Download or read book Flying Saucer Films of The 1950s written by Jon Abbott and published by . This book was released on 2019-08-29 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 1950s was a golden age for cinematic sci-fi, offering up dozens of films of varying degrees of interest, competence, and entertainment. Some of it was schlock, knocked out by fast-buck con-men and opportunists, who inadvertently created iconic trash. Some of it was tedious, well-intentioned, and tiresome. Those are mostly forgotten. And some of it was inspirational, memorable, and for the True Fan, literally life-changing. No-one could have known, back in the 1950s, that decades later these films would still be showing, written about, admired and respected, loved and laughed at, featured in magazines and books, released on home video, DVD, and streaming services, picked apart, studied and quoted, cracked a beer open to, and enthused over, while more serious and sensitive fare of the era gathered dust. Flying Saucer Films of the 1950s features detailed coverage of such classic sci-fi films of the '50s as The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing from Another World, Invaders from Mars, It Came from Outer Space, This Island Earth, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, War of the Worlds, and I Married a Monster from Outer Space. Also included in full detail are The Flying Saucer, The Man from Planet X, Plan Nine from Outer Space, Invasion of the Saucermen, The Mysterians, Battle in Outer Space, The Cosmic Man, and Teenagers from Outer Space. The other three books in this series are Giant Bug Movies of the 1950s (Them, Tarantula, The Deadly Mantis, The Black Scorpion, The Fly, Earth vs. the Spider, etc.), Panic in the Streets: Sci-Fi Movie Mayhem in the 1950s (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, It Came from Beneath the Sea, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Twenty Million Miles to Earth, The Giant Claw, The Blob, etc.), and Space Travel in 1950s Cinema (Destination: Moon, Rocketship X-M, Forbidden Planet, Flight to Mars, Conquest of Space, When Worlds Collide, Cat Women of the Moon, Queen of Outer Space, etc.), all available on Amazon. Four fun-filled, fact-filled studies of sci-fi films of the Fifties begin here, with Flying Saucer Films of the 1950s... All four volumes combine to make up a detailed study of "Sci-Fi Before Star Wars", the science-fiction boom of the 1950s. Jon Abbott is the author of numerous books on 20th century film and television available on Amazon. He has written over four hundred articles and features for over two dozen different publications, trade, specialist, and populist, and is currently writing for Infinity magazine.
Download or read book Giant Bug Movies of The 1950s written by Jon Abbott and published by . This book was released on 2019-08-29 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: They creep... they crawl... and they're the size of a house! This book looks at the giant bug movie fad of the 1950s that began with the spectacular giant ants of Them! and continued with Tarantula!... The giant grasshoppers of The Beginning of the End swiftly followed, accompanied by The Deadly Mantis, The Monster That Challenged the World, The Monster from Green Hell, Earth vs. the Spider, The Black Scorpion, The Fly, Return of the Fly, Attack of the Giant Leeches, and The Wasp Woman. Giant Bug Movies of the 1950s, the second in a series of books that also looks at Flying Saucer films, Space Travel cinema, and panic in the streets movies of the '50s, looks at the entire phenomenon of these mutated monsters in chronological order, with detailed features on all the films in the genre from the best to the inevitable worst and all the fun in between. The book also includes The Incredible Shrinking Man for his battle with what, to him, was a giant spider, plus photo galleries of sci-fi bugs on TV and insects in the comics. So grab a can of bug spray and some netting, and pray that furry arm around your shoulder belongs to your partner...! D...d...doesn't... it... Jon Abbott is the author of numerous books on 20th century film and television available on Amazon. He has written over four hundred articles and features for over two dozen different publications, trade, specialist, and populist, and is currently writing for Infinity magazine.
Download or read book Science Fiction Film written by Keith M. Johnston and published by Berg. This book was released on 2013-05-09 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science Fiction Film develops a historical and cultural approach to the genre that moves beyond close readings of iconography and formal conventions. It explores how this increasingly influential genre has been constructed from disparate elements into a hybrid genre. Science Fiction Film goes beyond a textual exploration of these films to place them within a larger network of influences that includes studio politics and promotional discourses. The book also challenges the perceived limits of the genre - it includes a wide range of films, from canonical SF, such as Le voyage dans la lune, Star Wars and Blade Runner, to films that stretch and reshape the definition of the genre. This expansion of generic focus offers an innovative approach for students and fans of science fiction alike.
