The Space Children - Jack Arnold's unappreciated classic in '50s Horror and Sci-Fi Forum

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The Space Children - Jack Arnold's unappreciated classic

Author	Comment
Rapfred	Re: Adam Williams	#21	[-]
Oct 25 06 9:52 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	According to Robert Ellenstein, his fellow henchman in NORTH BY NORTHWEST, Williams made ends meet between acting gigs as a commercial pilot. When the phone stopped ringing, he segued into a full-time flying job. I was told he used to work out of Van Nuys Airport.
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Bill Warren	Re: Space Children	#22	[-]
Oct 25 06 9:53 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* Interesting... Yes, it is. That's where I got my precis, there plus some Googling around..
skelton knaggs	Re: Effective	#23	[-]
Oct 25 06 9:57 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Bill said something about THE SPACE CHILDREN and COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK, on the same bill? Boy o boy. Would that be a real solid afternoon at the movies ! And it's real nice to run across a post from Renfield.....
Bill Warren	Re: Effective	#24	[-]
Oct 25 06 9:59 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I'm not sure if it's ever been firmly established that Paramount originally planned to pair SPACE CHILDREN and COLOSSUS. That's something Tom would be more likely to know.
skelton knaggs	Re: Effective	#25	[-]
Oct 25 06 10:02 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks Bill...I caught what you were writing.....I was jus' dreamn'....................
Butcher Benton	Re: Adam Williams	#26	[-]
Oct 25 06 10:04 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Fred, That's fascinating. He looked like a pilot. He'd be 82 or 84 by now, but I don't think that 'Adam Williams' is his actual name. Would love to track him down.
JimPV	Re: Space Children	#27	[-]
Oct 26 06 9:35 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* There's a comment >signed< "Michel Ray," but I suspect it's not the same guy who was in the movie. I suspect it ain't, either. If I was worth 4 billion +, I wouldn't be hangin' around the imdb posting comments. Then again, maybe I would... :^) *Quote:* That's where I got my precis "Precis" - ? "How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone" -Coco Chanel
Mark Hodgson	Re: Space Children	#28	[-]
Nov 1 06 4:05 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I caught this once on British TV over 20 years ago, but only saw it again recently in an episode of, dare I mention it, MST3K.
Butcher Benton	Precis	#29	[-]
Nov 1 06 12:19 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* "Precis" - ? A summary or a precis is NOT a personal interpretation of a work or an expression of your opinion of the idea; it is, rather, an exact replica in miniature of the work, often reduced to one-quarter to one-fifth of its size, in which you express the complete argument! What actually happens when you write a precis? First, you must understand the complete work so that you can abstract the central argument and express it cogently and completely. Next, you must develop the argument exactly as the writer has presented it AND reduce the work by 755-80% of its size. Of course, this is possible when you consider exactly how you "learn" to read the work. The key word here is assimilation. When you read the material, it is probable that you will understand only those parts which have associations within your own experience (intellectual, emotional, physical, etc.. How you actually go about writing a precis depends largely on your ability to restate the writer's central ideas after you have assimilated them in your own mind. Here are the rules of the game: 1. Read the article many times most carefully. 2. Write a precis of the article in which you state the entire argument and present the logical progression (the development) of the argument. 3. Reduce the article to one-fifth to one-quarter of its original length and omit nothing from the essential argument. This is, in reality, the key to the whole enterprise! 4. Type the precis and begin with your abstraction of the central, inform- ing idea of the article. Having understood and written the central idea, present the essential argument in as cogent manner as possible. (Clue: Once you have assimilated the article through the illustrations and examples the writer uses to make his/her abstract ideas concrete, you do not have to include these in your precis!) 5. Here is a central rule: Do not copy a single sentence from the article! You may use key words and phrases only when you are expressing ideas which are technically precise or when you feel comfortable using the writer's own words, i.e., you understand exactly he or she means, and there is really no better way to express the concept.
