Flying Disc Man from Mars

Flying Disc Man from Marsis a 1950 Republic Pictures 12-chapterblack-and-whitescience fictionadventurefilm serial,produced byFranklin Adreon,directed byFred C. Brannon,that starsWalter Reed,Lois Collier,Gregory Gaye,James Craven,Harry Lauter,and Richard Irving.Disc Manis considered a weak example of the serial medium, even compared to other post-World War IIserials.In 1958 Republic edited the serial's 167 minutes of footage into a 75-minutefeature,released under the new titleMissile Monsters.

Flying Disc Man from Mars
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Fred C. Brannon
Written by	Ronald Davidson
Produced by	Franklin Adreon
Starring	Walter Reed Lois Collier Gregory Gaye James Craven Harry Lauter Richard Irving
Cinematography	Walter Strenge
Music by	Stanley Wilson
Distributed by	Republic Pictures
Release date	October 25, 1950(1950-10-25)
Running time	12 chapters / 167 minutes(serial)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$152,640 (negative cost:$157,439)

Plot

Martian invader, Mota (Gregory Gaye), attempts to conquer the Earth as Mars is worried about its use of newatomic technology.The Martians consider that it would be much safer, and beneficial for both Earth and Mars, if the Martians were in charge. Mota, having been shot down by an experimental ray gun, blackmailsAmericanscientist,and formerNazi,Dr. Bryant (James Craven) into assisting him and hires some criminals to be hishenchmen.

Kent Fowler (Walter Reed), the private pilot who shot down Mota with Dr. Bryant's ray gun, gets caught up in these events while working security for atomic industrial sites.

Chapter titles

1. "Menace from Mars"
2. "The Volcano's Secret"
3. "Death Rides the Stratosphere"
4. "Execution by Fire"
5. "The Living Projectile"
6. "Perilous Mission"
7. "Descending Doom"
8. "Suicidal Sacrifice"
9. "The Funeral Pyre"
10. "Weapons of Hate" -re-cap chapter
11. "Disaster on the Highway"
12. "Volcanic Vengeance"

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Cast

• Walter Reedas Kent Fowler, pilot
• Lois Collieras Helen Hall
• Gregory Gayeas Mota, martian invader
• James Cravenas Dr Bryant,scientistand secretly a formerNazisupporter
• Harry Lauteras Drake, one of Mota'shenchmen
• Richard Irving as Ryan, one of Mota'shenchmen
• Sandy Sanders as Steve, Kent'ssidekick
• Michael Carr as Trent, disc-ship pilot-henchman

Production

Flying Disc Man from Marswas budgeted at $152,640, although the finalnegative costwas $157,439 (a $4,799, or 3.1%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial made in 1950.

Disc Manwas filmed between August 21 and September 12, 1950 under severalworking titles:Atom Man from Mars,Disc Man from Mars,Disc Men of the Skies,Flying Planet Men,andJet Man from Mars.The serial's production number was 1709.

This is not a sequel to Republic's earlier serialThe Purple Monster Strikes,although the villain Mota wears the Purple Monster costume from that serial.

Special effects

The flying disc aircraft from Republic'sKing of the Mountiesis reused for this serial (note that the Japanese rising sun logo is still visible), and most of the shots of it in flight are taken from that serial. In some shots thisflying wingfootage is from Republic'sSpy Smasherserial (used in chapter three ofDisc Man), where the tail fin is missing (the flying wing was built forSpy Smasher,and the tail-fin with rising sun insignia was added for Republic'sKing of the Mountiesserial).

Other stock footage from several earlier Republic serials was reused to pad outDisc Manin order to lower its production costs. This includes the rocket crash fromThe Purple Monster Strikes,a car chase fromSecret Service in Darkest Africa,and various scenes fromG-Men vs. the Black Dragon.

All special effects in this serial were produced by theLydecker brothers,the in-house duo who designed most of Republic's special effects.

Stunts

• Dale Van SickelKent Fowler/Watchman (doubling Walter Reed)
• David SharpeHenchman Ryan/Technician (doubling Richard Irving)
• Tom Steeleas Henchman Drake/Trent/Taylor (doubling Harry Lauter and Michael Carr)
• Carey Loftin as Truck Loader Thug

Release

Theatrical

Flying Disc Man from Mars's official release date is 25 October 1950, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.

This was followed by a re-release ofThe Tiger Woman,re-titled asPerils of the Darkest Jungle,instead of a new serial. The next new serial,Don Daredevil Rides Again,followed in spring of 1951.

A 75-minute feature film version was created by editing the serial's footage, and was released on March 28, 1958 under the new titleMissile Monstersas adouble featurewithSatan's Satellites.It was one of 14 feature films Republic made from their serials.

See also

• 1950 in film
• List of science fiction films of the 1950s

References

Bibliography

• Cline, William C. "" Filmography ".In the Nick of Time.New York: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1984.ISBN0-7864-0471-X.
• Harmon, Jim and Donald F. Glut. "2." We Come from 'Earth', Don't You Understand? ".The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury.New York: Routledge Publishing, 1973.ISBN978-0-7130-0097-9.
• Mathis, Jack.Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement.South Barrington, Illinois: Jack Mathis Advertising, 1995.ISBN0-9632878-1-8.
• Stedman, Raymond William. "5. Shazam and Good-by".Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment.Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1971.ISBN978-0-8061-0927-5.
• Weiss, Ken and Ed Goodgold.To be Continued...: A Complete Guide to Motion Picture Serials.New York: Bonanza Books, 1973.ISBN0-517-166259.

External links

• Flying Disc Man from MarsatIMDb
• Flying Disc Man from Mars at Todd Gault's Movie Serial Experience