The 1950s was a time when we saw on film our planet being threatened by alien menaces. Such fears, however, did not stop us from venturing out into space and facing the perils of the final frontier on the ‘silver screen.”
Threats to our survival came not only from outer space but also from that other little known frontier, the seas and oceans of the world, as well as from deep within the earth.
Of course, there were also threats to our own survival that were largely of our own making.
All of this mayhem was brought to us by the actors, directors, producers, special effects artists, writers and other involved in the pioneering work of science fiction movie making. It is to these people that this 11th volume “A Tribute To….” of the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta series is dedicated to.
Part 1: A Tribute To…. focuses on some of the prominent directors, producers, actors and special effects people involved in science fiction films of the 1950s. Brief biographical information is provided on each one, along with their contribution to the pioneering work of sci-fi filmmaking in the 1950s.
Part 2: A Tribute To Classic Sci-Fi Ladies provides a brief introduction to each of the female co-stars and supporting actors in the films featured in the Sci-Fi Film Fiesta eBook series.
In some repects, the 1950s was at the beginning of a transition process for women that is still very much on-going. On the one hand women were more often than not viewed through a more limited and traditional lens where they were seen as being compliant stay-at-home moms who needn't worry their pretty heads with "men's business." On the other hand, it was becoming increasingly obvious to some people that women needed to be taken more seriously and were more than fully capable of taking on any role in life they wanted. It is a process that it still continuing right into the 21st century and has some way yet to go.
The portrayal of women in sci-fi movies of the time often highlighted this growing tension and unease between society's traditional expectations concerning the role of women and the kinds of changes that were beginning to take place or were looming on the horizon. Sure, there were a few female characters in sci-fi films who took on the role of space mission commanders, scientists, business leaders and even US presidents. Unfortunately, the end result of such depictions on film often amounted to a rather uncomfortable and ham-fisted approach to dealing with issues concerning gender relationships, interactions and the role of women in society.
Despite how far women could and did go in film portrayals of women in some sci-fi and other genres, it seemed as if society at the time was determined to hold up a restraining hand and proclaim, "Sorry, no further!" And so with the other hand, women would be guided to the safe haven and refuge of marriage and domesticity as society, the media, education and the all the other institutions intended for them all along.
With social movements of all kinds, we often like to think that changes begin with specific eras, events and dates while ignoring the fact that change is often part of an on-going process that takes time to unfold and often has its genesis further back in time than we like to think. All it takes to start the ball rolling is for one door to a closed mind to open just a crack, one person to say “NO!” or one person to think, speak, act and take on a role in life that had been previously unexpected and unimaginable.
Part 3: A Tribute To Science Fiction Authors references some of the works of fiction that inspired and were adapted into various classic 1950s sci-fi films.
Yes, the 1950s – a much maligned decade that many people look back on and wave an admonishing finger at for its perceive conservatism and paranoia. Best not judge lest ye be judged considering how our own modern early 21st century era might be judged by future generations for its neurotic, obsessive compulsive, self-obsessed, PC riddled, wokadelic and childish concerns and priorities…...Perhaps when all is said and done, not that much really changes in terms of human nature and very little in life is really new or original. So let’s go back in time and pay tribute to…...
Part One: “A Tribute To….”
Ray Harryhausen
By Spacer999 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=112316647
At the back of his parents’ milk bar in Melbourne Australia, a young boy in the early 1960s watched TV with bulging eyes and open mouth. He was watching the film, “Jason and the Argonauts” at the point where the giant bronze statue, Talos was just coming to life to punish Jason and his crew mates for violating the treasure storehouse at the foot of Talos’ statue.
It was the genius of the American master of visual effects, Ray Harryhausen and his brand of stop-motion model animation known as "Dynamation" that produced such an effect as described above in audiences of films that featured his ground-breaking special effects. By the way, that young boy was me.
Raymond Frederick "Ray" Harryhausen was born on June 29, 1920 and it seemed as if a path was being laid out for him that would lead him to the creation of his own unique imaginative world via the medium of film. A part of this world was being shared with that young boy in Melbourne years afterward, who would in turn remember as an adult that magic moment on TV some 60 years later.
The path Ray was to take was marked with the following signposts;
His lifelong passion for dinosaurs and anything to do with fantasy.
His parents’ encouragement of him to pursue whatever he wanted to.
Opportunity offered to him at Grammar school to learn how to make model miniature set pieces of Californian Missions. This in turn led him to begin
making three dimensional figures and sets. From that he would eventually make his own versions of prehistoric creatures.
Inspiration derived from the LA County Museum where Ray gazed in wonder at the murals of prehistoric creatures created by Charles R. Knight. Ray also saw the film, “The Lost World” in 1925, at five years of age. His eyes feasted on a world populated with what seemed to be living dinosaurs such as an allosaurus fighting with and pushing a brontosaurus off the edge of a plateau. And then of course there was “King Kong in 1933.”
His natural thirst for knowledge in which Ray wanted to know about the creatures he saw on the screen and how they seemed to have been brought to life. What was this thing called “stop-motion animation?”
Trial and error: Ray Experimented in the production of animated shorts.
Mentors such as Willis O'Brien who was the animator of King Kong. O'Brien assessed Ray's models and inspired him to aim for a more fluid animation and to construct creatures that were more anatomically correct.
Education being a lifelong process to build upon and increase one’s skills. Ray took classes in graphic arts and sculpture and enrolled in art and anatomy night classes at the Los Angeles City College (LACC). He also attended night classes at the University of Southern California where he studied art direction, editing and photography.
From such influences we can better understand how Ray Harryhausen was able to reach a point where he was able to almost magically inject life into his characters and give them character and personality.
Ray Harryhausen’s Career
Harryhausen’s first commercial job was on George Pal's Puppetoons shorts.
During World War Two, Ray designed and photographed a short film called “How to Bridge a Gorge” in 1941 to show how stop-motion animation could be used in propaganda films. He also worked on US propaganda films such as the “Why We Fight” series for the US War Office
In 1947 Harryhausen worked as an assistant animator on his first major film,” Mighty Joe Young” in 1949 which happily for him used the same people who had made King Kong. In this film, Ray animated most of the scenes.
Ray Harryhausen was later to form a partnership with producer Charles H. Schneer. Their first project was “It Came from Beneath the Sea” in 1955, followed by “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” in 1956.
The films listed below that Ray Harryhausen worked on consist only of those that feature in this book.