Bud Brewster	Re: "The Space Children" and "The Colossus of	#30	[-]
Nov 9 06 10:00 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Help me out here, Bill and Tom. First: I saw "The Space Children" as the second feature with "The Colossus of New York" at a drive-in theater in 1958. Yes, they were release together. No question about that. Second: I heard (second or third hand) that the book "Directed by Jack Arnold" stated that Paramont executives asked Arnold to make a second feature for "Colosssus", and they gave him free license to make any kind of sci-fi film he wanted. Arnold used the oppurtunity to tell a very personal kind of story, quite different from some of the mindless crap like "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" he had been compelled to make prior to this. Frankly, ladies and gentlemen, I have revered "The Space Children" for almost 50 years because it moved and inspired me when I saw it as a ten-year-old in 1958. I had to wait 28 years to see it a second time -- and I was not the least bit disappointed by the film when I saw again as an adult in 1986. The story I later heard about it's conception and creation (supposedly from "Directed by Jack Arnold") was welcome news to me. It encouraged me to regard the movie as the inspired work of a man who wanted to convey a deeply personal message to his audience. But . . . is this story true? Can anybody confirm-or-deny what I've heard about the origin of this film? I want to know the truth. __________________ Is there no man on this earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
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Bill Warren	Re: "The Space Children" and "The Colossus of	#31	[-]
Nov 10 06 1:15 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* Yes, they were released together. No question about that. Yes, there is a question about it. Not that you saw them on a double bill at your local theater; that seems to have been a fluke--the movies did not play together most places. At least, I haven't seen any indication that they were a standard double bill. I don't believe the story about Arnold being given free reign to do what he wanted, and I've never heard it anywhere else, not even from Arnold himself, and I saw him before audiences where he could say whatever he wanted. Science fiction movies had generally dropped in budget by the time SPACE CHILDREN was made. There's no clear reason for Paramount to have given that power to Arnold; his SF movies generally did well, but I think only OUTER SPACE, CREATURE and SHRINKING MAN did >very< well. Furthermore, in that period, it was just about unheard of for a studio to offer that kind of power to ANY director.
Ted Newsom	Re: "The Space Children" and "The Colossus of	#32	[-]
Nov 10 06 2:10 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	"Directed by Jack Arnold" was essentially a long-ish college term paper written by a fan who had -- from my reading of the manuscript-- little real understanding of the movie business. Jack himself gave me a copy of the manuscript and asked me what I thought of it, and I told him. He liked it-- but didn't disagree with me. I'd take the assumptions in the paper/book with a half-tablespoon of salt. As far as I know from Gene Lourie (who directed COLOSSUS), no one else was ever considered for his position. Wm. Alland may well have had a number of potential ideas for low budget films in his deal with Paramount, and he understandably may've given Jack Arnold pick of the litter. Of course, if you asked Alland, he'd say everything was his idea in the first place and that directors were only a necessary weavil.
Monsterpal	Re: "The Space Children" and "The Colossus of	#33	[-]
Nov 10 06 5:13 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Not that it proves anything, but I too saw THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK and THE SPACE CHILDREN together back when the world was young.
TServo4	Re: "The Space Children" and "The Colossus of	#34	[-]
Nov 10 06 5:17 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Don't forget Paramounts other, unforgettable double bill: ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE ODD COUPLE! The trailer for it is great, with appropriate music: "After you pray for ROSEMARY'S BABY.... Have a laugh with THE ODD COUPLE!" ---- -J. Theakston
Bud Brewster	"Directed by Jack Arnold"	#35	[-]
Nov 13 06 7:22 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks for the info, Bill and Tom. I'm still mighty curious about whether or not "Directed by Jack Arnold" contains anything remotely like the rumor I heard concerning the genesis of "The Space Children". I realize from what Bill said that, even if the book contains a claim such as the one I heard, it probably isn't true. Still, I remain convinced that there's something special about "The Space Children", and I wish I'd had a chance to talk to Jack Arnold, Tom Filer (story), and Bernard C. Schoenfeld (screenplay). Either these gentlemen put something personal and special into this project, something which has caused me to feel strongly towards the movie for the last 48 years, or --- -- I've just imagined the unique qualities which seem so obvious to me. Ah hell, maybe all these old sci-fi movies are just worthless junk, and we're just a bunch of nerds who need to get a life. Hmmmmm . . . Thoughts, anyone?
