Rocketship X-M

Director: Kurt Neumann Kurt Neumann

Overview

Set sometime in the future, this sci-fi film details the first manned space flight to the moon. Blown off its course by a meteor shower, Rocketship X-M misses the moon and lands on Mars instead. During an exploratory expedition, the crew finds evidence of a once-mighty civilization.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/13/2023
UPC:	0827421034427
Original Release:	1950
Source:	Cheezy Flicks Ent
Language:	English
Time:	1:28:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lloyd Bridges	Floyd Oldham
Osa Massen	Lisa Van Horn
John Emery	Karl Eckstrom
Noah Beery Jr.	Maj. William Corrigan
Hugh O'Brian	Harry Chamberlin
Morris Ankrum	Dr. Fleming
Pat Aherne	Reporter,Reporter
John Dutra	Reporter
Katherine Marlowe	Reporter
Sherry Moreland	Martian Girl
Judd Holdren	Reporter #3
Ferde Grofe	Composer,Composer

Technical Credits

Kurt Neumann

Irving Block	Special Effects
Kurt Neumann	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Jack Rabin	Special Effects
Don Steward	Special Effects
Jack R. Rabin	Special Effects
Murray Lerner	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

In the opening scene of this cautionary early science fiction thriller, a crew about to enter outer space is leisurely taking a press conference while a stentorian voice counts down the minutes until departure: "X minus 11 minutes," etc. No one seems hurried and, with six minutes to spare, they all calmly file into what appears to be a nice family sized station wagon that will take them the final 200 meters or so to a matte-painting rocket ship. All this, of course, is only amusing in hindsight; back in 1950, no one knew what proper behavior -- or attire, for that matter -- should be for someone about to break the barrier of the final frontier. The crew, English-accented John Emery, Danish-accented Osa Massen, faux Texas-accented Noah Beery Jr. and Hollywood B-movie-accented Lloyd Bridges and Hugh O'Brian, all go about their business with a seriousness and dedication that almost make the ensuing space flight believable. But not quite. There is a lot of mumbo-jumbo about velocity and weightlessness, but only certain articles actually do become weightless -- Beery's harmonica, for example -- while Massen's coiffure stays stubbornly in place for the duration. When the rocket ship takes a detour to Mars, that planet is tinted red, as it should be, but appears remarkably similar to California's Death Valley, which, of course, is where Kurt Neumann and crew filmed the climactic scenes (and filmed them fast, apparently). Hoping to capitalize on the excitement generated by George Pal's superior Destination Moon (1950), producer Robert L. Lippert and his team rushed Rocketship X-M through in mere weeks. With that in mind, the film is admirably well acted and produced.