Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers
Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers – Vintage 1956 Poster
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (aka Invasion of the Flying Saucers and Flying Saucers from Outer Space) is a 1956 American black-and-white science fiction film from Columbia Pictures, produced by Charles H. Schneer, directed by Fred F. Sears, that stars Hugh Marlowe and Joan Taylor. The film was theatrically released in 1956 on a double bill with The Werewolf
The film’s storyline was suggested by the bestselling, non-fiction book Flying Saucers from Outer Space by Maj. Donald Keyhoe.
The stop-motion animation special effects in the film were created by Ray Harryhausen.
Special effects expert Ray Harryhausen animated the film’s flying saucers using stop-motion animation. Harryhausen also animated the falling masonry when saucers crash into various government buildings and monuments in order to make the action appear realistic. Some figure animation was used to show the aliens emerging from the saucers. A considerable amount of stock footage was also used, notably scenes during the invasion that showed batteries of U. S. 90 mm M3 guns and an early missile launch. Stock footage of the destruction of the warship HMS Barham during World War II was used for the U. S. Navy destroyer that is sunk by a flying saucer. Satellite launch depictions made use of stock film images from a Viking rocket launch and a failure of a German V-2 rocket. The aircraft that are shown crashing after being hit by an alien ray is actual stock footage shot of a real military aircraft accident that happened during World War II, on July 23, 1944.
The voice of the aliens was produced from a recording made by Paul Frees (uncredited) reading their lines and then hand-jiggling the speed control of an analog reel-to-reel tape recorder, so that it continually wavered from a slow bass voice to one that is high and fast.
During a question-and-answer period at a tribute to Ray Harryhausen and a screening of Jason and the Argonauts held in Sydney, Australia, Harryhausen said he sought advice from noted 1950s UFO “contactee” George Adamski on the depiction of the flying saucers used in the film. He also noted that Adamski appeared to have grown increasingly paranoid by that time. The film’s iconic flying saucer design (a static central cabin with an outer rotating ring with slotted vanes) matches descriptions given to Maj. Donald Keyhoe of flying disc sightings in his best-selling flying saucer book.
