Name your fave vintage sci-fi movie...

[ringzero]

Actually, both episodes were based on the short story "Arena" written by Frederic Brown.

Frederic Brown is little known today, but during his heyday during the 1950s was very popular with SF fans for his funny and clever short-short stories. He also wrote in the crime-mystery genre. "Martians Go Home" was a comedic novel of Brown's that was made into a movie long after his death.


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[Kinnza]

Another vote for Bladerunner, 2001 and Forbiden Planet. Dune is right up there also.

Gary

I was going to type exactly the same

For Sci-fi series, i liked very much "Dr Who". BTW, anybody knows where to get it?

 

[tradderran]

19 cent / gallon gas! Now I'm older than you and the best I remember seeing was 25 cent/ gallon regular. Where'd you have 19 cent ethel?
- well movies - I don't think this is especially vintage but 'The Matrix' (big surprise right?) would be one of my favorites. Starman is a good one but still not that old. Older than that the ones mentioned so far are right up there as good ones I remember.

There were gas wars going on all the time 19cents and lower. This was in Texas

 

[BobVA]

1970's: Dark Star

Funny!

Cheers,
Bob

 

[ringzero]

19 cent / gallon gas! Now I'm older than you and the best I remember seeing was 25 cent/ gallon regular. Where'd you have 19 cent ethel?

I remember gas that cheap in the St. Louis, Mo. area.

I can remember cigarettes for 20 cents a pack, because I sometimes bought them for my dad. Can remember buying Coca Cola out of a vending machine for 5 cents a bottle.

Ace paperback science fiction novels could be had for as little as 25 cents. Other publishers charged 40 cents, even as high as 50 cents, for a paperback book.

Admission for a kiddy matinee double-feature was 25 cents.



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[LowBat]

Actually, both episodes were based on the short story "Arena" written by Frederic Brown.

Thanks, I didn't know that.

 

[tvodrd]

Anybody remember The Mysterians? Saw that one on the big screen as a kid. I think Flesh Gordon was the funniest movie I have seen in my life! :green: You had to have been a fan of Flash Gordon to really appreciate it. I have all 3 Tremors in my limited collection, but I wouldn't call them "vintage."

Larry

 

[83Venture]

Here are a few I remember from my childhood:

The Mole People (1956)
Archaeologists stumble upon a race of albinos living under the earth. They are afraid of light of any kind and keep mutant humanoid mole men as their slaves. Hugh Beaumont played one of the Archaeologists, he later played Ward Cleaver (Beavers Dad) on "Leave It to Beaver" (1957)

It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)
First "Alien boards a spaceship and starts killing the crew" movie I can remember seeing. Marshall Thompson plays the Mission commander of the 1st expedition to Mars. 2nd mission crew finds he is the sole survivor of the 1st flight and is bringing him back to earth to face charges of murdering his crew to survive longer on remaining rations. Thompson later played in the "Daktari" TV-Series 1966-1969

Battle in Outer Space (USA) 1959
An "Earth Unites to fight invader" movie. Good special effects for the time. Mother ships, fighters, Ray guns, Space torpedoes etc. This one has still not been released to DVD.

 

[ringzero]

Here are a few I remember from my childhood:

The Mole People (1956)

It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)

Battle in Outer Space (USA) 1959

Saw all those on late night TV during the 1960s.

"It! The Terror from Beyond Space" was ripped off later on by "Alien." It gave me nightmares as a little kid.

"Battle in Outer Space" had amazing special effects for the time. A few of the Japanese movies of the 50s and 60s had great FX - "The Mysterians" is another example.


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[Lightmeup]

Lota the Leopard Woman, the House of Pain

I always thought the House of Pain was the Jeers Forum.

I think some of the movies being mentioned would fall under the Horror classification rather than SciFi.

 

[dfred]

This film [Island of Terror] really scared me when I saw it as a young kid.

The creatures were horrible indeed - especially the bizarre manner by which they killed their prey - although the FX seem lame by the standards of today.

The scene where Peter Cushing had to cut his buddy's arm off with an ax really freaked me out.

Yea, the axe scene was particularly shocking to me also, I think at least partially because of how it reinforced the idea that, as bad as getting your arm chopped off by an axe was, the alternative was way worse.

I always wondered whether the Horta of Star Trek was based on the "silicates" of the film. The air date of that episode was just a month or so after the release of "Island of Terror".

I think some of the movies being mentioned would fall under the Horror classification rather than SciFi.

I don't think the horror and sci-fi genres are always mutually exclusive... If the source of the horror is based in some sort of science (e.g. radiation creating monsters) rather than supernatural agency, then it qualifies as sci-fi to me.

