The Flying Saucer (1950) by #MikelConrad
w/#PatGarrison #HantzvonTeuffen
The CIA sends a rich playboy to Alaska to investigate flying saucer sightings.
“Streaking out of the unknown comes a strange new terror!”
“Have we visitors from outer space?”
\#SciFi #Thriller
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn
The Flying Saucer (1950) was apparently the first movie ever made about a flying saucer. It even starts with an acknowledgement of those in authority who made the release of The Flying Saucer possible at this time. Hmmm… sounds like it was a very serious project, and that the director really wanted to get the facts right. Perhaps we’ll all learn something before the movie is through…
The first thing I learned while watching the credits is that Mikel Conrad not only stars in it, but he came up with the original story – and he directed it. So if nothing else, we’ll know who to blame if The Flying Saucer turns out to be a dud…
Shhh… It’s starting!
A flying saucer zips over a tranquil nature scene – and then we cut to a bunch of newspaper headlines about a flying saucer being seen over Idaho, Tokyo, Borneo, etc.
It seems that both the USA and the Russians are convinced that the UFO would be the perfect way of zipping around with atomic bombs – and neither country wants the other to get control of that technology. So they’re both trying to find the UFO first.
So what is The Flying Saucer about?
The USA wants to send known playboy Mike Trent (played by the filmmaker) back to Alaska, his home state. No one will suspect he’s a spy because he’s actually from there. But Mike says no way, he’s having too much fun in New York. They pull the old “do it for your country“ schtick. He reluctantly agrees to go.
They plant stories in the newspapers about him having a nervous breakdown and wanting to go home to recuperate. They also send a nurse with him to make it look good. And boy does she look good to Mike (he’s a playboy, remember?). Her name is Vee Langley, and she’s played by Pat Garrison (who only has two credits on the IMDb – and one is as Roulette Croupier in Lost in America (1985); one has to wonder if that was really the same actress… but I digress…).
So what is The Flying Saucer like?
It’s a bit like a travelogue of Alaska. Lots of beautiful scenery. Vee, the undercover agent posing as a nurse, asks Mike to tell her about the glacier, which he does. It all seems to be shot on location, and it looks good.
The last movie I watched at the home-drive-in, Invasion of the Animal People (1959), started with a couple of UFO sightings early on – and then not a whole lot else happened (at least in the sci-fi department), for a long time. The Flying Saucer seems to be following that same blueprint. Or perhaps I should say it’s establishing a blueprint that Invasion of the Animal People will follow nine years later… The Flying Saucer is the O.G. flying saucer movie, after all.
So, what DOES happen in this movie?
It becomes a weird kind of travelogue romance. There’s a slight espionage aspect to it. They’re supposedly undercover, but he’s not taking it seriously, and is shooting his mouth off in front of people who might actually be Russian agents for all we know.
It’s also a really small scale story. The two main characters are mostly alone in a remote cabin. However, there is a man named Hans, who seems to be the servant and/or caretaker of the place. Could he possibly be an enemy agent…?
So, that’s it?
Well… 25 minutes into the movie we see another UFO. Mike is still a little reluctant to believe in the UFO, but once he accepts the truth, he decides he should go to Juneau to talk to his old buddies and find out if they know anything about it. Vee says no, we must stick to our mission.
Just how does this “mission” work, anyway? All they do is sit in an isolated cabin together. Shouldn’t they be trying to find evidence of this UFO – or the UFO itself? You would think their “mission” would involve mixing with the people, and talking to them, to find out what’s going on. Just sitting in a cabin in the middle of nowhere doesn’t seem like the fastest path to the truth.
So what’s the verdict for The Flying Saucer?
The Flying Saucer (1950) is #NotQuiteClassicCinema with a certain charm, but not much in the way of monsters or horror or science fiction. It’s more of a weird mystery/espionage story. And not a very clever or memorable one. It’s a pleasant enough way to pass some time, especially if you appreciate beautiful scenery. But I don’t think it will ever become a personal favourite for me. I’m glad a finally saw it, but it will likely be a one time only screening on a #FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn.
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn
The Flying Saucer (1950) by #MikelConrad
w/#PatGarrison #HantzvonTeuffen
The CIA sends a rich playboy to Alaska to investigate flying saucer sightings.
“Streaking out of the unknown comes a strange new terror!”#SciFi #Thriller#NotQuiteClassicCinema pic.twitter.com/MWkxZThSxw— Angus Kohm (@AngusKohm) August 17, 2024
