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BRAINSPACE!!!
DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS (1954), || PRINCE PLANET: S.O.S. GLOBAL (1966), ||
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: THE WICKED WARLOCK (1966) || SPACE
ANGEL: QUEEN OF TWO SUNS (1962), || THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: THE
SEEDS OF DESTRUCTION (1966), || SPACE ANGEL: DR. KINKAID, I PRESUME
(1962), || STARDUST (1975), || Quickie Theatre Presents: FIEND WITHOUT
A FACE (1958) [Condensed] PLEASE NOTE, SCREEN TIME IS NOW 7.30pm, FOR THE DURATION!
TONIGHT: STRICTLY MEMBERS-ONLY
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TONIGHT! - BRAINSPACE!!!
* PRINCE PLANET:
(1966)S.O.S. GLOBAL  In this episode of the legendary children's cartoon series, Agent Protan is instructed to steal the secret plans to Dr. Quotien's Atomic Disintegrator. Meanwhile, Warlock (who has a voice like Mickey Mouse(!) Funny, I never noticed that when I watched the series as a kid! - I must not have been that into Mickey Mouse in those days!) sticks his pointy nose into the whole nasty business. The series began with the Galactic Union of Worlds at a meeting on the planet of Radion, which is Prince Planet's home. The head of the GUW asks the question "Shall we contact Earth and offer them membership?" Delegations of beings from a number of worlds ( - including Mars - ) oppose the membership, describing humans as arrogant, funny-looking war-mongers that are not advanced enough... but, nevertheless, the Earthlings are given a chance. Prince Planet is a Universal Peace Corps member who is chosen from hundreds of volunteers to be sent to Earth to bring law and order and a love of peace to the planet, so it can become a part of the Galactic Union. His assignment: "To fight evil and cruelty, whenever and wherever it effects the planet Earth." Prince Planet has an IQ of 300, compared with Earth standards. He has been given a concentrated, scientific and moral education by electro-inductive hypno-training, and is classed as a genius.  When Prince Planet first arrives on Earth, he lands on the ranch owned by Diana Worthy and her father Mr. Worthy (sometimes called "Pops Worthy"). He takes the name of “Bobby”, and makes himself more or less an extended house-guest at the ranch, which is located somewhere 'near' the city of New Metropol. Sometimes New Metropol is close enough to walk to, and sometimes New Metropol requires a plane trip. It all depends on what the city was being referred to in the original Japanese production, and how lazy the American adapters were in coming up with names for cities. Prince Planet wears a chunky piece of bling - a pendant - which receives power (energy) from a 'nuclear energy centre' (energy transmitter) on Radion. The nuclear operators back at the Radion recharge centre are a bit slack at times ( - think: Homer Simpson - ) and often forget to top up his pendant - usually when he is due for a fight with an enemy, and about to die. But, of course, they always remember, in the nick of time. Without energy, PP becomes powerless. The pendant has many uses such as a weapon; converter: transforming to Bobby and back to Prince Planet; for flying; strength; as a torch, et c. Bobby changes to his Prince Planet guise by holding the medallion and shouting "Kazow", or sometimes "Kapow". or sometimes "Kazam", or “Wowee”. Sometimes the original Japanese dialogue of Papi shouting "Piiiii-Papi!" can be heard in these scenes.) Other members of the cast include: Dan Dynamo, an unemployed studio wrestler who, a la The Peter Principle, lost his job because he was just too strong. He was almost led into a life of crime, but Prince Planet rescued him, and, thenceforth, Dan Dynamo aids Prince Planet in his mission to fight evil. He also is constantly hungry. He first appeared in episode #2. Adji Baba, an Arabian wizard from the (fake) Middle Eastern nation of Abadon. He first appears in episode #4. Prince Planet and the gang frequently travel from place to place on his magic carpet. (At one point a hatch is opened on the carpet, revealing machinery inside, so I'm not quite sure what kind of magic carpet this is!) Adji has all sorts of wacky magic powers, and they usually backfire amusingly. He and Dynamo don't get along much. The exact spelling of his name is unknown, but he has a son and three grandkids back in Abadon, whom we see in episode #51. One of the two main recurring foes is Warlock, an evil Martian magician with an evil laugh, three feet of spiky black hair, and an incredibly high-pitched voice. (I think he's a goth.) His plans may be to