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:

united nations | satellite | convertible | outer space | speech | 

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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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

When Susan Cabot enters the "solar energy room," she opens the door from her right-hand side. When Richard Devon follows her in, he opens the door from his left-hand side.

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Quotes

Dave Boyer: [on the floor of the UN] The delegate has spoken of naked survival. Gentlemen, you do not survive by abject surrender. Nations and worlds must fight for survival. If we give in now, let down our defenses, give this alien planet full control over our actions & our lives for mere survival, won't they decide to take even that away from us? Have the gentlemen here asked themselves why these aliens are so concerned that we do not penetrate the Sigma barrier? Isn't it peculiar that this action alone ...

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Connections

Edited into Night of the Blood Beast (1958)

User Reviews

Corman fans will dig it.

Typically fast and cheap early Roger Corman sci-fi epic was put together in a hurry in order to capitalize on the launching of the Soviet satellite Sputnik, and the subsequent efforts of the United States to launch a satellite of their own. Lawrence L. Goldman wrote a script (based on a story by Jack Rabin and Irving Block), about the United Nations repeatedly failing with their space exploration missions. A hostile alien intelligence wants Earthlings to cease and desist with these missions, or else. Our intrepid heroes, naturally, become more determined than ever to succeed, and send a pair of rockets into outer space. But the aliens are ready to sabotage the mission.

The not so special effects and the minimum of sets merely serve to add to the fun factor of this Corman quickie. It sure as hell isn't anything great, but then it doesn't try to be. It's an amusing, fast paced, decently acted Allied Artists production that has a certain charm that often came with the low budget genre movies of this period. It's impossible to dislike, especially considering the way that Corman is slyly injecting some commentary about the Cold War as part of the package. Cormans' constant collaborators during this time, production designer Daniel Haller and cinematographer Floyd Crosby, do the best that they can with their minimal budget, and the music by Walter Greene is highly enjoyable. The acting is pretty good from all concerned: Richard Devon is effective as the determined Dr. Pol Van Ponder, Susan "The Wasp Woman" Cabot appealing as leading lady Sybil Carrington. Eric Sinclair as Dr. Howard Lazar, Robert Shayne as Cole Hotchkiss, Jered Barclay as John Compo, and Bruno VeSota as Mr. LeMoine comprise a fine supporting cast. But the primary appeal of "War of the Satellites" is the opportunity to see the legendary Dick Miller in not just a leading role, but a *heroic* leading role, as brave scientist Dave Boyer.

These 66 minutes go by quickly and engagingly.

Seven out of 10.