# 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:** 3
**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, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/41 "2010-08-10T15:09:43Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > 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. and Kirk Douglas singing like Elvis and wriggling his booty for all the sailors! _“…got a whale of a tale to tell you lads…”_ Don’t forget _When Worlds Collide_ and _War Of The Worlds_, damn good films. ---
**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, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/42 "2010-08-10T15:20:54Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > 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. This reminds me that _Fantastic Voyage_ is also a good classic sci-fi movie, and has two huge bonus features: [Raquel Welch](http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/04_05/welchkiniMS2604_468x770.jpg)! ETA: although it came out in '66, so I guess doesn’t meet the OP’s “pre-1960” stipulation. Still - Racquel Welch! ---
**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, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/43 "2010-08-10T16:03:59Z")
\*Journey to the Center of the Earth \*, starring James Mason, Pat Boone and Gertrude the Duck is loads of fun. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/44 "2010-08-10T16:11:40Z")
I am an old movie addict and would offer (besides the aforementioned Frankenstein movies) from the 1930s: Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde (Frederic March) Invisible Man (Claude Rains) Things Come to Mind (Raymond Massey) ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/45 "2010-08-10T16:24:46Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > I am sorry, but your question does not seem to make sense. > > The Day the Earth Stood Still, Them!, The Blob, It Came From Outer Space, bad movies? > How do you feel about Forbidden Planet, or The Invisible Man, or King Kong, or Destination Moon, or The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, or The Incredible Shrinking Man, or The Fly, or The Angry Red Planet, or any number of other films I can’t think of off the top of my head? That’s the strange thing - I love a lot of old movies. Just about anything with (off the top of my head) Marlon Brando or Gary Cooper or Cary Grant or or James Stewart or Grace Kelly or Laurence Olivier I’m probably going to enjoy, and I’m slowly attempting to collect the complete works of Hitchcock on DVD; I’ve seen all of his American-made films, probably half of his earlier British-made ones, and all of the episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents… that he directed. So it’s not the general stylistic differences between modern and old movies, it’s pretty much that none of the early science fiction I’ve watched has really seemed any good. I’ll give _Forbidden Planet_ a try, and also **The Time Machine** and **Twenty Thousand Leagues** - I’m kind of hesitant about the latter two because I adore the books, but if the movies are actually good I’m willing to give it a try. Upon further reflection, I do think that maybe part of the problem is that the films which had shocking plot twists or were basically new stories _then_ are no longer shocking or new. I know my father was kind of heartbroken when he found out that honestly, I think the Star Wars movies are, y’know, fun, and okay movies overall, but certainly nowhere near my top ten. To him, they were mind-blowing because no one had done science fiction on such an epic scale before; to me it was already cliche. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/46 "2010-08-10T16:34:44Z")
> [@](#): > > 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 don’t know; I thought that Anne Francis did a wonderful job of depicting [del]Miranda[/del]Altaira’s naïvete. She’s never known any man else but her father [del]and Caliban[/del]; would you really expect her to behave like a “normal” young lady? ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/47 "2010-08-10T22:38:49Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > > [@bonzer](#): > > > > Borderline for a Sixties cutoff, but a good bit before 1968: [_Village of the Damned_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_of_the_Damned_(1960_film)), based on the John Wyndham novel and wonderfully done. > > The acting, however . . . Well, I wouldn’t call it “wooden.” It just left me with the impression that real-life Brits, at least those of that period, were emotionless automatons. (Were they?) It’s a while since I’ve seen it, granted, but the acting of the adults has never struck me as especially stillted. Admittedly, that’s speaking as a Brit who’s seen plenty of films from the period. Though is anybody going to argue that George Sanders was anywhere ever near wooden? “Bored”, clearly … ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/48 "2010-08-10T23:04:52Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > [and Kirk Douglas singing like Elvis and wriggling his booty for all the sailors! > > _“…got a whale of a tale to tell you lads…”_ > . I’ll be in my bunk captain. ---
