Terror is a Man (1959)

Mad scientist creates man-cat, unfortunately the plot and action does not proceed with a feline speed and grace.

William (Richard Derr) is washed up on a remote island in the Pacific after his cargo ship sinks. He is rescued by Dr Girard (Frances Lederer) and his comely wife Frances (Greta Thyssen). Girard is conducting some kind of strange medical experiments on the island, and there is a beast loose which has killed enough natives that they have fled. However, the beast is not a natural creation but a big cat which Girard is trying to turn into a man.

Despite Frances and William's pleas to leave the island, Girard doggedly continues his experiments with the man-cat (Flory Carlos). However, the creature has developed a fascination for Frances (natch) and is also becoming harder and harder to control...

A story based on a HG Wells tale, and is fine enough though lacks much in the way of action. Much of the film is spent waiting around for something to happen, we really only see the man-cat in the final few minutes, though it really isn't worth the wait. One interesting gimmick is the inclusion of an annoying bell in the soundtrack to warn squeamish viewers to look away if something horrid is about to happen.

Night of the Blood Beast (1958)

A 1950s sci-fi horror shocker featuring an alien in a rubber suit, the biggest shock though is actually how intelligent the plot is.

Astronaut Steve (John Baer) crash lands in his ship (which totally doesn't look made out of cardboard) after the first trip by a man into outer space. He appears to have perished in the crash but when the scientists return him to their isolated lab they discover he is somehow alive in a catatonic state, his body also has been infected by some kind of alien cells. 

Steve is now carrying a number of alien babies, but it is the large alien who also tagged a ride back to Earth that the others really need to worry about. However, the alien offers them a chance for immortality, thats after he killed Dr Wyman (Tyler McVey) in a pretty brutal manner...

This is a low-budget sci-fi horror schlocker, with a ridiculous looking alien of course. However, buried in the plot is some intelligent sci-fi concepts which helps elevate this above the usual nonsense. Its still no more than an average film but certainly worth a watch.

The Saint's Girl Friday (1953)

The Saint returns in a rather murky tale of illegal gambling, seedy clubs and revenge.

The Saint Simon Templar (Louis Hayward) returns to England after a call for help from his socialite friend, before he can arrive she has died in a "car accident" (assisted by being chased by hoodlums). 

The Saint knew his friend had a gambling habit and was probably in debt, he begins his investigation then in the underground gambling scene (gambling being illegal in the UK at the time) in 1950s London. His investigation leads him to the brutal River Gang who seem to be behind his friend's death and much more besides...

This is a decent film, rather grubby and hard for a British film of the period. It also is an interesting view of England still recovering from the war. The plot can be a bit slow at times though. See Diana Dors in an early role.

The Maze (1953)

Rather odd but ultimately satisfying horror mystery.

Gerald (Richard Carlson) is engaged to marry Kitty (Veronica Hurst) but he is called to Scotland close to the wedding day to see his uncle in the ancestral home. When Gerald does not return and indeed seems to want to end the marriage plans, Kitty travels to Scotland with her aunt (Katharine Emery). 

Kitty finds that Gerald is a changed man and seems to want her to leave immediately but doesn't really explain why. He definitely doesn't want her to go into the maze in the garden, however strange noises at night and the air of mystery piques Kitty's curiosity. When she finally ventures into the maze she finds a creature beyond imagination lurking in there...

However, this film has a lot of surprises for the viewer. It isn't a mere monster movie out to menace young ladies, indeed the creature has an ultimately tragic story. This helps elevate the film beyond mere creep, though there is plenty of that. A bit slow moving at times but worth it in the end.

It Conquered the World (1956)

Although this film is packed full of familiar genre tropes, it is a surprisingly decent watch.

A satellite sent up by the US starts to act strangely and it is bought back to Earth in a team led by Dr Nelson (Peter Graves). Meanwhile, his friend Dr Anderson (Lee Van Cleef) is acting strangely and seems to be talking to... someone. That someone turns out to be a being from another world and it intends to take control of the Earth... by sending space bats to attack the local sheriff and mayor and putting them under his control...

