Teenagers from Outer Space (1959)

A young alien and a teenage earthling fall in love, and plot to stop the alien's race from using Earth as a food-breeding ground for giant lobsters from their planet.

Director:

Tom Graeff

Writer:

Tom Graeff

Stars:

David Love, Dawn Bender, Bryan Grant

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Love	...	Derek
Dawn Bender	...	Betty Morgan (as Dawn Anderson)
Bryan Grant	...	Thor
Harvey B. Dunn	...	Gramps Morgan
Tom Graeff	...	Joe Rogers (as Tom Lockyear)
King Moody	...	Spacecraft Captain (as Robert King Moody)
Helen Sage	...	Nurse Morse
Frederick Welch	...	Dr. C.R. Brandt, MD (as Frederic Welch)
Carl Dickinson	...	Gas Station Attendant (as Carl Dickensen)
Sonia Torgeson	...	Alice Woodward
Billy Bridges	...	Driver Picking Up Thor
James Conklin	...	Prof. Simpson
Gene Sterling	...	The Alien Leader
Ralph Lowe	...	Moreal - Spaceship Crew
Bill DeLand	...	Saul - Spaceship Crew

Storyline

A young alien (David Love) falls for a pretty teenage Earth girl (Dawn Anderson) and they team up to try to stop the plans of his invading cohorts, who intend to use Earth as a food-breeding ground for giant lobsters from their planet. The invaders, who arrive in a flying saucer, carry deadly ray guns that turn Earth-people into skeletons.

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Plot Keywords:

giant lobster | flying saucer | power plant | betrayal | sabotage | 

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Taglines:

Thrill-crazed space kids blasting the flesh off humans!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Killers from Outer Space

Filming Locations:

Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tom Graeff Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 72 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director, writer, and co-star Tom Graeff made Teenagers from Outer Space as a vehicle for his boyfriend Charles Robert Kaltenthaler, who starred in the film as Derek. Kaltenthaler was credited as David Love in the film. It would be the young actor's second and final film.

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Goofs

The alien teenagers'ray-gun supposedly strips the flesh from living beings, rendering them as skeletons. However, the skeleton used is obviously a suspended medical dummy as it has a fastening plate attached to the top of its skull.

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Quotes

Captain: When we return to our planet, the high court may well sentence you to *torture* and death for your treason.

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Crazy Credits

All of the film's main "Production Associates" (financiers) appeared in the movie under assumed names: Bryan G. Pearson (Thor, as Bryan Grant), Ursula Pearson - uncredited (Hilda, as Ursula Hansen), Tom Graeff (Joe Rogers, as Tom Lockyear), and Charles Robert Kaltenthaler (Derek, as David Love). Gene Sterling, also listed as a "Production Associate" makes a cameo as "The Leader."

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Boulevard (1976)

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Soundtracks

Eerie Dramatic (L-653)
(uncredited)
Music by Spencer Moore

User Reviews

Anyone feel like going to Red Lobster

• Aliens land on Earth to determine whether or not the planet is suitable for raising their Gargons (a creature raised by the aliens for consumption). It seems that these Gargons are quite ferocious and as big as a house when fully grown. Therefore, they require their own planet. But releasing the Gargons on Earth will wipe out all of humanity. One alien, Derek (David Love), has second thoughts about killing the inhabitants of Earth. He leaves the group to warn the citizens of Earth. What he doesn't know, however, is that one of the other aliens has been sent to stop him.

• While I've seen worse, Teenagers from Outer Space is really not a very good movie. Most of the acting is terrible and the dialogue is even worse. The "teenagers" mentioned in the title appear to be mid-20s to early-30s in age. The flying saucer used by the aliens is about ten feet in diameter, yet can carry 6 or 7 human sized aliens. The Gargons are really just lobsters. The full-grown Gargon is a shadow of a lobster projected onto the film to make it look huge. Much of the movie is laughable at best.

• But, Teenagers from Outer Space is not as bad as it could have been. Underneath the cheese is a nice little story just aching to get out. The two leads (David Love and Dawn Bender) do their best. There is a real chemistry between the two that comes through even the most hokey of scenes. Although they might have lacked real talent, they appeared to be trying. So many of these 50s sci-fi films have actors that just appear to be going through the motions.

• The aliens use some sort of hand-held death ray weapon. And, for this kind of movie, the results are rather gruesome. In a lot of these movies, when someone is shot with a ray gun, they either fall down without a scratch to be seen or just disappear. Not here. When the human (and canine) victims are hit with these ray guns, all tissue disappears leaving only a (obviously plastic) skeleton. It's not a very pleasant way to go.

• I watched the MST3K version of the movie. As usual, there were a few good laughs to be had. But this is one movie that I'm going to try on its own. I think it deserves to be judged that way.