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Gog (film)
Encyclopedia
Gog is a 1954 science fiction film
directed by Herbert L. Strock
and released in 1954 by United Artists
. It is notable for having been shot in color, widescreen
and 3-D
. It stars Richard Egan
, Constance Dowling
, and Herbert Marshall
.
It is the third episode in Ivan Tors
' Office of Scientific Investigation (OSI) trilogy, following both The Magnetic Monster
and Riders to the Stars
.
Laboratory supervisor Dr. Van Ness calls in Dr. David Sheppard, a security agent from the Office of Scientific Investigation in Washington, DC, to find the cause of the mysterious deaths. Working with Joanna Merritt, an OSI agent already at the facility, Sheppard determines that the deaths among the lab's 150 top scientists are due to deliberate sabotage of NOVAC (Nuclear Operative Variable Automatic Computer), a central computer which controls all equipment in the underground facility.
But it is harder to determine how the sabotage is being done. The unseen enemy strikes again and again, snuffing out six scientists in quick succession, as well as Major Howard, the complex's Chief of Security.
Eventually, Sheppard determines that a powerful radio transmitter and receiver were secretly built into NOVAC during its construction. An enemy plane whose fiberglass body does not register on radar has been flying overhead, beaming precisely focused, ultra-high frequency radio signals, thereby controlling NOVAC's every function. The computer, in turn, controls Gog and Magog
— 2 mobile robots with powerful gripping tools and other implements.
Magog is finally directed to go to the complex's nuclear reactor room and pull the safety rod out of the atomic pile, starting a chain reaction that will soon build to a nuclear explosion, which will destroy the entire facility. Sheppard arrives in time to push the safety rod back into the pile, stopping the chain reaction. He then attacks the robot with a flame thrower and disables it, but Gog soon follows its twin to the reactor room to finish the job. Sheppard's flame thrower runs out of fuel as the robot advances on him. Just when all seems lost, Gog suddenly comes to a halt, its metal arms falling limply to its sides. An American F-86 Sabre
jet fighter has finally tracked down the enemy plane and destroyed it, ending NOVAC's reign of destruction.
A few days later, Dr. Van Ness explains the situation to the Secretary of Defense, and informs him that a working model of the space station is about to be launched into orbit. The new station will be equipped with telescopes and television cameras which will spot any further attempts to sabotage the complex in this fashion. The Secretary observes with satisfaction, "We'll never be taken by surprise again!" The film concludes with the successful launch of the rocket containing the working model from the complex.
, with exteriors done at George AFB, a former Air Force base near Victorville, California
. It took just 15 days to shoot all of the footage needed, and the film's final cost was estimated at a quarter of a million dollars.
Shortly after filming of Gog was completed, Constance Dowling
married Ivan Tors
and retired from acting.
Although shot in 3-D, Gog was released at the tail end of the 3-D fad of 1953-54 and was therefore shown "flat" in most venues, despite being available in its stereoscopic format. Gog was also filmed in flat wide-screen at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, which had become standard among US studios the year before.
Critical response was generally positive, with many critics noting the story's basis in science fact, rather than science fantasy. This was a staple of Tors' science-fiction films. His 1955 television series, Science Fiction Theatre
, had the same verisimilitude, and often lifted props and situations from Gog and the other OSI films.
Motion Picture Herald’s William R. Weaver said of Gog, "The production moves steadily forward, keeping interest growing at a steady pace, and exciting the imagination without overstraining credulity."
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
directed by Herbert L. Strock
Herbert L. Strock
Herbert L. Strock was an American television producer and director, and a B-movie director of titles such as I Was a Teenage Frankenstein , How to Make a Monster and The Crawling Hand ....
and released in 1954 by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
. It is notable for having been shot in color, widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
and 3-D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
. It stars Richard Egan
Richard Egan (actor)
Richard Egan was an American actor. In some films he is credited as Richard Eagan.-Career:Born in San Francisco, California, Egan served in the United States Army as a judo instructor during World War II...
, Constance Dowling
Constance Dowling
Constance Dowling was an American model turned actress of the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life and career:...
, and Herbert Marshall
Herbert Marshall
Herbert Marshall , born Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall, was an English actor.His parents were Percy F. Marshall and Ethel May Turner. He graduated from St. Mary's College in Old Harlow, Essex and worked for a time as an accounting clerk...
.
It is the third episode in Ivan Tors
Ivan Tors
Ivan Tors was a Hungarian playwright, film director, screenwriter, and film and television producer with an emphasis on non-violent but exciting science fiction, underwater filmed television and films, and films about animals...
' Office of Scientific Investigation (OSI) trilogy, following both The Magnetic Monster
The Magnetic Monster
The Magnetic Monster is a 1953 independent science fiction film, directed by Curt Siodmak, and starring Richard Carlson and King Donovan.-Plot:...
and Riders to the Stars
Riders to the Stars
Riders to the Stars is an American science fiction film that was released in 1954 by Ivan Tors Productions and directed by Richard Carlson. It stars William Lundigan, Martha Hyer, Herbert Marshall, and Richard Carlson.- Plot :...
.
Plot
Unaccountable, deadly malfunctions begin occurring at a top-secret government facility under the New Mexico desert where a space station is being constructed. OSI agents are called in to investigate.Laboratory supervisor Dr. Van Ness calls in Dr. David Sheppard, a security agent from the Office of Scientific Investigation in Washington, DC, to find the cause of the mysterious deaths. Working with Joanna Merritt, an OSI agent already at the facility, Sheppard determines that the deaths among the lab's 150 top scientists are due to deliberate sabotage of NOVAC (Nuclear Operative Variable Automatic Computer), a central computer which controls all equipment in the underground facility.
