Not of This Earth (1957 film)
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| - | '''''Not Of This Earth''''' was a 67-minute, [[1957]] [[United States|American]] [[black-and-white]] [[science fiction film]] co-written by [[Charles B. Griffith]] and [[Mark Hanna]] and produced and directed by [[Roger Corman]] via [[Los Altos Productions]], on contract for distribution by [[Allied Artists Pictures Corporation]]. | ||
| - | ==Synopsis== | + | '''''Not of This Earth''''' is an [[independent film|independently made]] 1957 American [[black-and-white]] [[science fiction film]] produced and directed by [[Roger Corman]] (for his Los Altos Productions), that stars [[Paul Birch (actor)|Paul Birch]], [[Beverly Garland]], [[Morgan Jones (actor, born 1928)|Morgan Jones]], [[William Roerick]], and [[Anna Lee Carroll]]. The film was written by [[Charles B. Griffith]] and [[Mark Hanna (screenwriter)|Mark Hanna]] and was distributed by [[Allied Artists Pictures Corporation]] as a [[double feature]] with ''[[Attack of the Crab Monsters]]''. Its theatrical release had a running time of 67 minutes, that was expanded to 70 minutes in 1962 for TV syndication. |
| - | The film starred [[Paul Birch]], [[Beverly Garland]], [[Morgan Jones]] and [[William Roerick]] in a story about a humanoid agent, transported to Earth from the fictional planet Davanna, where a blood-degenerating plague is killing the populace. His mission is to find compatible blood in Earth humans to send back to his home planet for transfusion purposes; to achieve his ends, he is empowered by death-ray emitting eyes and a nightmarish flying octopus-like creature with vampiric capabilities. | + | |
| + | The storyline concerns the attempts by an extraterrestrial humanoid to surreptitiously secure the blood of humans and to test it on himself as a treatment for a fatal blood disorder which is ravaging the population of his home planet, Davanna. | ||
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| + | ==Plot== | ||
| + | A man who is "not of this Earth" has adopted the name "Mr. Johnson" for moving among the populace of Los Angeles. The alien has a sensitivity to high-decibel sounds and is conspicuous only for his stilted and formal syntax and his sunglasses, which he wears even in the dark. The sunglasses hide his blank, white-eyed stare which kills his victims by burning through their eyes and into their brains. He removes the blood of his first victim (a teenage girl walking home at night from a date) using a system of tubes and canisters that he keeps in an [[Zero Halliburton|aluminum attaché case]]. | ||
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| + | Johnson is from the planet Davanna, where the inhabitants have developed an incurable blood disease as a side effect from a nuclear war, and he has been sent to Earth to examine the blood of humans for its possible usefulness in curing Davanna's dying race (their blood is slowly turning to dust in their veins). Johnson is answerable to an authority on Davanna with whom he can communicate through a device hidden behind a sliding panel in the living room of his [[Griffith Park]] mansion. His [[bodyguard]], Jeremy, who also acts as his [[chauffeur]] and [[houseboy]], provides him support and protection, but is unaware of his being a murderous alien. | ||
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| + | Johnson hires nurse Nadine to look after him in his house. Her boss, town physician Dr. Rochelle, is under Johnson's hypnotic control after finding out about his patient's peculiar blood cell structure. With a limit on the number of transfusions he can be given, Johnson takes to murdering locals and simply draining their blood. Adding to his victims are a strolling Chinese-American man, a sleazy door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman, and a trio of homeless male drunkards. The police are mystified by these "vampire killings". | ||
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| + | Johnson's plans are disturbed by the unexpected and sudden appearance of a female from Davanna. While Johnson can command Earth humans through telepathy, even to the point of using their native languages, he can also completely communicate with his fellow aliens through telepathy. The alien female asks him for an immediate transfusion, because her physical condition is rapidly deteriorating. Johnson breaks into Rochelle's office, but by accident he steals blood contaminated with [[rabies]]. | ||
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| + | Later, the Davanna woman collapses in the street, dying at a hospital. Nadine's friend, police patrolman Harry Sherbourne, tries to question Dr. Rochelle about the dead woman, but he is unable to speak while under Johnson's mind control. As a precaution, now fearing discovery, Johnson sends a bizarre oxygen-activated umbrella-like flying alien creature to kill Rochelle. He eradicates Jeremy, who has discovered evidence of Johnson's alien origin. Nadine, whom he attempts to kidnap and take with him, manages to call the police as Johnson chases her through the park in his car. Johnson abandons her and flees, pursued by the arriving Sherbourne on his motorcycle. When Sherbourne turns on his siren, Johnson (to whom the sound is immensely painful) loses control of his car and dies in a crash. | ||
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| + | After Johnson's burial, Sherbourne and Nadine stand by his grave, which bears the inscription "Here lies a man who was not of this Earth". While Sherbourne expresses mild compassion for Johnson, for his motivation to rescue his world and its dying populace, Nadine refuses to offer any kind of pity. They leave, just as a mysterious man, wearing dark sunglasses, approaches the grave site. Like Johnson, he wears the same sunglasses and carries the same distinctive case containing transfusion equipment. | ||
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| + | ==Cast== | ||
| + | * [[Paul Birch (actor)|Paul Birch]] as Paul Johnson | ||
| + | * [[Beverly Garland]] as Nadine Storey | ||
| + | * [[Morgan Jones (actor, born 1928)|Morgan Jones]] as Harry Sherbourne | ||
| + | * [[William Roerick]] as Dr. F.W. Rochelle | ||
| + | * [[Jonathan Haze]] as Jeremy Perrin | ||
| + | * [[Roy Engel]] as Desk Sergeant | ||
| + | * [[Dick Miller]] as Joe Piper, vacuum cleaner salesman | ||
| + | * [[Anna Lee Carroll]] as Davanna Woman | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | * [[List of American films of 1957]] | ||
| + | * [[Vampire film]] | ||
| - | The film was released in the USA on the [[b-film|bottom half]] of a programmed [[double feature|double bill]] with ''[[Attack of the Crab Monsters]]''. It was later remade into a [[Not of This Earth (1988 film)|1988 film]] starring [[Traci Lords]] and a 1995 film starring [[Michael York (actor)|Michael York]]. | ||
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Not of This Earth is an independently made 1957 American black-and-white science fiction film produced and directed by Roger Corman (for his Los Altos Productions), that stars Paul Birch, Beverly Garland, Morgan Jones, William Roerick, and Anna Lee Carroll. The film was written by Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna and was distributed by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation as a double feature with Attack of the Crab Monsters. Its theatrical release had a running time of 67 minutes, that was expanded to 70 minutes in 1962 for TV syndication.
