What was your favorite sci-fi movie from the '50s-'60s?

[FRISKY]

I liked Forbidden Planet. Anne Francis was hot stuff!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049223/

[MustangGT]

Forbidden Planet...The Day The Earth Stood Still...This Island Earth

Close three way tie for me.

[jmarkross]

Hard question to answer--so many genres. I was a kid during these times...saw them all first-run. I do remember the most impressive trailer I saw for coming attractions was in 1957 for---"RODAN"...definitely made an impression on my 8-year old mind. Could not wait the two weeks it took to get there. Another biggie was "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" with the ubiquitous Kevin McCarthy..."Brain From The Planet Arous" was a scary one as well.

[jmarkross]

"Forbidden Planet" was THE Cadillac Sci-Fi of that era--without a doubt. It MUST be seen on the big screen...

[jmarkross]

Forbidden Planet...The Day The Earth Stood Still...This Island Earth

Close three way tie for me.

I agree 100%...I have them all on DVD...

[ljbab728]

I agree 100%...I have them all on DVD...

I also agree with those three completely. One that I might add is "Creature from the Black Lagoon" although it's not technically sci-fi. I also enjoyed "It Came from Outer Space" starring Richard Carlson, "When Worlds Collide", "The War of the Worlds", "The Thing" which starred James Arness as the monster, and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". Another great classic was "The Blob" starring a young Steve McQueen and Arneta Corsaut who later played Andy Griffith's girlfriend on the "Andy Griffith Show".

[jmarkross]

The 1950's were a unique time...post WW2, early days of nuclear power and bombs (and God knows that made lots of monsters!) and the birth of the Space Race and missiles into the beyond...a great time...all things seemed possible. I remember watching TV news in those early days about nuclear bomb tests in New Mexico and how they would say to look outside overhead the next day and we could see the plutonium cloud passing by...and we went out and saw them...not sure a rain of plutonium particles is good for a person...and Hollywood was cranking out tons of cheapo B&W movies for a slew of baby-boomer kiddos and theaters with horror double-features on Saturdays bought parents a few hours freedom (baby-sitting) to shop or whatever without kids underfoot...

[flintysooner]

Has to be the 1953 War of the Worlds - scared me - still remember the tension of that scene where the "eye" is searching for them.

[skyrick]

Forbidden Planet...The Day The Earth Stood Still...This Island Earth

Close three way tie for me.

Can't do better than these three for the 1950s. The greatest sci-fi movie ever, and IMO one of the greatest movies ever is 1968s 2001: A Space Odyssey from the genius Stanley Kubrick.

[jmarkross]

Can't do better than these three for the 1950s. The greatest sci-fi movie ever, and IMO one of the greatest movies ever is 1968s 2001: A Space Odyssey from the genius Stanley Kubrick.

I agree--saw it at the Cooper next to the Colcord Bldg. and then again later at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood...a big screen must-see. I love the analogy of the H.A.L. 9000 computer...H (I) A (B) L (M)

[jmarkross]

Has to be the 1953 War of the Worlds - scared me - still remember the tension of that scene where the "eye" is searching for them.

I agree--and the newer version with Tom Cruise, despite it's dis-jointed storyline and continuity...was really scary...the tripods were pretty awful, especially the fog-horn sound--a special effects triumph in my opinion...

[skyrick]

I agree--saw it at the Cooper next to the Colcord Bldg. and then again later at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood...a big screen must-see. I love the analogy of the H.A.L. 9000 computer...H (I) A (B) L (M)

I saw it at the Cooper as well, opening day. It was reserved seating only.

Kubrick and Clarke both said that HAL stood for Heuristic Algorithmic Logic, and that it was only coincidence that each letter would increment up to form IBM. Yeah, I believe that like I believe "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is about a drawing Julian Lennon gave his dad, John.

[osu cowboy]

Forbidden Planet...The Day The Earth Stood Still...This Island Earth

Close three way tie for me.

I like two out of the above three (Forbidden Planet...The Day the Earth Stood still)
plus Robinson Crusoe on Mars.

[jmarkross]

BTW--Anne Francis is a Fox-Emeritus--and still looks damn good for a woman who just turned 80 September 16. Back in the day...she was very hot, but I was 7 years old at the time and a football was somewhat more attractive. A few years later--she became rather more interesting...

Also...the new version of "The Day The Earth Stood Still" with Keanu Reeves was simply an acid-flashback dream by some writer--just God-awful...

[Generals64]

You guys have yet to name THE Movie of the 50's and 60's yet.......THE BLOB.............

[jmarkross]

Boy, I sure remember "The Blob"...saw it first day at the Sooner Theater in Norman in 1960...

[MustangGT]

"When Worlds Collide", "The War of the Worlds"

Thanks for the reminder. I forgot about those.

[jmarkross]

One of the MOST FRIGHTENING movies I ever saw at the University Theater in Norman back in about 1957...and I have the DVD now--but it seems comical today-- but scary when I was very young was..."The Killer Shrews"...

[ljbab728]

You guys have yet to name THE Movie of the 50's and 60's yet.......THE BLOB.............

I guess you missed my suggestions in post number 6 general.

[papaOU]

I guess you missed my suggestions in post number 6 general.

Don't take it personal. He was born brain dead and has recently suffered a fall while adjusting his moose head

[jmarkross]

Another good one--actually a clever idea and was pretty spectacular on the big screen in those days was..."The Monolith Monsters"

[jmarkross]

Off the time frame of the topic--but--"Skyline" looks like a good new movie coming out in November...I always enjoy seeing places in Los Angeles devastated...I picked up some extra cans of RAID just in case...

[Generals64]

I guess you missed my suggestions in post number 6 general.

Hey, I DID miss that one and yes I have fallen and couldn't get up.....Don't forget the REAL 3-D classic "HOUSE OF WAX".......Hey PapaOU when I fell (the second time) I started laughing (as I lay in the floor unable to move) and thought about YOU....when I got the 911 operator she asked.."911 what is your emergency?"...I responded (completely serious).."I need some help"..."In what way Sir?" she asked....I've fallen and can't get up.....She said "is this a prank?"...then I thought only PapaOu would have thought of that.........she sent the Fire Department....Knew most of them and when they found I was almost O.K., they just sat down and got a good laugh....Me?....I still hurt like you can't believe....

[gen70]

The House On Haunted Hill and the Village Of The Damned.

[papaOU]

They made an updated version and of course not near as good. 13 Ghosts/3d