A man struck by lightning in 1930 is resuscitated after 50 years. JUST IMAGINE all the marvelous things for him to see: personal airplanes, capsule meals, nubile young females at every turn. Being a friendly fellow, our hero quickly gets involved in the lives of two young couples. He even, to his great surprise, takes a trip to Mars & is captured by the savages there. What other wonderful surprises await him in the year 1980?
This bizarre fantasy, neglected for decades, was a hit at the time due to its futuristic costumes & settings. Despite the largely incomprehensible Martian sequence, there are still pleasures to enjoy in this antique film.
El Brendel - the Swedish accent is fake - is excellent as the wide-eyed hero. Much of his humor still scores and at one point he's able to perform a hilarious vaudeville hat routine. All the young people are very good. Maureen O'Sullivan in the early days of her long career, is lovely. British-born John Garrick as her lover shows off a terrific singing voice. Pert Marjorie White as the second female lead is spunky & great fun to watch (her career would be ended 5 years later in a fatal car wreck). As her boyfriend, Frank Albertson is remarkably fresh faced and shows fine musical comedy skill.
Hobart Bosworth as the inventor of the gravity neutralizer rocket ship & Mischa Auer as his somewhat mysterious assistant also score in their roles. Movie mavens will recognize Vera Lewis as the Census Taker.
The odd Mars scenes, some in very poor taste, threaten to sink the entire picture. The fleshy idol sequence & the overly affectionate guard are both vivid reminders that this is a pre-Production Code movie.
The special effects are nicely done, considering the age of the film (what is that shaggy Martian creature we get glimpses of?). John Garrick sings a couple of Brown/DeSylva songs (`An Old-Fashioned Girl' & `I Am The Words, You Are The Melody') which deserve revival.
This bizarre fantasy, neglected for decades, was a hit at the time due to its futuristic costumes & settings. Despite the largely incomprehensible Martian sequence, there are still pleasures to enjoy in this antique film.
El Brendel - the Swedish accent is fake - is excellent as the wide-eyed hero. Much of his humor still scores and at one point he's able to perform a hilarious vaudeville hat routine. All the young people are very good. Maureen O'Sullivan in the early days of her long career, is lovely. British-born John Garrick as her lover shows off a terrific singing voice. Pert Marjorie White as the second female lead is spunky & great fun to watch (her career would be ended 5 years later in a fatal car wreck). As her boyfriend, Frank Albertson is remarkably fresh faced and shows fine musical comedy skill.
Hobart Bosworth as the inventor of the gravity neutralizer rocket ship & Mischa Auer as his somewhat mysterious assistant also score in their roles. Movie mavens will recognize Vera Lewis as the Census Taker.
The odd Mars scenes, some in very poor taste, threaten to sink the entire picture. The fleshy idol sequence & the overly affectionate guard are both vivid reminders that this is a pre-Production Code movie.
The special effects are nicely done, considering the age of the film (what is that shaggy Martian creature we get glimpses of?). John Garrick sings a couple of Brown/DeSylva songs (`An Old-Fashioned Girl' & `I Am The Words, You Are The Melody') which deserve revival.