But it is harder to determine how the sabotage is being done. The unseen enemy strikes again and again, snuffing out six scientists in quick succession, as well as Major Howard, the complex's Chief of Security.
Eventually, Sheppard determines that a powerful radio transmitter and receiver were secretly built into NOVAC during its construction. An enemy plane whose fiberglass body does not register on radar has been flying overhead, beaming precisely focused, ultra-high frequency radio signals, thereby controlling NOVAC's every function. The computer, in turn, controls Gog and Magog
Gog and Magog
Gog and Magog are names that appear primarily in various Jewish, Christian and Muslim scriptures, as well as numerous subsequent references in other works. Their context can be either genealogical or eschatological and apocalyptic, as in Ezekiel and Revelation...
— 2 mobile robots with powerful gripping tools and other implements.
Magog is finally directed to go to the complex's nuclear reactor room and pull the safety rod out of the atomic pile, starting a chain reaction that will soon build to a nuclear explosion, which will destroy the entire facility. Sheppard arrives in time to push the safety rod back into the pile, stopping the chain reaction. He then attacks the robot with a flame thrower and disables it, but Gog soon follows its twin to the reactor room to finish the job. Sheppard's flame thrower runs out of fuel as the robot advances on him. Just when all seems lost, Gog suddenly comes to a halt, its metal arms falling limply to its sides. An American F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
jet fighter has finally tracked down the enemy plane and destroyed it, ending NOVAC's reign of destruction.
A few days later, Dr. Van Ness explains the situation to the Secretary of Defense, and informs him that a working model of the space station is about to be launched into orbit. The new station will be equipped with telescopes and television cameras which will spot any further attempts to sabotage the complex in this fashion. The Secretary observes with satisfaction, "We'll never be taken by surprise again!" The film concludes with the successful launch of the rocket containing the working model from the complex.
Cast
- Richard EganRichard Egan (actor)Richard Egan was an American actor. In some films he is credited as Richard Eagan.-Career:Born in San Francisco, California, Egan served in the United States Army as a judo instructor during World War II...
as David Sheppard - Constance DowlingConstance DowlingConstance Dowling was an American model turned actress of the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life and career:...
as Joanna Merritt - Herbert MarshallHerbert MarshallHerbert Marshall , born Herbert Brough Falcon Marshall, was an English actor.His parents were Percy F. Marshall and Ethel May Turner. He graduated from St. Mary's College in Old Harlow, Essex and worked for a time as an accounting clerk...
as Dr. Van Ness - John WengrafJohn WengrafJohn Wengraf was an Austrian actor.Wengraf emigrated to England in 1933 as the Nazis began their rise to power. Wengraf appeared unbilled in a couple of films, as well as in some of the first BBC live-television shows ever presented...
as Dr. Zeitman - Phillip Van Zandt as Dr. Pierre Elzevir
- Valerie Vernon as Madame Elzevir
- Steve Roberts as Major Howard
- Byron Kane as Dr. Carter
- David Alpert as Dr. Peter Burden
- Michael FoxMichael Fox (American actor)Michael Fox was an American character actor who was in numerous movies and television roles. Some of his most famous recurring roles were as various autopsy physicians in Perry Mason, as Coroner George McLeod in Burke's Law, as Amos Fedders in Falcon Crest and as Saul Feinberg in The Bold and the...
as Dr. Hubertus - William SchallertWilliam SchallertWilliam Joseph Schallert is an American actor who has appeared in many films and in such television series as The Smurfs, The Rat Patrol, Gunsmoke, The Patty Duke Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Waltons, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Love, American Style, Get...
as Dr. Engle - Marian Richman as Helen
Production
Gog was shot on two sets at Hal Roach StudiosHal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
, with exteriors done at George AFB, a former Air Force base near Victorville, California
Victorville, California
Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:...
. It took just 15 days to shoot all of the footage needed, and the film's final cost was estimated at a quarter of a million dollars.
Shortly after filming of Gog was completed, Constance Dowling
Constance Dowling
Constance Dowling was an American model turned actress of the 1940s and 1950s.-Early life and career:...
married Ivan Tors
Ivan Tors
Ivan Tors was a Hungarian playwright, film director, screenwriter, and film and television producer with an emphasis on non-violent but exciting science fiction, underwater filmed television and films, and films about animals...
and retired from acting.
Although shot in 3-D, Gog was released at the tail end of the 3-D fad of 1953-54 and was therefore shown "flat" in most venues, despite being available in its stereoscopic format. Gog was also filmed in flat wide-screen at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, which had become standard among US studios the year before.
Critical response was generally positive, with many critics noting the story's basis in science fact, rather than science fantasy. This was a staple of Tors' science-fiction films. His 1955 television series, Science Fiction Theatre
Science Fiction Theatre
Science Fiction Theatre is an American science fiction anthology series that aired in syndication from April 1955 to April 1957. It was produced by Ivan Tors and Maurice Ziv.-Overview:...
, had the same verisimilitude, and often lifted props and situations from Gog and the other OSI films.
Reception
Critical response ranged from "good" to "very good" in general. The film was previewed for the press at United Artists' screening room in 3-D.Motion Picture Herald’s William R. Weaver said of Gog, "The production moves steadily forward, keeping interest growing at a steady pace, and exciting the imagination without overstraining credulity."