# Pre-1960's science fiction movies that don't suck **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752 "2010-08-09T21:02:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/21 "2010-08-10T00:50:15Z")
Hit it lips… Michael Rennie was ill The Day the Earth Stood Still But he told us where we stand And Flash Gordon was there In silver underwear Claude Rains was The Invisible Man Then something went wrong For Fay Wray and King Kong They got caught in a celluloid jam Then at a deadly pace It Came From Outer Space And this is how the message ran… Science fiction (ooh ooh ooh) double feature Doctor X (ooh ooh ooh) will build a creature See androids fighting (ooh ooh ooh) Brad and Janet Anne Francis stars in (ooh ooh ooh) Forbidden Planet Wo oh oh oh oh oh At the late night, double feature, picture show ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/22 "2010-08-10T01:08:23Z")
The original The Thing (from Another World) is a great suspense/sci fi movie. Worth checking out. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/23 "2010-08-10T01:09:08Z")
Not science fiction (horror), but you might want to check out the films of Val Lewton. > **[Val Lewton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Lewton)** > > Val Lewton (May 7, 1904 – March 14, 1951) was a Russian-American novelist, film producer and screenwriter best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s. His son, also named Val Lewton, was a painter and exhibition designer. > Lewton was born in Yalta, Imperial Russia and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1909. He began his career as a writer, producing novels, including the best-selling pulp novel No Bed of Her Own. Lewton worked as... His films are available on DVD and Netflix. OTOH, if you don’t like the style, you won’t like the style. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/24 "2010-08-10T01:23:36Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Fritz Lang’s [Metropolis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_(film)). I came here to say that! It’s currently making the classic films tour with The Alloy Orchestra. Saw it last night at the Plaza Classic Festival and was floored. Standing ovation at the end. This version has 25 extra minutes from a 16mm copy found in Argentina, so it’s almost complete. If it comes to a festival near you GO! ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/25 "2010-08-10T01:29:36Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > > [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > > > Dunno about Forbidden Planet. Been a while since I watched it, but when I did I definitely needed my “this is Classic Science Fiction” filters in place; the Mad Scientist & his Beautiful Daughter, and particularly the romantic subplot, really seemed dated. > > [shrug] Dated now, fresh in 1956. I mean, did Dr. Frankenstein have a daughter? No, but Prospero did. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2010, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/26 "2010-08-10T01:35:24Z")
Of course remember that anything done before the '60s would have been Hayes Code compliant: no gore, no sex, no moral ambiguity. For example, if Forbidden Planet were redone today, it would probably be a lot more explicit that Dr. Morbius was _extremely_ jealous of his nubile daughter’s attraction to the handsome stranger. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/27 "2010-08-10T11:29:28Z")
> [@Doug\_Bowe](#): > > > [@WordMan](#): > > > > Fritz Lang’s [Metropolis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_(film)). > > I came here to say that! It’s currently making the classic films tour with The Alloy Orchestra. Saw it last night at the Plaza Classic Festival and was floored. > Standing ovation at the end. This version has 25 extra minutes from a 16mm copy found in Argentina, so it’s almost complete. If it comes to a festival near you GO! I’ve heard about the Lost Argentinean Footage™ and would love to check it out. If you all aren’t familiar - here’s a [clip (birth of Maria the Robot)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzINI3au9q0&feature=related)and here’s [another (modern city)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PAdQ5anhZE). This was made in the 1920’s and looks like it would fit in today’s films…so stylized - every frame is so well laid out. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/28 "2010-08-10T12:09:00Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > \*\*Them!, … Great movie. Arness and Whitmore as the two hard-nosed cops who pull off a subtle mix of humanity, pathos and humor entertain me every time. > [@](#): > > **Forbidden Planet** would have been better if Walter Pidgeon hadn’t been phoning in his performance. It slows everything down. I respectfully disagree. > [@](#): > > George Pal’s **The Time Machine** is also a good film, and the special effects still look good. One of the best SF movies ever made, and in the year I was born! > [@](#): > > There’s also **[The Fabulous World of Jules Verne](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa6JMMItTcs)**, which predated steampunk by several decades and is still visually fascinating. One of my favorite unknown gems. Took me years to find a copy. I watch it all the time. It’s hard to believe that it was made about the same year as _Jason & The Argonauts._ ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/29 "2010-08-10T13:19:13Z")
Thanks guys, I wrote down a whole bunch of movies to add to my Netflix. I love old sci-fi, even if it’s cheesy. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/30 "2010-08-10T13:23:43Z")
(Apparently, I missed seeing the restored full Metropolis in my area by about two weeks. arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh) I’d say _The Thing from Another World_—even just for the dialogue. Does _Gojira_ count as too “badly made”? Though, hell, as Ray Bradbury put it, technically you could consider _Singin’ in the Rain_ a science fiction film. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/31 "2010-08-10T13:40:51Z")
Well I came in to recommend _Forbidden Planet_ … has anyone said that yet? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/32 "2010-08-10T13:56:19Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Well I came in to recommend _Forbidden Planet_ … has anyone said that yet? 🙂 Yeah, and I hear the soundtrack features Rio by Duran…oh never mind. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/33 "2010-08-10T13:58:09Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > > [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > > > Dunno about Forbidden Planet. Been a while since I watched it, but when I did I definitely needed my “this is Classic Science Fiction” filters in place; the Mad Scientist & his Beautiful Daughter, and particularly the romantic subplot, really seemed dated. > > [shrug] Dated now, fresh in 1956. I mean, did Dr. Frankenstein have a daughter? Well, it’s an assessment of whether the film stands up on its own as a film; and it’s not just the presence of a mad scientist/beautiful daughter, but the way the subplot was handled; the acting & dialogue dealing with that element of the plot were not very convincing, IMO. I haven’t seen basically any of the other classics mentioned on this thread, apart from a few minutes of outtakes from METROPOLIS, so I can’t say whether FP was heads and shoulders above them or not; parts of it do hold up pretty well. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/34 "2010-08-10T14:17:00Z")
I can’t believe no-one’s mentioned **Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea**. Two great actors stealing scenes from each other, lots of action, and the single greatest science-fiction vehicle design of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/35 "2010-08-10T14:22:59Z")
**Godzilla**! The prototype for all Giant Killer Something movies to come! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/36 "2010-08-10T14:33:52Z")
I’m sorry. I will NOT watch Godzilla, and I am open to a LOT of cheesiness. (That…sounds weird.) But it’s freakin’ godzilla. There is no plot. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/37 "2010-08-10T14:43:31Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I’m sorry. I will NOT watch Godzilla, and I am open to a LOT of cheesiness. (That…sounds weird.) But it’s freakin’ godzilla. There is no plot. There is a plot in [the original.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_(1954_film)) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/38 "2010-08-10T14:49:41Z")
Rent “[Matinee](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107529/),” a very funny movie _about_ sci-fi movies of that era. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/39 "2010-08-10T14:54:05Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Rent “[Matinee](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107529/),” a very funny movie _about_ sci-fi movies of that era. And the Cuban Missile Crisis. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/40 "2010-08-10T15:07:58Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > **Godzilla**! The prototype for all Giant Killer Something movies to come! I’m sorry, _The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms_ came out the year before, so it would be **the** prototype. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752.md?page=3)