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Revision as of 17:28, 7 April 2015 by Bzuk (talk | contribs) (revised, expanded)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 1954 American film| Target Earth | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sherman A. Rose |
| Written by | Paul W. Fairman James H. Nicholson Wyott Ordung William Raynor |
| Produced by | Herman Cohen |
| Starring | Richard Denning Kathleen Crowley Virginia Grey Richard Reeves Robert Roark Mort Marshall |
| Cinematography | Guy Roe |
| Edited by | Sherman A. Rose |
| Music by | Paul Dunlap |
| Production companies | Abtcon Pictures, Inc. |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists Pictures Corporation |
| Release date |
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| Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100,000 |
Target Earth is an independently made 1954 science fiction film produced by Herman Cohen, directed by Sherman A. Rose, starring Richard Denning, Kathleen Crowley, Virginia Grey, and Whit Bissell. The film was distributed by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation
Target Earth tells the story of a deserted Chicago and a small group of people who have been overlooked during a mass evacuation of "the city that never sleeps" because of a sudden invasion by hostile robotic beings from the planet Venus.
Plot
After a suicide attempt, Nora King (Kathleen Crowley) revives and discovers that her building has no electricity or water. When she wanders out into the street, she realizes that she is in a deserted city. Stumbling over a dead women in the street, she encounters Frank Brooks (Richard Denning), another individual who has just recently come to his senses after being beaten in a robbery.
With her new companion, Nora continues to try to find others in the abandoned city. Hearing music from a restaurant, they come upon a couple, Jim Wilson (Richard Reeves) and Vicki Harris (Virginia Grey) who are drunk and admit they were not able to be evacuated with the rest of the city. The group then continues to search the streets, coming upon a car that will not start. Another survivor, Charles Otis (Mort Marshall) sees then at the car, and reveals that all the cars he has tried, have been disabled.
A growing apprehension takes over as the group begins to realize that they are alone with an unknown menace that has caused everyone to run away. Charles finds a newspaper in a hotel that proclaims that a "mystery army" is attacking the city, and in a panic, runs out into the street only to be killed by a death ray from a robot.
While attempting to defend the city, the military led by Lt. General Wood (Arthur Space]] sets up a command post and although bombers are easily brought down, the use of atomic weapons are contemplated. A group of scientists including the chief research scientist (Whit Bissell) finally work on a captured robot to find out how to fight back. In trying to escape the robot attackers, the small group is joined by Davis (Robert Roark), a psychotic killer that has his own plans for survival. With danger all around, the group realizes that the enemy is both within their group and from outer space. Some deaths occur as the tiny band of survivors flee for their lives before an army unit arrives that can deal with the deadly robots.
Cast
- Kathleen Crowley as Nora King
- Richard Denning as Frank Brooks
- Richard Reeves as Jim Wilson
- Virginia Grey as Vicki Harris
- Robert Roark as Davis
- Whit Bissell as Tom, Chief research scientist
- Arthur Space as Lt. General Wood
- Steve Pendleton as Colonel
- Mort Marshall as Charles Otis
- Steve Pendleton as Colonel
- House Peters Jr. as Technician
Production
Target Earth, while set in Chicago, was actually filmed in Los Angeles. Empty street scenes were filmed during early morning hours before normal traffic began. Principal photography began mid-July 1954 at Kling Studios, for a shooting schedule of a tight seven days.
Even though a "robot army" is mentioned several times during the film, only one robot was constructed for the production, which was then used in all scenes to depict the invasion.
The screenplay is based on the 1953 science fiction short story "Deadly City" by Paul W. Fairman, which first appeared in the March 1953 issue of If magazine under Fairman's pseudonym, "Ivar Jorgensen".
Casting
Actor Robert Roark was given a role because his father was a large investor in the film.
Reception
Target Earth was a typical product of the Sci-Fi craze of the 1950s but could never rise above its low budget underpinnings. One of the few notable aspects of the production was that the film was one of the first to explore the sub-genre of alien invasions, following the success of The War of the Worlds (1953). Target Earth was also produced by Herman Cohen, who would become one of the most prominent B movie producers of the 1960s.
In a later review by critic Dennis Schwartz in Ozus' World Movie Reviews, he noted: "It's a modest film for those sci-fi connoisseurs who flip out over paranoiac Cold War flicks about outsiders as dangerous foes." He further explained that: "Filled with banal dialogue, cheesy looking tin robots that are hardly scary, and an unexciting storyline that never builds on tension, the film is played on a flat one-note scale."
References
Notes
- Schwartz, Dennis. "Review: 'Target Earth'." Ozus' World Movie Reviews, February 5, 2004.
External links
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