Download or read book Saucer Movies written by Paul Meehan and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book to examine the relationship between cinema and the UFO phenomenon, analyzing more than 300 films in terms of their aesthetic merit (direction, acting, screenplay, etc.) and their UFOlogical significance.
Download or read book The Saucer Fleet written by Jack Hagerty and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book examines the social phenomenon of flying saucers through the lens of the films and other media of the day. ... What you will find is a detailed and meticulously researched reference on some of the most popular science fiction films of all time."--Back cover.
Download or read book Behind the Flying Saucers written by Frank Scully and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-09-04 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are they real or are they a hoax? Are they a hallucination or mass hysteria? Are they a secret weapon of our Army? Are they enemy missiles from Russia? Are they space ships from Venus? Is it true little men three feet high were found inside them? These questions and many more you never dreamed of are answered openly in this fascinating book!
Download or read book Flying Saucers Over America written by Gordon Arnold and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2021-12-03 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On June 24th, 1947, a private pilot reported numerous dazzling objects rushing through the sky above Mount Rainier in Washington state. It was the start of the current UFO phenomena, one of the country's most perplexing and persistent mysteries. Within a few weeks, hundreds of sightings of flying saucers were reported to news media. Surprising reports of a UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico further added to the mystery that July. Since then, UFOs have sparked a slew of incredible claims and speculations. This is a sober and honest history of America's first major saucer craze, based on many sources including previously classified government records. The book cuts through decades of mystique and confusion, beginning with the 1947 UFO wave and ending with the launch of Project Blue Book in 1952. Balanced and comprehensive, this history provides background, social context and other tools for reframing perceptions of a controversial subject.
Download or read book 1950s Science Fiction Films and 9 11 written by Melvin E. Matthews and published by Algora Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1950s Cold War-era monsters meet 21st century terrorists: this exploration of sci-fi movies examines the similarities and differences between the political environment and popular culture of two eras. This examination and appreciation of 1950s science fiction films includes behind-the-scenes tales about their production and many quotes from those who produced and starred in the films. The author draws parallels between the Cold War fears of the 1950s and 60s and the constant "terrorism alerts" of the September 11th era, exploring how the politics and the psychological climate of the times influences and is reflected in this vehicle of popular culture. This book is the first of its kind, studying the pop culture genre in the wake of the September 11th tragedy. It shows that, whatever the era and whatever the challenges and crises confronting America, many entertainment themes remain the same, reflecting their respective times and the relevant issues. For instance, Godzilla, the only Fifties-era monster to remain a "movie star" beyond that era, could be fashioned to reflect whatever issues dominate the times, be they nuclear war in the Fifties when Godzilla originated to a Seventies Godzilla film about environmental pollution. Conceivably a Godzilla for the age of terrorism is possible. "Them"! the 1954 atomic mutation classic, is the spiritual ancestor of the 2002 film "Eight Legged Freaks." The alien invaders of the Fifties signified a Russian invasion of America, while other films of the genre, such as "Invaders from Mars," depicted aliens utilizing mind control to manipulate humans to commit acts of sabotage, signifying Communist enslavement. If such a film were made now, such invaders could be seen as terrorist masterminds using human slaves to commit terrorist acts. Finally, several Fifties films depicted the end of the world at a time when Americans expected a nuclear war with Russia. The immediate pre-September 11th era witnessed films presenting galactic threats to mankind's existence ("Independence Day," "Deep Impact," "Armageddon"), while the early 2000s witnessed the popularity of the "Left Behind" Christian films dramatizing the Tribulation period in the Book of Revelation.
Download or read book Conspiracy Films written by Barna William Donovan and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For many years, conspiracy theories have been among the most popular story elements in Hollywood films. According to the "conspiracy culture," Government, Big Business, the Church, even aliens--all of which, bundled together, comprise the ubiquitous "Them"--are concealing some of the biggest secrets in American and world history. From The Manchurian Candidate (1962) to JFK (1991), The Matrix (1999) to The Da Vinci Code (2006), this decade-by-decade history explores our fascination with paranoia. The work paints a vivid picture of several of the more prevalent conspiracy theories and the entertainment they have inspired, not only in theatrical films but also in such television series as The X-Files, Lost and V.
