Target Earth (film)
A deserted city faces an alien robot invasion.
Target Earth is a 1954 American black-and-white science fiction film produced by Herman Cohen and directed by Sherman A. Rose. It was adapted from Paul W. Fairman's short story "Deadly City" and released by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. The film is notable as an early entry in the alien invasion subgenre, following the successes of The War of the Worlds and Invaders from Mars.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Sherman A. Rose
- Producer
- Herman Cohen
- Screenplay
- James H. Nicholson
- Wyott Ordung
- William Raynor
- Story
- "Deadly City" by Paul W. Fairman
- Starring
- Richard Denning
- Kathleen Crowley
- Virginia Grey
- Richard Reeves
- Robert Roark
- Mort Marshall
- Music
- Paul Dunlap
- Cinematography
- Guy Roe
- Studio
- Abtcon Pictures, Inc.
Facts from the source article.
Plot
After a failed suicide attempt, Nora King wakes to find her building without power or water and ventures into the empty streets. She discovers the body of a dead woman and meets Frank Brooks, who has just regained consciousness after being beaten during a robbery. They hear piano music from a cocktail lounge and find Jim Wilson and Vicki Harris, who were too drunk to join the city's evacuation. The group searches the deserted streets and encounters Charles Otis, who reports that all cars are inoperable. Charles finds a newspaper announcing a "mystery army" attacking from the north; he panics, runs outside, and is killed by a death ray from an alien robot. A military force under Lt. Gen. Wood sets up a command post, but air attacks fail, and atomic weapons are considered. Scientists examine a damaged robot to find its weaknesses. The survivors are joined by Davis, a psychotic killer who shoots Vicki to death after an argument. Jim is later killed by a robot. Army units arrive with jeeps equipped with sonic weapon transmitters and loudspeakers, which destroy the robots by bursting their cathode ray tubes, ending the invasion.
Production
Principal photography began in mid-July 1954 at Kling Studios with a seven-day schedule that included outdoor shooting. Although the story is set in Chicago, filming took place in Los Angeles, with empty street scenes shot in early morning hours. Actor Robert Roark was cast because his father was a major investor. Only one robot was built for the production, used in all scenes; actor Steve Calvert, who played the robot, also worked as a bartender at Ciro's on the Sunset Strip and had played apes in earlier B films.
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin noted that after a promising opening, the film degenerated into routine situations and sentiments, with robots arousing little interest and human characters played without conviction. Variety described it as an unimaginative potboiler that lost suspense after a tense kickoff. The Hollywood Reporter observed that the first two reels looked brilliant but the development became routine. TV Guide later gave the film 1/4 stars, calling the robots disappointing. David Maine of PopMatters rated it 6/10 stars, calling it a tight, engaging thriller focused more on character than special effects.
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