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'The Day The Earth Stood Still' Footage in EVTFS?

posted 16 years ago by Attillio
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At one point in "Earth Versus the Flying Saucers," I could almost swear that one of the scenes depicting people around the globe listening to the aliens' broadcast threat to land in Washington D.C. and take over, was a shot of the assembled scientists and world leaders seen at the conclusion of "The Day The Earth Stood Still." (At least, the director of EVTFS did NOT mess-up by showing Klaatu or even Gort-the-Robot in that montage of international scenes!)

[–] hobnob53 16 years ago

You're right, there are several scenes culled from TDTESS in EARTH VS. Besides the ones you cite this includes a couple of outer space shots from the opening credits of STOOD STILL. There are also scenes taken from 1953's THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (people evacuating on a bus, a building exploding which is in fact a model of the LA City Hall).

Some scenes from EARTH VS. were in turn recycled in other films; for example, the shot of the falling Washington Monument about to crush some fleeing people was re-used in THE GIANT CLAW.

[–] Attillio 16 years ago

Ah, yes, "The Giant Claw," a cinematic masterpiece!!!

Wow, I'll look for the shots from "The War of the Worlds" next time I watch TDTESS. Thanks very much for the information.

[–] hobnob53 16 years ago

No, no, you misunderstood -- no shots from THE WAR OF THE WORLDS in THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (WAR was made in '53, TDTESS in '51, so that would be difficult!). I think you meant the shots from WAR OF in EARTH VS.

This is beginning to sound like a graduate exam, isn't it?!

I recently got the DVD set with THE GIANT CLAW and yes, a cinematic mess-terpiece indeed. I love it!!

By the way, an EVTFS point of interest (perhaps)...the place that was used as the site of "Operation Skyhook" was actually a sewage treatment plant in Santa Barbara!

And those aliens thought they were so smart. Little did they know Dr. Russell Marvin was launching empty sewer pipes into space. Quite a splashdown.

[–] Attillio 16 years ago

Oops! Sorry for that cinematic sci-fi anachronism!

Wow, that top-secret Air Force base was really a sewage treatment plant in Santa Barbara? Heck, even in the famed "The Giant Gila Monster," they used (the now developed) outskirts of, I believe, Dallas, Texas, to show that monster terrorizing those rock & roll loving 1950s teenagers.

PS The late, great Arthur Kennedy SHOULD have portrayed Dr. Russell Marvin in EVTFS, imho.

[–] hobnob53 16 years ago

Interesting thought about Arthur Kennedy - one of my favorite actors, and one of the most under-appreciated. But in the 50s sci-fi roles were considered beneath a "serious" actor, so only people who had never quite made it to the top were deemed suitable heroes for such movies. (Unlike today!) Besides, they would have had to pay him way too much money for their budget.

Ironic, though, when you consider the dreck poor Mr. K. ended up doing in the 1970s -- Euro-trash sexploitation junk, although he continued to do good work on American TV. But ALL his post-1970 films were Italian or other related bottom-of-the-barrel garbage. I'm astounded that no one in Hollywood cast him in any US films, and that he allowed himself to sink so low as to appear in the likes of "Emmanuel on Taboo Island"! I guess he made money, but it couldn't have done his reputation any good. You know, when he finally quit the life at the start of the 80s, he disappeared so completely that when Scorsese and Spielberg and David Lean went looking for him to loop over some of his old dialogue for the restored "Lawrence of Arabia" later in the decade, no one, not even his agent, knew where he lived! I believe they finally tracked him down in Savannah, GA. Funny thing was, he was happy to go back to work, subsequently got "rediscovered", and did two small indie films before suddenly dying of throat cancer. What a waste, and what a loss!

Oh, but I always had a soft spot for Hugh Marlowe anyway! I wonder how he felt seeing scenes from one of his former movies ("The Day the Earth Stood Still") showing up in EVTFS?

[–] altair42002 16 years ago

I thought I had seen those scenes before!! Now I'll have to watch war of the worlds and day the earth stood still again.
Also, thanks for the heads up on giant claw. this is one I've never heard of, but it sounds like one that would fit right into my collection.

[–] hobnob53 16 years ago

You're welcome, altair! "The Giant Claw" (1957) isn't available separately but is part of the "Icons of Horror: Sam Katzman" box set of four of that B-picture producer's 1950s low-budget output from Columbia. Two horror films, "Zombies of Mora Tau" ('57) and "The Werewolf" ('56), and two sf, "Claw" and "Creature with the Atom Brain" ('55).

As you can see, "On the Waterfront" didn't sweat the competition.