conquer the world, steal a secret formula, or destroy something important, but they always include killing Prince Planet and/or Adji Baba. Naturally, these plans always fail. He meets his end in episode #51. The other villain - unquestionably the more intriguing of the two - in PRINCE PLANET, however, is Krag. Sometimes known as the Master Of Misery, Krag is the evil warlord of planet Kragmire. He's like The Godfather of outer space, sending legions of enemies, monsters, and heinous devices against Earth and Prince Planet. He has a huge square head and dresses like a deranged undertaker as if played by SIDNEY GREENSTREET, with a gigantic stove-pipe hat and a black suit with a flower in the buttonhole. His favourite weapon is a pocket watch with hidden saw-blades – he throws it - and when he wants to fly, demonic bat-wings pop out of his back! They just don’t make cartoon bad guys like Krag any more! In contrast to Warlock, Krag has a very deep voice. His end comes when Prince Planet blasts him out of existence in episode #52. In, I would say, every single episode, at some point or other, Bobby looks up at the stars at night and gets homesick for his mother, back on Radion. ( - KIMBA, THE WHITE LION was known to go for this lark quite a bit too. I'm certain it all hails back to influences from Disney's BAMBI [1942] ). Prince Planet realizes that, when he was given the ability to live as a normal boy on Earth, he also had to accept the emotions and desires of a normal boy - including those of homesickness - and the theme of homesickness returns again and again. The show’s original title, YUSEI SHONEN PAPI, means "METEOR (or 'Asteroid', or 'Comet' - take your pick) BOY PAPI". PAPI was produced by Tele-Cartoons Japan (TCJ), who also produced Tetsujin-28-Go/(GIGANTOR); EIGHT MAN/EIGHTH MAN; Yusei Kamen/Asteroid Mask; Kamui The Ninja; Kaitei Shonen Marine/(MARINE BOY), and Skyers 5. PAPI’s original Japanese air dates were June 3, 1965 - June 27, 1966, totalling 52 episodes.   The show was based on the manga by Hideoki Inoue, which appeared in Shonen Magazine, the '60's weekly comic which also featured Tetsuwan Atomu/(ASTRO BOY), Tetsujin 28-Go/(GIGANTOR), Wonder Three/(THE AMAZING 3), EIGHT MAN/EIGHTH MAN, and Ashita No Joe/Joe Of Tomorrow. PAPI was sponsored by Japanese candy manufacturer Glico, ( - the name of which makes up a refrain at the end of the Japanese theme song! ) Spurred by the success of ASTRO BOY, GIGANTOR and EIGHTH MAN, PAPI was adapted for the American market as PRINCE PLANET, and dubbed by Miami-based Copri International Films - an outfit partially staffed by gun-toting anti-Castro Cubans(!) The new English language version was distributed to independent TV stations in America and elsewhere by the fabulous James Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff of American International Pictures (AIP) - the same outfit responsible for releasing hundreds of cheap biker movies, most Gamera films, ALAKAZAM THE GREAT (Saiyu-ki) (1960), WILD IN THE STREETS (1968), ROGER CORMAN’s Poe epics, and JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT(1967). AIP was later bought by Filmways, which was bought by Orion Pictures, which in turn was bought by MGM, part of which was aquired by Sony/Comcast. At this point nobody at MGM or Sony or whoever seems to be aware they even own PRINCE PLANET. PAPI was released in Japan in 1965 - 1966, and PRINCE PLANET aired in Melbourne in March 1967 on Channel 9 at 5:00pm, weekdays, and appeared on 9 again in March 1972 on Daryl Somers' CARTOON CORNER. It was described in TV Week (Aust) as a "New US comic series." In American release, as was the practice at the time, the original Japanese theme was replaced by a new rendition, performed by the Carol Lombard Singers - featuring a spectacular use of - what sounds like... glockenspiel(!) A total of 52 episodes of PP were released, but none of them was given an onscreen English Episode title. PRINCE PLANET was a particular hit here in Australia, where several other animé shows which were also not picked up for US transmission - like Okami shônen Ken/KEN THE WOLF BOY (1963) - got English dubs and broadcast-releases, due to our later adoption of color TV, ( - meaning that B&W programming enjoyed a longer lifespan here). The show was one of the first animated series to have a definite beginning and a definite end; in the last episode Prince Planet hops into a spaceship and returns to Radion to make his report. Characters like Krag made their appearance halfway through the series, as its narrative developed. Other characters like Dan Dynamo and Adji Baba cames and