Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

1956 science fiction film directed by Fred F. Sears

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Fred F. Sears
Written by| Curt Siodmak
George Worthing Yates
Bernard Gordon as Raymond T. Marcus
Based on| Flying Saucers from Outer Space
1953 book
by Donald Keyhoe
Produced by| Charles H. Schneer
Sam Katzman (executive)
Starring| Hugh Marlowe
Joan Taylor
Cinematography| Fred Jackman. Jr.
Edited by| Danny B. Landres
Music by| Mischa Bakaleinikoff (uncredited)
Color process| Black and white

Production
company

Clover Productions

Distributed by| Columbia Pictures

Release date

* June 13, 1956 (1956-06-13) (Los Angeles)[1]

Running time

| 84 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Box office| $1,250,000 (US rentals)[2]
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) by Fred F. Sears, trailer

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (a.k.a. Invasion of the Flying Saucers and Flying Saucers from Outer Space)[3] is a 1956 American science fiction film from Columbia Pictures. It was produced by Charles H. Schneer, directed by Fred F. Sears, and stars Hugh Marlowe and Joan Taylor.[4] The stop-motion animation special effects were created by Ray Harryhausen. The storyline was suggested by the bestselling 1953 non-fiction book Flying Saucers from Outer Space by Maj. Donald Keyhoe.[5] The film was released as a double feature with The Werewolf.[6]

## Plot

[edit]

Scientist Dr. Russell Marvin and his new bride Carol are driving to work when a flying saucer appears overhead. With no proof of the encounter other than a tape recording of the ship's sound, Dr. Marvin is hesitant to notify his superiors. He is in charge of Project Skyhook, an American space program that has already launched ten research satellites into orbit. General Hanley, Carol's father, informs Marvin that many of the satellites have since fallen back to Earth. Marvin admits that he has lost contact with all of them and privately suspects alien involvement. The Marvins then witness the 11th falling from the sky shortly after launch.

When a saucer lands at the Skyhook facility the next day in front of the main building, a group of aliens in metallic suits exit with one alien walking peacefully into the entrance of the building, being met with gunfire fired upon by the infantry guards, killing the one alien, while the remaining aliens and saucer are protected by a force field. After retrieving the body of the dead alien, the saucer lifts-off, returning the fire, spreading destruction across the facility, and killing everyone but the Marvins, who were trapped below ground. General Hanley is captured and taken away in the saucer. Too late, Russell discovers and decodes a message on his tape recorder. The aliens just wanted to meet with Dr. Marvin and for that purpose landed at Skyhook where they were met with violence ('Shoot first, ask questions later.').

Marvin contacts the aliens by radio and sneaks away to meet them, followed closely by Carol and Major Huglin. They and a pursuing motorcycle patrol officer are taken aboard a saucer, where the aliens have extracted knowledge directly from the general's brain. The aliens explain that they are the last of their species, having fled from their destroyed solar system. They are extremely aged and are kept alive only by their protective garments. They have shot down all the launched satellites, fearing them as weapons. As proof of their power, the aliens give Dr. Marvin the coordinates of a naval destroyer that opened fire on them, and which they have since destroyed. Horrified by the cold, unempathic nature of the aliens, Carol begins to break down, and the patrol officer, despite an attempt by Marvin to stop him, pulls his revolver and fires on the aliens; the aliens subject him to the same mind control process as General Hanley. The aliens state that they will eventually return Hanley and the patrol officer. As the interaction continues, Carol becomes increasingly irrational, while Marvin tries to remain calm. Major Huglin and the Marvins are released with the message that the aliens want to meet with the world's leaders in 56 days in Washington, D.C. to negotiate an occupation of Earth.

Dr. Marvin's later observations lead to the discovery that the aliens' protective suits are made of solidified electricity and grant them enhanced auditory perception. Marvin develops a counter-weapon against their flying saucers, which he later successfully tests against a single saucer. As they escape, the aliens jettison Hanley and the patrol officer, who fall to their deaths. Groups of alien saucers then attack Washington, Paris, London, and Moscow, and resistance by conventional weapons is futile. But they are destroyed by Dr. Marvin's sonic weapon. The defenders also discover that the aliens can be easily killed by small arms gunfire when they are outside the force fields of their saucers. Upon repelling the attack and no further threats anticipated, Project Skyhook is reestablished with Dr. Marvin once again placed in charge.

