First film to deal with Martian invasian

Released shortly before the first A-Bomb drop on Japan, the Purple Monster Strikes was perhaps the first film where aliens from Mars sought to take over the earth. When James Craven asks the Purple Monster how he was able to understand the language of Earthmen, the reply was "We have been monitoring your radio broadcasts for years." The idea of a Martian possessing the body of an Earthman was also initiated in this serial, long before the B-sci films of the Fifties. Roy Barcroft had to take off some weight from his stocky frame to fit into the tight fitting uniform of the monster. He referred to himself in the film as "The jerk in tights from Boyle Heights (the L.A. subdivision where he lived). Mary Moore, the then wife of stuntman-actor Clayton Moore, played a bit part as his Martian assistant who dies in a accidental fall during a fight with Linda Stirling. This serial along with Manhunt on Mystery Island were Republic's two popular serials released in 1945. The Purple Monster Strikes was re-released in the late Fifties to theaters and then edited into a 100 minute feature in 1966, called "D-Day on Mars."