Rocketship X-M (1950)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Kurt Neumann

Writers:

Orville H. Hampton (additional dialogue)
Kurt Neumann (writer)

Release Date:

2 June 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Most Amazing Story Ever Filmed!

Plot:

Astronauts (Lloyd Bridges, Osa Massen, John Emery, Noah Beery, Jr., and Hugh O'Brien) blast off to explore the moon on...

Plot Keywords:

Mars | Caveman | Martian | Rocket Ship | Reverse Footage

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Lloyd Bridges	...	Col. Floyd Graham
Osa Massen	...	Dr. Lisa Van Horn
John Emery	...	Dr. Karl Eckstrom
Noah Beery Jr.	...	Maj. William Corrigan
Hugh O'Brian	...	Harry Chamberlain
Morris Ankrum	...	Dr. Ralph Fleming
Patrick Aherne	...	Reporter #1 (as Patrick Ahern)
Sherry Moreland	...	Martian girl
John Dutra	...	Physician
Kathy Marlowe	...	Reporter (as Katherine Marlowe)

Also Known As:

Expedition Moon
None Came Back (USA) (working title)
Rocket to the Moon (USA) (working title)
Rocketship Expedition Moon (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (1996)

Filming Locations:

Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Company:

Lippert Pictures

Trivia:

In the 1970s businessman Wade Williams acquired the rights to Rocketship X-M and proceeded to produce new special effects sequences to take the place of the film's original effects scenes. New shots included a model of the rocket in space, sequences depicting the ship descending toward and taking off from Mars, re-filmed sequences on Mars with new actors, and the use of stock footage of an actual nighttime rocket take-off in the launch sequence at the start of the movie. These sequences were substituted for original footage that was cut from the film, and were seen on the initial VHS and DVD releases in the US. In the 1990s, however, much of this substitute footage was removed and the original scenes restored. The only remaining updated effects sequences occur in the initial launch from Earth, and shots of the rocket landing on and departing from Mars (all of which used stock footage of a V-2 rocket in the original). However, the complete, uncut, original version of the film remains unavailable.

Goofs:

Continuity: Weightlessness appears to affect some props (harmonica, jacket), but not others (sandwich, papers, long hair, ties).

Quotes:

Harry: From this distance it would only appear a mere speck.
Major Corrigan: A mere speck? *Texas* a mere speck?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

An early anti-nuclear war film done with imagination and style.

Despite what we would now consider laughable scientific goofs, this science-fiction film carried itself well as a dramatic film. The actors were all solid professionals. The Martian settings were believable. The sentiments, while a bit pretentious, were sincere and laudable. It was an early attempt at mature science-fiction and succeeded better than many more polished, but cynical efforts that came later on.