War of the Satellites (1958)

An "unknown force" declares war against planet Earth when the United Nations disobeys warnings to cease and desist in its attempts at assembling the first satellite in the atmosphere.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

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

Stars:

Dick Miller, Susan Cabot, Richard Devon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dick Miller	...	Dave Boyer
Susan Cabot	...	Sybil Carrington
Richard Devon	...	Dr. Pol Van Ponder
Eric Sinclair	...	Dr. Howard Lazar
Michael Fox	...	Jason ibn Akad
Robert Shayne	...	Cole Hotchkiss
Jered Barclay	...	John Compo (as Jerry Barclay)
John Brinkley	...	Crew Member
Tony Miller
Bruno VeSota	...	Mr. LeMoine
Jay Sayer	...	Jay
Mitzi McCall	...	Mitzi
Roy Gordon	...	The President
Beach Dickerson	...	Crewman with Gun
Jim Knight	...	(as James Knight)

Storyline

An "unknown force" declares war against planet Earth when the United Nations disobeys warnings to cease and desist in its attempts at assembling the first satellite in the atmosphere.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | united nations | satellite | convertible | outer space | 

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Guerra de los satélites

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allied Artists Pictures, Santa Cruz Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The control panel with many toggle switches used by the ground controller and the spacecraft flight crew is the automatic pilot from a WWII B-17 bomber.

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Goofs

During a landslide, a boulder crashes into a tree, and the tree top comes off, revealing where it connected to the base. Clearly a model, not an actual landslide.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Dave Boyer: Sigma calling, Sigma calling. U.N. Satellite Control, do you read me? Do you read me?
Cole Hotchkiss: U.N.S.C. calling Sigma. We read you, Sigma. We read you.
Dave Boyer: We are passing through Andromedae at the speed of light. We've made it. The whole universe is our new frontier.

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Connections

Referenced in Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011)

User Reviews

Another Corman Quickie

The flick's not as much fun as most Corman epics, maybe because there're no rubber monsters to laugh at. Instead, the bad guy-alien is a very human-like Richard Devon who appears to come in doppelgänger twosomes. One is sort of an okay guy who can pass for the human original; the other, however, is an emotionless demon, thanks to a tricky alien force. Together the two Devons seriously confuse the rocketship crew, that is, when the alien half isn't zapping and ejecting human "trash".

Now maybe you can figure out the plot. I couldn't, given all the holes recounted by other, more perceptive, reviewers. But then, when did narrative matter for a Corman quickie. Too bad those dignified members of the august UN couldn't meet in something besides a basement and a bare wall. But then, the rocketship isn't much fancier. Good thing Corman spent his budget instead on a pretty good cast that makes the nonsense watchable. I just wish the headman had put a fetching Susan Cabot into something beside a shapeless flight suit. A tight sweater and skirt would have done nicely; after all, I thought this was required attire for all Corman heroines, inside spaceships or not.

Then too, I'll bet this was the first flick to cash in on the first space satellite, the Russkies' Sputnik. But notice, the enemy here is not the commies; instead, it's a master race from outer space trying to keep us from polluting outside our own neighborhood. That way, the story doesn't get political in an obvious way. Still, it's a not a very complimentary comment on our own ambitions.

The 70-minutes may not be Corman's best, but it's not his worst, either. Plus, Richard Devon deserves a bare bones Oscar for a performance over and above the call of a paycheck.