Bud Brewster	All I meant was --	#36	[-]
Nov 13 06 7:59 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	-- that they did appear together in some areas -- like mine for example. And a few others, according to messages I've received from fellow fans of the film over the years. I'm curious. Exactly how often must two films be co-billed to be considered "released together"? Thanks in advance for the info, Bill. Bud __________________ Is there no man on this earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
Bill Warren	Re: All I meant was --	#37	[-]
Nov 13 06 8:29 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* I'm curious. Exactly how often must two films be co-billed to be considered "released together"? When the double bill is arranged by the studio, not a local theater. COLOSSUS and CHILDREN did not play as a double bill in most places across the country; I've never seen one-sheets featuring both films--a common, but hardly invariable, feature of "standard" double bills. Sometimes, double bills are standard in one area of the country but not in others; this does not seem to be the case with these two films--they were just booked together by individual theaters, or perhaps theater chains, in limited areas or just one city, undoubtedly for obvious reasons--two science fiction movies with children at the center, both released in June '58 by Paramount. Maybe if someone here has the presskit(s) they can check to see if there were ad mats available that paired the films. I vaguely recall this being done in a couple of cases where the films were NOT a standard double bill, but the studio knew some theaters would want to book them together anyway. By 1958, the wave of SF movies was subsiding somewhat; it's pretty clear that when these two went into production, Paramount did intend to pair them up, but by the time the films really were released, they didn't offer them as a pair--but may have made allowances for theaters that did want to book them that way. Believe me, if the research I did--and that others have done--have indicated that they did play as a standard double bill across the country, like say THE BLOB and I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE, we'd all readily accept that. But it just doesn't seem to be true.
Bud Brewster	Re: Okay, Bill, I think I get it.	#38	[-]
Nov 16 06 9:36 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I guess I have to except the fact that I was just lucky to see "The Space Children" and "The Colossus of New York" together at a drive-in in 1958 when I was the perfect age to appreciate them. And as a result, I've enjoyed a lifelong love of science fiction films. I realize that there have been many worthwhile films which I haven't fully appreciated over the years, simply because I saw them too late in life. "It Came from Outer Space" is a perfect example. I've never been fond of it -- even though it seems like a fitting companion for "The Space Children". I guess we're all just stuck with our personal likes and dislikes when it comes to the movies we've experienced in the past. There's no way we can suddenly "like" a movie which has never appealed to us, any more than we can suddenly see the flaws in those cherished classics from our youth. Thanks, Bill, for sharing your expertise on the subject. Bud __________________ Is there no man on this earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
Bill Warren	Re: Changing tastes?	#39	[-]
Nov 17 06 1:11 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* I guess we're all just stuck with our personal likes and dislikes when it comes to the movies we've experienced in the past. There's no way we can suddenly "like" a movie which has never appealed to us, any more than we can suddenly see the flaws in those cherished classics from our youth. In my case, there are a couple of movies that I liked MUCH more on a second viewing, such as RULES OF THE GAME. And I do see the flaws in movies of the past--heck, I wrote a 1300 page book on the subject; I'd BETTER be able to see the flaws. But more importantly, my affection for those movies, even those I now realize are flawed, has never changed, really. But my judgment of them as movies has. In KWTS, I mention that I once ran across a diary I kept in the mid-50s. In it, I found an entry that read something like "I have now seen the two best movies ever made, IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA and CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN."
Ted Newsom	Re: Changing tastes?	#40	[-]
Nov 17 06 1:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I love that quote. As for pairing of the 2 films in question... I seem to recall that after the first run of anything when I was a kid, I never remember there being a 2nd feature that always remained the same. Theater managers would play mix'n'match more often than not. Since these 2 films would both be booked through Paramount, it seems like a natural. "Yeah, gimme the two weirdies, the kids love that stuff."
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The Space Children - Jack Arnold's unappreciated classic