As always there are spoilers ahead!

Trigger warning for a lot of discussion of suicide with analysis of the plot along with a side of dark humour.

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You can follow the podcast on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky.

If you want to watch the film before you listen you can check the Just Watch website to see where it is available in your region. On the Beach is available online to buy and rent from Apple and other sources in many places.

I can’t believe I am almost done and dusted with this film! I did really like the film and have to admit that perhaps I have been giving it a hard time.  Perhaps because it gave me a hard time! There are moments of fun, flirtation and enjoyment but it is all within the backdrop of undeniable impending annihilation. I am definitely someone who prefers some depth and thematic discussion of the ethics of humanity in my science fiction (as well as some good old pew-pew led heroism) but I did find this film to be so very sad. Luckily I have two absolutely wonderful guests to keep me company and help me keep a stiff upper lip in the face of doom.

Thomas Doherty is a professor of American Studies at Brandeis University, he is a cultural historian with a special interest in Hollywood cinema on which he has written extensively.

John Wills is a Professor of American Media and Culture at University of Kent. He has written lots about popular culture including 1950s American and Nuclear film.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:10 Nuclear war is apparently not fun

08:09 Not your usual sci-fi

09:21 Scope, scale and cultural impact

13:43 We are ALL doomed

15:58 Gregory & Ava: Dwight & Moira

20:51 Fred Astaire as the scientist!

23:45 Peter and Mary contemplate suicide and murder

27:27 Love in the time of annihilation

30:03 Submarine: Signals and San Francisco

36:58 The Final Ferrari Race

39:30 Suicide

46:16 Legacy

49:09 Recommendations

Correction: 

At 9:54 Tom mentions the film has not been revived but a joint US-Australia TV film released in 2000 was made.

NEXT EPISODE!

Next episode we will be discussing Teenagers from Outer Space (1959). It is a low budget indie film which seems to fit into the “bad film” category and so will not be for everyone! But I found it a relief full of lots of sci-fi tropes, funny parts, a coherent plot and likeable characters.

The film is in the public domain. You can watch it on the Internet Archive website and there is also a weirdly colourised version of the film on YouTube where you can also find the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 episode on the film. I found that very funny too.

As usual there are spoilers ahead!

You can follow the podcast on social media: Instagram, Threads and BlueSky.

You can support the podcast and get ad-free episodes on Patreon.

Please be aware that we touch upon sexual assault in this episode due to the content of the film.

Description

USA in 1959 was on the brink of a decade that would see major changes in the country in terms of race. But never without opposition. It was also the year in which Harry Belafonte, at the peak of his fame, would star in The World, the Flesh and the Devil.

The film centres Belafonte’s character, Ralph Burton, as the last man on earth. A Black man at a time when the country was wrangling with desegregation. Ralph is joined by Sarah and Ben: White survivors who enter what was for a while his world. This episode focuses on race and racism and I am so lucky to have two amazing guests to help us put the plot and frustrations into context.

Mark Bould is a professor of Film and Literature at the University of West England, Bristol. He has written/edited extensively about science fiction cinema.

Stéphanie Larrieux is the associate director of the Centre for the study of Race and Ethnicity at Brown University. She wrote about the World, The Flesh and the Devil as part of her PhD.

Chapters (times may vary slightly due to advertising!)

00:00 Introduction

01:07 Why is this film largely unknown?

03:10 Source material

10:05 Harry Belafonte

16:25 An empty Manhattan

18:53 The last man on earth

23:12 Double sight and racial panopticism

24:26 Cultured and capable

28:03 Sarah’s unnerving feet

31:31 The frustrations of this film

35:26 Free, white and 21: Ralph and Sarah’s relationship

39:25 The hair cutting scene

41:42 Ben comes to town: Mel Ferrer

45:31 The ending

47:09 Inger Stevens

48:29 Ben’s “idealism”

49:47 The title

50:28 Black protagonists in science fiction

53:36 Legacy

NEXT EPISODE!

Next episode we will be talking about On The Beach (1959) starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins.

You can visit Just Watch in your region to find out where you can watch this film although it seems to be easily available to rent or buy online.

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If you would like to support the podcast and get ad free versions you can subscribe for $3 or £3 a month at https://www.patreon.com/everyscififilm

You can follow the podcast on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky.

Although science fiction cinema did not begin in the USA it seems that by the 1950s Hollywood had tapped into the ravenous appetite the public had for the genre.

The period is now known as the Golden Age of Science Fiction with an array of films ranging in style, topic and quality. Themes of space travel, alien invasion, nuclear fears and cold war paranoia are strewn across the decade.

