Cinema Narcs Live: “Queen of Outer Space” (1958)
Posted by Ron on June 16, 2011MOVIE – “Queen of Outer Space”
DIRECTOR - Edward Bernds
WRITERS – Charles Beaumont, Ben Hecht
SIX DEGREES OF CAST & CREW
-The star of this movie is none other than Zsa Zsa Gabor, one of three Gabor sisters to make it big in Hollywood. Eva went first, then Zsa Zsa, then Magda. Zsa Zsa is still alive, dahlink, and she’s been married 9 times! She’s like an untalented Elizabeth Taylor in that regard.
-Screenwriter Charles Beaumont is best known for penning “7 Faces of Dr. Lao,” AKA “The Circus of Dr. Lao.” For you MST3K nerds, this movie is the source of that quote Joel uses in his plaque when he says goodbye to the Satellite of Love and is replaced by Mike Nelson. Beaumont also wrote the 1990 film “Brain Dead,” in which the two Bills, Bill Pullman and Bill Paxon, finally square off once and for all! Beaumont wrote this film despite having died 23 year earlier, in 1967.
-Somehow, Ben Hecht did this movie despite being an acclaimed playwright and producing some of the best work in silver screen history. He wrote both “His Girl Friday” and Hitchcock’s brilliant “Notorious” and “Spellbound.” He also did some uncredited work on “Strangers on a Train,” “Gone With the Wind,” “Lifeboat,” “The Prisoner of Zenda,” and “Rope.” His work on “Queen of Outer Space” proves that even writers need to eat, and man cannot live by Hitchcock alone.
-Meanwhile, director Edward Bernds made his bones working with The Three Stooges and doing “Blondie” shorts for Columbia.
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Andrew-23.03
Zsa-Zsa just threatened the Queen, passed the gun to the man next to her in a split second, then admitted that women can’t live without men.
If they hadn’t done so already, I’d half expect them to un-mask the Queen to reveal a Scoobie Doo type secret identity!
Ron-23.04
I’m a bit surprised to see that “Queen of Outer Space” is in color, rather than black and white. Still, that’s a good thing, because we get to see that the US military’s space program features space suits in the cutest shade of robin’s egg blue.
Andrew-23.08
“Just be glad we didn’t make a “On the double, not the double-D’s joke”, Mr. Navigator.”
Andrew-23.13
Old movies like these with adventurous expeditions like this generally include an older-to-aging scientist/professor/expert like Dr. Conrad here. It’s eye-rolling when they always end up as deadweight loads, but FAR less irritating than a wise-cracking stowaway CHILD.
Tinkerbell on reconnaisance!
Andrew-23.14
Jesus, they’ve synthesized the sound of a baby mosquito buzzing your head while you’re trying to sleep on a hot summer night! THANK YOU, MOVIE.
Andrew-23.15
“Pretend your asleep, they’ll lose interest and we can sneak out the backdoor without their parents noticing!”
Ron-23.16
All they need now is a machine that goes ping and they’ll have the full gamut of annoying noises blaring out of my TV.
Andrew-23.17
Actually, seriously, the fashions are courtesy of 1956′s “Forbidden Planet”. Not kidding, the exact same suits.
Ron-23.24
This movie must have been the inspiration for Unknown Hinson’s chart-topping country and western hit “Venus Bound.”
Ron-23.31
And just think Andrew; two movies ago you were complaining about the lack of bad soundtrack! Now we’ve got bad soundtrack coming out of our ears! Worse, we’ve got bad soundtrack coming INTO our ears!
Andrew-23.32
It’s alright, Ron, this one is at least moderately sprinkled with delicious, classic analog synthesizers!
Ron-23.32
Little known fact: Larry goes on to become the star of the hit video game series “Leisure Suit Larry,” about a rape-loving STD magnet in a skin-tight unisuit.
Andrew-23.38
THANK you, movie, I was -waiting- for a “Women drivers” joke followed by a dopey bassoon refrain… the day is saved!
Andrew-23.40
This may be my first Zsa-Zsa Gabor movie, but I can’t help but scream, WHO THE HELL DECIDED SHE WAS AN ATTRACTIVE ACTRESS???
Ron-23.42
You think they’d write Zsa Zsa some easier dialogue. Y’know, less multisyllable words, more mumbling.
Andrew-23.44
Son of a bacci-no!
Zsa-Zsa was FORTY-ONE when she made this movie. Some of the other Venusian chicks were as young as half that age, and Gabor became insecure and testy when men in the cast and crew paid more attention to them during production.
Ron-23.46
I had trouble sleeping last night; all of a sudden, I’m feeling very ready for bed. Thanks, movie, for curing my insomnia!
Andrew-23.49
The Incredibly Strange Mixed Up Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Lesbian Venusians!
Ron-23.52
OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED TO HER FACE? Oh wait, it’s Zsa Zsa; she’s just coated in pancake makeup.
Andrew-23.53
One of the Venusians (I suspect the redhed with the shotgun) would later play the older version of Geena Davis in “A League of Their Own” (1992) OH GOD NOW IT’S AN EPISODE OF SCOOBIE DOO.
Ron-23.54
I wish they’d settle on a type of bad music for this movie. You can either have bad orchestra or bad synthesizers, not both. You’re just being greedy, movie!
Andrew-23.55
Funny that Odeena just got fried there. It was the final film role for actress Marilyn Buferd!
Ron-23.59
These explosions sound exactly like the “This Island Earth” kabooms when Brak and Exeter are chasing Cal and company in the giant wooden car.
Andrew-00.00
That big fat stuffed spider was the most interesting thing to happen to this movie since the blonde at the beginning!
Andrew-00.01
It occurs to me that Professor Konrad is neither overly useful as a scientist, nor a boat-anchoring load. He’s just kind of… there.
Andrew-00.05
No wonder this is such a dopey film : director Edward Bernds put the Three Stooges through countless pictures!