The Man from Planet X (1951)

Director:

Edgar G. Ulmer

Writers:

Aubrey Wisberg (written by) and
Jack Pollexfen (written by)

Release Date:

27 April 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The WEIRDEST Visitor the Earth has ever seen!

Plot:

To study a rogue planet heading for a near-miss with Earth, Prof. Elliot sets up an observatory on the foggy moors of a remote Scottish island...

Plot Keywords:

Planet | Scientist | Reporter | Island | Scotland

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Robert Clarke	...	John Lawrence
Margaret Field	...	Enid Elliot
Raymond Bond	...	Professor Elliot
William Schallert	...	Dr. Mears
Roy Engel	...	Tommy the Constable
David Ormont	...	Inspector Porter
Gilbert Fallman	...	Dr. Robert Blane
Tom Daly	...	Donal, a searcher
June Jeffery	...	Wife of Missing Man

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #15073) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Sherrill C. Corwin Productions

Trivia:

Filmed in six days.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the alien's gas regulator begins to malfunction when he first confronts Lawrence and Elliott, he tries to turn the knob on his suit while standing up. But the close-up of him trying to turn the knob is an insert shot of a scene late in the film, when he is lying on the ground and again attempting to turn the knob back on.

Quotes:

Professor Elliot: Your statement has the tinge of fantasy.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Monster Mania (1997) (TV)

Watchable but also kind of dull

This film certainly WON'T rank up there with the great sci-fi films of the 1950s. And, while it isn't a bad film (like PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE), it certainly doesn't have a whole lot to offer or to set it apart.

Planet X apparently has somehow left its orbit and is heading towards Earth. At the same time, a space craft from this planet lands in Britain and is piloted by a guy dressed up in a space suit with a huge papier mache head! He's supposed to be an alien, but his head shows no movement at all and looks pretty silly. And, oddly, by the time the film is over, you really have no idea whether or not his intentions were hostile! The acting was okay, though oddly, aside from the locals, the major characters in the film who were Brits sounded exactly like Americans! They didn't even try to approximate the correct accent. This combined with only adequate production values and a pretty turgid script mean this film is very skip-able unless you are a big fan of 1950s sci-fi.