Meanwhile in Czechoslovakia Karel Zeman was working on making some cinematic masterpieces made for children based on the works of Jules Verne and other late 19th century authors. In 1958 he made the film Invention for Destruction based on Verne’s novel Facing the Flag. In 1961 this was dubbed in English and retitled The Fabulous World of Jules Verne and distributed by Warner Bros.

The visual style is based on late 19th century etchings and illustrations of Verne’s novels which you can take a look at on this Instagram post.

The film went on not only to inspire many prominent filmmakers like Hayao Miyazaki, Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam but also a cohort of writers who cite his film as being the origin for the style of steampunk science fiction.

I spoke to two wonderful guests to understand the historical context and ongoing influence of the film.

Thomas Lamarre is a Professor of Film, Media, and East Asian Languages and Civilisations at the University of Chicago. He is also the author of the Steam Punk cinema chapter in the Oxford Handbook of New Science Fiction Cinemas.

Mary Heimann is Professor of Modern History at Cardiff University. She is also the author of the book Czechoslovakia: The State that Failed.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the show and Karel Zeman

03:51 Post War Czechoslovakia

06:52 A Christmas Dream and Hermina Týrlová

07:25 Global animation after World War 2

10:48 Journey to the Beginning of Time

12:47 Why haven’t I heard of this film*?

15:37 Science Fiction in Czechoslovakia

18:27 Steampunk!

23:08 Thomas’ experience of the film

24:58 The Czech perspective

26:12 The Czech New Wave and the Prague Spring

30:58 Milos Forman and filmmakers in exile

32:19 The messaging and nature of the film

35:56 Legacy

41:41 Recommendations for the listener

44:44 Ads and subscription details

NEXT EPISODE!

Next episode we will be speaking about another lesser known science fiction film: The World, the Flesh and the Devil from 1959. You can find out where the film is streaming in your region on the Just Watch website and an internet search brings a few leads for the full film online.

*Possibly because I am stupid.

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You can find the podcast on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky. 

In 1992 Ishiro Honda sat down for his final interview with journalist David Milner. When asked about which of his own films were his favourite Honda listed Godzilla (1954), Gorath (1962) and The Mysterians from 1957.

The Mysterians is a visually beautiful film full to the brim with sci-fi tropes. A technologically advanced but desperate alien race, affected by radiation, is invading earth and wants to take our healthy women for breeding purposes. There’s also a groovy space station and the first mecha-kaiju in the form of Moguera. A film made at a time when Japan seems to be wrangling with what it means to be a post imperial, post nuclear tragedy country with a growing economy and a booming film industry.

I have two wonderful experts to help shed light on the context of this trope laden sci-fi classic.

Jay Telotte is Professor Emeritus of film and media studies at Georgia Tech. He has written/edited numerous books and articles about science fiction film including the 2023 book Selling Science Fiction Cinema.

Yuki Miyamoto is Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Humanities Center at DePaul University. Her work focuses on the ethics around nuclear discourse.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:56 Japanese Golden Age of Cinema: censorship, art vs big budget & the USA

08:47 Pacifism and militarism

14:04 Toho studios

15:36 Glorious colour, Toho-scope and cinema culture

19:57 Tradition, science and military might

27:55 Taking our women: occupation, war & marketing

36:55 Message of collaboration

39:50 The US market

44:51Battle of the Planets

45:55 Shout outs: Akira Ifukube and Eiji Tsuburaya

48:10 Legacy and Recommendations

NEXT EPISODE!

In two weeks we will be speaking about a film that shocked me with its striking visual style. The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1958), also known as Invention for Destruction or in its original Czech: Vynález zkázy. You can look to find the film on Just Watch but people in mainland and central Europe may find it easier to find with mainstream streaming services. The Criterion Channel also has the film available and there may be some Central and Eastern European services that you may be able to sign up to. I believe there may be a copy on YouTube but I am unsure of its quality or validity.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can find the podcast on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky.  I Married a Monster from Outer Space was released as part of a double bill (with The Blob) in 1958. The story focuses on newlywed couple Marge and Bill Farrell but unbeknownst to his new bride and the whole town Bill has been replaced by an alien on the eve of their wedding.  Themes of marriage, resentments and gendered expectations are as rife as can be expected in the 1950s. We have two insightful experts help shine a light on these themes. 

The Experts 

Thomas Doherty is a professor of American Studies at Brandeis University, he is a cultural historian with a special interest in Hollywood cinema on which he has written extensively. 

Sherryl Vint is Professor of Science Fiction Media Studies at the University of California, Riverside. She has written/edited many books about science fiction. 