Actually, "Werewolf" and even "Atom Brain" aren't too bad; "Zombies" is bad and idiotic. But "The Giant Claw"...? Several people got the set just to have that one. It's irresistibly great (meaning terrible), and as to the monster...well, brace yourself! After you've seen it post something on the "Giant Claw" board. The set's not expensive.

By the way, Katzman also produced EARTH VS. as well as Harryhausen's previous IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA, but those superior films owed nothing to his efforts, and he probably spent a lot of time wondering how movies of that quality slipped past him.

[–] obit1 16 years ago

I LOVE THE GIANT CLAW!!!!!!!!

There, I said it and I'm proud.

At the risk of splitting a Mammoth hair, Charles Schneer was the "line" producer of the Harryhausen films and Sam was, well, the "executive" producer....when you take away the Schneer/Harryhausen team, you get...THE GIANT CLAW....which is pure Sam Katzman...UNCHAINED!!!!!

I watched the ZOMBIES of MORA TAU recently and the underwater stuff (actually "dry-for-wet") reminded me of DIVER DAN....ever see that syndicated kiddie show? Baron Barracuda and his henchman, Trigger Fish? And their strong arm....the Octopus.

Glorious results of a misspent youth!

http://www.woodywelch.com

[–] hobnob53 16 years ago

Obit, I long since came to the conclusion that we both misspent our respective youths, and I'm glad of every misused minute! Think what the kids are missing today (only they'd never believe or understand it)....

Of course I love THE GIANT CLAW too. I even think some of the "scientific" dialogue is pretty neat, which shows how far off the beam I am. Great toy train in the titular claws, but best of all, I dig those no-good beatniks who had the bad manners to call Jeff Morrow "Daddy-o" and wave a salt shaker at him, and paid for their delinquency by having their jalopy scooped up, dropped and explode with them in it. Hey you kids, get off of my lawn!

Gee, you think I should have written "Spoiler Alert" before that last paragraph?

Correct about Katzman, of course, but I didn't feel like getting overly technical in my last post. Let's say I doubt he evinced a father's pride when his "son"/underling Charles Schneer exceeded Sam's own career and went off much more successfully on his own.

Oh, God, I remember Diver Dan, and let's not forget the lovely Minerva the Mermaid. You know it's actually available on DVD, though I've never had the nerve to order it. One thing that impressed me was that the show actually had an ending -- remember? DD finishes his work in that part of the ocean and after defeating (eating?) Baron Barracuda, all his underwater pals gather to bid him adieu as he's hauled up to the surface. I seem to recall some lightly majestic music playing as he departed, a nice way to wind up the series. A very unusual thing to do in those days, when shows usually just stopped, without resolution.

Well, time to get back to my doctoral thesis on celestial mechanics. I promised Dr. Marvin I'd deliver it to the sewage treatment plant -- um, I mean, Operation Skyhook -- by tomorrow.

[–] obit1 16 years ago

Riddle me this, hobnob53. How the heck did Trigger Fish keep that cigarette lit underwater!?!???

And how are you fixed for solidified electricity? :D

I never knew that Diver Dan had an ending...I saw some of the episodes on youtube recently.....I was curious to see them after almost a half century.

As Dr. Holden says at the end of Night/Curse of the Demon......"Maybe it's better NOT to know."

(It's a good thing I didn't mention Clutch Cargo...now we're WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY off topic)

http://www.woodywelch.com

[–] hobnob53 16 years ago

I'd like to know where he kept the whole pack....

My guess is the cig was an unlit J.D. affectation on Trigger's part, just to demonstrate to BB that he was a worthy henchm...henchfish.

Yeah, not only did Diver have an ending, he had a beginning -- where he first comes across this magical undersea kingdom. He couldn't believe his eyes. Or ears. Very decent of him not to call down the nets to haul in those talking fish and blonde mermaid. I saw the ending several times but only many corrupted and cynical decades later did I wonder whether they were really transferring DD to another ocean, or whether he had blabbed about his piscatorial pals down below and they decided to haul HIM into a net and ship him off for a long rest.

Ahhh...the illustrious Dr. Holden. Now there's a man with an open mind. HE'S the guy who passed on solidified electricity when it was offered to him. Called us a crackpot. But we gave him the slip. Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk.

Oh my God, this is waaaaaaaaayer off target even than Clutch Cargo. Soitenly!

[–] obit1 16 years ago

"'d like to know where he kept the whole pack.... "

LMAO....you're killing me!

http://www.woodywelch.com

[–] hobnob53 16 years ago

Dis is what I do..........

"Alone in the deep there's adventure and danger,
That's where you'll find Diver Dan....."

Okay, since we've looped off this far, how did the rest go? I can't remember.