Here are the fifties sci-fi movies of Peter Graves, even though there are only four of them, they are all classic flicks from that era. Peter had 136 acting credits and looking them over, I noticed that in 1998 he did the voice of General Warning on THE ANGRY BEAVERS, he was the narrator on the USAF Briefing Film for ATTACK OF THE EYE CREATURES, he also directed one episode of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and one episode of GUNSMOKE!
First up is
RED PLANET MARS from 1952, Peter plays an American scientist who contacts Mars by radio and receives information that Mars is a utopia and that Earth's people can be saved if they return to the worship of God!.. Weird.
In 1954, Peter stars as Dr. Doug Martin in
KILLERS FROM SPACE. I still love this crazy movie, it has all the elements that make for a fun watch, time after time! They just released a restored version of this movie on DVD that is simply awesome!
My favorite flick of the four is Corman's
IT CONQUERED THE WORLD from 1956 with that classic Blaisdell monster from Venus. Love the little flying parasites too, creepy cool. It also stars Beverly (NOT OF THIS EARTH) Garland, Lee (SPACE PATROL) Van Cleef and Sally (WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST) Fraser.
I saw
BEGINNING OF THE END in 1957, Peter is another scientist in this wild tale, he gets caught in the terror and takes the lead in figuring out how to kill the giant locust... So, there you go, we will be back on Wednesday with even more prescious Dungeon Cargo!
RED PLANET MARS is heavy-handed, for sure, politically *and* religiously.
ReplyDeleteThe other three films are each terrific in their own b-movie way!
W. Lee Wilder's KILLERS FROM SPACE is a very weird little sci-fi noir; BEGINNING OF THE END is a typical (and typically fun) Bert I. Gordon "big bug" film (with Arthur C. Pierce lending a hand as grasshopper-wrangler!); and Roger Corman's IT CONQUERED THE WORLD is a sort-of response to DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL with the added delight of Beulah the Venusian, one of b-movies greatest creatures!
Skip the first film and dive into the other three some lonely night, and when you wake up the next day, people will wonder where the hell you've been!!
I gotta agree with KD. RED PLANET MARS is just too heavy handed for me to take seriously.
ReplyDeleteIf you can get past the googly eyed aliens, KILLERS FROM SPACE is pretty interesting.
I love BEGINNING OF THE END as implausible as it is.
And lastly my favorite is IT CONQUERED THE WORLD with the cool radio-bat and the giant pear Venusian. My favorite scene is where Beverly Garland confronts IT. :)
Despite "Beginning Of The End," "It Conquered The World," and "Mission Impossible," what I will always remember Peter Graves for is every Saturday morning for years in "Fury."
ReplyDeleteI remember Fury too, along with Lassie, and many other cool fun '50s shows like Sea Hunt, Whirlybirds, etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteSeems like fun TV stuff petered out after the late '60s.
....."The Real McCoys"
ReplyDeleteReal McCoys runs every morning on the COZI channel. I turn on the teevee, and there's ol' Walter Brennan gimpin' along and squawkin' at somebody!
ReplyDeleteBut for me growing up in the late '50s and early '60s, any show that started off with that big "ZIV" logo automatically got my attention!