Chapters 

00:00 Introduction 

01:58 Science fiction golden age and the marriage melodrama 

05:27 The female led sci-fi film and Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique 

08:40 Patriarchal expectations of 1950s men 

13:24 Changes in post war America 

16:33 The Hays production code and the scandalous double bed 

21:19 The Alien: looking good and learning to love 

26:14 Marge’s dilemma

30:42 Romantic, sexual and gendered anxiety 

39:20 Devil Girl from Mars: Aliens are coming to take our men! 

41:36 Legacy 

45:59 Recommendations for the listeners

NEXT EPISODE! 

Next episode we will be hopping slightly back in time and discussing The Mysterians from 1957. The film was made in Japan by Toho studios. It is quite difficult to buy or rent a copy but is available in some regions on FlixFling, The Criterion Channel and some other internet sites. 

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As usual there are spoilers ahead! 

Somewhere in the late 1950s society began to come to terms with the idea of the teenager. Teens were heading to the cinema leaving younger siblings and parents at home. The Blob (1958) isn‘t a tale of rebellion or film warning about teenage delinquency but a thoroughly enjoyable time with a catchy theme tune. 

I have two wonderful guests to help us unravel this classic 1950s sci-fi. 

The Experts 

Roger Luckhurst is a Professor at Birkbeck, University of London. He has written/edited numerous  of articles and books on cultural history and film. 

Matthew Rule Jones is a senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Exeter and the author of Science Fiction Cinema and 1950s Britain: Recontextualising Cultural Anxiety. 

Chapters 

00:00 Introduction 

03:22 The origins of the film 

06:05 Moral panic, the teenager and the AIP film formula

11:36 Red scare as red herring: Jello and suburbia  

16:25 The intention vs the interpretation of films 

17:32 The Blob  

20:00 The theme song vs the earnest tone 

24:15 The cinema scene and self-reflection 

28:32 The double bill offering 

29:56 Steve McQueen: The adult teen 

39:10 What are we gonna do? 

39:40 Legacy: Sequels and the education system 

48:55 Recommendations for the listener

The Next Episode! 

The next episode we will focus on the film I Married a Monster from Outer Space. You can buy or rent the film from many outlets or check the Just Watch website to see where it may be streaming in your region

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For this bonus episode I’ve teamed up with the excellent History Daily podcast. 

Very exciting! 

History Daily tells fascinating stories of what happened “on this day” in history with a new episode every weekday.

The early 1950s in the USA stand out as not just a time of economic prosperity but also one of paranoia. The country faced the fear of the atomic bomb, the Red Scare and a moral panic around juvenile delinquency. (Teenagers were new and unpredictable!)

During this time Joseph McCarthy’s power to seek out and persecute perceived communists was at its peak but the tide was about to turn. In 1954 it took journalist Ed Murrow guts to stand up to the influential senator.

You can learn more about History Daily on their website here. 

(And please just indulge me in telling you that it is a complete coincidence that this episode release aligns with this day in history! 9th March 1954 is when Ed Murrow aired his report on Joseph McCarthy!)

You can hear more from me on social media platforms Threads, Instagram and somewhat gingerly also on Bluesky. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You can find the podcast on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky. 

The Worst Film of All Time by The Worst Director of All Time. So claimed the 1980 book The Golden Turkey Awards by Michael and Harry Medved regarding the film Plan 9 from Outer Space and director Edward Wood Jr AKA Ed Wood. 

But this very title is one of the reasons behind the revival of the film and of Ed Wood. The film has issues with continuity, set design, dialogue and a coherent ‘Plan 9’ but something about the film appeals to a subset of film lovers. Perhaps it’s the flashes of style, the joy in its failings or perhaps it’s a recognition of something beyond the traditional and often formulaic nature of mainstream narrative filmmaking. Today I speak with two wonderful film academics and fans of the film. 

The Experts 

Mark Bould is a professor of Film and Literature at the University of West England, Bristol. He has written/edited extensively about science fiction cinema. 

Rodney F Hill is a Professor of Film at the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University and has written extensively about film. 

If you are interested in finding out how you can help the Prince Charles Cinema you can visit this page here.

Chapters 

00:00 Introduction 

01:28 Ed Wood: Hollywood, Kubrick and Corman 

05:04 Glen or Glenda, the production code and censorship 

12:39 Plan 9 and the Baptist Church 

14:33 Bela Lugosi and the rest of Ed Wood’s crew 

20:35 The Amazing Criswell 

23:23 Plan 9: An unconventional classic 

25:50 Why my guests love the film 

34:04 Bad science 

35:46 The more traditional aspects Plan 9 

37:22 The Worst Film of All Time and The Worst Director of All Time 

39:57 Ed Wood the outsider and the Church of Ed Wood 

43:14 Comparison to mainstream films 

45:21 The Legacy 

48:08 Recommendations 

50:37 Save the Prince Charles Cinema 

NEXT EPISODE! 

