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Thursday, September 26, 2013

The Rocket Man (1954)

Starring Charles Coburn, Spring Byington, Anne Francis, John Agar, George Winslow
Directed by Oscar Rudolph
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young orphan is given a special ray gun with magic powers by an alien visitor, and he uses it to help the kindly judge who takes him in.

This picture offers a charming fantasy with a wonderful cast, and even though it's completely predictable, it's grand entertainment, with young Winslow a definite charmer as the little orphan boy, whose terrific monotone delivery brought forth some big laughs from me.  Although the sci-fi elements are kept to a minimum, it's interesting that a number of the film's cast would go on to star in some of the best known sci-fi films of the 1950s, including Agar, Francis, and Beverly Garland.  As wholesome and good-natured as the film is, it's difficult to reconcile that the controversial comedian Lenny Bruce collaborated on the screenplay, but he's a solid contributor among many to this memorable film.

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