The Man from Planet X
Encyclopedia
The Man From Planet X is a 1951
science fiction
film.
It was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer who had directed the very first Bela Lugosi
/Boris Karloff
teamup picture The Black Cat
in 1934.
. An ostensibly friendly alien acts as an advance scout to lead his civilization from its dying planet, to Earth. His advanced civilization was able to alter its planet's course to intersect with the Earth, "through scientific degravitation" yet for some reason, was unable to keep it from freezing in its original orbit, and seemed incapable of designing a practical spacesuit. For some other unexplained reason, the fate of his entire race is entrusted to this single scout.
Cast notes
and wrapped principal photography six days later. To save money, the film was shot on sets for the 1948 Ingrid Bergman
film Joan of Arc
, using fog to change moods and locations.
1951 in film
The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film.
It was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer who had directed the very first Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
/Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
teamup picture The Black Cat
The Black Cat (1934 film)
The Black Cat is a 1934 horror film that became Universal Pictures' biggest box office hit of the year. It was the first of eight movies to pair actors Béla Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Edgar G. Ulmer directed the film; Peter Ruric wrote the screenplay...
in 1934.
Plot
An alien visitor arrives at an observatory on the moors of ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. An ostensibly friendly alien acts as an advance scout to lead his civilization from its dying planet, to Earth. His advanced civilization was able to alter its planet's course to intersect with the Earth, "through scientific degravitation" yet for some reason, was unable to keep it from freezing in its original orbit, and seemed incapable of designing a practical spacesuit. For some other unexplained reason, the fate of his entire race is entrusted to this single scout.
Cast
- Robert ClarkeRobert ClarkeRobert Irby Clarke was an American actor best known for his cult classic science fiction films of the 1950s.-Early life:...
as John Lawrence - Margaret FieldMargaret FieldMargaret Field was an American film actress.Born in Houston, Texas, she was discovered by talent scout Milton Lewis for Paramount Pictures. Following a successful screen test, she was offered an 18-month contract. She then attended Pasadena Junior College, studying voice training and acting...
as Enid Elliot - Raymond Bond as Professor Elliot
- 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. Mears - Roy Engel as Tommy the Constable
- Charles DavisCharles DavisCharles Davis or Charlie Davis may refer to:Athletes* Charlie Davis , West Indian cricketer* Charlie Davis , American basketball player* Charlie Davis...
as Georgie, man at dock - Gilbert Fallman as Dr. Robert Blane
- David Ormont as Inspector Porter
- June Jeffery as Wife of missing man
- Franklyn FarnumFranklyn FarnumWilliam Smith , better known by his screen name, Franklyn Farnum, was an American character actor and Hollywood extra who appeared in 433 productions between the years 1916 and 1961....
as Sgt. Ferris, Porter's assistant (uncredited)
Cast notes
- Both Pat Goldin and dwarf actor Billy CurtisBilly CurtisBilly Curtis was an American film and television actor. He was a dwarf who had a 50-year career in a variety of roles...
are credited by different sources with playing the role of the alien. - Robert Clarke was paid $350/week for his work on this film.
Production
The film went into production on 13 December 1950 at Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, CaliforniaCulver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
and wrapped principal photography six days later. To save money, the film was shot on sets for the 1948 Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
film Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (1948 film)
Joan of Arc is a 1948 Technicolor film directed by Victor Fleming; starring Ingrid Bergman as the French religious icon and war heroine. It was produced by Walter Wanger. It is based on Maxwell Anderson's successful Broadway play Joan of Lorraine, which also starred Bergman, and was adapted for the...
, using fog to change moods and locations.
Miscellany
- Invaders from MarsInvaders from Mars (1953 film)Invaders From Mars is a science fiction film directed by William Cameron Menzies, taken from a scenario by Richard Blake, and based on a story treatment by John Tucker Battle who was inspired by a dream recounted by his wife. It was produced independently by Edward L. Alperson Jr. and starred...
, The War of the WorldsThe War of the Worlds (1953 film)The War of the Worlds is a 1953 science fiction film starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It was the first on-screen loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells classic novel of the same name...
, both 1953, and The Thing from Another WorldThe Thing from Another WorldThe Thing from Another World , is a 1951 science fiction film based on the 1938 novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell . It tells the story of an Air Force crew and scientists at a remote Arctic research outpost who fight a malevolent plant-based alien being...
from 1951, all began production around the same time this film was made. The Day the Earth Stood Still is a close parallel and inevitable inspiration, finishing production six months before this one, in the summer of 1951. - The alien can only communicate using modulated musical sounds, a concept used three decades later in Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
. - The alien Electron+, the Man from Pluto, from the 1960's toy line The Outer Space Men, also known as Colorform AliensColorform AliensThe Outer Space Men – also known as the Colorform Aliens – is a group of seven "bendy" action figures produced by the Colorforms Company in 1968, They were designed by toy inventor Mel Birnkrant...
, is based on the alien from The Man from Planet X.