The Lost Planet

Last updated

The Lost Planet
Poster of the movie The Lost Planet.jpg
Poster of chapter 5
Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet
(as Spencer Bennet)
Screenplay by George H. Plympton
Arthur Hoerl
Story by George H. Plympton
Arthur Hoerl
Produced by Sam Katzman
Starring Judd Holdren
CinematographyWilliam P. Whitley
(as William Whitney)
Edited by Earl Turner
Color process Black and white
Production
company
Sam Katzman Productions
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • June 4, 1953 (1953-06-04)
Running time
(15 episodes)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Lost Planet is a 1953 American science fiction serial film 15-chapter serial which has the distinction of being the last interplanetary-themed sound serial ever made. It was directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet with a screenplay by George H. Plympton and Arthur Hoerl (who also wrote for Rocky Jones, Space Ranger ). It appears to have been planned as a sequel to the earlier chapterplay Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere and shares many plot-points, props and sets, as well as some of the same cast. However, the Video Rangers do not appear, and their uniforms are instead worn by "slaves" created electronically by Reckov, the dictator of the Lost Planet (Gene Roth) with the help of mad scientist Dr. Grood (Michael Fox) and enslaved "good" scientist Professor Dorn (Forrest Taylor).

Contents

Plot

Dr. Ernst Grood has succeeded in winning control over the planet Ergro as the first step in his desired conquest of the Universe. [1] Reporter Rex Barrow, his photographer Tim Johnson, Professor Edmund Dorn and his daughter Ella are all captured by Grood, who plans to make use of the professor's knowledge. With the help of the professor's inventions, Rex is able to free Ergro of Grood's domination, while Grood is sent on an endless voyage into space.

Cast

Unlike the Captain Video serial, The Lost Planet has a female character, Professor Dorn's daughter Ella (Vivian Mason) who strides about the Lost Planet (Bronson Canyon) in a fetching female version of the Video Ranger uniform. The hero is not Captain Video, but a newspaper reporter, Rex Barrow, played by Judd Holdren (who had previously played Captain Video and Commando Cody).

Production

The Lost Planet was the last of only three science fiction serials released by Columbia. [2]

This serial was, despite the characters' names, essentially a sequel to Captain Video , from which stock footage was taken for this serial. [2]

It was originally known as The Planet Men. [3]

Michael Fox recalled that writer George Plympton would deliberately write lines that he thought the actors couldn't say such as "The atom propulse set up a radiation wall which cut off the neutron detonator impulse!" [4]

Critical reception

In the opinions of Harmon and Glut, The Lost Planet is a "rather shoddy, low budget space cliffhanger." [5] [ dubious – discuss ]

Chapter titles

  1. Mystery of the Guided Missile
  2. Trapped by the Axial Propeller
  3. Blasted by the Thermic Disintegrator
  4. The Mind Control Machine
  5. The Atomic Plane
  6. Disaster in the Stratosphere
  7. Snared by the Prysmic Catapult
  8. Astray in Space
  9. The Hypnotic Ray Machine
  10. To Free the Planet People
  11. Dr. Grood Defies Gravity
  12. Trapped in a Cosmo Jet
  13. The Invisible Enemy
  14. In the Grip of the De-Thermo Ray
  15. Sentenced to Space

Source: [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe</i> 1940 US film serial directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe is a 1940 American black-and-white science-fiction 12-chapter movie serial from Universal Pictures, produced by Henry MacRae and co-directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor. The serial stars Buster Crabbe, Carol Hughes, Charles B. Middleton, Frank Shannon, and Roland Drew. It was written by George H. Plympton, Basil Dickey, and Barry Shipman, and was adapted from Alex Raymond's syndicated newspaper comic strip of the same name from King Features Syndicate. Shown theatrically in 12 separate weekly "chapters", it was the last of the three Universal Flash Gordon serials made between 1936 and 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commando Cody</span> Science fiction film serial character

Commando Cody is the hero in two 12-chapter science fiction serials made by Republic Pictures, played by George Wallace in Radar Men from the Moon (1952) and Judd Holdren in Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe (1953).

<i>Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe</i> Television series

Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe is a 1953 twelve-chapter movie serial from Republic Pictures, which began life as a proposed syndicated television series. It consists of twelve 25-minute sequential episodes directed by Harry Keller, Franklin Adreon, and Fred C. Brannon. It stars Judd Holdren, Aline Towne, Gregory Gaye, William Schallert, Richard Crane, and Craig Kelly.

<i>The Masked Marvel</i> 1943 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet

The Masked Marvel (1943) is a 12-chapter film serial created by Republic Pictures, who produced many other well known serials. It was Republic's thirty-first serial, of the sixty-six they produced.

<i>Zombies of the Stratosphere</i> 1952 serial film directed by Fred C. Brannon

Zombies of the Stratosphere is a 1952 colorless Republic Studios serial directed by Fred C. Brannon, with a screenplay by Ronald Davidson, and special effects by Republic's Lydecker brothers. It was intended to be Republic's second serial featuring "new hero" Commando Cody and the third 12-chapter serial featuring the rocket-powered flying jacket and helmet introduced in King of the Rocket Men (1949). Instead, for reasons unknown, the hero was renamed "Larry Martin", who must prevent Martian invaders from using a hydrogen bomb to blow Earth out of its orbit, so that the Martians can move a dying Mars into a much closer orbital position to the Sun. As in Radar Men from the Moon, much of the screen time for each of the dozen chapters is spent on fistfights and car chases between the heroes and a gang of earthly crooks hired by renegade scientist Dr. Harding and his extraterrestrial colleague Marex to steal and stockpile the Atomic supplies needed for construction of the H-bomb.

