Rocketship X-M (1950)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Kurt Neumann

Writers:

Orville H. Hampton (additional dialogue)
Kurt Neumann (written by)

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 | Martian | Caveman | Rocket Crash | Theremin

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:

When the film was originally released theatrically in 1950, the sequences on Mars were tinted red so as to impart a sense of the alien Red Planet into the black-and-white film. But subsequent TV prints did not reproduce this effect, and for decades the Martian scenes were shown only in black-and-white until the red tint was restored for home video in the early 1980s.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Under thrust the people in the rocket would not experience zero gravity. The thrust would provide acceleration which would cause all loose objects to be pushed down in the opposite direction of the force.

Quotes:

Floyd: I've been wondering, how did a girl like you get mixed up in a thing like this in the first place.
Dr. Lisa Van Horn: I suppose you think that women should only cook and sew and bear children.
Floyd: Isn't that enough?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us (2005) (TV)

Low budget sci-fi flick packs a punch

Hot on the heels of George Pal's publicity blitz for "Destination Moon" producer Lippert punched this quickie out in an attempt to cash-in at the box office. Pal threatened to sue if Lippert took his rocket to the moon at Pal's advertising expense;Lippert decided to avoid the court and 'knocked' his rocket off course-hence a trip to Mars ensues. Or so the legend goes! what remains is a tight sci-fi soap opera featuring a great supporting cast, and an ominous prediction for our future. By today's standards it is better than "Destination", and made for a fraction of the cost.