Fantasy, Superhero, and Sci Fi Films (1950-1960s)!

We are going through the years looking at fantasy and sci fi movies and the last part covered early cinema up to the 40’s.  Now the 50’s, heavy sci fi, starting with Destination Moon (1950) produced by George Pal, hard sci fi. It won the Academy Award for special effects.  Then, we had The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) directed by Robert Wise that started off the alien invasions, in this case led by Klaatu.  We also had a lone superhero film, Superman and the Mole Men (1951), which featured George Reeves as Superman. He was of course featured in the Adventures of Superman (1952-1958) tv show.  Clark Kent and Phyllis Coates’ Lois Lane investigate a town terrified by the short, underground Mole Men.  1953 had The War of the Worlds which had George Pal’s Academy Award winning visual effects.  It was incredibly influential leading to a tv series (1988-1990) and a Steven Spielberg remake 52 years later.   

1954 had Ulysses with Kirk Douglas which led to the Italian myth hero movies like Hercules (1957) with Steve Reeves. Kirk Douglas was also on the Nautilus in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), a spectacular use of effects that won the Academy Award, also for art direction.  It is a fine adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic novel.  One of the most impressive sci fi films is Forbidden Planet (1956) which had a sci fi twist on The Shakespeare’s The Tempest with Robbie the Robot as Caliban.  The stunning Anne Francis takes the Miranda role as Altaira.  Highly recommended for all viewers. 1958 brought one of the most interesting fantasy trends, the Ray Harryhausen stop animated film, with The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.  It featured Kerwin Matthews as the captain in Arabian adventures.  1959, had one of the most stunning fantasy films, Darby O’Gill and the Little People which had the king of the leprechauns and Sean Connery singing!  There was also Pat Boone exploring the underground world in Journey to the Center of the Earth. 

The 60’s again belong to sci fi with 1960’s The Time Machine directed by George Pal, it is the best time travel movie, and a must for any interested in time travel movies based on H.G. Wells’ novel.  It won the Academy Award for visual effects.  There was also a remake, The Thief of Baghdad with Steve Reeves, I think this is the version I remember as a horse with wings glued on, pass.  Ray Harryhausen provided the giant little people perspective with The Three Worlds of Gulliver again with Kerwin Matthews.  George Pal was known for directing cinematic visions of sci fi and fantasy.  In this case Atlantis, the Lost Continent, it has incredible visuals for the time, and is my favorite of Atlantis on film.  There is a guy painted as a sea god and paper mache minotaurs, but the miniatures are great.  1961 had the top film of my youth, Mysterious Island, another Harryhausen classic based on the Jules Verne sci fi novel with a giant crab and giant bees.  It was the film they played on rainy days.  There was also had Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) by Irwin Allen which covered the travels of the Seaview that later became a tv series.  

The same director, star, and villain of Seventh Voyage of Sinbad were reunited in Jack the Giant Killer (1962), but was lost without Harryhausen effects.  George Pal entered fairy tale lands with The Wonderful World of Brothers Grimm (1962).  We have Harryhausen returning to myths with one of his well regarded films, Jason and the Argonauts (1963).  The skeleton fight at the end is a masterpiece of visual effects.  Guy Williams appeared as Captain Sinbad (1963). Ray Harryhausen brought us a sci fi vision with First Men in the Moon (1964) which had stop motion Selenites and Moon Cows.  George Pal’s last film, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) with Tony Randall as the mysterious doctor bringing a sideshow of the some of the most incredible creatures.  Still the highlight of the year was Disney’s Mary Poppins filled with cinematic fantasy lands and characters.  It won five Academy Awards including visual effects. 1966 had another version of One Million B.C. this time with Harryhausen effects bringing to life the dinosaurs.  Raquel Welch was also a vision in her fur bikini.  

Fahrenheit 451 (1966) was based on Ray Bradbury’s novel lost some of it’s edge.  There was also Fantastic Voyage (1966) which had scientists on a submarine Proteus to be shrunken to save a patient. This film won the Academy Awards for best art direction and visual effects.  1968, the James Bond team produced Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Dick Van Dyke lead the film, but I just remember it as disturbing with the child catcher. We also had one of the most ongoing sci fi films starting with Planet of the Apes (1968) which had incredible make-up effects by John Chambers.  This led to four sequels, two television shows, a remake by Tim Burton in 2001 and another trilogy from 2011 to 2017.  It was also the year that Stanley Kubrick directed 2001: a space odyssey (1968) one of the best films, period.  It is a powerful film, hard sci fi with a story by Arthur C. Clarke. The number of sci fi and fantasy films are diverse and show the audience’s appetite for the fantastic.  The few superhero movies are closely tied to television shows with Superman in the 50’s and Batman in the 60’s.  

#TheTimeMachine, #7thVoyageofSinbad, #PlanetoftheApes, #2001aspaceodyssey