went. Since most syndicated TV shows at the time shunned continuity, PRINCE PLANET’s continuing storyline is surprisingly "progressive", in a “stuff that happened in earlier episodes is referenced in later episodes” kind of way, ( - but not in a “depicting minorities in non-stereotypical fashion” kind of way - there’s plenty of that!) Being made in Black and White, while an advantage in the colour-challenged antipodes, hurt PRINCE PLANET’s chances at syndication in the '70s; stations wanted colour shows. Programmess like 8th MAN, AMAZING 3, and GIGANTOR joined PRINCE PLANET, consigned the monochromatic rubbish heap of television history. Prod Co: Dentsu Advertising Ltd., K. Fujita Associates. Dir: Tsutomu Yamamoto, Yonehiko Watanabe, Tadao Wakabayashi, Takeshi Kawauchi; (English): Mark Harris. Wr: (Japan) Ichiro Kanai, Jusaburo Futaba, Satoshi Ogura; (US) Reuben Guberman, Rose Guberman. Anim Studio: Tele-Cartoon Japan. Anim: Tadao Wakabayashi. Art Dir: Hoshi Shunroku. Char Design: Hideoki Inoue. Mus: Keiro Miki. Vocal Talent: (English Version): Bobbie Byers: Prince Planet); Mark Harris: Dan Dynamo; Kurt Nagel: Ajababa; Arnie Warren: Warlock; Frank Schuller: Krag; Sandy Warshaw: Diana Worthy; Jeff Gillen: Pop Worthy; Reuben Guberman: Hardpate / Gunrock. 25 mins. RM * THE NEW
(1966)ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: THE WICKED WARLOCK   The mighty Man Of Steel is back to fight evildoers everywhere, in this gloriously old school, slightly camp, but amazingly important television series! THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN was Filmation's first foray into super-hero cartoons. The first season of the ½ hour show consisted on one SUPERBOY episode sandwiched between two episodes of SUPERMAN. The opening title sequence featured a punchy, kick-ass intro theme song, narrated by the great JACKSON BECK, who also contributed narration to the individual episodes. In this episode, the sinister Warlock - using an almost-exhausted magical ruby attached to an end of his sorcerer's wand - robs an armoured truck to steal a new magical gemstone as a replacement for his own, which is going 'flat'. However, each time Superman attempts to grab him, the Warlock turns himself invisible and escapes! What's a super-dude to do! Prod Co: FILMATION. Prod: Norm Prescott, Lou Scheimer. Dir: Hal Sutherland. Wr: Mort Weisinger. Anim: Lou Zukor, Morey Reden, Clarke Mallery, Bill Hajee, Xenia, Len Rogers, Don Schloat, Virgil Raddatz, Jack Ozark. 6 mins. RM * SPACE ANGEL: QUEEN OF TWO SUNS(1962)  In QUEEN OF TWO SUNS, Taurus does some fancy talking to bamboozle the tyrannical, fuzzy-thinking she-ruler of a bi-solar world. I actually suspect that this "next, exciting episode in the adventures of SPACE AN-GEL!" is an installment in the story-line, THE SLAVE WORLD. But, on this, I could be wrong. SPACE ANGEL had serialized story-lines, as I recall, so each new chapter may have had a title of its own, under the main story-line title. Each storyline took place over five episode installments. Two hundred and sixty shorts were produced, packaged into 30-minute shows, or to air individually in syndication. The series dealt with the outer-space adventures of Scott McCloud - agent for the Earth Bureau of Investigation (I guess it's the outer-space branch of the FBI!) - and captain of the spaceship StarDuster. "Space Angel" was McCloud's "code name" - his secret identity, although very little use ever made of the "secret" part. He wore an eye-patch, which gave him the suggestion of being a roguish, buccaneer type - something of a Han Solo character - who had seen a bit of action at some time in the past. Devoted to the security and welfare of the solar system, McCloud and his crew would roam the Universe in their super-rocketship. ( - Much was made of the portentious blast-off sequence in each installment, and this further added to labour-reduction in the animation, but it also, curiously, as it always does, enhanced the ritualistic structure of the narrative.)  