<i>Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere</i> 1951 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Wallace Grissell

Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere is an American adventure horror science fiction film 15-chapter serial released by Columbia Pictures in 1951. It was directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Wallace A. Grissel with a screenplay by Royal G. Cole, Sherman I. Lowe and Joseph F. Poland, based on a treatment by George H. Plympton. The serial is unique for several reasons--- in particular, it is the only film serial ever based on a television program, Captain Video and His Video Rangers.

<i>The Phantom</i> (serial) 1943 film by B. Reeves Eason

The Phantom is a 1943 15-chapter cliffhanger superhero serial, produced by Rudolph C. Flothow, directed B. Reeves Eason, and starring Tom Tyler in the title role. It is based on Lee Falk's comic strip The Phantom, first syndicated to newspapers in 1936 by King Features Syndicate. The serial also features Jeanne Bates as the Phantom's girlfriend Diana Palmer, and Ace the Wonder Dog as the Phantom's trusty German shepherd Devil.

<i>Mysterious Doctor Satan</i> 1940 film by John English, William Witney

Mysterious Doctor Satan is a 1940 American film serial directed by William Witney and John English. Produced by Republic Pictures, the serial stars Edward Ciannelli, Robert Wilcox, William Newell, C. Montague Shaw, Ella Neal, and Dorothy Herbert. The title of the serial is derived from that of its chief villain.

<i>Darkest Africa</i> 1936 American film

Darkest Africa (1936) is a Republic movie serial. This was the first serial produced by Republic Pictures and was a loose sequel to a Mascot Pictures serial called The Lost Jungle, also starring Clyde Beatty. Mascot, and other companies, had been taken over in 1935 by Consolidated Film Laboratories and merged to become Republic. Producer Nat Levine was formerly the owner of Mascot Pictures.

<i>Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc.</i> 1941 film by John English, William Witney

Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. (1941) is a Republic Movie serial based on the Dick Tracy comic strip. It was directed by the team of William Witney and John English with Ralph Byrd reprising his role from the earlier serials. It was the last of the four Dick Tracy serials produced by Republic, although Ralph Byrd went on to portray the character again in two features and on television.

<i>Perils of Nyoka</i> 1942 film by William Witney

Perils of Nyoka is a 1942 Republic serial directed by William Witney. It stars Kay Aldridge as Nyoka the Jungle Girl, a character who first appeared in the Edgar Rice Burroughs-inspired serial Jungle Girl.

<i>Secret Service in Darkest Africa</i> 1943 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet

Secret Service in Darkest Africa is a 1943 Republic serial. It was Republic's thirtieth serial, of the sixty-six produced by the studio.

<i>King of the Forest Rangers</i> 1946 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet, Fred C. Brannon

King of the Forest Rangers (1946) is a Republic film serial.

<i>King of the Rocket Men</i> 1949 film by Fred C. Brannon

King of the Rocket Men is a 1949 12-chapter movie serial from Republic Pictures, produced by Franklin Adreon, directed Fred C. Brannon, that stars Tristram Coffin, Mae Clarke, Don Haggerty, House Peters, Jr., James Craven, and I. Stanford Jolley.

<i>The Airmail Mystery</i> 1932 film

The Airmail Mystery is a 1932 Universal pre-Code movie serial directed by Ray Taylor, written by Ella O'Neill, starring James Flavin and Wheeler Oakman, and featuring Al Wilson doing the aerial stunts. The Airmail Mystery was Universal's first aviation serial that set the pattern for the aviation serials and feature films to follow. The film also marks the film debut of James Flavin. The Airmail Mystery is considered a lost film.

<i>The Adventures of Frank Merriwell</i> (serial) 1936 film

The Adventures of Frank Merriwell (1936) is a Universal movie serial based on the Frank Merriwell books by Gilbert Patten.

<i>The Mysterious Pilot</i> 1937 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet

The Mysterious Pilot is a 15-episode 1937 Columbia movie serial based on the book by William Byron Mowery and starring the record-breaking aviator Frank Hawks. This was the second serial produced by Columbia. In the serial, Hawks plays a flying "mountie".

<i>Brick Bradford</i> (serial) 1947 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet, Thomas Carr

Brick Bradford (1947) was the 35th serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was based on the comic strip Brick Bradford, which was created by Clarence Gray and William Ritt.

<i>Blackhawk</i> (serial) 1952 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet, Fred F. Sears

Blackhawk is a 1952 American 15-chapter science fiction adventure movie serial from Columbia Pictures, based on the comic book Blackhawk, first published by Quality Comics, but later owned by competitor DC Comics. It was Columbia's forty-ninth serial. The one-sheet poster referred to the serial as The Miraculous Blackhawk: Freedom's Champion. The home video release added the tagline: "Fearless Champion of Freedom".

References

  1. ↑ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 96. ISBN   0-8160-1356-X.
  2. 1 2 Cline, William C. (1984). "3. The Six Faces of Adventure". In the Nick of Time . McFarland & Company, Inc. p.  34. ISBN   0-7864-0471-X.
  3. ↑ THOMAS M. PRYOR (February 14, 1952). "2 COMPANIES PLAN RAILROAD MOVIES: Metro to Film 'The High Iron,' Warners 'Last Train West' -- Katzman Makes Deals". New York Times. p. 23.
  4. ↑ Weaver, Tom (2004). Michael Fox Interview. McFarland. p. 104.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. ↑ Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "2. "We Come from 'Earth', Don't You Understand?"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. p. 45. ISBN   978-0-7130-0097-9.
  6. ↑ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time . McFarland & Company, Inc. p.  255. ISBN   0-7864-0471-X.
Preceded by Columbia Serial
The Lost Planet (1953)		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.