But just wait until you see the jiggly rubber suit horror that is the alien! This is a fun film and is very familiar with all the common tropes like small town settings (very budget friendly), ridiculous aliens and nefarious plots to conquer mankind but foiled by men in open-top Cadillacs. The film is ridiculous but very watchable.

The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent (1957)

The long and unwieldily title is only the start of this film's weirdness.

With their men having sailed away to not return, a group of Viking women (including Abby Dalton and Susan Cabot) decide to head off in a ship and look for them. They encounter a sea serpent in a far off sea and end up shipwrecked and the prisoners of a strange race... who have enslaved their missing men folk! 

Despite the rather unpromising premise, this isn't that bad a film despite the obviously minute budget. It is a bit cheesy, campy and unlikely but is plenty of fun. 

Everyone looks like they walked off a California beach of course, not the ancient Scandinavian hinterland. The serpent is a bit of a let down though.

King Dinosaur (1955)

Even by the standards of the day and genre this is a pretty appalling little film. 

A new planet which supports life is spotted close to Earth. A rocket (which looks remarkably like a V-2) is sent there with four human explorers. The four, which includes two men and two women including William Bryant and Wanda Curtis, waste no time in hooking up. They also get lost, while exploring this alien planet packed with life which is remarkably like Earth's...

Finally, they get menaced by a giant reptile and need to flee the planet. They also decide to nuke the planet (using an atom bomb they have been carrying around this whole time) as they leave and wipe out life there...

So, this is an awful film over filled with stock footage, scientific stupidity, misogyny, animal cruelty and pointless nuclear devastation. It is also pretty slow and tedious too. This might be one of the worst films ever made, unlike other 1950s science fiction films it lacks much in the way of camp or charm to compensate for the nonsense. Terrible.

Song of the Clouds (1956)

A look at the classic pre-jet age of air travel when the skies were the domain of the prop airliners like the Constellations, DC-7s and Vanguards. This is an optimistic, nostalgic and very entertaining documentary from the Shell Historic Film Archive showing the fast growing civil aviation industry as the world beginning to leave the carnage of the Second World War behind.

The film covers a pretty wide area, from big international airports to small aircraft linking up remote and rural communities. The message of the film is hammered home pretty solidly, aircraft and travel brings us and the world together, well that is something that is true today, even on Ryanair.

Roaring City (1951)

An enjoyable little crime Noir.

Private detective Dennis (Hugh Beaumont) is hired to place some bets on a dodgy boxing match by Barton (Stanley Price). One of the boxers dies during the match which messes up the crooked bets. Dennis tries to collect his fee but he ends up framed for the murder of the other boxer. Dennis has to find out why carried out the murder (and some subsequent kills) before the dozy detective Burger (Richard Travis) locks him up!

A modest but complicated film, the story driven by Dennis' narrative. The plot doesn't always make a lot of sense but the quick pace and cool early 1950s feel makes the film well worth watching.

Earth vs the Spider (1958)

Yet another film where a giant mutated bug battles the Earth's ultimate warriors: 1950s US teenagers!

A giant mutant spider begins to wreak havoc in a small US town. This is after it is "killed" by bug spray and then apparently bought back to life by rock & roll! Finally, the spider has to be defeated in it's lair by teenage couple Mike (Eugene Persson) and Carol (June Kenney) and their science geek teacher (Ed Kemmer) using the power of the national grid.

This is yet another creature feature film though has some interesting plot points to help elevate it above the usual dross level of these films. It still isn't great though but at least can be fairly interesting at times.

Santa Claus vs The Devil (1959)

Some truly bizarre Christmas fare.