The crew, who made up the EBI's Interplanetary Space Force, included Taurus, an amiable, Scots-accented, expert pilot and mechanic; the beautiful Crystal Mace, a specialist in astro-navigation and electronics, and who was, clearly, also Scott's love interest ( - to the extent he had one - ) ; Crystal was also the daughter of the local authority-figure, Professor Mace, a JULIUS SUMNER-MILLEResque character, who was in charge of Evening Star - no, not the name of some crusading newspaper, but the space-station out of which the StarDuster operated. Home base, as it were. Scott's voice was provided by Ned Lefebver, another who seems to have no other credits in animation. Taurus was Hal Smith (Gyro Gearloose, in DUCKTALES (1987). Crystal was voiced by Margaret Kerry, who - aside from, luckily, being married to studio boss Dick Brown - was also, according to the more authoritative accounts, the model for Tinker Bell in the Disney version of PETER PAN (1953). Many people believe that Taurus, the ship's engineer, may have been the model for Star Trek's Montgomery Scott (Scotty)! There are one or two similarities between the two characters which do coincide. However, it must be pointed out that the combination of Scotsman and engineer is something of a time-honoured tradition! One of the many facets which makes SPACE ANGEL notable is that it was the first animation work of renowned designer and comics artist ALEX TOTH. TOTH had already distinguished himself in comic books, notably at DC Comics (where his work included Johnny Thunder, and Rex the Wonder Dog) and at Dell (including Zorro, and quite a few movie adaptations). He'd also done a little storyboarding for live-action movies. Later, working for Hanna-Barbera, he designed Space Ghost, Shazzan, and more. But SPACE ANGEL is what launched his career in animation. Later commentators have frequently remarked on the bizarre juxtaposition of TOTH's excellent design work, with the almost nonexistent animation. The creation of SPACE ANGEL is generally attributed to writer/director Dik Darley - whose live-action credits include THE SPIKE JONES SHOW (TV) and a fondly-remembered Sherwood Schwartz (GILLIGAN'S ISLAND [1964]) '60s sitcom, called IT'S ABOUT TIME (1966), which starred the two great screen comedians JOE E. ROSS and IMOGENE COCO - but who has done little else in animation. SPACE ANGEL was made as one of the first cartoons dedicated specifically for the early TV market, and employed as virtually as-limited-"animation"-as-you-could-get! (Also found in this 'school' of 'animation which doesn't move' is the MARVEL SUPERHEROES (1966) series from Grantray-Lawrence Animation, Krantz Film Productions, ARP.) In the 1960s, animation was still a relatively expensive process, costing up to $2,500 a minute to produce. SPACE ANGEL was Cambria Production's second cartoon using the fabulous, patented Synchro-Vox™ system, developed by Edwin Gillette for "talking animal" commercials in the 1950s. Cambria was also responsible for CLUTCH CARGO, the 1965 CAPTAIN FATHOM, and THE THREE STOOGES CARTOON SHOW. The Synchro-Vox™ system combined still animation cels of the characters and live actors' lips superimposed over the characters' heads to make the "animation"(!) Producer Clark Haas referred to Cambria's process of limited animation as "motorized movement." Cardboard cutouts of the character sometimes would be moved by hand past the background. To produce Synchro-Vox™, the voice artist would be filmed in closeup, with a mask hiding everything but the actor's lips. Heavy makeup was used to ensure that the actor's skin colour matched that of the cartoon character. Shades of Louis Bunuel! When in "action", rather than animate the character, the cels themselves were shaken, or the camera zoomed or panned to simulate the motion. As Scott McCloud/Space Angel's face was covered by a space helmet, no lip movement was required for his character in the Synchro-Vox™ process. The final, result on the tender, formative mind of a six year old viewer was undoubtedly profoundly subconsciously disturbing. And such is the cultish preoccupation with the series made with Synchro-Vox™, that this must surely be the case. Both Clutch Cargo and Captain Fathom also utilised Synchro-Vox™. Prod Co: Cambria Productions. Prod: Clark Haas. Dir: ALEX TOTH. Created By: Dik Darley, Dick Brown. Character Design, Model Sheets, Layouts: ALEX TOTH. Art Dir: Sal Trapani. Voice Artists: Ned LeFebver (Scott McCloud/Space Angel), Hal Smith (Taurus), Margaret Kerry (Crystal Mace). Anim: Warren Tufts. 6 mins. RM * THE NEW
(1966)ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: THE SEEDS OF DESTRUCTION  Strange pods from space settle to Earth, releasing seeds which quickly grow into large, destructive plants. Superman flies around destroying the plants, but is warned that there are wayyyyy too many for even him to stop before the Earth is completely destroyed. How is the Man of Steel going to deal with this giantic vegetation - enter it all into some State Fair 'Largest Produce' competition? Prod Co: FILMATION. Prod: Norm Prescott, Lou Scheimer. Dir: Hal Sutherland. Wr: Mort Weisinger. Anim: Lou Zukor, Morey Reden, Clarke Mallery, Bill Hajee, Xenia, Len Rogers, Don Schloat, Virgil Raddatz, Jack Ozark. 6 mins. RM * SPACE ANGEL:
DR. KINKAID, I PRESUME(1962)  The gang flies to a remote planet to rescue Dr. Kinkaid. 6 mins. RM * STARDUST (1975)  Short drawn-on-film animated space cartoon by VERN SUNDFORS. His last film (in the 16mm format) was made withe the assistance of the Experimental Film and Television Fund. "Back in Melbourne in 1976 I applied for an experimental grant and got one and remade THE SPACE RACE (1963)... it was like THE SPACE RACE but more with stars and less with rocket ships. Nothing much changes with the process - it started on 35mm and was coloured with inks." (CANTRILL'S FILMNOTES 85/86 (June '97) P. 42. 5 mins. RM PLUS! - Quickie Theatre returns, with: * FIEND
(1958)WITHOUT A FACE [Condensed Version]  In the middle of nowhere (Canada), the United States is conducting tests of a high power radar system, using nuclear energy and beaming that power to boost the scanning range of special planes. Planes which mysteriously transform into an entirely different aircraft when affected by this nuclear radiation! Problem is, soon after starting any test they experience a mysterious power drain, even upping the reactor output fails to help. Major Cummings has other problems besides being the only officer on this base who does anything - local residents are being killed. Autopsies performed on the bodies reveal a gruesome fact, the brain and spinal column are missing, drained through two holes at the base of the skull. His other issue is love, well lust probably, he managed to find the one attractive girl in this expanse of Canada - Barbara. A very enjoyable movie, including the sound the Fiends make when feeding - it's somebody smacking their lips. 7 mins. RM followed by: *DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS (1954)  TRAILER Nyah (Patricia Laffan), a sexy (if you like that sort of thing), statuesque, uptight, leather-clad female Martian, armed with raygun and accompanied by a menacing robot that, frankly, looks more like a silly, ambulatory petrol bowser, makes an emergency landing on Earth. Her ship, seriously damaged by hitting the atmosphere at too high of a speed, the uptight Nazi ‘poster girl’ from Mars lands close bythe Bonnie Cahrlie Inn – a pub somewhere in the Scottish highlands, and decides to while away the repair time by raising hell with the natives. She is on a mission to collect specimens of men for her barren world. - Mars endured a violent battle of the sexes, which climaxed in the destruction of the male species. The females killed every single male on Mars! (One has to imagine whichever devil girl shot the last devil guy said something along the lines of "oops!") The company of humans make multiple attempts to kill “the conqueror of worlds”, unfortunately bullets and electricity are useless against her dual chromosomes and their efforts only anger the maiden. Concurrent with the rest of the plot, a newspaper reporter on assignment in the area has recognized one of the locals, "Albert", as being an escaped murderer, and the latter spends a lot of time hiding. (Not a bad idea when some dominatrix from another world is wandering around being uber mean!) If this all sounds good so far, wait for what’s up next: the opening credits inform us that Devil Girl... was originally a stage play, oooh-err, and was adapted for the screen by one of the original play's co-authors, John C. Mather. The story is severely constrained by the limitations of it’s stage conception. Nyah's plan was to land in a large city - London; instead, she's forced to land temporarily in the middle of nowhere – out in the Hibernian back-blocks. (Had she any sense at all, she'd have stayed as inconspicuous as possible until her ship had repaired itself, thence to onwards with her mission as planned. However, that would have left us without a story – a ‘tiny-pub invasion-scenario’, if you will. So she makes-do with the (obviously) unsuitable males she finds in the vicinity. She keeps ‘popping in’ every 15 minutes or so to deliver plot-advancing edicts and threats, and then she disappears to allow the other characters to work out their interactions and relationships. When she's not being vaguely menacing, she's skiting ‘handy hint’-type things - like this: "I come from a civilization so advanced you can scarcely imagine it! Why, even our space ships' self-destruct buttons - like this one over here - are more advanced than you could ever conceive! So conveniently located, too!"  devilgirl2.wav Nyah: "You are a scientist?" Professor: "Yes." Nyah: "You are a very poor physical specimen." Nyah is big on taunting, too - she mercilessly taunts the assembled barflies about how inferior they are. Stuff like: "No doubt you were having a council of war. It amuses me to watch your puny efforts.", "we have a perpetual motion ray", and "our race has perfected negative fission reactions!", et c. devilgirl4.wav Nyah explains "static negative nuclear fission." THE HARDWARE The limited setting of the story betrays its B-movie status, but the special effects are handsomely mounted, except that the design of the flying saucer ( - remember, we’re in 1954 – in the thick of flying saucer mania! - ) makes it less believable - it looks like a light-fitting, or a fancy hubcap.  