Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

Director:

Fred F. Sears

Writers (WGA):

Donald E. Keyhoe (book)
Curt Siodmak (screen story)

Release Date:

July 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Before You Scoff at Flying Saucers - See the Greatest SHOCK Film of All Time !

Plot:

Extra-terrestrials flying in high tech flying saucers contact scientist Dr. Russell Marvin as part of a plan to enslave the inhabitants of Planet Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Rocket | Flying Saucer | General | Tape Recorder

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Hugh Marlowe	...	Dr. Russell A. Marvin
Joan Taylor	...	Carol Marvin
Donald Curtis	...	Maj. Huglin, Liason Officer
Morris Ankrum	...	Brig. Gen. John Hanley
John Zaremba	...	Prof. Kanter
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Vice Adm. Enright (as Tom Browne Henry)
Grandon Rhodes	...	Gen. Edmunds
Larry J. Blake	...	Motorcycle cop (as Larry Blake)

Also Known As:

Invasion of the Flying Saucers

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:12 (nf) | USA:Approved (Certificate #17854) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Hyperion Water Treatment Facility - 12000 Vista Del Mar, Playa del Rey, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Clover Productions

Trivia:

Some of the footage showing citizens being loaded on a bus for evacuation is stock footage from The War of the Worlds (1953).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The car interiors don't match. They must have used a Ford interior for all scenes. He is driving a 1955 Mercury. Outside shots show a light and dark interior of a Mercury and inside it is all Ford.

Quotes:

Dr. Russell Marvin: [talking into tape recorder] To the best of my knowledge my wife and I are the only ones left alive since we have not seen or heard from anyone for hours.

Movie Connections:

Features The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

My favorite Si Fi, for obvious reasons

I always wondered how they managed to pick the name of the main character in this movie (Dr. Russell A. Marvin). That is my name, and it is very uncommon. When I saw the credits in the IMDB, I realized the answer. The inspiration for this movie was a book by Donald E. Keyhoe, who was consulted on this film. In 1956, Keyhoe started an organization called NICAP (National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena). In 1956, I was a real flying saucer enthusiast, and was one of the very first people to join NICAP. I believe that they picked my name off of Keyhoe's membership list. I was 14 years old at the time. Anyway, it's a good flick with some great special effects (done the old fashioned way) by the legendary Ray Harryhausen.