## Cast

[edit]

* Hugh Marlowe as Dr. Russell A. Marvin
* Joan Taylor as Carol Marvin
* Donald Curtis as Major Huglin
* Morris Ankrum as Maj. Gen. John Hanley
* John Zaremba as Prof. Kanter
* Thomas Browne Henry as Vice-Admiral Enright
* Grandon Rhodes as General Edmunds
* Larry J. Blake as the motorcycle policeman
* Charles Evans as Dr. Alberts
* Harry Lauter as Cutting, Kanter's technician
* Paul Frees as Aliens (uncredited voice)

## Production

[edit]

### Visual effects

[edit]

UFO models used in the film

Ray Harryhausen used stop-motion animation to create the scenes of the flying spacecraft. For increased realism in the scenes depicting saucers crashing into monuments and government buildings, he also animated falling masonry.[7] Some animation of figures was used to show the aliens emerging from the saucers. Much stock footage was used, including the shots, during the invasion, of a missile launch and of batteries of 90 mm M3 guns firing. Film of the destruction of HMS Barham during World War II was used to depict the sinking of a destroyer. Scenes showing satellite launches use footage of a Viking rocket takeoff and a failed V-2 rocket launch.[8] A scene depicting planes crashing after being hit by an alien ray utilizes film of a 1944 accident at an airshow near Spokane, Washington involving military aircraft.[9]

The film's iconic flying saucer design—a stationary central cabin encircled by a rotating outer ring with slotted vanes in it—matches purported eyewitness descriptions recorded by Maj. Donald Keyhoe in his best-selling non-fiction book about UFOs. At a tribute to Harryhausen held in Sydney, Australia, the animator said that he consulted with well-known 1950s UFO "contactee" George Adamski about the depiction of the flying saucers in the film. He noted that Adamski had become quite paranoid by that time.[10]

The voice of the aliens was produced by recording Paul Frees—in an uncredited role—on reel-to-reel audio tape. The speed control was then rapidly turned up and down by hand while the tape was played back, which had the effect of causing Frees's voice to waver in pitch as well as speed.[11]

## Reception

[edit]

Drive-in advertisement from 1956 for Earth vs. the Flying Saucers and co-feature, The Werewolf.

A reviewer for Variety commented that the special effects were the real stars of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers: "This exploitation program does a satisfactory job of entertaining in the science-fiction class. The technical effects created by Ray Harryhausen come off excellently in the Charles H. Schneer production, adding the required out-of-this-world visual touch to the screenplay, taken from a screen story by Curt Siodmak, suggested by Major Donald E. Keyhoe's Flying Saucers from Outer Space."[12][13] The Los Angeles Times was also fairly positive, writing that although the saucers "look like art department concoctions", the film still "has a sort of pseudoscientific charm".[1] The Monthly Film Bulletin gave a negative review, stating that the "semi-documentary technique" was "pretentious" and the use of stock footage, "crude model-work", and most of the best-known science-fiction clichés made the movie "a long-winded and rather bleak invasion from outer space".[14] Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was also negative, calling it "utter nonsense that is childishly and humorlessly put forth".[15]

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers spawned a subgenre of subsequent flying saucer films, many of which incorporated elements contributed by Harryhausen to the seminal movie.[8] In an article for The New York Times, film reviewer Hal Erickson noted, "Anyone who's seen the 1996 science-fiction lampoon Mars Attacks! may have trouble watching Earth vs. the Flying Saucers with a straight face". The later film could be seen as a campy homage to the era, especially the innovations of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers.[16]

## Legacy

[edit]

The four-issue comic book miniseries Flying Saucers vs. the Earth (2008), released by TidalWave Productions as part of their Ray Harryhausen Signature Series, reimagines the events of the film from the perspective of the alien invaders, identified in the comics as the Sons of Aberrann.[17] A preview of the first issue was included on the 50th-anniversary DVD release of the film.[18]

The film is partially featured in the Breaking Bad episode "Cancer Man".

## See also

[edit]

