Featured in Mars in the Movies: A History—The MARS MOVIES of the Wade Williams Collection

All graphics courtesy of wade williams distributor.

For the purposes of this blog post, it so happens that five movies, which are vital and at the very heart of the history of Mars movies, are owned outright by Wade Williams, a Kansas City, Missouri, film buff, film exhibitor, restorer and archivist who has amassed a fantastic collection of old genre films, many of which would have been lost forever if he hadn't decided decades ago to find, restore, and make them available once again. Those five films are listed here (and I am indebted to Mr. Williams for his courtesy and openness).  Please simply click on each poster to access my thoughts and comments on the film, all derived from equivalent chapters of my book, "Mars in the Movies: A History" from McFarland publishers.

(1) DESTINATION MOON (1950)—While of course not a Mars movie in itself, without George Pal's DESTINATION MOON (1950), very few subsequent space movies, including probably all the Mars movies covered in my book and this blog, would have ever been made. 

 

 

(2)  ROCKETSHIP X-M (1950)—This film exists only because a "B-"-movie producer was captivated by the tsunami of promotion and advertising that preceded for many months the release of DESTINATION MOON. The producer, Robert L. Lippert, knew clear as day that if he could get a cheap, quickly-made rocket/space movie into theaters before the Pal film's release, audiences would be confused and pay to see his movie, thinking they were about to see the OTHER movie. Therefore, the two movies are positively linked.

 

 

(3)  FLIGHT TO MARS (1951)—This film was made by Walter Mirisch because the previous two films were more successful than anybody could have ever imagined. It even reuses some central props from ROCKETSHIP X-M.

(4)  INVADERS FROM MARS (1953)—Crafted by the genius production designer William Cameron Menzies, many thousands of young baby-boomers in the U.S. and England were petrified by this movie.  [Truth be told, Menzies was literally responsible for the entire LOOK of GONE WITH THE WIND (1939), which is saying a lot!]

 

 

(5)   DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS (1954)—If approached with an open, non-judgemental mind, this British film is far, FAR better than critical reviews would have you believe.

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https://www.amazon.com/Mars-Movies-Thomas-Kent-Miller/dp/0786499141