Santa Claus (José Elias Moreno) is preparing for Christmas, and bringing joy to all the good little girls and boys. These include poor Lupita who is a very good girl who only wants a doll. However, the Devil sends his minion Pitch (José Luis Aguirre), who tries to corrupt Lupita into stealing that doll. Luckily Lupita remains good (a real little angel to be honest). Pitch recruits three bad boys to help him try and stop Santa in a number of traps and ruin Christmas...

Very strange stuff and often very surreal, Santa's robot surveillance system and flying castle base are amazing if somewhat odd. In mortal peril from the evil of the Devil, Santa is helped by Merlin (Armando Arriola) - well of course! The film has some real mind bending charm and is fun, though may cause some nightmares. Well Merry Christmas anyway!

David Harding, Counterspy (1950)

A tasty wartime counter-espionage tale.

The head of counter-espionage Harding (Howard St John) recounts to a radio commentator how a key operation went down during the war. Information is leaking out of a facility where the US Navy is developing it's torpedoes. 

Naval officer Baldwin (Willard Parker) is sent in to try and uncover the agent. Unbeknownst to Baldwin, one of the agents (Audrey Long) is very close to his heart...

This is a fine procedural, giving us a view of early counter-espionage efforts and the careful uncovering of a group of spies, but also how the spies themselves operate. 

A tough film with Noir touches but the spy game is one of the hardest games of all.

Venetian Bird (1952)

A grimy and Noir-ish crime drama set in glamorous Venice's seedy under belly.

Private detective Mercer (Richard Todd) has come to Vice to locate a former resistance fighter on behalf of an insurance company. However, locating this man is proving difficult especially as his informant is soon found dead! Mercer thinks the man is linked to a gallery where Adriana (Eva Bartok) works and lives. Despite news that the man he is seeking died in the war, Mercer is sure he is still alive though this puts him at odds with a tough gang who have a dark plan of their own...

An enjoyable film is fairly static at times but the portrayal of the grimy life of Mercer (which the limited budget probably helped with) works really well, the final chase on the roof tops is thrilling though. Look out for Sid James giving possibly the worst impression of an Italian hardman ever!

Please Murder Me! (1956)

A superbly tense and dark tale of murder and betrayal.

Lawyer Craig Carlson (Raymond Burr) tells his friend Joe (Dick Foran) that Joe's wife Myra (Angela Lansbury) wants to leave him and shack up with Craig instead! Joe gets enraged and apparently goes him to kill Myra but she kills him in self-defence. Despite a lack of evidence supporting her side of the story, Craig helps her escape the murder rap. 

However, Craig discovers that Myra was faking her love for him, really she is in love with a struggling artist (Lamont Johnson). She had set the whole thing up to murder Joe and get Craig to help her...

The story is told in flashback by Craig while he waits for his death, everything he has wanted in his life has gone, all he has left is to bring Myra to justice. You can probably guess who he is waiting for but it is still a tense conclusion. A well constructed crime film with Noir touches. 

Beginning of the End (1957)

Monster sized radiation mutated insect horror!

Intrepid reporter Audrey (Peggie Castle) is on the case when the population of a small town mysteriously vanish overnight and just a pile of rubble is left. The US military are stone walling her, though don't know anything anyway. Audrey heads to an experimental agriculture facility where Dr Wainwright (Peter Graves) is supersizing fruit and veg using radiation. They discover that locusts have also been supersized and are now wrecking havoc!

So, a standard monster / big bug film with the usual tropes. The large insect scenes are quite laughable though the most is made of a tiny budget. It isn't that bad of a film though pretty generic.

The most interesting thing in the film really is Audrey using a car phone! In fact the service, which used VHF radio and needed an operator, had existed for a number of years when this film was made.

The Shadow on the Window (1957)

An excellent Noir with some tasty detective work.

Little Petey (Jerry Mathers) witnesses something terrible happen to his mother Linda (Betty Garrett) and goes into a shocked trance. He is found wandering the roads when he is picked up. Now Petey is the son of Detective Tony Atlas (Philip Carey) and he tries to work out what has happened. Unfortunately no one knows where Linda is or what she was doing. In fact she is the prisoner of a group of thugs. As Tony begins a complicated investigation, the thugs begin to fall out putting Linda into even greater danger...

