Monthly Archives: June 2024

Project Moon Base (1953) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for Project Moon Base (1953)Project Moon Base (1953) by #RichardTalmadge
co-written by #RobertAHeinlein
w/#DonnaMartell #HaydenRorke #RossFord

A saboteur posing as a scientist strives to destroy the world’s first space station.

“They found romance 100,000 miles from the earth!”

“The Next Frontier of Adventure!”

#SciFi #Espionage #Thriller
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

Project Moon Base (1953) opens with a quick history lesson that starts in 1948 and goes up to 1970. In case you didn’t notice, this movie came out in 1953, so this history lesson was entirely fictional and speculative, and of course (as we now know), completely inaccurate. But that’s the nature of science fiction (or speculative fiction). Some visionaries, like Jules Verne, manage to predict things like electric submarines and television newscasts. Others, like the makers of Project Moon Base, well, here’s what they saw coming… Continue reading →

Spaceways (1953) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for Spaceways (1953)Spaceways (1953) by #TerenceFisher
w/#HowardDuff #EvaBartok

While working on sending the first artificial satellite into high orbit, two scientists blast off to solve a murder.

“Space is a cold place to die!”

“The screen’s first story of SPACE ISLANDS in the sky!”

#SciFi #Thriller
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

Spaceways (1953) begins with a very dramatic main title theme. The credits inform us that the movie was directed by Terrence Fisher, who would go on to a distinguished career working for companies like Hammer Films. He would direct some certified classics like Dracula (1958) and The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). So, the bar of expectations was immediately raised (for me) going into this relatively unknown movie… Continue reading →

The Night the World Exploded (1957) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for The Night the World Exploded (1957)The Night the World Exploded (1957) by #FredFSears
w/#KathrynGrant #WilliamLeslie

Scientists locate the epicentre of earthquake activity and find an explosive ore is working its way up from the depths of Earth.

“Super-quake tilts the earth!”:

“I am a scientist, I guess, but I’m a woman, too.”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

The Night the World Exploded (1957) begins with a scientist named Dr. Conway building a machine that somehow measures pressure and/or predicts things like earthquakes. He finishes it just in time to get a reading predicting a massive earthquake in the next 24 hours. He and his colleague, Dr. Morton, rush off to the capital city, where they try to warn the governor and convince him to evacuate one million people from the city. The governor doesn’t go for it because there’s no proof that these guys are right…

Of course the earthquake happens, and thousand die. But that’s not the worst of it. According to the machine, there are going to be several more earthquakes all over the world. And even THAT’s not the worst of it. Apparently the entire planet has already been knocked off of its axis by the first earthquake.

Something bad is clearly happening, but Drs Conway and Morton have no idea what it is. So they, along with beautiful scientist Laura “Hutch” Hutchinson, set out to find some answers… Continue reading →

The Amazing Colossal Man (1957) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)

The Amazing Colossal Man (1957) by #BertIGordon
w/#GlennLangan #CathyDowns

After sustaining fatal radiation burns, an Army colonel miraculously heals & begins to grow larger.
“Savage Giant on a Blood-Mad Rampage!”
“Not even the U.S. Army can keep her away from the man she loved–but only the U.S. Army can save her from the monster he became!”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

I don’t think I ever saw The Amazing Colossal Man (1957) on late night TV when I was young – or any time since, for that matter. For some inexplicable reason I’ve seen the sequel, War of the Colossal Beast (1958), several times. Having seen photographs in magazines, and clips on TV (not to mention flashback scenes in War of the Colossal Beast), I’ve been wanting to see The Amazing Colossal Man for a long time. Last Friday I finally got my chance… Continue reading →

The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955) – Friday Night At The Home Drive-In

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Poster for The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955)The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955) by #DavidKramarsky
some scenes by #RogerCorman uncredited
w/#PaulBirch #LornaThayer #DonaCole

An alien makes birds, cows and other animals attack a ranch family.

“Prepare for a close encounter of the terrifying kind!”

“An unspeakable horror… Destroying… Terrifying!”:

#Horror #SciFi #RIPRogerCorman
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955) starts with a bang, as a voice speaks to us, explaining his intentions. His words are quite striking and catch your attention right away…

“I need this world. From millions of light-years away I approach your planet. Soon my spaceship will lands on Earth. I need your world. I feed on fear, live on human hatred. I, a strong mind, without flesh or blood, want your world. First the unthinking, the birds of the air, the animals of the forest, then the weaker of men, shall all do my bidding. They shall be my ears, my eyes, until your world is mine. And because I see your most secret acts, you will know me as The Beast with a Million Eyes!” Continue reading →