Untamed Women (1952)

Starring Mikel Conrad, Doris Merrick, Richard Monahan, Mark Lowell, Morgan Jones
Directed by W. Merle Connell

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Four men aboard a bomber plane crash land near an island, where they find themselves the prisoners of an ancient race of Druid women, and later encounter giant prehistoric creatures. 

Conrad stars as the leader of the ragtag crew, who has three very different men under his command, including a man who enlisted to get away from his mother, a simple farm boy, and a far too verbose Brooklynite always preaching the joys available in his home town.  There's some sexist dialogue among the men, although the women have the upper hand for most of the film, thanks to a chief played by Merrick who's eager to do away with the men.  Once the men get away and encounter the prehistoric animals, it's a disappointment because the footage is obviously cribbed from One Million B.C. with armadillos, lizards, and other creatures standing in.  Nevertheless, there were parts of the film I enjoyed, and it's a pretty hard to find sci-fi film from the era of the 1950s, which makes it merit a look.       

The Flying Saucer (1950)

Starring Mikel Conrad, Pat Garrison, Hantz von Teuffen, Earle Lyon, Lester Sharpe
Directed by Mikel Conrad
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A government agent is sent to Alaska to track down reports of a flying saucer, but he doesn't believe the sightings are legitimate, and keeps blowing his cover.

We have here one of the earliest "flying saucer" films, starring, produced, and directed by Mikel Conrad who also is credited with supplying the film's story.  Those expecting to see visitors from another planet will be disappointed, but the saucer itself is brought to the screen with some very effective special effects, despite the movie's status as a low budget independent film.  Although it's in essence a thriller, with Conrad facing enemy agents trying to capture the saucer for their government, at times it seems more like a travelogue, with some very lengthy scenes of boating or flying through the Alaskan scenery.  The scenery is beautiful, but some tighter editing would have helped.  I also found Conrad's agent to be among the worst ever, more interested in getting drunk and romancing his partner then looking for evidence, before finally becoming dedicated to the task at hand.  Still, it's an entertaining enough watch and Darrell Calker's score is probably my favorite of his, with some lovely interludes for the Alaskan scenery, and more driving cues for Conrad's confrontations with the enemy.