ActionScience Fiction

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

- The terrifying truth about flying saucers!

Test space rockets exploding at liftoff and increased reporting of UFO sightings culminate in a direct attempt by alien survivors of a dead, extra-galactic civilization to invade Earth from impervious flying saucers, using ray-weapons of mass destruction.

Release Date : 1956-07-04

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Clover ProductionsColumbia Pictures

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

Cast

Character Name : Dr. Russell A. Marvin

Original Name : Hugh Marlowe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Carol Marvin

Original Name : Joan Taylor

Gender : Female

Character Name : Maj. Huglin

Original Name : Donald Curtis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brig. Gen. John Hanley

Original Name : Morris Ankrum

Gender : Male

Character Name : Vice Adm. Enright

Original Name : Thomas Browne Henry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gen. Edmunds

Original Name : Grandon Rhodes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prof. Kanter

Original Name : John Zaremba

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alien (voice)

Original Name : Paul Frees

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alfred Cassidy

Original Name : Frank Wilcox

Gender : Male

Character Name : Frank the garage man

Original Name : Sydney Mason

Gender : Male

Character Name : Motorcycle cop

Original Name : Larry J. Blake

Gender : Male

Character Name : Air Intelligence Command Officer

Original Name : Bert Stevens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Military Officer at Experiment

Original Name : Forbes Murray

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer/Civilian at Military Conference

Original Name : Arthur Tovey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Major Kimberly

Original Name : Alan Wells

Gender : Male

Character Name : Military Officer at Experiment (uncredited)

Original Name : Nicky Blair

Gender : Male

Character Name : Military Messenger (uncredited)

Original Name : Jimmy Cross

Gender : Male

Character Name : Military Officer (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Deery

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Alberts (uncredited)

Original Name : Charles Evans

Gender : Male

Character Name : Military Official (uncredited)

Original Name : Raoul Freeman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alien (voice) (uncredited)

Original Name : Paul Frees

Gender : Male

Character Name : Military Official (uncredited)

Original Name : James Gonzalez

Gender : Male

Character Name : Minor Role (uncredited)

Original Name : Duke Green

Gender : Male

Character Name : Military Official (uncredited)

Original Name : Ed Haskett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sgt. Nash (uncredited)

Original Name : Clark Howat

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cutting - Generator Technician (uncredited)

Original Name : Harry Lauter

Gender : Male

Character Name : Minor Role (uncredited)

Original Name : Don Marlowe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Worker in Control Tower (uncredited)

Original Name : William Meader

Gender : Male

Character Name : Plane Passenger (uncredited)

Original Name : Sol Murgi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Military Officer at Experiment (uncredited)

Original Name : Forbes Murray

Gender : Male

Character Name : Radio Listener (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : William J. O'Brien

Gender : Male

Character Name : Plane Passenger (uncredited)

Original Name : Murray Pollack

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tank Commander (uncredited)

Original Name : Mike Ragan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Maj. Kimberly (uncredited)

Original Name : Alan Reynolds

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man Crushed Beneath Wall (uncredited)

Original Name : Dale Van Sickel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Civilian Observing Saucer Attack (uncredited)

Original Name : Guy Way

Gender : Male

Character Name : Plane Passenger (uncredited)

Original Name : Bob Whitney

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alfred Cassidy (uncredited)

Original Name : Frank Wilcox

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chinese Radio Listener (uncredited)

Original Name : Beal Wong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Original Name : William Woodson

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Restrained but still an effective piece of sci-fi pie. Reports of flying saucers start coming in thick and fast until sure enough alien invaders begin to attack the Earth. Focal point of their attack is the U.S. Space Programe, can hero in waiting Russel Marvin conjure up a defence weapon to save the day? Obviously a template for many an alien invader film since its release, Earth Vs The Flying Saucers never quite reaches the heights that perhaps it should have. Bogged down by maudlin scripting and restricted by its budget, it often hints at what a great picture it could have been. The lead cast are poor and this hurts the film even more, Hugh Marlowe as Russell Marvin bores us with the scientific speak when really he should be fascinating us, whilst scream queen duties fall to poor Joan Greenwood who forgets that she is actually supposed to emit some sort of terror when the alien hordes attack! However, on the plus side the aliens themselves are certainly creepy enough to grab your notice, Ray Harryhausen's flying saucers animation is of course top dollar for its time, whilst the final battle across Washington DC is classic gold, an all buzzing assault with splurges of death rays at every turn. An important film in the pantheon of the genre for sure, but it's just a tad too restrained for its own good. 6/10

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-06-14

This is another enjoyable little 1950s sci-fi movie with scientist Hugh Marlowe ("Dr.Marvin") and Joan Taylor, his wife "Carol", having to use all their wits guile to save the planet from an alien race who want to invade the Earth and enslave us all. Despite their vastly superior technology our resourceful team work frantically to come up with a very effectively portable, if almost as destructive, solution. The visual effects are quite remarkable for the time, with some input from Ray Harryhausen, and the action is well shot and paced. The end is never in doubt (we are all still here!) but it's a fun ride for eighty minutes of ray guns and competent acting.