* Fearful Attack of the Flying Saucers (1956 Japanese independent film)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Saucers Fly on Screens". Los Angeles Times: B10. June 14, 1956. "... in a little over five minutes last night at the opening of this Columbia film..."
2. ^ "The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956." Variety Weekly, January 2, 1957.
3. ^ "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers AKA Invasion of the Flying Saucers." moria.co. Retrieved: January 6, 2015.
4. ^ "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers". American Film Institute Catalog. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
5. ^ Jacobs 2008, pp. 11–16.
6. ^ McGee, Mark Thomas; Robertson, R.J. (2013). "You Won't Believe Your Eyes". Bear Manor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-273-2. Page 254
7. ^ Dixon, Wheeler Winston. "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers". Frame by Frame blog. Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 2015. Retrieved: January 6, 2015.
8. ^ a b Wood, Bret. "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 6, 2015..
9. ^ "Movie Crash - Earth vs. The Flying Saucers".
10. ^ Hankin 2008, p. 146.
11. ^ Hagerty and Rogers 2008, p. 204.
12. ^ "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" (abridged online version), Variety, December 31, 1955, p. 6, 16.
13. ^ "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" (original scan) Variety, December 31, 1955, p. 6, 16.
14. ^ "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 24, no. 276\. British Film Institute. 1957. p. 70.
15. ^ Crowther, Bosley (August 5, 1956). "A Blessed Relief". The New York Times: X1.
16. ^ Erickson, Hal. "Overview: Earth vs. the Flying Saucers." The New York Times. Retrieved: January 6, 2015.
17. ^ "Ray Harryhausen's "Flying Saucers VS The Earth" #1 sells out". CBR.com. 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
18. ^ "Ray Harryhausen's Collection". IGN. 2007-09-24. Retrieved 2017-09-24.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Hagerty, Jack and Jon Rogers. The Saucer Fleet. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Apogee Books, 2008. ISBN 978-1894959-70-4.
* Hankin, Mike. Ray Harryhausen: Master of the Majicks, Vol. 2: The American Films. Los Angeles, California: Archive Editions, 2008. ISBN 978-0-98178-290-4.
* Jacobs, David. "Flying Saucers from Outer Space — The inspiration behind Earth vs. the Flying Saucers." in Wilson, S. Michael. Monster Rally: Mutants, Monsters, Madness. West Orange, New Jersey: Idea Men Production, 2008. ISBN 978-1-4392-1519-7.
* Warren, Bill. Keep Watching the Skies: American Science Fiction Films of the Fifties, 21st Century Edition. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2009, (First edition 1982). ISBN 0-89950-032-3.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Earth vs. the Flying Saucers.

* Earth vs. the Flying Saucers at IMDb
* Earth vs. the Flying Saucers at AllMovie
* Earth vs. the Flying Saucers at the TCM Movie Database
* Earth vs. the Flying Saucers at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

* v
* t
* e

Films of Ray Harryhausen

Features|

* Mighty Joe Young (1949)
* The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
* It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)
* The Animal World (1956) (documentary)
* Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
* 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
* The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
* The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (1960)
* Mysterious Island (1961)
* Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
* First Men in the Moon (1964)
* One Million Years B.C. (1966)
* The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
* The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
* Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
* Clash of the Titans (1981)

Shorts|

* How to Bridge a Gorge (1942)
* Tulips Shall Grow (1942)
* Guadalcanal (1943)
* Mother Goose Stories (1946)
* The Story of Little Red Riding Hood (1949)
* The Story of Rapunzel (1951)
* The Story of Hansel and Gretel (1951)
* The Story of King Midas (1953)
* The Story of The Tortoise & the Hare (2002, begun 1953)

* v
* t
* e

Works by Curt Siodmak

Novel|

* Donovan's Brain (1942)

Film|

| Screenplay|

* People on Sunday (1930)
* Le Bal (1931)
* F.P.1 (1932)
* Girls Will Be Boys (1934)
* It's a Bet (1935)
* The Loves of Madame Dubarry (1935)
* The Tunnel (1935)
* Abdul the Damned (1935, uncredited)
* Non-Stop New York (1937)
* Her Jungle Love (1938)
* The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
* Black Friday (1940)
* The Ape (1940)
* Pacific Blackout (1941)
* The Wolf Man (1941)
* Invisible Agent (1942)
* I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
* Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
* The Climax (1944)
* Frisco Sal (1945)
* Shady Lady (1945)
* The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)
* Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949)
* Bride of the Gorilla (1951)
* The Magnetic Monster (1953)
* Riders to the Stars (1954)
* Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962)

|

Story|

* Son of Dracula (1943)
* House of Frankenstein (1944)
* Berlin Express (1948)
* Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

Director|

* People on Sunday (1930)
* Bride of the Gorilla (1951)
* The Magnetic Monster (1953)
* Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1957)
* Love Slaves of the Amazons (1958)
* The Devil's Messenger (1961, uncredited)

* v
* t
* e

Films produced by Sam Katzman

Showmen's/
Screencraft|

* His Private Secretary (1933)
* Police Call (1933)
* Ship of Wanted Men (1933)
* Public Stenographer (1934)
* The Moth (1934)
* The Big Race (1934)
* St. Louis Woman (1934)

Supreme|

* A Demon for Trouble (1934)
* Western Justice (1934)
* The Brand of Hate (1934)
* Smokey Smith (1935)
* Tombstone Terror (1935)
* Trail of Terror (1935)
* Alias John Law (1935)
* Big Calibre (1935)
* Sundown Saunders (1935)
* Brand of the Outlaws (1936)
* The Kid Ranger (1936)