**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 11, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/49 "2010-08-11T01:52:01Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > > [@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)) How do you know it doesn’t have a plot if you won’t watch it? And a lot of the sequels have _goofy_ plots, or at least action-oriented ones, but they have _plots_. Some of the later sequels, such as _Godzilla 1985_ and even _[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla,_Mothra_and_King_Ghidorah:_Giant_Monsters_All-Out_Attack)_ tended towards seriousness. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/50 "2010-08-11T01:58:46Z")
I’m too lazy right now to look up when it was made, but I can say that the best Godzilla movie is the original (which admittedly had slipped my mind when I started this thread). The second best is, of course, Bambi Meets Godzilla. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/51 "2010-08-11T02:52:13Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > Upon further reflection, I do think that maybe part of the problem is that the films which had shocking plot twists or were basically new stories _then_ are no longer shocking or new. I know my father was kind of heartbroken when he found out that honestly, I think the Star Wars movies are, y’know, fun, and okay movies overall, but certainly nowhere near my top ten. To him, they were mind-blowing because no one had done science fiction on such an epic scale before; to me it was already cliche. Might be interesting, after you’re done immersing yourself in pre-'60s sci-fi, to pop in the first Star Wars movie and see if you can get the sort of charge out of it that your dad did. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/52 "2010-08-11T03:03:53Z")
> [@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. Not only does the original have a plot, the movie is one giant metaphor for nuclear weapons. It is worth seeing. The sequels that came out afterward are cheezy fun but the original is a darker more serious movie. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/53 "2010-08-11T03:19:47Z")
Check out the filksong [“Rocket Ride,”](http://www.tomsmithonline.com/lyrics/rocket_ride.htm) by Tom Smith. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/54 "2010-08-11T11:53:03Z")
the original _Little Shop Of Horrors_, weird kooky movie, and Jack Nicholson’s first part ever! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/55 "2010-08-11T13:36:07Z")
A bunch of people have defended Godzilla so maybe I will watch it. Just the original though. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/56 "2010-08-11T14:15:20Z")
**’mika** , be sure to watch the **Japanese** version of the movie. It is longer (to start with) and darker than the Americanized one with Raymond Burr. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/57 "2010-08-11T14:32:52Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > > [@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. > > Not only does the original have a plot, the movie is one giant metaphor for nuclear weapons. It is worth seeing. The sequels that came out afterward are cheezy fun but the original is a darker more serious movie. I’ve always been of the opinion that in the Godzilla movies as a series, Godzilla represents the United States (although it’s not surprising that from the postwar Japanese viewpoint, “the United States” and “nuclear weapons” might seem like the same thing.) Just like the United States, Godzilla comes out of the Pacific Ocean and destroys Tokyo. At first he seems an invincible, malevolent monster. But in the following movies, a child (the new generation of Japanese) strikes up a friendship of sorts, and Godzilla now serves as Japan’s protector against new monsters (the US as a bulwark against communist China and the Soviet Union). ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/58 "2010-08-11T15:22:37Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > > [@Quimby](#): > > > > Not only does the original have a plot, the movie is one giant metaphor for nuclear weapons. It is worth seeing. The sequels that came out afterward are cheezy fun but the original is a darker more serious movie. > > I’ve always been of the opinion that in the Godzilla movies as a series, Godzilla represents the United States (although it’s not surprising that from the postwar Japanese viewpoint, “the United States” and “nuclear weapons” might seem like the same thing.) > > Just like the United States, Godzilla comes out of the Pacific Ocean and destroys Tokyo. At first he seems an invincible, malevolent monster. But in the following movies, a child (the new generation of Japanese) strikes up a friendship of sorts, and Godzilla now serves as Japan’s protector against new monsters (the US as a bulwark against communist China and the Soviet Union). I always thought Godzilla represented the gold standard. Or was that the Tin Man? ---
**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:** [August 11, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/59 "2010-08-11T17:52:16Z")
I know what the OP is talking about, I luuurves me some SF movies, but up until Star Wars I have enjoyed them despite their flaws. I think there were three main problems with the older movies: 1. They did not have the technical skill to handle the special effects believably. Special effects were just cheesy. Frex, “The Thing From Another World” was James Arness in a carrot suit. Sad. And Gojira was a guy in a lizard suit. Also sad. I like both movies, but it sure as hell isn’t BECAUSE of the visuals, but despite them. 2. There was the whole “SF is for the kiddies” meme. Even in films that had elements that would appeal to the adults in the audience: say, the psychological themes in “Forbidden Planet” there was always plenty of kiddy fare in the films, i.e., Robbie the Robot in the case of “Forbidden Planet.” Of course, that wasn’t all that evident because of: 3. The Hayes Act censorship that made most films that dealt with adult topics, especially sexuality, do so in a very limited way … as has already been pointed out, in “Forbidden Planet.” But also, think what a movie “Cat People” might have been if Val Lawton had not had to cope with censorship. To be fair, I don’t think the Hayes era censorship affected SF nearly as much as other genres, as SF films typically did not deal with sexual topics. Still, it was there. I believe there COULD have been a great SF film in that time: “The Incredible Shrinking Man” comes closest in my opinion, with its theme of a flawed man developing new bravery as his world is completely changed by forces he cannot control … but really, most of them were mediocre films at best. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752/60 "2010-08-11T17:55:21Z")
Hmmm… just imagine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1960s-science-fiction-movies-that-dont-suck/549752.md?page=4)