Conquest Of Space (1955)

Starring Walter Brooke, Eric Fleming, Mickey Shaughnessy, Phil Foster, William Redfield
Directed by Byron Haskin

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

On a mission to Mars, the general leading the spaceflight begins to have doubts about man invading the heavens and seeks a way to sabotage the mission. 

Producer George Pal delivers another science fiction drama, this time about man's journey into space on a mission to Mars, and it's an often eye-popping adventure, with beautiful stellar backgrounds from Chesley Bonestell and striking special effects.  At the time, there was a school of thought that interstellar space craft would have to be launched from a way station in space to avoid Earth's gravitational pull, and that is depicted here with a circular "wheel" space station housing the crew working on the project.  Drama is mined from the select individuals aboard who are selected for the spaceflight and have been trained and tested and switched to a diet of pills, as well as from the father-son relationship between commanding officer Brooke and Fleming, who wants to return to Earth to reunite with his wife, but is being blocked by Brooke.  When the actual spaceflight begins, a new set of dramatic conditions commences as Brooke worries man's conquest of space is contrary to the Bible's teachings, and engages in actions that threaten his own crew.  The actors are generally fine, although Foster is quite a bit over the top as an outspoken Italian-American, but as far as standouts, I found Benson Fong came off best as a sensitive Japanese native who wants to elevate his nation.  Van Cleave delivers an appropriately majestic score and the art direction and set design are well done and complement the excellent exterior visuals.  

Queen Of Outer Space (1958)

Starring Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming, Dave Willock, Laurie Mitchell, Lisa Davis
Directed by Edward Bernds
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Astronauts from Earth crash land on Venus, which is populated by gorgeous women and ruled by a tyrannical queen, but one of her subjects wants to help them.

Badly dated today with a great deal of sexist dialogue and situations, the picture's still a lot of fun to watch, with fairly decent production values, costuming, and special effects, although there's quite a bit borrowed from past sci-fi films of the fifties, notably the uniforms from Forbidden Planet.  Gabor doesn't particularly distinguish herself, but doesn't embarrass herself either, and quality actors like Fleming and Paul Birch help sell the story, even though there's not a lot to it.  Perhaps the picture's most endearing quality is the way it nicely fits in with other sci-fi films of the decade as an escapist fantasy that probably no one intended to be taken seriously.    

Curse Of The Undead (1959)

Starring Eric Fleming, Michael Pate, Kathleen Crowley, John Hoyt, Bruce Gordon
Directed by Edward Dein
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

In the Old West, a preacher tries to protect his girlfriend and her ranch from a gunslinger whom he discovers is a genuine vampire. 

I wouldn't place this film among the great vampire movies, but the Western setting does make it unusual and different, and the picture has some great shadow-filled photography from Ellis Carter and eerie music from Irving Gertz that elevates the film above other efforts.  Pate plays the vampire with nobility and an almost-friendly demeanor which makes it difficult to view him as a creature of evil, and his backstory which credits his vampirism to committing suicide in his past life comes off as a bit weak.  I still enjoyed the movie, and it was welcome to see Universal returning to the roots of its horror films, just not with enough success this time.