By Mike Gray
Sixty years ago: The world has just lurched past the middle of the 20th century. There is both a cold war being waged between the two major power blocs on the planet — the Communist sphere of influence stage-managed by Soviet Russia and “the West” led by the United States — and a hot war (a “police action” they call it … seriously?) being fought on the Korean Peninsula, with an unpredictable Red China right next door. General MacArthur has drafted plans to drop atomic bombs on Korea and China — and even Russia — if the situation should get that far out of hand.
Ten thousand miles away rumors of Communist infiltration into the highest levels of American government (proven true five decades later) have the nation in “the grip” of what the Liberal-Progressive commentariat of the time dismisses as a baseless “Red Scare.” (Even today the Lib-Progs’ caricature of history — that people suspected there were “Commies under every bed” — is still with us. For confirmation, watch just about any episode of M*A*S*H.)
Like the word “nice,” the term “paranoia” has lost its original meaning through overuse and misapplication. In 1951 — and even today — if anyone even suggested the remote possibility of Communist subversion at any level of society, a charge of being “paranoid” might be leveled at that individual, and the subject would likely be immediately dropped.
Thus, when Hollywood started turning out films that were parables using the theme of cultural subversion, critics of the time (and since) didn’t hesitate to dismissively employ the “p” word, hoping to nullify whatever impact the story might have on the audience. And it’s still being successfully used today.
But enough of this digression! Here are three science-fiction films released in 1951 that some say tapped into the “paranoid” zeitgeist of the early Atomic Age: One focuses on the unpredictable consequences of new technology; the second one focuses on an “alien” threat from “out there”; and the third movie focuses on —what else? — the end of the world.
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(1) The Man in the White Suit — U.K. release: August 1951; U.S. release: March 1952 — Ealing Studios — Runtime: 85 minutes — Cast: Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, Howard Marion-Crawford, Ernest Thesiger.
The Man in the White Suit is often dismissed as one of those cute Ealing comedies, but it’s much more than that. It qualifies as science fiction because it deals with the social impact of new technologies — in this case, the novelty of an indestructible fiber comprised of “long-chain molecules.”
When the garment manufacturers learn about it (the irony being that it was developed by one of their own research chemists), they flip out and try to suppress it. The bigwigs are supposed to be the bad guys here (how dare they squelch knowledge!), but a moment’s reflection would explain their justifiable concern: Not only do they stand to lose money, but the threat to England’s entire economic and social system — based as it is on friable materials — could undergo a near-instantaneous collapse. And the same would apply to any developed economy, such as the United States. (Sidebar: Ever hear of the “water engine”?) So it’s really difficult to invoke “paranoia” (an irrational fear of something or someone) here. Their fears are fairly rational.
The resulting panic is nicely emblematized in the frantic — and funny — chase after the developer of the new fabric (Alec Guinness), who spends the last third of the film trying not to get caught.
The Man in the White Suit is for sale here.
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(2) The Thing (From Another World) — U.S. release: April 1951 — RKO Studios — Runtime (varies depending on edition): 87/81/85 minutes — Cast: Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite, Douglas Spencer, James Young, Dewey Martin, William Self, Eduard Franz, Sally Creighton, George Fenneman (uncredited), Paul Frees (uncredited), John Dierkes (uncredited), James Arness.
Exhibit A for advocates of the “paranoid” sci-fi fantasy would have to be The Thing: The creature from “out there” (read: Stalin’s Russia) seems bent on overwhelming the American power structure, killing anyone standing in the way, and replacing the whole human race with its own kind. (Since it only needs blood to reproduce and does so without the complexities of sex, the creature could be regarded as several steps more advanced than illegal aliens from the world’s southern latitudes, whose nourishment and reproduction require the vast, inefficient, and expensive apparatuses provided by welfare states.)
Director Howard Hawks must have decided at some point that he was going to do an unofficial remake of Frankenstein rather than film John W. Campbell’s original 1938 story (“Who Goes There?”). Had he gone with Campbell’s idea while keeping the humor he personally injected into the script, Hawks might have made one for the ages. As it is, The Thing is basically Mary Shelley’s story with comic relief and livelier characters — and is all the better for it.
“Who Goes There?” did get filmed eventually, by John Carpenter in 1982. While Carpenter hewed very closely to Campbell’s basic premise, he bled it dry of humor and characterization. In the Campbell story, the creature from “out there” can absorb any living thing and remold itself to resemble it — a shape changer, in other words. The idea that the guy standing next to you isn’t actually your twin brother but a monster that wants to kill and incorporate you into itself has to be one of the most paranoid notions ever conceived.
The 1951 version of The Thing is for sale here. The 1982 “remake” is here.
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(3) When Worlds Collide — U.S. release: August 1951 — Paramount Pictures — Runtime: 83 minutes — Cast: Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, Peter Hansen, John Hoyt, Larry Keating, Hayden Rorke, Stephen Chase, Rachel Ames, Paul Frees (narrator, uncredited), Stuart Whitman (uncredited), Art Gilmore (uncredited), Kirk Alyn (uncredited).
David Randall [Derr] is a carefree ladies’ man and skilled pilot who finds he has been let in on the greatest and most terrible secret in the world when he is paid to deliver some mysterious pictures from one eminent astronomer [Rorke] to another. The recipient, Dr. Hendron [Keating], confirms the awful findings of the sender: the planet Zyra will collide with Earth and wipe out all of humanity. Despite widespread disbelief, two philanthropists give Dr. Hendron some of the money he needs to build a rocket ship [the Space Ark] that will, at least theoretically, take them to Zyra, which may or may not be habitable for humans. The rest of the money comes from Sydney Stanton [Hoyt], a wheelchair-bound old man, who insists he come along, despite the severe limitations on the number of passengers and amount of cargo. Meanwhile, as doomsday approaches, Randall is surprised to find himself in a love triangle with Dr. Hendron’s daughter [Rush] and her fiancé [Hansen]. . . . J. Spurlin, IMDb
Who knew the end of the world could be so entertaining? What raises When Worlds Collide above today’s sci-fi/horror mashups is the basic humanity of the characters and their willingness to sacrifice everything if necessary. We all strive to survive, that’s true, but most of us wouldn’t do so at the cost of our soul — and it’s sad that such nobility is harder to find in today’s films.
There’s a charming moment when Derr’s character is having supper in a swanky restaurant; he knows about the impeding destruction of Earth while the other diners have yet to learn of it. Until now, money has been an important factor in his life; slightly tipsy, he lights up a cigarette with a burning large-denomination bill, much to the surprise of the lady at the next table.
Some scientists say the long launching track for the Space Ark is pure hokum; the rocket would lose whatever momentum it gained going down the incline in going up the side of the mountain, and that it would be better to launch it vertically like nearly all missiles are. But the procedure sure looks good on film, doesn’t it? Lots of drama!
As for the “paranoia” factor, how “paranoid” is somebody who believes that doomsday is imminent? Bear in mind, though, that how you answer the question will tell us far more about you than our doomsayer.
Rumor hath it there’s a remake being developed for a possible 2012 release. All that’s known about it so far is here.
Meanwhile, you can buy the original When Worlds Collide here, and nobody will care if you’re paranoid.