Download or read book Hostile Aliens Hollywood and Today s News written by Melvin E. Matthews and published by Algora Publishing. This book was released on 2007 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1950s Cold War-era monsters meet 21st-century terrorists: Matthews provides a thoughtful interpretation of sci-fi movies that examines the similarities and differences between the political environment and popular culture of two eras. This well-researched examination and appreciation of science fiction films includes behind-the-scenes tales about their production and many quotes from those who produced and starred in the films. The book will tantalize not only fans of the science fiction genre but also sociologists, film historians, and politicians. The author draws parallels between the Cold War fears of the 1950s and 60s and the constant "terrorism alerts" of the September 11th era, exploring how the politics and the psychological climate of the times influences and is reflected in this vehicle of popular culture. This book is the first of its kind, studying the pop culture genre in the wake of the September 11th tragedy. The alien invaders of the 1950s signified a Russian invasion of America, while other films of the genre such as "Invaders from Mars" depicted aliens utilizing mind control to manipulate humans to commit acts of sabotage, signifying Communist enslavement. If such a film were made now, such invaders could be seen as terrorist masterminds using human slaves to commit terrorist acts. "Them!" the 1954 atomic mutation classic, is the spiritual ancestor of the 2002 film "Eight Legged Freaks." Finally, several 1950s films depicted the end of the world at a time when Americans expected a nuclear war with Russia. Godzilla, the only 1950s-era monster to remain a "movie star" beyond that era, can be fashioned to reflect whatever issues dominate the times: nuclear war in the1950s, environmental pollution in the 1970s. Conceivably a Godzilla for the age of terrorism is soon to be released. The immediate pre-September 11th era witnessed films presenting galactic threats to mankind's existence ("Independence Day," "Armageddon," "Deep Impact"), while the early 2000s witnessed the popularity of the "Left Behind" Christian films dramatizing the Tribulation period in the Book of Revelation. It seems that whatever the era and whatever the challenges and crises confronting America, many entertainment themes remain the same, reflecting their respective times and the relevant issues. * Melvin E. Matthews, Jr. is a freelance writer and a horror movie aficionado who has been studying the genre for thirty years. In this work he shares his personal correspondence with film and television star Beverly Garland, and brings together a wealth of detail about the fun and the challenges of the costumes, stunts and special effects, as well as the actors' and producers' thoughts on the meaning behind the stories.
Download or read book Science Fiction Cinema and 1950s Britain written by Matthew Jones and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2017-11-30 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the last sixty years discussion of 1950s science fiction cinema has been dominated by claims that the genre reflected US paranoia about Soviet brainwashing and the nuclear bomb. However, classic films, such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and It Came from Outer Space (1953), and less familiar productions, such as It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958), were regularly exported to countries across the world. The histories of their encounters with foreign audiences have not yet been told. Science Fiction Cinema and 1950s Britain begins this task by recounting the story of 1950s British cinema-goers and the aliens and monsters they watched on the silver screen. Drawing on extensive archival research, Matthew Jones makes an exciting and important intervention by locating American science fiction films alongside their domestic counterparts in their British contexts of release and reception. He offers a radical reassessment of the genre, demonstrating for the first time that in Britain, which was a significant market for and producer of science fiction, these films gave voice to different fears than they did in America. While Americans experienced an economic boom, low immigration and the conferring of statehood on Alaska and Hawaii, Britons worried about economic uncertainty, mass immigration and the dissolution of the Empire. Science Fiction Cinema and 1950s Britain uses these and other differences between the British and American experiences of the 1950s to tell a new history of the decade's science fiction cinema, exploring for the first time the ways in which the genre came to mean something unique to Britons.