 

[BobVA]

Here are a few I remember from my childhood:

The Mole People (1956)
Archaeologists stumble upon a race of albinos living under the earth. They are afraid of light of any kind and keep mutant humanoid mole men as their slaves. Hugh Beaumont played one of the Archaeologists, he later played Ward Cleaver (Beavers Dad) on "Leave It to Beaver" (1957)

And, the humans ultimate weapon in their fight? A FLASHLIGHT! When I watched this as a kid I learned the value of spare batteries.


(MST3K did a great sendup of this movie)

Cheers,
Bob

 

[chmsam]

Another vote for both "Them!" (and I didn't forget the exclamation point) and "The Day the Earth Stood Still." I never miss these two.

Others worth mentioning and certainly worth checking out:

- The Lathe of Heaven (IIRC, the 1st full legth film made for PBS, but I could be wrong)
- This Island Earth
- Silent Running (Huey, Dewey, & Louie rock!)
- Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (one of the best cheesy movies of all time)
- Spirits of the Dead (kind of artsy but cool 60's film. A trilogy of Edgar Allen Poe stories, and for films buffs they were directed by Fellini, Roger Vadim, and Louis Malle. Lots of international stars from the 60's)
- 2001, The Blob, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, and many others.

But don't forget the lighter side:

- Abbot & Costello Meet... (Frankenstein, the Mummy, the Wolfman, etc.)
- Bambi vs. Godzilla (probably easy to find online)
- Arsenic & Old Lace -- it still counts although it's more of a murder/comedy. Reminds me of a few family members and in-laws, too!

 

[qarawol]

Come on, y'all mid/old timers have to remember the all time Sci-Fi Classics. My favs...

WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS

And

JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT


Njoy...

 

[MarNav1]

Videodrome, James Woods-Debbie Harry
Bladerunner, Harrison Ford-Darryl Hannah
Equalbrium, Coming soon

 

[greenlight]

I like 'The Black Hole', it has a great cast.

Maximilian Schell ... Dr. Hans Reinhardt
Anthony Perkins ... Dr. Alex Durant
Robert Forster ... Capt. Dan Holland
Joseph Bottoms ... Lt. Charles Pizer
Yvette Mimieux ... Dr. Kate McCrae
Ernest Borgnine ... Harry Booth
Tommy McLoughlin ... Captain S.T.A.R. (Special Troops Arms Regiment)
Roddy McDowall ... V.I.N.CENT. (Vital Information Necessary CENTralized) (voice)
Slim Pickens ... Bob (voice)​

I saw it when I was 9, so I believed the 'paint can' black hole projection, and liked the good robot/bad robot intrigue. I haven't seen it recently, it doesn't get much tv time.

 

[greenlight]

I saw 'Alien' in the theatre when I was 9 and it totally freaked me out. I think I talked about it for months. I like the drab and gritty visual effects, they make the movie seem realistic.

 

[ringzero]

Videodrome, James Woods-Debbie Harry

An excellent movie that I haven't seen - or even thought about - for years. Doesn't seem to show up on television much, for obvious reasons.

Cronenberg's best movie, much better than "Scanners" IMHO.

"The Fly" and "Dead Ringers" were also pretty good, but nowhere near as bizarre and nightmarish as "Videodrome."

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[Nyctophiliac]

A huge rush of childhood memories flood into my brain reading this thread. Most of these flicks I saw late at night on telly or in Saturday morning shows in Summer hols.

One that I loved at the time was Hammer's 'Moon Zero Two' which was a light hearted romp in moonspace starring James Olsen (He of Andromeda Strain fame), Warren Mitchell ( 'Silly Moo!!') and Catherine Schell (Pink panther, Space 1999 etc. ). I think I must have been around ten or eleven when this aired. It was basically cowboys in space with babes and bad bluescreen, but that didn't stop us loving it.The kind of Sci Fi that had us kids reeling with excitement as we stepped out into the sunshine (Or maybe it was Catherine Schell's spacey bikini!!).

A couple of years later I was very taken with 'The Final Programme' , which was an altogether more adult affair involving death, sex and the end of the world. Based on a Michael Moorcock novel and directed by the chap who did ' The Avengers' and 'The Abominable Dr. Phibes' (Robert Fuest??)

I feel a DVD shopping trip coming on at lunchtime!!!


Gadget lover - 'There ain't no justice!' (Ringworld would be a great film, flashlight-lasers and all!!)




Be lucky.......

 

[lukus]

Ooooh, I would love to see Ringworld as a movie. Or something based on Halo, the XBox game. Now that I think of it, Ringworld might be just a tad slow as a movie, and Halo stands the chance of being mindless action. A mix of the two however........