VIEW LANDING SEQUENCE SFX director Jack Whitehead (THE TUNNEL, 1935), does very well with a sizeable model that has lots of internal lighting and seamless moving parts. It’s somewhat of a lot of a smaller version of the spaceship in DALEK INVASION EARTH 2150 (1966), which also had a spinning section. The ray blasts are achieved much the same way as in THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (another obvious influence) with a series of lap-dissolves, but are, none the less, well done - the targets are rather small fry - like bushes, dead trees, et c.  Ship, Heal Thyself - DGfM features a little thing that gets attention in films much later. Nyah’s ship is made of "organic metal" which can heal itself. She miscalculated the density of earth's atmosphere, so upon entry a part of her ship broke off. That was the “meteor” people reported. Nyah had to land in Scotland instead of London, as originally planned, so that her ship could heal itself. In the meantime, she figures to take the best of the men at the inn, just to make the side trip worthwhile. We won't see the concept of organic metal and ships healing themselves until the ALIEN series in the ‘90s. STARGATE ATLANTIS has it's Wraith ships which are partially organic too. DGfM might be the first film to feature self-healing ships. THE ROBOT - Chani  Origin: Mars Height: 12 feet Construction : Martian petrol bowser with Christmas lights Armaments : Disintegrating ray, emitted from plastic dome on head Weaknesses : Immobile arms, far from intimidating appearance. This remote-control robot of Martian design, was the pride of the Martian race. Brought to Earth to help Nyah kidnap Earth males, Chani was primarily used as an instrument of intimidation. Chani's worth as a tool of intimidation was compromised by often being mistaken for a walking refrigerator. Facing interplanetary humiliation, Nyah was compelled to demonstrate Chani's immense powers of destruction -  Pulling out her three-pronged remote-control, she ordered Chani to shoot and disintegrate a tree, an empty barn, and a broken down truck.   (Dispirited by Chani's display of agrarian destruction, the humans returned to the bar where they were being held captive, and continued drinking Scotch. ) As far as mobility is concerned, Chani is far from agile. In fact, it appears that it has trouble spotting shrubbery on the ground as it nearly tumbles over small bushes on several occasions. In addition, Chani's arms remain motionless for the duration of its visit on Earth, so the gripping and crushing capabilities of these limbs can only be estimated. In initial publicity (posters, et c) the robot is portrayed thus:  We’re thinking “Gort’ and so forth, right? What we get is this: Hmmmmmmmm.Well, what the hey - the ol' Devil Girl had to have something to keep her beer cold during the long flight from Mars. Still, as a weapon of mass destruction, this is one of the least threatening-looking things I've ever seen. Chani looks somewhat top-heavy when it walks, and (thankfully) it doesn’t have to do much. HEHEHEHEHEHE! You honestly have to see this robot in action to understand. ( - Take one cardboard box and put it over your head. Now you're a robot! - complete with the box swinging around on the pivot of your head and smacking against your legs!) The great thing is how haughty and proud our little extraterrestrial Nazi space frau is of tin pal. SPLODGE! For You At Home! - Watch a scene!  