Download or read book They Knew Too Much about Flying Saucers written by Gray Barker and published by Illuminet Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Aliens Are Here written by Fraser A. Sherman and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2022-10-06 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aliens: They have taken the form of immigrants, invaders, lovers, heroes, cute creatures that want our candy or monsters that want our flesh. For more than a century, movies and television shows have speculated about the form and motives of alien life forms. Movies first dipped their toe into the genre in the 1940s with Superman cartoons and the big screen's first story of alien invasion (1945's The Purple Monster Strikes). More aliens landed in the 1950s science fiction movie boom, followed by more television appearances (The Invaders, My Favorite Martian) in the 1960s. Extraterrestrials have been on-screen mainstays ever since. This book examines various types of the on-screen alien visitor story, featuring a liberal array of alien types, designs and motives. Each chapter spotlights a specific film or TV series, offering comparative analyses and detailing the tropes, themes and cliches and how they have evolved over time. Highlighted subjects include Eternals, War of the Worlds, The X-Files, John Carpenter's The Thing and Attack of the 50-Foot Woman.
Download or read book The Philosophy of Tim Burton written by Jennifer L. McMahon and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2014-03-19 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1952, just one year after Coach Adolph Rupp's University of Kentucky Wildcats won their third national championship in four years, an unlikely high school basketball team from rural Graves County, Kentucky, stole the spotlight and the media's attention. Inspired by young coach Jack Story and by the Harlem Globetrotters, the Cuba Cubs grabbed headlines when they rose from relative obscurity to defeat the big-city favorite and win the state championship. A classic underdog tale, The Graves County Boys chronicles how five boys from a tiny high school in southwestern Kentucky captured the hearts of basketball fans nationwide. Marianne Walker weaves together details about the players, their coach, and their relationships in a page-turning account of triumph over adversity. This inspiring David and Goliath story takes the reader on a journey from the team's heartbreaking defeat in the 1951 state championship to their triumphant victory over Louisville Manual the next year. More than just a basketball narrative, the book explores a period in American life when indoor plumbing and electricity were still luxuries in some areas of the country and when hardship was a way of life. With no funded school programs or bus system, the Cubs's success was a testament to the sacrifices of family and neighbors who believed in their team. Featuring new photographs, a foreword by University of Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall, and a new epilogue detailing where the players are now, The Graves County Boys is an unforgettable story of how a community pulled together to make a dream come true.
Download or read book Science Fiction Movies written by Philip Strick and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Invisible Hand in Popular Culture written by Paul A. Cantor and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2012-11-30 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Analyzes how ideas about economics and political philosophy find their way into everything from Star Trek to Malcolm in the Middle.” —Wall Street Journal Popular culture often champions freedom as the fundamentally American way of life and celebrates the virtues of independence and self-reliance. But film and television have also explored the tension between freedom and other core values, such as order and political stability. What may look like healthy, productive, and creative freedom from one point of view may look like chaos, anarchy, and a source of destructive conflict from another. Film and television continually pose the question: Can Americans deal with their problems on their own, or must they rely on political elites to manage their lives? In this groundbreaking work, Paul A. Cantor—whose previous book, Gilligan Unbound, was named one of the best nonfiction books of the year by the Los Angeles Times—explores the ways in which television shows such as Star Trek, The X-Files, South Park, and Deadwood and films such as The Aviator and Mars Attacks! have portrayed both top-down and bottom-up models of order. Drawing on the works of John Locke, Adam Smith, Alexis de Tocqueville, and other proponents of freedom, Cantor contrasts the classical liberal vision of America?particularly its emphasis on the virtues of spontaneous order?with the Marxist understanding of the “culture industry” and the Hobbesian model of absolute state control. The Invisible Hand in Popular Culture concludes with a discussion of the impact of 9/11 on film and television, and the new anxieties emerging in contemporary alien-invasion narratives: the fear of a global technocracy that seeks to destroy the nuclear family, religious faith, local government, and other traditional bulwarks against the absolute state.
Download or read book The Use of Arthurian Legend in Hollywood Film written by Samuel J. Umland and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 1996-10-21 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book to examine the various uses of the Arthurian legend in Hollywood film, covering films from the 1920s to the present. The authors use five representational categories: intertextual collage (or cult film); melodrama, which focuses on the love triangle; conservative propaganda, pervasive during the Cold War; the Hollywood epic; and the postmodern quest, which commonly employs the grail portion of the legend. Arguing that filmmakers rely on the audience's rudimentary familiarity with the legend, the authors show that only certain features of the legend are activated at any particular time. This fascinating study shows us how the legend has been adapted and how through the popular medium of Hollywood films, the Arthurian legend has survived and flourished.