The storyline concerns the attempts by an extraterrestrial humanoid to surreptitiously secure the blood of humans and to test it on himself as a treatment for a fatal blood disorder which is ravaging the population of his home planet, Davanna.
Plot
A man who is "not of this Earth" has adopted the name "Mr. Johnson" for moving among the populace of Los Angeles. The alien has a sensitivity to high-decibel sounds and is conspicuous only for his stilted and formal syntax and his sunglasses, which he wears even in the dark. The sunglasses hide his blank, white-eyed stare which kills his victims by burning through their eyes and into their brains. He removes the blood of his first victim (a teenage girl walking home at night from a date) using a system of tubes and canisters that he keeps in an aluminum attaché case.
Johnson is from the planet Davanna, where the inhabitants have developed an incurable blood disease as a side effect from a nuclear war, and he has been sent to Earth to examine the blood of humans for its possible usefulness in curing Davanna's dying race (their blood is slowly turning to dust in their veins). Johnson is answerable to an authority on Davanna with whom he can communicate through a device hidden behind a sliding panel in the living room of his Griffith Park mansion. His bodyguard, Jeremy, who also acts as his chauffeur and houseboy, provides him support and protection, but is unaware of his being a murderous alien.
Johnson hires nurse Nadine to look after him in his house. Her boss, town physician Dr. Rochelle, is under Johnson's hypnotic control after finding out about his patient's peculiar blood cell structure. With a limit on the number of transfusions he can be given, Johnson takes to murdering locals and simply draining their blood. Adding to his victims are a strolling Chinese-American man, a sleazy door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman, and a trio of homeless male drunkards. The police are mystified by these "vampire killings".
Johnson's plans are disturbed by the unexpected and sudden appearance of a female from Davanna. While Johnson can command Earth humans through telepathy, even to the point of using their native languages, he can also completely communicate with his fellow aliens through telepathy. The alien female asks him for an immediate transfusion, because her physical condition is rapidly deteriorating. Johnson breaks into Rochelle's office, but by accident he steals blood contaminated with rabies.
Later, the Davanna woman collapses in the street, dying at a hospital. Nadine's friend, police patrolman Harry Sherbourne, tries to question Dr. Rochelle about the dead woman, but he is unable to speak while under Johnson's mind control. As a precaution, now fearing discovery, Johnson sends a bizarre oxygen-activated umbrella-like flying alien creature to kill Rochelle. He eradicates Jeremy, who has discovered evidence of Johnson's alien origin. Nadine, whom he attempts to kidnap and take with him, manages to call the police as Johnson chases her through the park in his car. Johnson abandons her and flees, pursued by the arriving Sherbourne on his motorcycle. When Sherbourne turns on his siren, Johnson (to whom the sound is immensely painful) loses control of his car and dies in a crash.
After Johnson's burial, Sherbourne and Nadine stand by his grave, which bears the inscription "Here lies a man who was not of this Earth". While Sherbourne expresses mild compassion for Johnson, for his motivation to rescue his world and its dying populace, Nadine refuses to offer any kind of pity. They leave, just as a mysterious man, wearing dark sunglasses, approaches the grave site. Like Johnson, he wears the same sunglasses and carries the same distinctive case containing transfusion equipment.
Cast
- Paul Birch as Paul Johnson
- Beverly Garland as Nadine Storey
- Morgan Jones as Harry Sherbourne
- William Roerick as Dr. F.W. Rochelle
- Jonathan Haze as Jeremy Perrin
- Roy Engel as Desk Sergeant
- Dick Miller as Joe Piper, vacuum cleaner salesman
- Anna Lee Carroll as Davanna Woman
See also
