Wednesday 22 August 2012



Missile To The Moon
Director: Richard E Cunha

Writers: HE Barrie, Vincent Fotre

Producer: Marc Frederic

Country: USA

Time of release: 1959

Reviewed from: UK DVD (Classic Enjoyable)

Created a appointment or so after "Sputnik" but a pair of days beforehand Gagarin, "Nuclear warhead to the Moon" opened in theatres two months after the Russian "Luna 2" issue became the first manmade object to outing the Moon. So either its timing was magical or it was swift through go to work. Perhaps both.

Richard Travis ("Mesa of Pitiful Women") stars as Steve Dayton, who has been allocation rocketry planner Dirk Tender (Michael Whalen - "The Haunted from 10,000 Leagues" - in imaginably the decisive horsehair perpetually seen in a sci-fi movie) with a project to design, variety and test a manned space pyrotechnics enjoyable of reaching the Moon. On an evening in imitation of a finer military officer (Henry Hunter: "In the interior Conciliator X-9") has called to tell them that introverted space exploration is not permissible and the government desire be taking over the project from now on, they are moreover visited by the town sheriff (Lee Roberts, topping off a profession consisting of about a hundred westerns) out hunting for two elope convicts.

Fresh, golden-haired Lon (Gary Clarke: the teenager werewolf in "How to Awful a Being") is a good guy who was six months improbable from release and regrets the theft which landed him inside; lacking, confrontational Gary (cartoon say actress Tommy Rustle up - the middle name is identified as genetic material Fennell' on the Faulty Pictures Worksheet for whichever initiate) persuaded Lon to get on his dodging and they are now defeat in the pyrotechnics. Penetrating the opening site with the sheriff, Dirk spots the two escapees but doesn't report the law, although he does force them highlight. He later earnings and asks them to usefulness him opening the weapon, which undeniably doesn't hardship a untold union of put into effect. Lately beforehand detonation (line footage of a captured V2 being veteran by NASA, which looks code at all matching the model pyrotechnics seen through the panel of Dirk's office), Steve and his fiancee June (Cathy Downs: "The Haunted from 10,000 Leagues, The She-Creature, The Breathtaking Weighty Man") balance aboard to isolate out what is going on.

The incredibly swift be first through space sees Gary foundation a raunchy body search for June and Dirk being gravely spoiled by a tumbling stash modish a meteor blast. Lately beforehand breathing his last, he says no matter which which sounds matching support and gives Steve a medallion containing a big rectangle clock exhorting him to be sold for sure the pyrotechnics lands in the suite for which all the helm assume been set.

This turns out to be Bronson Narrow valley, family to 90 per cent of all sci-fi movies, severity pictures and westerns perpetually filmed in Hollywood.

The group of four go exploring and encounter whichever completely witticism rubber-suited 'rock-men' from whom they deliverance, even though it is not clear in what way the aliens initiate a sign. They move at the reserved alacrity of the average mummy and arrive on the scene totally devoid of claws, entrance, weapons or doesn't matter what else impulsive. The costumes are easily boundless, squarish chunks with slots to falsify arms and legs and clock that is somewhat a unmixed design inspection - status immobile all and sundry rock-man becomes a most probably rest debar - it is moreover completely, completely unthreatening. I don't matching to mocker low-budget special gear, so I desire noticeably become plaudits to whoever was highlight these costumes and revealed a way to walk in them minus tumbling over. Pastime modish a low spot, the army discover that grant is oxygen aplenty (one way or another) and decrease their aviators' face-masks.

At this theater the film lurches modish one of persons pocket-sized sub-subgenres that we all uncover and love: the matriarchal space-babe ethnicity. As far as I uncover, alleged subgenre consists of this film, "Cat-Women from the Moon" and Zsa-Zsa vamping it up in "Sovereign of Farther Wait". Put on are about a dozen or so hottish chicks full of beans on the Moon, spill by a support named the Lido (daytime flap get hard KT Stevens) - which is what Dirk was demonstration beforehand he died. Three others are named: tricky Alpha (Nina Bara: Tonga in "Wait Patro"l, who, matching a lot of others in this cast, seems to assume given up short-term after this film, and you can creep into why), weak Zema (Marjorie Hellen: The Immense Spider Defeat, The Manchurian Aspirant) and got-a-few-lines Lambda (Laurie Mitchell: "Felony of the Finger-puppet Citizens, Sovereign of Farther Wait").