Nyah showing off her robot (hehehehehe) to the primitive humans, quite proud of the fact that it can disintegrate trees.devilgirl1.mpg - 3.4MB The cast are all jolly spiffing and take it all as seriously as possible. Notably, there is something of a true cult cast – the fabulous HAZEL COURT - before she was in Hammer’s CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957) and sensational in ROGER CORMAN’s MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964) < If you want more info on the lovely HAZEL COURT, there’s a detailed fan-site here > - , the luscious ADRIENNE CORRI ( - memorable in DANGER MAN [1965], H.G. WELLS’ THE INVISIBLE MAN [1959] episodes), and the great JOHN LAURIE ( from Disney’s KIDNAPPED [1960] , and beloved British sitcom DAD’S ARMY [1968] ). A special word about PETER REYNOLDS, who puts in a sterling performance as the escaped prisoner , Robert Justin. In 1975, in Sydney, REYNOLDS, tragically, was said to have burned to death when he fell asleep whilst smoking. Little is known of the man off-hand, but his was an iconic player, known to us all, especially from television. Although born in the United Kingdom, his work history seems to indicate that he gravitated towards Australia in the 1960s. REYNOLDS had something of a golden film-and-videography, including such films and series as: BONEY (1973); SPYFORCE (1972); THE ROVERS (2 episodes, 1969-1970); SKIPPY, aka SKIPPY THE BUSH KANGAROO (1 episode, 1969); HOMICIDE (1 episode, 1969); DEPARTMENT S (1 episode, 1969); SOFTLY SOFTLY (aka SOFTLY, SOFTLY: TASK FORCE) (1969); THE AVENGERS (2 episodes, 1961-1967); DALEKS' INVASION EARTH: 2150 A.D. (1966); RICHARD THE LIONHEART (2 episodes, 1962); THE HANDS OF ORLAC (1960); WILLIAM TELL (1 EPISODE, 1959); IVANHOE (1 episode, 1958); THE MAGIC BOX (1951);and ADAM AND EVELYNE (1949). Sheesh! Gone too soon. Obviously, the striking, (purportedly) sexy ( - if you like that sort of thing) PATRICIA LAFFAN as Nyah steals all her scenes - mainly due to her ahead-of-its-time black leather mini-skirt, designed by Ronald Cobb - and her accentuated, long legs. She doesn't have to overplay her lines ( - because they’re already pretty silly). Professor Hennessey - Respected astronomer looking for a meteorite, completely hopeless at reading a road map.  Michael - Reporter accompanying Professor Hennessey who knows how to sweet talk women, but kisses like a dead carp. Ellen - Fashion model hiding in the country from a man she has been having an affair with. She is looking for someone less deceitful... perhaps a... newspaper reporter?  (HAZEL COURT)Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson - Couple that run an inn, though he seems to drink a majority of their profits.  Robert - Just escaped from prison and has taken a new name (Albert) - he knew they'd never let him go free after being imprisoned for killing his wife(!) Doris - Bartender for the "The Bonnie Charley" pub , but she always falls for the wrong men - like ones who kill their wives.  PETER REYNOLDS and ADRIENNE CORRI Tommy - Annoying nephew of the Jamiesons. David - Hunchback and general labourer at the pub, he is vaporized for being an inferior genetic specimen. Nyah - a fraightfully British space invader - Our gloating and (scientifically) overdeveloped female visitor from Mars. She has found a wonderful way of turning garbage bags into a fashion statement.  devilgirl3.wav Michael: "Mrs. Jamieson, may I introduce your latest guest, Mrs. Nyah. She comes from Mars." Mrs. Jamieson: "Oh, well that'll mean another bed...she's come from where?" Michael: "From Mars!" THE SEX Originating from producers who did everything but sci-fi before - or after ( - which might explain why it is such a departure from the usual sci-fi formulae) – DGfM is, on the surface of things, akin to the usual saucer-alien-invasion motif. Basically, the usual plot - Martian women have run out of fertile men, and so they've come to Earth to kidnap the finest male specimens and force them to mate. Yes, force them. And where do the Martians plan on finding the ideal testosterone-inflated subjects for their breeding plan? In 1950s England - where else? That kinship is only skin deep, though. Beneath the surface is a delightfully different movie. The ultimate battle of the sexes will be fought on British soil, in a tiny, besieged Scottish pub mostly, and, seemingly, by a group of alcoholics. Not only all that, but the antagonist will be a militant feminist from another world who enjoys flaunting her technological superiority. Grand! Mars Needs Men - As mentioned above, DGfM reverses the usual alien agenda. Instead of the ruthless alien trying to take away our lovely ladies, a leggy Madame de Mars arrives to take away Earth's hunkiest men. Whatta twist! This isn't treated like the usual adolescent fantasy about being the lone guy in the girls' dorm. No, the men at the Bonnie Charlie Inn regard Nyah's plan as a terrible fate, and aren't so interested in accepting the offer - and their women-folk aren't too crazy about giving them up without a fight, either! Love vs Loveless - DGfM sets up an interesting contrast between 'Earthly' love and the Martian woman's business-like approach to procreation. Between Robert, the convict and Doris, we see her loyalty and charity. Robert shows a sort of desperate reaching out for help, but then the willingness to sacrifice himself for others.  