# Essential features of a Fifties sci-fi movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345 "2011-09-06T02:25:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/81 "2012-01-31T02:17:55Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Krell Thanks, Treacherous. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/82 "2012-01-31T02:30:45Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Walter Pidgeon does plenty of lecturing showing off the Krill architecture and technology. The sister planet to Mon Calamari I believe. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/83 "2012-01-31T02:59:13Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > The sister planet to Mon Calamari I believe. “It’s a trap!” ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/84 "2012-01-31T03:13:56Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > “It’s a trap!” In the case of the Krill, do you mean baleen? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/85 "2012-01-31T03:37:48Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > In the case of the Krill, do you mean baleen? I think we’ve filtered all the jokes out of my misspelling that we can. You guys are a bunch of Jonas! 🙂 Besides, the most important thing about Forbidden Planet is not how you spell Krell, but “What’s a swim suit?” ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/86 "2012-01-31T03:45:49Z")
I’m having a whale of a good time. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/87 "2012-01-31T03:50:48Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I’m having a whale of a good time. You have to sleep sometime. I’m calling my travel agent about Ohio. Or buying The Twickster truffles… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/88 "2012-01-31T07:05:29Z")
A really cheesy, cheap rocket ship. A thigh-high stream that people struggle thru, agonizingly slowly. A “hard” good-looking dame with lots of eye liner who you never see again. Stirofoam rocks. A futuristic home that no one’s ever imagined; always belongs to the villian. A good-looking guy and a plain-looking guy. The good-looking guy gets killed off early and we’re forced to throw our lot with the plain one who has all the ideas; a lesson in reality. A red sunset or sunrise. Music with lots of sharps. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/89 "2012-02-04T18:28:58Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Technically, **Them!** had stock footage of ants in action – about five minutes of Edmund Gwynn talking about their habits. OTOH, Joan Weldon only screams once – when startled – and does not fall down and have to be rescued. In addition, she is gung ho on going down one of the ants nests to check for the queens. So it’s a wash. > > Let’s look at **It Came from Outer Space**. > > Helicopter – nope. > Science lecture – Nope.. > Scream and fall down: Nope. There are no actual chases. > Stock footage – Nope > Voice-over – Yes > > 1/5 I have to respectfully disagree. Mrs. R and I watched this just last night, and our scoring of it is as follows: Helicopter: Yes; our hero hires a helicopter to first survey the site of the “meteor” impact. Science lecture: Surely the famous discussion about most murders being conducted when it’s 92 degrees outside counts as a science lecture! Scream-and-fall-down woman: Two or three really good screams; she doesn’t fall down, true, but I’m saying Yes. Stock footage: Nope Voice-over: Yes, at the very beginning; a description of the peaceful little desert town. So the wife and I rate it 4/5. incidentally, it’s a lovely little movie, with some genuinely poetic moments. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/90 "2012-02-04T19:08:18Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > … > Joan Weldon only screams once – when startled – and does not fall down > … Yes she does. She falls down when first threatened by the ant. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/91 "2012-02-04T20:11:35Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > So the wife and I rate it 4/5. incidentally, it’s a lovely little movie, with some genuinely poetic moments. I believe having Leonard Nimoy in it should bump it up a point. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/92 "2012-02-04T21:02:02Z")
“And if they had contacted their local police, most of this could have been avoided.” ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/93 "2012-02-04T21:29:58Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > Yes she does. She falls down when first threatened by the ant. OK, let’s settle this logically. When her knee touched the ground, were her either of her breast points over the goal line? ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/94 "2012-02-04T21:35:37Z")
She gets bonus points for giving orders to the men: burn it, burn it all!! ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345/95 "2012-02-04T22:29:35Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > OK, let’s settle this logically. When her knee touched the ground, were her either of her breast points over the goal line? They were over my goal line. She was a knockout. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/essential-features-of-a-fifties-sci-fi-movie/595345.md?page=4)