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

[papaOU]

Was on TCM this past weekend

[Doug Loudenback]

All you guys have listed most of my favs already, and there were many. I'll comment on a few, as I loved sci-fi growing up in the 50s-60s, and do now.

The Thing. This is 1st that I recall seeing while spending the summer at my grandmother's in Clinton. That was in the days that little kids could walk downtown, spend the day, and return home unattended and no one had a care.

My grandmother's house was a small little house about 3 blocks from downtown with lots of big trees and no (or useless ... water cooler) air conditioning. Anyway, I walked downtown on a Saturday for a 1 pm (or so) showing of The Thing. The movie house was packed with little kids ... this was in 1951 so I would have just finished the first grade ... here's a trailer ...



Talk about kids hitting the floor and screaming their heads off while peeking through where the seats came together anytime that the monster was anticipated to come on the screen! Or was it just me? Woah. Scared the pee out of me. After seeing the movie, seeing the shadows of the big old trees through the windows at grandmother's at night at bedtime did no good at all. I had nightmares for quite a long time. I was hooked on sci-fi!

Flash Gordon. I don't think that anyone has mentioned the old Buster Crabbe serials made in the 1930s but still playing in the early 50s. While they were done on the cheap, it was nonetheless fun to go downtown and see the next installment of Flash, Ming, etc., at the Ritz Theater in Clinton (I spent a lot of time at my grandmother's when I was very young). Next door to the Ritz was Johnies' Indian Trading Store, always a fun visit. A stop at a drug store fountain to get a vanilla ice cream cone was always a must, too.

Here are a couple of You Tube clips ...





The 1980 remake with its soundtrack music by Queen, remains one of my favorites. Ming, played by Max von Sydow, could not have been better ... are the buildings being destroyed in this clip from Oklahoma City in the 1960s-70s during Urban Renewal?



When Worlds Collide. This 1951 classic caught me big time, too ...



The Day The Earth Stood Still. 1951 was a good year for science fiction. This version was ever so much better than the more recent remake...





Invaders from Mars. This 1953 flick was one of my favs ... beware those who had thingies implanted on the back of their heads ... who could be your dad, anyone ...



War of the Worlds. This 1953 flick based on H.G. Wells book and and Orson Welle's classic radio broadcast on Mercury Radio Theater in 1938 was one of the best ... during Welles' radio broadcast, thousands across the country thought that it was a REAL news broadcast that Welles was doing ...



Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I saw this 1956 classic at the Hankins Drive In Theater in Lawton ... great flick, so much better than the remake ... even today, if you find a great big pea pod in your garden, watch out ... it might not be what you think ...



The Blob. I saw this 1958 movie at a midnight preview in Lawton's Dome Theater. The rush to get inside caught my body/head in an impossible sandwich ... claustrophobia set it for a moment ... which was a good mood maker ...



As time went on, the B movies of the 1950s began to be replaced by betters, such as ...

Villiage of the Damned. Pretty spooky ...



Then, of course, the truly classy sci-fi pictures emerged, perhaps beginning with 2001: A Space Odyssey which I saw on the Cinerama screen of the downtown Cooper, so long ago. Love my sci-fi!

I don't like bug movies, so I didn't like the sci-fi bug movies ... or vegetable movies ... of the era.

They just weren't realistic enough to suit me.

[papaOU]

Mine was "Duck and Cover". The "training" film put out by the U.S. Government as what to do in case of a nuclear attack.

[Doug Loudenback]

I don't remember that one. Are you serious?

[FRISKY]

Mine was "Duck and Cover". The "training" film put out by the U.S. Government as what to do in case of a nuclear attack.

I don't remember that one. Are you serious?

Yes he is, I have a copy of it on DVD.

[Doug Loudenback]

Yes he is, I have a copy of it on DVD.

Can (if you want to) you convert it to a video format? I can help, if you want.

[FRISKY]

Can (if you want to) you convert it to a video format? I can help, if you want.

Which format would you prefer?

[Doug Loudenback]

Ultimately, regardless of what you convert to, I will convert it to FLV if it is not already. That's because (as far as I'm aware, at least) FLV is the format used in You Tube. Something like that needs to be made available to everyone, I'm thinking, if that's OK with you.

[FRISKY]

Ultimately, regardless of what you convert to, I will convert it to FLV if it is not already. That's because (as far as I'm aware, at least) FLV is the format used in You Tube. Something like that needs to be made available to everyone, I'm thinking, if that's OK with you.

Sounds good to me. Here it is in flv:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60

[Doug Loudenback]

Ha! You've already done it! I think that I'll do a little research in the Oklahoman about bomb shelters, etc., during the 50s and use this video as well. Should be interesting.

I wasn't shown this or a similar flick in school but it must have completely terrified the kids that did see it. Was it or a similar video shown in the Oklahoma City schools? I wonder how far away from a bomb blast one would have to be before "duck and cover" would have helped in any way? Like, they could have just told the kids, "Now, children, if you're near the blast, do something quick that you've always wanted to do, because, after just a bit, you'll be toast."

[gen70]

I remember seeing that film when I was in grade school at Calvin Coolidge.

[Doug Loudenback]

I remember seeing that film when I was in grade school at Calvin Coolidge.

What year, Gen70?

[gen70]

About 1959.

[ljbab728]

I don't remember seeing that film but I sure remember the bomb drills and getting under my desk in the middle 50's.

[MikeOKC]

Doug, I remember the duck and cover drills and I also remember when they stopped around 1969 or so. Another thing I remember well were all the triangle shaped, yellow and black "Fallout Shelter" signs around the city. The one I would see most frequently as a kid was by C.R. Anthony at NW 25th(?) and May Ave.

[OKCRT]

They were def. showing this and having bomb drills in the mid 60s when I was in grade school. I also remember the yellow fallout shelter signs.Duck & Cover!!!! They would line the kids up in the halls and start the siren and everyone would, Duck & Cover! Sometimes they would sound the alarm and all the kids in the class room would get up and walk in single file out in to the hall and Duck & Cover! Then sometime we would just Duck & Cover! right there by our desk. But it was always,Duck & Cover!

What a time in history. These were the days when the milkman still delivered to your door in bottles. I will never forget the clanking of those glass bottles in those little metal 4 pak holders.