The Phantom Planet (1961)

After an invisible asteroid draws an astronaut and his ship to its surface, he is miniaturized by the phantom planet's exotic atmosphere.

Director:

William Marshall

Writers:

William Telaak (screenplay), Fred De Gorter (screenplay)

Stars:

Dean Fredericks, Coleen Gray, Anthony Dexter

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dean Fredericks	...	Capt. Frank Chapman
Coleen Gray	...	Liara
Anthony Dexter	...	Herron (as Tony Dexter)
Francis X. Bushman	...	Sessom
Richard Weber	...	Lt. Ray Makonnen
Al Jarvis	...	Judge Eden
Dick Haynes	...	Col. Lansfield
Earl McDaniel	...	Capt. Leonard
Mike Marshall	...	Lt. White (as Michael Marshall)
John Herrin	...	Capt. Beecher
Mel Curtis	...	Lt. Cutler
Jimmy Weldon	...	Lt. Webb
Akemi Tani	...	Communications Officer
Lori Lyons	...	Radar Officer
Richard Kiel	...	The Solarite

Storyline

The mysterious appearance of an unknown planet brings miniature people, giant monsters, beautiful women and undaunted heroes to the screen. The self-contained planet "Rheton" has the ability to move in and out of galaxies to escape their enemies. Earth sends an astronaut team to investigate, which discovers miniature people. One astronaut survives to help them fight off monsters and Solorite attacks.

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Plot Keywords:

asteroid | force field | bare chested male | bare chested male fighting | trial by combat | 

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Taglines:

It Begins Where Others End! On the Moon!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

El planeta fantasma

Filming Locations:

Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Four Crown Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was seen in season 10 episode 2 of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

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Goofs

When the astronauts go out of their spaceship to make a repair, they are untethered by any restraint and freely walk on the spacecraft's wing, in defiance of the laws of physics.

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Quotes

Capt. Beecher: It's quiet and lonely out here, and frankly we'll be happy to get back to that dreary old moon.

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Crazy Credits

Instead of "The End" the end title reads "The Beginning".

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a colorized version.

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Connections

Featured in The Schlocky Horror Picture Show: The Phantom Planet (1961) (2010)

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Soundtracks

Caliban and Ariel
(uncredited)
Music by Desmond Leslie
[Plays repeatedly in the score.]

User Reviews

Activate the gravity curtain

Dean Fredericks (Captain Frank Chapman) and Richard Weber (Lt Makonnen) are sent into space to search for the previous rocket and occupants that seems to have disappeared. They go into the unknown where they come across a meteor shower that damages their ship but only Fredericks survives the repair mission that they undergo, before he and his ship are sucked into the gravitational pull of a large meteorite. Or is it a planet inhabited by tiny people? The majority of the film plays out on this meteorite/planet before Fredericks is picked up by a rescue mission. Has it all been a dream?

The cast are pretty wooden but so what. The film has a nice idea that leaves you thinking at the end. The effects are funny but still entertaining - watch as popcorn threatens the rockets and how about those flying, squeeling pigs? This is a story with a romance that lends itself to a sadness and it creates a romantic tragedy type of film. I thought that this film would be a heap of junk but I was pleasantly surprised. It's nothing great but it's a fantasy type film where everything is certainly real to Dean Fredericks.