The 10 Best Classic Sci-Fi Movies of the ’50s
Are you a fan of black and white B-movies like me? No? Well you should be! You’re missing out on some great movies. Some are so bad that they are good; if only for its entertainment value. And, some of the good ones are great! Either way, they are all classics in my book. Many, many great sci-fi classics came out of this decade, many more than 10. But I had to choose. So here are some of my favourites.
10. Journey to the Center of the Earth: 1959
This sci-fi adventure follows a team of explorers (3 men and one woman) up an extinct Icelandic volcano leading to the center of the earth. Along the way, they encounter floods, dinosaurs, a giant Gila monster, and, as always, the evil adversary who tries to stop and/or kill them in order to get to the center first.
At a time when women had little power and independence, this was one of the first films to depict a woman as a strong and capable member of the team, rather than the helpless damsel in distress. It had great special effects for the time. With big stars like James Mason, Pat Boone, and Arlene Dahl, it was head and shoulders above your typical sci-fi movie of the decade. I didn’t see the remake.
9. Invaders from Mars: 1953
It scared the hell out of me the first time I saw it! It begins with young David looking at the stars one night from his bedroom window. He sees a flying saucer land in the sand pit near his house. He runs to alert his parents and insists that his father go and investigate. His father disappears into the sand pit and doesn’t return until the next morning… but somehow he has “changed”. He sees a scar on his father’s neck and realizes that something has happened to him.
The nightmare expands as many of the local inhabitants are slowly “changing” as well. No one believes David at first, but he eventually convinces a scientist and a doctor that something is seriously wrong. Together they thwart the invasion and save the world. The mummy-shaped Martians and their disembodied leader, with his head in a fishbowl and multiple appendages, are especially “creepy.” The remakes are okay, but I liked this one better.
8. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: 1954
A visually compelling interpretation of the Jules Verne classic, this film has inspired several film remakes and a hit television series. It was the first and only science fiction film produced by Walt Disney himself, and one of the best in the genre.
Featuring a star-studded cast that includes Kirk Douglas, James Mason and Peter Lorre, it is the story of a naval officer and his crew who are tasked with investigating ship disappearances at sea by a ‘sea monster’. . They soon discover that the ‘monster’ is actually a submarine-like ship run by the sinister and enigmatic Captain Nemo, whose only goal in life is to bring peace to the world by destroying all the world’s warships. Great adventure and special effects.
7. The Thing (From Outer Space): 1951
Does anyone remember Gunsmoke lawman James Arness? Well, this was his first movie. He plays The Thing, a creature that crash-landed in the frozen Arctic sometime in the distant past. His ship and frozen body are discovered by a group of scientific researchers. They slice him into a block of ice and take him back to the research station where he accidentally thaws out.
They soon discover that it is a carnivorous predator when it begins killing researchers and feeding on their blood. ‘Es’ is very clever and begins to sabotage his research station. They then learn that it is actually a ‘plant’ that only appears humanoid. They have to kill him, but he is 7 feet tall and apparently immune to all of their weapons. Luckily for them, one of the researchers is a woman, who in her feminine wisdom says: ‘So…how do you kill a turnip…cook it!’ Oh! What would they do without us!
6. The Stain: 1958
If you like Steve McQueen movies, this has to be your favorite. It was one of his first movies. He plays a teenager on a date with his girl, when they see a meteor crash in the woods outside of town. On the way to investigate, they come across a distraught man with a “sticky thing” covering his hand and arm. They put him in the car and take him to the local doctor for help.
Then the doctor, his nurse, and the old man disappear. Before long, other people begin to disappear. The next thing you know, this sticky ball has turned into a giant mass of rolling jelly that is sucking up everyone in sight. After watching this movie, I couldn’t sit in a dark theater without constantly looking back at the movie theater. Again, better than the remake!
5. The Fly: 1958
What can I say! It’s a story of the ultimate infection! The film tells the story of a scientist’s attempt to create a matter transporter and an experiment that goes horribly wrong. He tests the machine on himself, not realizing he’s not alone in the chamber… until it’s too late.
After watching the movie, we ran around our yards checking every web for white-headed flies. The film stars Vincent Price and David Hedison. It spawned several sequels and remakes, all of which were surprisingly good.
4. Creature from the Black Lagoon: 1954
Long before Jaws hit the big screen, we were all scared out of the water by the ‘Creature,’ a reptilian-looking beast-man with the warmth of a pretty woman (Julie Adams) he sees swimming in his domain, the Amazon. River. It was love at first sight. He becomes a were-beast on a mission while trying to capture his beloved. There were two sequels, Revenge of the Creature and Creature Walks Among Us… both equally terrifying!
3. Godzilla: 1956
It remains the best prehistoric radiation-breathing dinosaur monster movie ever made. First released as a 1954 Japanese film called Gojira, it was enhanced for its American release by adding footage starring Raymond Burr and an English soundtrack.
The Americans have been testing atomic bombs in the South Pacific. Now there’s a giant, radioactive dinosaur rising out of the sea and attacking Tokyo. What to do what to do? After several attacks on the city, a scientist with a highly effective ‘bomb’ of his own saves the day. It inspired many sequels, including the updated 1998 remake. I loved it too!!
2. The day the Earth stood still: 1951
Still regularly showing on TV, this was the first ‘believable’ film of an alien from outer space. Unlike its recent remake that has a lot of special effects, the original is a well-written sci-fi drama and focuses more on the story.
Klaatu, an alien ambassador on a goodwill peace mission and his peacekeeping robot Gort, arrive on Earth during the early days of space exploration and atomic bomb testing. The extraterrestrial confederation that he represents has prohibited violence and aggression among its member planets; and Earth falls within their region of authority. He brings us an offer and a warning: End our ways of war and violence, join the alliance and live, or face annihilation by the robotic force that enforces it.
The 2008 remake is actually the sequel to this great movie. Obviously, we did not listen to the warning!
And now, the best classic sci-fi movie from the 50s…(drumroll please)
1. War of the Worlds: 1953
In my opinion, it’s the granddaddy of all sci-fi alien invasion movies! The inspiration for many, many movies and TV shows, is based on HG Wells’ sci-fi classic.
It covers 3 days during which a worldwide Martian invasion nearly destroys humanity. The invaders descend in meteorite-like ships and begin to terraform Earth by wiping out the humans with lightning, in order to take over the planet. We are unable to stop them and everyone seems lost until they all suddenly die from a mysterious infection caused by viruses to which we are immune.
It had excellent special effects for the technology of the time. My favorite scene is when the invaders send their wandering eye ‘camera’ into the basement of a house where there are two people; a scientist and a lovely lady (played by Gene Barry and Ann Robinson) have taken refuge. The scientist cuts off his head for the camera, prompting one of the aliens to enter the house to investigate. With their attention focused on what’s going on outside, they don’t notice him sneaking up behind them. He walks over and grabs the girl by her shoulder…YIKES!
I loved the original, but I have to admit, the 2005 remake is much scarier, and it definitely holds its own!