This is a good crime film with rising tension and a clever police procedural plot. The only flaw is the utter dopiness of the criminals but as we have seen in many films, if criminals were clever then they would probably never get caught!

Spaceways (1953)

This may appear at first glance to be an early 1950s science fiction film but really it is quite a good murder mystery!

Tensions are high at a top secret and high security British research base as Britain attempts to be the first to send a rocket into orbit in efforts led by Dr Mitchell (Howard Duff). However, there are other tensions too as Mitchell's wife Vanessa (Cecile Chevreau) dislikes the restricted life on base and is having an affair with Dr Crenshaw (Andrew Osborn). Vanessa and Crenshaw go missing on the day of a new rocket test, the rocket failing to reach the correct orbit for some reason.

Ministry investigator Dr Smith (Alan Wheatley) comes in looking into why the two disappeared. He knows of the affair and logically deduces that Mitchell killed the pair and then stuffed their bodies into the rocket which is now in orbit! Mitchell volunteers to pilot another rocket into space to prove his innocence but Smith has a new lead and the pair might not be dead after all...

If you wanted a 1950s science fiction film you might find this a bit limited (though there are some orbital thrills at the end) but the crime investigation part of the film is pretty good and makes the film a perfectly reasonable watch.

Project Moon Base (1953)

Misogyny... in... space!

The US launches a mission to it's space station. It is commanded by Colonel Briteis (Donna Martell). However, as Briteis is female she is called "Bright eyes", her other crewman Moore (Ross Ford) openly resents being inferior to a female, and the general threatens her with a spanking if she doesn't behave!

Meanwhile, Wernher (Larry Johns) is a foreign spy who is attached to the mission with a secret plan to destroy the space station. Instead he manages to get them marooned on the Moon...

It is a shame the film is jarred by some blatant and overt sexism as this isn't a bad 1950s science-fiction film at all otherwise. Luckily Briteis manages to solve her problema with Moore resenting her status by marrying him on the Moon and getting him a promotion to outrank her as a wedding present! 

Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard (1950)

An excellent early Cold War spy drama. 

After a US agent working at a top secret missile test site mysteriously dies, spy chief Harding (Howard St John) suspects there is a foreign spy ring after US secrets. British agent Langton (Ron Randell) begins to work at the test site to seek out the spies. 

The base secretary Karen (Amanda Blake) comes under suspicion, especially as she has regular meetings with Dr Gilbert (Lewis Martin)...

This is a good film with some interesting scenes, some spy drama brutality and an exploration of the art of international espionage. The spies' identities are kept ambiguous, quite possibly neo-Nazis instead of the Soviets. The post-war paranoia is high, the film is also interesting in using Karen's concentration camp survival as a plot point.

Frankenstein's Daughter (1958)

Frankenstein's monster becomes female, not that you can really tell.

The grandson of Frankenstein, Oliver Frank (Donald Murphy) is now living in 1950s USA. Working with an unsuspecting Professor Morton (Felix Locher), he is conducting his deranged experiments at night. He kills Suzie (Sally Todd) after a date which goes sour and uses her brain to finish his new creation. Meanwhile he is also after the heart of of the Professor's daughter Trudy (Sandra Knight) though she is not that keen on this ridiculously creepy man, especially when his monster shows up. She is keener on Johnny (John Ashley) though he does take her to parties with some dodgy pop groups playing...

This is a basic retelling of the Frankenstein story set in the rock and roll era but isn't very good. It has a few thrills but most of the monster scenes are more ridiculous than anything else. 

Despite the monster was supposed to be female it didn't look very feminine. The makeup artist didn't know the monster was supposed to be female when he created the mask. So, he applied some lipstick to the mask! Job done?