Beautiful Earth Maiden | Severe Martian Mistress – No Contest! Between the reporter, Michael, and Miss Prestwick, the budding of new romance which softens his cynicism and coaxes her out of her funk over a failed prior romance. Mr. and Mrs. Jamison show parent-like concern for little Tommy. The Professor shows an altruism for Mankind. All these Earthly manifestations of love stand in contrast to Nyah's fascist, passionless approach to duty. And, with two pairs of star crossed lovers in evidence, there are plenty of opportunities for kissing ( - they certainly needed the practice), and breathless admonishments. THE WOMEN BAD GIRL WRITTEN ALL OVER HER  It’s 1954 and look at Nyah's mini-skirt! And that’s a grand set of pins in black stockings. The boots need a bit of work, I reckon, but they were probably passable in the 1950s. I'll bet more than one British lad dreamt of taking off with her in her spaceship to a Mars full of tall, leggy women short on men! (But didn’t anyone think of setting this lady up with a date with a Mr Darth Vader? Or would he have found her too much competition?) Of special note is the total reversal of the usual ‘they're-after-our-women’ trope. This is so refreshing. What makes this even more fun is that the men do not act all wolfish and slobbery about being a stud for Martian women. Instead, they act like it'd be exile to the Siberian salt mines to be taken to Mars! This, despite Nyah -supposedly - being a hot chick. Well, we will concede she had an interesting fashion sense! THE MEN The stalwart hero from London, who fights to uphold those manly values of chastity... courage... forbearance... and a condescending attitude to the "weaker" sex; the man who stands up for the right of a man to pursue an innocent, sexless romance, while fighting off the sinister suggestions of naughty people everywhere. Our hero is every bit as insufferable as the Devil Girl, only we're supposed to like him!)  There's only one Englishman in the cast who seems to have any sort of libido, and that's the ‘escaped killer’ who ends up at the remote Scottish inn - he's broken out to see his girlfriend, who works there. (He turns out not to be a fully-fledged Escaped Murderer - just an Escaped and Misunderstood Manslaughterer, so, OK - but he's still a criminal, because after all, only someone of low character would have such base inclinations. But, because he’s such a true Brit, and ultimately does the proper thing, he doesn't get a chance to consummate his pent-up urges, unfortunately. Tho we’re all terribly grateful to him, aren’t we.  Devil Girl's dominatrix-like appearance: OK, OK, let’s get all the “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” dominance and submission gags out of the way first off and then we can get down to serious business. Devil Girl: I've come to take you Earth men back to Mars... Englishmen: Never! Never, we say! Devil Girl: ...for a harsh regimen of spankings and discipline. Englishmen: Oooh, yes please! Is this the queue? In the publicity poster they promised this:  . What we got was this:  At the same time the straight-faced Devil Girl... was being made, American studios were cranking out even more ridiculous fantasies, with a totally different attitude to sex - CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON (1953), for example. A decade or so later, LARRY BUCHANAN would make the infamous MARS NEEDS WOMEN (1967), which treated interplanetary rape of women by male Martians as a much less serious matter than DGfM's feeble attempt at putting Earthmen out to stud. Bottom line? DEVIL GIRL is certainly worth watching, at the very least just for the sheer role-reversal aspect! Prod Co: Danziger Productions Ltd. (as Gigi Productions). Prod: Edward J. Danziger, Harry Lee Danziger. Dir: David MacDonald. Wr: James Eastwood, John C. Mather (play). Mus: EDWIN ASTLEY (THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD [1955], THE SAINT [1962] et c.) Phot: Jack Cox. SPFX: Jack Whitehead. Costumes (Miss Laffan): Ronald Cobb. Cast: Hugh McDermott (Michael Carter), HAZEL COURT (Ellen Prestwick), PETER REYNOLDS (Robert Justin, alias Albert Simpson), ADRIENNE CORRI (Doris), Joseph Tomelty (Prof. Arnold Hennessey), Sophie Stewart (Mrs. Jamieson), JOHN LAURIE (Mr. Jamieson), Patricia Laffan (Nyah). 77 mins. Courtesy of Potential Films. 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