Victory|

| Peter B. Kyne|

* Danger Ahead (1935)
* Hot Off the Press (1935)
* Bars of Hate (1935)
* The Fighting Coward (1935)
* Taming the Wild (1936) aka Madcap
* A Face in the Fog (1936)
* Rio Grande Romance (1936)
* Kelly of the Secret Service (1936)

|

Tom Tyler|

* Rip Roarin' Buckaroo (1936)
* The Phantom of the Range (1936)
* Orphan of the Pecos (1937) (also d)
* Brothers of the West (1937) (also d)
* Cheyenne Rides Again (1937)
* Lost Ranch (1937) (also d)
* Mystery Range (1937)
* Feud of the Trail (1937)

Serials|

* Shadow of Chinatown (1936)
* Blake of Scotland Yard (1937)

Herman Brix|

* Two Minutes to Play (1936)
* Silks and Saddles (1936)
* Amateur Crook (1937) (also d)
* Flying Fists (1937)
* Million Dollar Racket (1937)
* Sky Racket (1937) (also d)

Tim McCoy|

* Six-Gun Trail (1938)
* Lightning Carson Rides Again (1938)
* Texas Wildcats (1939)
* Code of the Cactus (1939)
* Outlaws' Paradise (1939)
* Trigger Fingers (1939)
* The Fighting Renegade (1939)
* Straight Shooter (1939)

Puritan|

* The Rogues' Tavern (1936)

Monogram|

| East Side Kids|

* East Side Kids (1940)
* Boys of the City (1940)
* That Gang of Mine (1940)
* Pride of the Bowery (1941)
* Flying Wild (1941)
* Bowery Blitzkrieg (1941)
* Spooks Run Wild (1941)
* Mr. Wise Guy (1942)
* Let's Get Tough! (1942)
* Smart Alecks (1942)
* 'Neath Brooklyn Bridge (1942)
* Kid Dynamite (1942)
* Clancy Street Boys (1942)
* Ghosts on the Loose (1943)
* Mr. Muggs Steps Out (1943)
* Million Dollar Kid (1943)
* Follow the Leader (1944)
* Block Busters (1944)
* Bowery Champs (1944)
* Docks of New York (1945)
* Mr. Muggs Rides Again (1945)
* Come Out Fighting (1945)

|

Bela Lugosi|

* Invisible Ghost (1941)
* Bowery at Midnight (1942)
* The Corpse Vanishes (1942)
* Black Dragons (1942)
* The Ape Man (1943)
* Voodoo Man (1944)
* Return of the Ape Man (1944)

Musicals|

* Zis Boom Bah (1942)

Billy Gilbert|

* Spotlight Scandals (1943)
* Crazy Knights (1944)
* Three of a Kind (1944)
* Trouble Chasers (1945)

The Teen-Agers|

* Junior Prom (1946)
* Freddie Steps Out (1946)
* High School Hero (1946)
* Vacation Days (1947)

Columbia|

| Serials|

* Who's Guilty? (1945)
* Jungle Raiders (1945)
* Brenda Starr, Reporter (1945)
* Hop Harrigan (1946)
* Chick Carter, Detective (1946)
* Son of the Guardsman (1946)
* Jack Armstrong (1947)
* The Vigilante (1947)
* The Sea Hound (1947)
* Brick Bradford (1947)
* Congo Bill (1948)
* Tex Granger (1948)
* Superman (1948)
* Adventures of Sir Galahad (1949)
* Batman and Robin (1949)
* Bruce Gentry – Daredevil of the Skies (1949)
* Pirates of the High Seas (1950)
* Atom Man vs. Superman (1950)
* Cody of the Pony Express (1950)
* Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (1951)
* The Mysterious Island (1951)
* Roar of the Iron Horse (1951)
* Son of Geronimo (1952)
* Blackhawk (1952)
* The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd (1953)
* The Lost Planet (1953)
* Riding with Buffalo Bill (1954)
* Gunfighters of the Northwest (1954)
* Adventures of Captain Africa Mighty Jungle Avenger! (1955)
* Perils of the Wilderness (1956)
* Blazing the Overland Trail (1956)

|

Jean Porter|

* Betty Co-Ed (1946)
* Little Miss Broadway (1947)
* Sweet Genevieve (1947)
* Two Blondes and a Redhead (1947)

Jon Hall|

* Last of the Redskins (1947)
* The Prince of Thieves (1948)
* The Mutineers (1949)
* Hurricane Island (1951)
* When the Redskins Rode (1951)
* Brave Warrior (1952)
* Last Train from Bombay (1952)

