The Atomic Kid
Encyclopedia
The Atomic Kid is a 1954 Black-and-white
science fiction
comedy film
starring Mickey Rooney
and directed by Leslie H. Martinson
. While a Uranium
prospector is in the desert he is accidentally exposed to radiation from an atomic bomb test. He becomes radioactive and is recruited by the FBI to help break up a spy ring.
Based on a story by Blake Edwards
the film version was adapted into a comedy.
This is the film showing at the Town Theater in 1955 Hill Valley in Back to the Future
. In the original BTTF novel, Marty McFly decides to take in a movie while he's in 1955 and chooses The Atomic Kid as opposed to Cattle Queen of Montana at the nearby Essex Theater.
In the film, Mickey Rooney's character wanders into an atomic test site, and, as one reviewer describes, "Mannequins are depicted sitting around the dinner table in front of their plastic meal, awaiting the predetermined bomb drop... Rooney remains with the mannequin family and discovers at the last minute that an atomic bomb will be detonated over his head. In a deliberately humorous scene, Rooney frantically tries to find a place to hide from the approaching explosion, only to close his eyes and stick his fingers in his ears as the bomb goes off." . A similar scene played 54 years later in the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-indiana-jones-kingdom-0519may19,0,4432579.story
Nurse Audrey Nelson (Elaine Devry), who marries Barnaby 'Blix' Waterberry (Mickey Rooney) at the end, is the only female actress in the entire picture. At the time this picture was made, she was actually married to Mickey Rooney in real life. This fact appears in the opening credits of the film.
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
science fiction
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...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
and directed by Leslie H. Martinson
Leslie H. Martinson
Leslie "Les" H. Martinson is an American television and film director. He is married to television host and writer Connie Martinson.-Career:...
. While a Uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
prospector is in the desert he is accidentally exposed to radiation from an atomic bomb test. He becomes radioactive and is recruited by the FBI to help break up a spy ring.
Based on a story by Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards
Blake Edwards was an American film director, screenwriter and producer.Edwards' career began in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon turned to writing radio scripts at Columbia Pictures...
the film version was adapted into a comedy.
This is the film showing at the Town Theater in 1955 Hill Valley in Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
. In the original BTTF novel, Marty McFly decides to take in a movie while he's in 1955 and chooses The Atomic Kid as opposed to Cattle Queen of Montana at the nearby Essex Theater.
In the film, Mickey Rooney's character wanders into an atomic test site, and, as one reviewer describes, "Mannequins are depicted sitting around the dinner table in front of their plastic meal, awaiting the predetermined bomb drop... Rooney remains with the mannequin family and discovers at the last minute that an atomic bomb will be detonated over his head. In a deliberately humorous scene, Rooney frantically tries to find a place to hide from the approaching explosion, only to close his eyes and stick his fingers in his ears as the bomb goes off." . A similar scene played 54 years later in the 2008 film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-indiana-jones-kingdom-0519may19,0,4432579.story
Nurse Audrey Nelson (Elaine Devry), who marries Barnaby 'Blix' Waterberry (Mickey Rooney) at the end, is the only female actress in the entire picture. At the time this picture was made, she was actually married to Mickey Rooney in real life. This fact appears in the opening credits of the film.
Cast
- Mickey RooneyMickey RooneyMickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
as Barnaby 'Blix' Waterberry - Robert StraussRobert Strauss (actor)Robert Strauss was a gravel-voiced American actor.-Career:Strauss began his career as a classical actor, appearing in The Tempest and Macbeth on Broadway in 1930...
as Stan Cooper - Elaine DevryElaine DevryElaine Devry is an American actress. She appeared in a number of films including A Guide for the Married Man and was formerly married to actor Mickey Rooney.-Filmography:* The Atomic Kid * China Doll...
as Audrey Nelson - Bill GoodwinBill GoodwinBill Goodwin was for many years the announcer and regular character of the Burns and Allen radio program, and subsequently The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show on television from 1950-51...
as Dr. Rodell - Robert Emmett Keane as Mr. Reynolds
- Whit BissellWhit BissellWhitner Nutting Bissell , better known as Whit Bissell, was an American actor.-Early life:Born in New York City, Bissell was the son of prominent surgeon Dr. J. Dougal Bissell. He trained with the Carolina Playmakers, a theatrical organization associated with the University of North Carolina at...
as Dr. Edgar Pangborn - Joey FormanJoey FormanJoey Forman was an American comedian and comic actor. He first attracted attention in Las Vegas as the opening act for Mickey Rooney...
as MP in hospital - Dan Riss as Jim, FBI Chief Agent
- Peter LeedsPeter LeedsPeter Leeds was an actor who appeared on television more than 8,000 times, and also had many film, Broadway, and radio appearances. The majority of his work took place in the 1950s and 1960s...
as FBI Agent Bill - Hal MarchHal MarchHal March was a Jewish-American comedian and actor.-Early career:March first came to note as part of a comedy team with Bob Sweeney. The duo had their own radio show for a time and performed, in the early 1950s, as "Sweeney & March." He also partnered with actor/comic Tom d'Andrea in the early...
as FBI Agent Ray - George E. Mather as 1st Sergeant
- Fay RoopeFay RoopeFay Roope , born Winfield Harding Roope, was a Harvard graduate and a character actor who appeared in American theater in New York City from the 1920s through 1950, and in American film and television from 1949 through 1961.-Early life:...
as Gen. Lawlor - Bill WelshBill WelshBill Welsh Bill Welsh Bill Welsh (b. April 25, 1911 in Greeley, Colorado - d. February 27, 2000 in Thousand Oaks, California was a television announcer. For his work on TV, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame....
as Commentator - Stanley AdamsStanley Adams (actor)Stanley Adams was an American actor and screenwriter.-Career:Born in New York City, Adams had his first film role in 1952, when he played the bartender in the movie version of Death of a Salesman...
as Wildcat Hooper - Robert Nichols as Bob, technician in Blix's room
- Paul Dubov as Anderson, advertising agent
- Peter BroccoPeter BroccoPeter Brocco was an American film and TV character actor for nearly 60 years.He appeared as a criminal type in several episodes of Adventures of Superman. He holds the distinction of having been killed off in two of them, a relative rarity for villains in the series...
as Comrade Mosley - Trustin Howard as Corporal
- Charles J. Conrad as Scientist
- Sig Frohlich as Photographer
- Milton FromeMilton FromeMilton Frome was an American character actor. He made approximately 140 television and film appearances between 1934 and 1982.-Career:...
as Communications man