Queen of Outer Space (1958)

American astronauts are drawn by a mysterious force to the planet Venus, which they find to be inhabited only by beautiful women and their despotic queen.

Director:

Edward Bernds

Writers:

Charles Beaumont (screenplay), Ben Hecht (story "Queen of the Universe")

Stars:

Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming, Dave Willock

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Zsa Zsa Gabor	...	Talleah
Eric Fleming	...	Capt. Neal Patterson
Dave Willock	...	Lt. Mike Cruze
Laurie Mitchell	...	Queen Yllana
Lisa Davis	...	Motiya
Paul Birch	...	Prof. Konrad
Patrick Waltz	...	Lt. Larry Turner
Barbara Darrow	...	Kaeel
Marilyn Buferd	...	Odeena
Mary Ford	...	Venusian Girl
Marya Stevens	...	Venusian Girl
Laura Mason	...	Venusian Girl
Lynn Cartwright	...	Venusian Girl
Kathy Marlowe	...	Venusian Girl
Coleen Drake	...	Venusian Girl

Storyline

En route to Earth's orbiting space station, a spaceship with four men aboard is attacked and they awaken after their spaceship crash lands. One of them, Professor Konrad, determines they have landed on Venus, a planet scientists had believed to be uninhabitable. They are taken prisoner by the inhabitants, all beautiful women, who imprisoned the men and took control of the planet. Their masked Queen, Yllana, has plans to destroy the Earth with their beta disintegrator but there is dissent among them led by the beautiful Talleah.

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Plot Keywords:

space station | space station explosion | matriarchy | nuclear energy | planet of women | 

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Taglines:

SEE! War of the planets! Astounding she-beasts of Venus!

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 September 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Queen of the Universe

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Artists Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Prof. Konrad (Paul Birch) states (around 0:09:55) that July of 1963 was 22 years ago, so the setting is in 1985, which when the movie was released was 27 years in the future.

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Goofs

One of the women who initially captures the crew is a blonde wearing a chartreuse outfit. When these guards are shown leading the crew through a hallway as other women look on, this same blonde is shown in close-up among the spectators, watching the prisoners being escorted by, among others, herself -- still visible as one of the guards.

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Quotes

Queen Yllana: Your people of earth have always been aggressive and warlike.
Capt. Neal Patterson: We told you, our mission was a peaceful one.
Queen Yllana: You betray yourselves, Captain. When my guards found you, your first reaction was to kill!

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Crazy Credits

The Wicked Queen LAURIE MITCHELL and HER POSSE

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Connections

Referenced in Joan of Arcadia: Do the Math (2004)

User Reviews

If It's a Parody...Then It's a Bad Parody

The real question here is whether or not this film is funny because of what it shows us...acting, dialogue, sets...or rather because of how ineptly it shows us these things. For me the film is funny because it is trying to be funny in some parts but also very funny because it is crudely, cheaply, and horrificly made in many instances. Obviously casting Zsa Zsa Gabor in the lead role answers the question that this was intended to be a parody. Come on, she is not an actress but rather a fixture, albeit a charming, vivacious, buxom one. Three astronauts and a professor are on their way to a space station when some laser beams destroy the station before their very eyes and lead them to the planet of Venus millions and millions of miles away. All our scientific knowledge of Venus is wildly inaccurate as the gravity is much like that of Earth's and oxygen is prevalent. The men are taken at night by surprise by a band of armed, mini-skirt clad Venusians that bring them before the mask-faced evil queen. From there a Venusian scientist, played by Miss. Gabor no less, offers help to the men to escape. The rest is about the foiled escape and the eventual unmasking of the evil queen and her desire to obliterate Earth. The film has so much sexual innuendo and bad-trying-to-be-funny smug acting as to be a little annoying. The male leads are not very good. Eric Fleming as the man wanted by both Zsa Zsa and the queen is adequate. Paul Birch, typically a pretty good actor, does a shameless job in this film smiling constantly and his scene where the space station is destroyed and he is suppose to look disconcerted is a real hoot! Maybe this is what they were trying to do. The other two guys are very annoying with one stupid joke after another. One is a lothario-type making degrading comments about the fairer sex repeatedly. Even I tired of them after awhile. The women...well, they are heavenly. All of them are beautiful and Zsa Zsa is near the top of that heavenly spectrum. Beautiful Joi Lansing also has a bit part in the beginning. Journeyman director Edward Bernds directs with some style. I particularly like how he used color in the film. Visually, the film has lots of bright blues and reds that really takes much of your attention away from the bad acting and plot.