invade the Earth and absorb all energy it comes in contact with.

Director:

Kurt Neumann

Writers:

Lawrence L. Goldman (screenplay) (as Lawrence Louis Goldman), Irving Block (story)

Stars:

Jeff Morrow, Barbara Lawrence, John Emery

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jeff Morrow	...	Dr. Leslie Gaskell
Barbara Lawrence	...	Vera Hunter
John Emery	...	Dr. Hubbell Eliot
George O'Hanlon	...	Dr. Arnold Culver
Morris Ankrum	...	Dr. Albert Stern
Kenneth Alton	...	McCrary - The Pickup Driver
John Parrish	...	Gen. Perry
Jose Gonzales-Gonzales	...	Manuel Ramirez (as Jose G. Gonzales)
Richard Harrison	...	Pilot
Marjorie Stapp	...	Nurse
Robert Shayne	...	Air Force General
Don Eitner	...	Weather Operator (as Donald Eitner)
Gordon Mills	...	Sergeant
John Halloran	...	Lab Central Security Guard

Storyline

Scientists investigate what appears to be a meteorite that crashes into the ocean. After a few days and nights of mysterious lights and noises, a giant machine comes out of the ocean. The machine is the creation of an alien race, that is trying to syphon energy from earth. A true classic, in that it is so different from anything in the time period. To this day, nothing else has come out like it.

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Plot Keywords:

robot | evil robot | hydrogen bomb | pilot | general | 

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Taglines:

The Most Incredible MONSTER of All Time!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kronos: Ravager of Planets

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$160,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Regal Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"M47" (Dr. Leslie Gaskell's designation in the movie for the so-called "asteroid") is in real life, one of the "missing" Messier Objects whose correct position was not definitively identified until 1959 (two years after the release of 'Kronos'). It is an open star cluster in the constellation of Puppis.

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Goofs

The one inside shot of Kronos's dome has a shiny metal cube in its center. On the cube's lower right corner, you can see an electrical toggle switch.

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Quotes

Dr. Arnold Culver: Great Caesar's ghost!

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Aliens (1996)

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Soundtracks

Something's Gotta Give
by Johnny Mercer
Heard as truck radio instrumental

User Reviews

One of the best movies ever made

Yep, it's black & white and low budget but the film has great ideas and is executed incredibly well for the small amount of money they had to work with. The score by Bert Shefter and Paul Sawtell is probably the best the duo ever wrote. In fact, the title theme was so good it was re-worked for IT, THE TERROR FROM OUTER SPACE. Some people have said they think that cartoon animation was used for walking shots of KRONOS. I think it is stop-motion model animation, especially since Gene Warren is one of those credited for special effects and stop-motion was his specialty. Regardless of how it was achieved, KRONOS is about as much fun as they get. The special effects, while dated-looking now were as good as anything else you would see at the time it was released. I love this film which fortunately, has been preserved on an excellent widescreen DVD. The film has an enduring quality about it and never ceases to entertain me no matter how many times I see it. If you just like to have a plain old good time watching a movie, then I highly recommend KRONOS.