The next episode we will be discussing The Blob (1958) which is available to rent and buy online in many places. You can also watch the film on the Just Watch website which was quite unexpected! (And remember folks, Steve McQueen is supposed to be 17 years old in this film!)

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As usual there are spoilers ahead! 

I would love to know what you make of the ending of this film if you watched it. Best place to do that is on social media. Threads, Instagram and Bluesky. 

1957 USA seems like a country on the brink of huge social change. (Of course, I say this with the benefit of hindsight and with a deep affection for the decade that was just around the corner.) But so many of the events of the year are an indication of what’s to come. 

The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first of many legislative attempts to bring federal protection for African Americans in the face of growing dissatisfaction in the South towards desegregation of schools and society. 

1957 was the year the Little Rock Nine were enrolled into a previously all white school. The photos of nine black children often surrounded by angry and jeering crowds and the presence of US paratroopers are staggering. 

It is the year Enovid was approved by the FDA for menstrual problems. Two years later it would become the first FDA approved contraceptive pill. 

And in October 1957 Russia launched Sputnik into orbit causing a shock across the USA. Despite anxiety about their biggest rival the country was not ready for such a display of technological accomplishment. 

The year prior in 1956 Jack Arnold (who had become somewhat disillusioned by the increasingly schlocky independent sci-fi films of the late 50s) was convinced to return to Universal to make The Incredible Shrinking Man. 

Richard Matheson’s story is an unusual examination of a man losing stature both physically and socially. Many consider this Jack Arnold’s greatest science fiction film. We have two wonderful guests to explain why that might be. 

Scott Higgins is a Professor of Film at Wesleyan University as well as being the Curator of the Wesleyan Cinema Archives. He has written multiple books and essays about film. 

Ian Scott is a Professor of American Film and History at The University of Manchester. He has written extensively about politics and film in Hollywood. 

Chapters 

00:00 Introduction 

01:42 Jack Arnold’s best film? 

06:30 Special effects and 1950s horror 

09:15 1957 USA: The rumblings of change 

13:29 Metaphors and definitions of masculinity 

30:43 Kafka, psychoanalysis and The Kinsey Reports 

35:22 Women 

37:38 The End! 

45:17 Legacy 

49:55 Recommendations for the listener

NEXT EPISODE! 

Next episode we will be talking about what the book The Golden Turkey Awards declared as the Worst Film of All Time by The Worst Director of All Time. Plan 9 from Outer Space by Ed Wood is available to rent or buy on various online platforms. Just Watch is a good resource to check where it might be available in your region. Mubi and Pluto are only available in some regions but do offer a decent range of older science fiction films.

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As usual there are spoilers ahead! 

Forbidden Planet (1956) is a somewhat overlooked 50s classic. Although it often fails to make lists of the greatest sci-fi films of all time it has come across often in my written research and when speaking to guests. It’s a film that not only seems to excite avid fans of sci-fi cinema but also influenced some of the genre’s heavy hitters like both Star Wars and Star Trek. A costly, slick, colourful movie which takes a break from the red scare themes and invites us to delve into the dangers of the human mind. 

We mention Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics in the episode which are: 

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 

2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. 

The fourth law also known as Law Zero or Zeroth Law is: 

A robot cannot cause harm to mankind or, by inaction, allow mankind to come to harm.

I have two amazing guests to help unravel the threads in this space opera. 

The Experts

Jay Telotte is Professor Emeritus of film and media studies at Georgia Tech. He has written/edited numerous books and articles about science fiction film including the 2023 book Selling Science Fiction Cinema. 

Glyn Morgan is Curatorial Lead at the Science Museum in London and a science fiction scholar.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the film, some historical context and the guests 

02:25 The impact of Forbidden Planet 

07:56 MGM does big budget sci-fi 

13:52 Robby the Robot: a new type of robot and Asimov’s laws 

22:02 Special effects 

23:15 Altaira: miniskirts, the Hays Code and sexism 

32:44 The monster: Disney, the id and technological hubris 

38:01 The sound of electronic music: Bebe and Louis Barron’s breakthrough 

43:50 The legacy of Forbidden Planet 

50:09 Recommendations for the listeners

NEXT EPISODE!

The next episode we will focus on The Incredible Shrinking Man. You can buy or rent the 1956 film from many outlets or check the Just Watch website to see where it may be streaming in your region. It is worth checking platforms like Tubi and Pluto if they are available.

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