Jungle Jim|

* Jungle Jim (1948)
* The Lost Tribe (1949)
* Mark of the Gorilla (1950)
* Captive Girl (1950)
* Pygmy Island (1950)
* Fury of the Congo (1951)
* Jungle Manhunt (1951)
* Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land (1952)
* Voodoo Tiger (1952)
* Savage Mutiny (1953)
* Valley of the Head Hunters (1953)
* Killer Ape (1953)
* Jungle Man-Eaters (1954)
* Cannibal Attack (1954)
* Jungle Moon Men (1955)
* Devil Goddess (1956)

Gloria Henry|

* Racing Luck (1948)
* Triple Threat (1948)

Gloria Jean|

* I Surrender Dear (1948)
* Manhattan Angel (1949)

Musical|

* Mary Lou (1948)
* Glamour Girl (1948)

Crime|

* Chinatown at Midnight (1949)
* State Penitentiary (1950)
* Revenue Agent (1950)
* Chain Gang (1950)
* The Miami Story (1954)
* Chicago Syndicate (1955)
* The Crooked Web (1955)
* Inside Detroit (1955)
* Teen-Age Crime Wave (1955)
* Miami Exposé (1956)
* Rumble on the Docks (1956)
* Escape from San Quentin (1957)
* The Tijuana Story (1957)
* The World Was His Jury (1958)

William Castle|

* Serpent of the Nile (1953)
* Fort Ti (1953)
* Slaves of Babylon (1953)
* Conquest of Cochise (1953)
* The Law vs. Billy the Kid (1954)
* Jesse James vs. the Daltons (1954)
* Masterson of Kansas (1954)
* The Battle of Rogue River (1954)
* Charge of the Lancers (1954)
* Drums of Tahiti (1954)
* The Saracen Blade (1954)
* The Iron Glove (1954)
* Duel on the Mississippi (1955)
* The Gun That Won the West (1955)
* New Orleans Uncensored (1955)
* Uranium Boom (1956)
* The Houston Story (1956)

Action|

* Barbary Pirate (1949)
* The Mutineers (1949)
* Last of the Buccaneers (1950)
* Tyrant of the Sea (1950)
* The Magic Carpet (1951)
* The Golden Hawk (1952)
* Thief of Damascus (1952)
* Prisoners of the Casbah (1953)
* Flame of Calcutta (1953)
* Siren of Bagdad (1953)
* Prince of Pirates (1953)
* Target Hong Kong (1953)
* The 49th Man (1953)
* Pirates of Tripoli (1955)
* Crash Landing (1958)

War|

* Purple Heart Diary (1951)
* A Yank in Korea (1951)
* The Pathfinder (1952)
* A Yank in Indo-China (1952)
* Sky Commando (1953)
* Mission Over Korea (1953)
* The Last Blitzkrieg (1959)
* The Enemy General (1960)

Western|

* California Conquest (1952)
* Jack McCall, Desperado (1953)
* Seminole Uprising (1955)

* Blackjack Ketchum, Desperado (1956)
* Utah Blaine (1957)
* The Wild Westerners (1962)

Sci-fi|

* Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)
* It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)
* Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
* The Werewolf (1956)
* The Man Who Turned to Stone (1957)
* The Giant Claw (1957)
* Zombies of Mora Tau (1957)
* The Night the World Exploded (1957)
* Lock Up Your Daughters (1959)

Rock Musical|

* Rock Around the Clock (1956)
* Cha-Cha-Cha Boom! (1956)
* Calypso Heat Wave (1957)
* Don't Knock the Rock (1957)
* Juke Box Rhythm (1959)
* Twist Around the Clock (1961)
* Don't Knock the Twist (1961)

Drama|

* Going Steady (1958)
* Life Begins at 17 (1958)
* The Flying Fontaines (1959)
* The Love-Ins (1967)
* For Singles Only (1968)

Fox|

* Pirates of Tortuga (1961)
* The Wizard of Baghdad (1961)

TV|

* Tallahassee 7000 (1961)

MGM|

| Musicals|

* Hootenanny Hoot (1963)
* Get Yourself a College Girl (1964)
* Kissin' Cousins (1964)
* Your Cheatin' Heart (1964)
* Harum Scarum (1965)
* When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965)
* Hold On! (1966)
* The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967)
* A Time to Sing (1968)

|

Non-musical|

* Hot Rods to Hell (1967)
* Riot on Sunset Strip (1967) (sold to AIP)
* The Young Runaways (1968)

Other|

* Angel, Angel, Down We Go (1969)
* How to Succeed with Sex (1970)
* The Loners (1972)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template