Rocketship XM (1950)

Director – Kurt Neumann

Plot
Film Notes
Cast and Production Credits

The Plot

The first manned space mission takes a literally unexpected turn when Rocketship XM misses the moon and finds itself headed for Mars. Once on the Red Planet, they discover remnants of an ancient civilization. Survivors of that civilization have turned savage and assail the explorers. Will the astronauts make it back to earth?

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Film Notes

Serious Sci-Fi – Seriously

Rocketship XM is an early attempt at serious sci-fi. With his usual constraints of small budget and short production schedule, executive producer Robert L. Lippert hired veteran director Kurt Neumann to write direct and produce a movie that would exploit America's growing fascination with UFOs and outer space. The film Neumann came up with was, in many ways, a film that foreshadowed a Space Race that had not even formally started.

Though the science is mostly fiction, it seems to make a true attempt for believability (1950s style).

Fly By Night Director

Nuremberg, Germany, native Kurt Neumann's most renowned directorial effort was probably The Fly (also a Robert L. Lippert film). But Mr Neumann was a more than dependable technician who could turn out entertaining movies across a number of genres. He directed a number of Tarzan features in the late 40s and early 50s, along with westerns, comedies, horror, and crime films. Though he directed few science fiction films, he was as an avid sci-fi reader and his interest in the subject shows in Rocketship XM, which might have been treated with far less care given its low budget and short shooting schedule. Instead, a certain intelligence shines through, though the still not quite developed structure of the genre provides unintended campy moments. The mix makes the film a fun experience.

That Certain Look

This was not the first, or last time that cinematographer Karl Struss worked with director Karl Neumann. The duo also combined on such films as The Fly, Kronos, and The Deerslayer. Considered one of the finest still photographers of his time, Struss did breathtaking work on F.W. Muranu's Sunrise and Rouben Mamoulian's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Even through the low budget lens of Rocketship XM, a master craftsman can be glimpsed in such touches as the red-tinted desert landscape of Mars and the black and white matte work, which although obvious, seems artful, not silly, and also the sudden close-ups that burst from the screen as the film hurtles toward its climax.

Never a Star But Never Ever Out of Work

Noah Beery, Jr. was a Hollywood movie and TV workhorse for 63 years! The son of actor Noah Beery, Sr., whose specialty was villains in stage melodramas and early films, and the nephew of the far more famous Wallace Beery (1931 Academy Award for Best Actor), he is probably most well known for his portrayal of James Garner's dad in the Rockford Files (1974-79). Beery, Jr. appeared in comedy shorts, "A" films, "B" movies, serials, and many TV series. In contrast to his father's type-casting as a villain, the younger Noah's movie role tended to always be the hero's side-kick, and he could always be relied upon to provide an easy going, likable screen presence.

Lost in Trivial Space

• Osa Massen, who portrays the woman scientist with intelligence and sex appeal, was publicized as a Danish Ingrid Bergman, but though talented, she never reached star status.
• Lloyd Bridges' progressive political background led to his "Graylisting" and relegated him to small or "B" roles in the 40s and early 50s. In 1957, he took on the lead role in TV's Sea Hunt, which became an enormous success. After that, Bridges worked regularly in TV and films. He was the father of Jeff and Beau Bridges.
• An uncredited (and blacklisted) Dalton Trumbo contributed to the script of Rocketship XM.

-- Ed Schneider - Alameda TV

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Cast

Production Credits

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For more on...

Alameda's Robert L. Lippert
Karl Struss