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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Did You Know?

Trivia

From the time this movie was conceived, it was reportedly only eight weeks later that the completed movie was playing in theatres.

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Goofs

Most of the action seems to take place in New York, the home of the United Nations (and also based in views of the car license plates). But whenever a newspaper is flashed on the screen, it is always based in either Los Angeles or San Francisco. Further, all satellite launches in the 1950s were from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

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Quotes

Dr. Pol Van Ponder: There's an old saying. "If you just want something, send someone for it. But if you really want it, go yourself".

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Connections

Edited into Night of the Blood Beast (1958)

User Reviews

Typically Corman sci-fi cheapie - incomprehensible but oddly watchable

Famously concocted in 8 weeks after director Roger Corman promised Allied Artists a "satellite' movie in time to cash in on America's fascination with (or fear of ) Sputnik, 'War of the Satellites' really has nothing to do with the cold war or the Russian space program or, for that matter, any other reality. Briefly, Earth's attempts to put people in orbit are met with disaster when the ships approach a mysterious barrier and we are warned by the "Masters of the Spiral Nebula Ghana" that humans have been prohibited from exploring space. To ensure our compliance, the aliens kill the head of the space program, Dr. Van Ponder (Richard Devon), and replace him with a sinister doppelganger. Astronomer David Boyer's (Corman perennial Dick Miller) suspicions concerning his new boss leads to a show-down in outer space, the outcome of which could determine the future of humanity. There are some adequate special effects shots, such as the rocket base or the in-orbit assembly of a space station but other than these, the film is strictly a dime-store production, especially the interiors the space ships (featuring recliner lounges with seatbelts) or the flimsy looking control panel manned by none other than Corman himself). The plot/script makes little sense and, other than Miller and Devon, the acting is underwhelming. Typical for a Corman picture, 'War of the Satellites' turned a profit and remains watchable today (half a century after Sputnik fell out of the sky) in a chintzy sort of way.

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