The Cosmic Man (1959) (film review).
Back in the 1950s, the most common plot used in cheap SF movies was an alien invasion by one or more of a particular species, although even the latter was only a couple of aliens on the budget given. If I were a real extraterrestrial looking in on human media, I think I would be confused by this, especially as the humans won all the time. No wonder we’ve never had any public meetings with extra-terrestrials. Even if they were able to distinguish between a fictional film and reality, they would still need to base the former on something, as evidenced by our legends and religious tales, which may or may not be true.
Anyway, with this 1959 film, ‘The Cosmic Man,’ a radar-visible UFO has been recorded flying across the world until it lands in Stone Canyon near Oak Ridge, California. General Knowland (actor Herbert Lytton), leading the military, dispatches a team to investigate. The four-man team finds a, for the want of a better description, a giant-size white billiard ball floating there. Chief civilian scientist is Dr. Karl Sorenson (actor Bruce Bennett), Colonel Matthews (actor Paul Langton), and Sgt. Grey (Lyn Osborn). Kathy Grant (actress Angela Greene) and her invalid son, Ken (actor Scotty Morrow), drive up, curious. As she has a nearby diner, they intend to use it as a forward base.
The main plan is to take the UFO back to their military base, but it just stays stubbornly there. Meanwhile, a stranger (actor John Carradine) visits the diner and gets a room for total privacy. Saying that, he does make friends with Ken, who teaches him chess. When the military gets wind of him, they try peaceful terms before trying to shoot him. He fades away and returns to his space, leaving the body behind. Is that too much before a spoiler?
One of the sound effects used comes up in a later TV show called ‘Star Trek.’. The sound effect is associated with the Enterprise speeding along. Undoubtedly, numerous science fiction sound effects exist before they are associated with a specific show or movie. It’s just interesting that one significant Trek noise was used 7 years before it was used there.
Carradine makes the most of his role, and who couldn’t mistake his voice? Metaphorically, this story is more about the military ignoring the scientist, despite Matthews being told Sorenson was a retired general, than about the alien himself. Of course, on a low budget, dialogue runs everything. The most action comes from attempts to move a spherical UFO. Budget SF films were common back then, but it is at least taking its SF on Earth in a serious manner.
GF Willmetts
December 2024
(pub: public domain. 1 DVD 73 minute black and white film)
cast: John Carradine, Bruce Bennett, Angela Greene
