Robot Monster (1953)

So....Robot Monsters.  Not a spaceman then or even a spacesuit but interesting none the less as it features the space helmet from Flight to Mars which then went on to feature in Radar Men from the Moon before being partnered with a gorilla suit.....its probably best not to ask why!  As rubbish as it is, its become very icon an image worthy of a little look-see.  Plus, if you go all the way down the post you'll see the second space helmet to feature in the movie.

 

Thanks Tim, for suggesting this blog post


Steve

Behind the Scenes - A 12th Gallery

2001 A Space Odyssey  (1968)

 

Moontrap 1989

 

 The Quatermass Experiment 1953

 

Outer Limits - Moonstone 1964

 

Outer Limits - Moonstone 1964

 

 

Steve

Unknown Image 1

Any ideas?

It's clearly the same suit as seen in The Net (1953) but I'm not sure if its a publicity still for that film or something else entirely.  The Radio Times used the same suits, the same year to promote the radio series Journey into Space so this could be some other instance of rent a suit.

Would love to know if any of you out there can place the image or the origin of the suit.  I could be doing the costume people a disservice but it looks too particular to be something made just for the film.

Steve

The Net (1953) - Lobby Card

 

Steve

Alex Schomburg Gallery 1

(1953)

 

(1953)

 

 

(1954) 

 

(1964)

 

 

(????)

 

(????)

 

(????)

 

(????)

 

 (1954)

Steve

Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids (1953)

Richard Powers (1952)

Cover art for Ballantine paperback by David B. Mattingly (1983)

Cover in detail

 

Steve

Phantom from Space (1953)

 

 

Steve

The Quatermass Experiment (1953)

There is so much one could write about Professor Bernard Quatermass, his various adventures, and their creator and author; the later, great Nigel Kneale.... but not here.  We shall limit ourselves instead to looking at the spacesuits.

These images are from the BBC's original series, first broadcast in 1953.  Three men went up into orbit and only one returns.

Creepy, intelligent stuff well worth a Hammer film remake as well as any number of sequels.

 

Steve

 

Abbot and Costello Go to Mars (1953) - Gallery

 

 

Steve

Weird Fantasy #21 (1953)

Say; Hello Spacegirl.....
with this cover art from Weird Fantasy #21 published in 1953

Art is jointly credited to both Frank Frazetta and Al Williamson


Steve

Cat-Women of the Moon (1953)

Five male astronauts travel to the dark side of the moon and discover a cave with a breathable atmosphere. Venturing in they find the remains of a buried city and the last surviving members of a 2 million year old civilization, who all happen to be sexy leotard dressed women.  Though greeted with food and drink, little do our male astronauts realise that the Cat-Women are really just after their rocket ship.

There are a few films with this general war-of-the-space-sexes plot but I think this is the first of them.  Beyond that it’s a pretty cheap effort with inconsistent continuity, a paper-thin plot and borrowed sets and costumes.  That said it really is that bad that it’s good and so it has its fans.

Looking at the space suits it’s interesting to note, and for no discernible reason, that we’ve got a mix of  suits here with a couple of them being from Project Moonbase and the others from Destination Moon.

Steve

Project Moonbase (1953)

Based on a story by Robert Heinlein and set in the distant future of 1970; Project Moonbase concerns it’s self with the US’s plans to build a base on the Moon and the rocket crew they send to survey for potential landing sites from orbit.

Unfortunately this simple mission goes horribly wrong when they discover that one of them is an impostor with designs on crashing the rocket ship into an earth orbiting space station upon the return journey.  There’s a bit of a struggle and they end up having to land on the moon.  Some more stuff happens, some quite groundbreaking (for its day) sexual equality is displayed and then turned on its head and eventually two of them promise to marry while they await rescue from earth.

The space suits are of the ribbed joint variety we have come to expect from US TV and film of the 1950’s although the helmets, at least, appear somewhat alternative to the conventions of the decade.


Steve

Abbot and Costello Go to Mars (1953)

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars....only they don’t actually but then this is a comedy so why would they.  Everybody knows the big laughs are on Venus!

So it goes like this; Orville (Costello) winds up stuck inside a truck sent to a top secret laboratory where he meets Lester (Abbott).  The pair get tasked with loading supplies onto a rocket ship and guess what happens next.  That’s right; the rocket is accidentally launched and flies off to ...New Orleans!

But its Mardi Gras and the duo mistake the costumed celebrants for aliens, erroneously concluding they must be on Mars.
Meanwhile two escaped convicts join the action and after a bit of confusion and mistaken identity, the four end up back in the rocket and heading off to....yes that’s right; Venus, a planet run and inhabited solely by women who.....

Nope, it’s no good!  I’ve lost interest.... which usually happens about two thirds of the way through an Abbot and Costello movie

Anyway, we’re here to look at the space suits aren’t we?  And now we have and they look like almost about every other space suit around in the 50’s.  The longevity of this design is quite impressive actually and if it hadn’t have been for the markedly different development of the real world space suits in the 60’s, then I can’t help feeling we would have been admiring these tubular padded suits for ever.

Steve