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The Space Children

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The Space Children
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJack Arnold
Screenplay byBernard C. Schoenfeld
Story byTom Filer
Based onThe Egg
by Tom Filer[1]
Produced byWilliam Alland
Starring
CinematographyErnest Laszlo
Edited byTerry O. Morse
Music byVan Cleave
Color processBlack and white
Production
company
William Alland Productions[2]
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • June 1958 (1958-06) (US)
[2]
Running time
69 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Space Children is a 1958 independently made American science-fiction film, produced by William Alland, directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Michel Ray, Jackie Coogan, Russell Johnson, Johnny Crawford, Johnny Washbrook and Richard Shannon.[3] The film's special effects were handled by John P. Fulton, and the makeup was by Wally Westmore.[3] The film was released in June 1958 as a double feature with The Colossus of New York.[4][3]

The character Eadie Johnson is portrayed by actor Sandy Descher, who had previous science-fiction film experience when she played the catatonic child in Warner Bros. Them! (1954).[5]

The movie was featured on an episode of the comedy show Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1998 and is one of only 11 episodes to not have a commercial release due to copyright issues.

Plot

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A seaside trailer park houses personnel working with the military to complete the Thunderer, a rocket that will place an atomic device in permanent Earth orbit. The Thunderer will allow the USA to rapidly strike at any enemy nation.

Seven children who live in there meet on the beach and become friends. While playing together, they observe a beam of light shining down onto the beach. A small, glowing object floats down amid the beam and disappears among the rocks. One of the kids, Bud Brewster, seems to start listening to a voice only he can hear.

That evening, after a community cookout, the kids head back to the beach and encounter a small alien life form, resting. The alien telepathically assigns them a secret mission, and Bud will be their leader.

He and his brother Ken return to their trailer and tell their parents about the alien. Their father Dave becomes angry, believing they are lying to excuse the fact that they stayed out late and worried their parents. However, when Dave grabs Bud, his arm is paralyzed. The kids are under the alien's protection. Confused, Dave accompanies six of the kids back to the alien's hideout. The seventh, Tim, is accosted by his drunken stepfather Joe. Tim breaks away and runs after the group, but Joe chases him, shouting violent threats.

Joe catches up with Tim, throws him to the ground, picks up a piece of driftwood and raises it to strike him. In its hiding place, the alien blazes with light, and Joe is thrown backwards. Terrified, Joe flees.

Tim joins the other children and Dave as they arrive at the alien's lair. After silently conveying its instructions to Bud, the alien is carried back to the trailer by Dave. There, Bud says the alien must be kept safe until the following evening but does not explain why. His mother Anne is frightened for the family's safety.

When Tim returns to the trailers, he finds Joe's body as an ambulance arrives. The alien killed Joe because he threatened Tim's life.

The next morning, the Brewsters discover that the alien has doubled in size. Its purpose is connected to the launch of the Thunderer, which will happen that night. Bud and Ken carry the alien out and take it to a cave along the beach. Dave hurries to the base to warn the authorities about the possible threat from the alien. When he meets with Dr. Wahrman and Colonel Manley, Dave's voice is paralyzed, and he passes out after trying to write a message.

During the next hours, the children perform tasks about the base while the alien mentally controls various people and objects such as sentries and locked gates to ensure that the mission is carried out.

In the infirmary, a fully recovered Dave tells Wahrman about the alien. Wahrman realizes that he, too, will be prevented from speaking to others about the alien, so the two men drive out to its cave. The alien has grown even larger. Wahrman asks the alien about its intentions, but it remains silent. The men give up and rush back to the base just as the Thunderer is about to be launched, realizing the alien will stop them from trying to interfere.

When the launch button is pressed, an explosion within the nose cone destroys the nuclear warhead, rendering the Thunderer useless. The children have succeeded in their sabotage. Wahrman orders the soldiers to follow him back to the cave, where they confront the children, who are blocking the entrance together. The alien glides out of the cave and ascends on another beam of light. Wahrman asks Bud why the Thunderer was destroyed.

Bud says his group did what other children have done in several other countries; they sabotaged rockets that would have carried nuclear devices into space, making humankind's self-destruction easy if such weapons were ever used. The aliens were concerned about humankind's welfare and relied on teams of loyal children all over the world to prevent humankind from making a terrible mistake.

Cast

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Production

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Advertisement from 1958 for The Space Children and co-feature, The Colossus of New York

The Space Children was William Alland's first feature film with Paramount.[7] It was loosely based on The Egg, an unpublished story by Tom Filer (involving a girl with polio) that was significantly different from the final plot of the film.[1][2]

The alien brain was created by special-effects artist Ivyl Burks and used $3,300 of neon lights to create its glowing effect.[8]

According to Webber, the original leading lady dropped out at the last-minute. In a panic, Alland called Orson Welles (for whom he had acted in The Mercury Theatre and Citizen Kane) and asked if he knew any actress who could step in on such short notice. Welles replied "Yes. Peggy Webber." (She'd worked with him on radio and in his 1948 film version of Macbeth and had impressed him with how rapidly she could find her character.)

Theatrical release

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The Space Children was first released in theaters on June 18, 1958,[2] as part of a double bill with The Colossus of New York, also produced by Alland.[9]

Home media

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The Space Children was released on DVD in 2006 as part of the Lost Movie Classics Collection by RoDon Enterprises.[10] In 2012, a combo Blu ray/DVD[11] was released by Olive Films.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b Warren, Bill (1982). Keep watching the skies!: American science fiction movies of the fifties (illustrated ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina, USA: McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780899501703. OCLC 7999158. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d AFI staff (2013). "The Space Children". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California, USA: American Film Institute. OCLC 772904208. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Warren, Bill (1986). "Keep Watching The Skies Volume 2". McFarland & Co., Inc. ISBN 0-89950-170-2. Page 766
  4. ^ Weldon, Michael (1983). The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film (1st, reissue, illustrated ed.). New York City, New York, USA: Ballantine Books. ISBN 9780345343451. OCLC 10200446. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  5. ^ Parla, Paul; Mitchell, Charles P. (October 1, 2009). Screen Sirens Scream!: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Science Fiction, Horror, Film Noir and Mystery Movies, 1930s To 1960s (illustrated ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina, USA: McFarland & Company. p. 48. ISBN 9780786445875. OCLC 318421123. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  6. ^ "Movie – The Space Children (1958)". Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  7. ^ Hopper, Hedda (October 5, 1957). "'Space Children' Set as Science-Fiction". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California, USA. p. B2. ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 3638237. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  8. ^ Johnson, John (1996). Cheap Tricks and Class Acts: Special Effects, Makeup and Stunts from the Fantastic Fifties (illustrated ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina, USA: McFarland & Company. p. 19. ISBN 9780786400935. OCLC 32430986. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  9. ^ Lucanio, Patrick (1987). Them or us: archetypal interpretations of the fifties alien invasion films (illustrated ed.). Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253358714. OCLC 15055165. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  10. ^ WorldCat staff (2013). The Space Children. Dublin, Ohio, USA: Online Computer Library Center. OCLC 696008721 – via WorldCat.
  11. ^ WorldCat staff (2013). The Space Children. Dublin, Ohio, USA: Online Computer Library Center. OCLC 807233984 – via WorldCat.
  12. ^ WorldCat staff (2013). The Space Children. Dublin, Ohio, USA: Online Computer Library Center. OCLC 800429909 – via WorldCat.

Bibliography

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