Invasion Of The Star Creatures (1962).
From the start of this 1962 film, ‘Invasion Of The Star Creatures,’ this is an obvious SF comedy with washed-out soldiers, Privates Philbrick (actor Robert Ball) and Penn (actor Frank Ray Perilli), and an idiotic Colonel Thomas Awol (actor Mark Ferris) on a military base to examine a crater nearby. The two privates are carrying the equipment for the main team.
With the team in the cave and gone missing after encountering two creatures, the two privates are captured and tied to tables and meet Dr. Puna (actress Joanne Arnold, aka Gloria Victor) and Professor Tanga (actress Dolores Reed), who are investigating humans while repairing their spacecraft.
Incredibly, they escape and get back to the base, but they are not believed by Awol until Phillbrick pledges his junior spaceman badge and they realise they belonged to the same organisation. Together, the three encounter a Native American tribe, of which the chief is also a member and holds a higher ranking. Instead of investigating, they get stoned on whatever they were smoking.
The two privates get to the rocket and blast off prematurely, not realising the two alien women are also on board. Do I need to go on? Well, they don’t go far.
Obviously, this is a cheap movie and cheaper than Corman effects, but it has a certain charm as the cast makes the best use of the script by Jonathan Haze. A significant portion of the exteriors are set in Bronson Canyon, a location that was familiar to many TV series and films of the era. I understand why it would be a popular attraction at American drive-ins or similar venues. I think my favourite scene has to be Awol briefing his teammates and playing with weapons at the same time. The humour extends beyond the personal realm. It might be acquired humour, but then, so were a lot of American double acts from back then.
GF Willmetts
December 2024
(pub: public domain. 1 dvd 70 minute black and white film)
cast: Robert Ball, Frank Ray Perilli, Mark Ferris, Joanne Arnold aka Gloria Victor, Dolores Reed