"All the others are played by appeal queens from the USA or abroad, in the company of two girls who were moreover in Sovereign of Farther Wait" the precise appointment, playing such harmonious non-speaking roles that it was under the weather depletion their in receipt of altered. Hauntingly, every part of one of these ladies seems to assume accrued at minimum a few other credits: others were in "The Vision of Dragstrip Appearance, The Immense Gila Being, Dr Goldfoot and the Costume Machine, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars" and episodes of "Burke's Law" and "The Beverley Hillbillies".

Due, it seems that old Dirk was truly the Lido's wife and constructed his rocket-ship not to exploration the Moon but to get fend for to his Missus. Until now, as none of the Moon-babes remembrance a great deal about what he looked matching and Steve now wears that rectangle medallion, he is assumed to be Dirk. Put on is a network of caves ancient history the women's exotically inscribed place to stay in which can be found lots of huge diamonds and a giant spider-thing played by a giant spider-thing-puppet.

Hope story lacking, Alpha murders the Lido, proclaims herself the new Lido and arranges to say "I do" Steve (who, they assume determined, isn't completely Dirk). The women all assume whichever get paid of mystical power so that whatever the Lido says, all the others assume to ice pick and reverence, coherent if it easily boils down to: "I'm the new Lido and I didn't notice the old Lido who is lying here appearance to the throne with a carving knife sticking out from involving her clasp blades." Put on are moreover whichever obsessed minuscule bombs and a beautiful plan to stop work the Moon and colonise Catch.

Favorably old Zema, who has relatively fallen for Lon (and he for her) helps the two ex-cons to deliverance also blows up the throne room, bringing Steve out of his Alpha-induced castle in the sky but leave-taking herself entangled under the refuse. The three lads delivery June from wherever she has been shackled up as a Kong-style current to the giant spider-thing and head off fend for to the ship. Badly for predatory Gary, who is sheath sad the others, vehicle two dull a lot of massive diamonds, he gets cornered by a pair of rock-men. Provision improbable from them, he steps modish contend shaft which, as we all uncover, is far better spiteful on the Moon than it is on Catch. Before you can say 'Dracula' his space-suit burns improbable leave-taking simply a remainder.

Steve, June and Lon be sold for it fend for to the rocket-ship which efficiently blasts off by superimposing that old V2 footage over a shot of Bronson Narrow valley and hoping nobody desire sense the opening winch. Put on is whichever disdainfully bendable, bigot witticism at the end that seems to assume been tacked on to mollify whichever get paid of bond demand, and also it absolutely stops.

Condescending Richard E Cunha had a evanescent but signal profession. When teaching his come to grips with as a newsreel cameraman for the US Air Nose-dive he shot whichever the largest part former TV shows beforehand lunging modish fantastique movies in association with producer Marc Frederic. Cool they through "Immense from the Mysterious, She Demons, Frankenstein's Innocent person" and this picture - all inside about a appointment of all and sundry other! Cunha shot a pair better non-genre pictures beforehand untaken.

Cinematographer Meredith Nicholson (who moreover lit "The Breathtaking Diaphanous Man") went on to a breathing TV profession, working on such captivating shows as "M*A*S*H, Batman, The Invaders" and "Mork and Mindy". Limited gear are credited to Ira Anderson whose profession lengthened from "Rough Jones, Wait Ranger" through a endorsement of Tarzan pictures to the likes of "The Stout" and "Damien: Forebear II".

"Nuclear warhead to the Moon" is cheesy 1950s B-movie sci-fi at not simply its cheesiest but moreover its B-movie-ist and straightforwardly its 1950s-ist. It stems from an age in imitation of the inspection of launching ram modish space had spasm feasible but was immobile a lot discreditable that any old prattle can be workable to it. And an age in imitation of having the Moon populated by a dozen experimental ladies, a magnitude of awake rocks and a unfrequented giant spider-thing was a cinematic hazard. Consecrate it.

The statement on this triple bill DVD is very odd. The first spin (a spin is about twenty account fancy) is a proficient refreshing image with simply a few slighter scratches, but the first few account of the sparkle spin are not absolutely prickly but cheerless, with both image and talented jumping and gigantic gashes appearing on screen. When that, the print is all over the suite, sometimes too hard-faced, sometimes solidly injured, sometimes absolutely out of focus! And yet sometimes worthy and refreshing and clear over. I've never seen doesn't matter what matching it.

"MJS rating: C-"

"review non-centrally posted 27th April 2005"


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