This movie is far better than some of the reviews indicate. One reviewer rightly said that good films like The Thing or The Man from Planet X were made at the same time, but the comparison is faulty. The Flying Saucer was a one-off by Mikel Conrad who starred in it, wrote the storyline, directed and produced; it seems to be his only writer-director-producer credit. TMFPX was extremely low budget but used far superior actors. And Thing was a Howard Hawks production with a top-notch cast and crew; many of the scenes, judging by dialogue and action alone, seemed to have been directed by Hawks even though he is not credited. Compare The Flying Saucer to the many other sci-fi flicks of the early fifties and it holds up a little better. Except for interiors, the entire film was shot on location in Alaska – so you get a great look at the 1949 Alaska environment around Juneau, Spring Lake, and Taku Glacier. And a number of boats, docks, cabins, and float planes from that era. I found the storyline interesting – a scientist builds a saucer (From alien plans? This question is left to the viewer's imagination) that both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. want to get a hold of. The saucer was a good MacGuffin. Acting was stiff at times, but this was a pro- sumer production. Still, it was worth watching.
39 Reviews
Welllll.... at least the scenery is nice.
capkronos19 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (both released in 1951) are the two films usually credited for kick-starting the sci-fi craze that dominated much of 1950s genre cinema. But beating both to cinemas by more than a year was this independently- produced film, which also predates the few other sci-fi offerings of its own year by a number of months (it was filmed back in the summer of 1949). In fact, this was the very first feature film ever to involve flying saucers and was clearly made in response to a then-recent surge in reported UFO sightings that were dominating newspaper headlines. It may also be the first of such sci-fi films to infuse elements of the Red Scare into the plot, though unlike later films that hid their true agenda behind metaphor, this one just comes right out and blatantly says it in the very first scene. Unlike most of the later films, it doesn't involve extraterrestrials at all and the saucer featured here is a man-made creation.
In Washington D.C., CIA agent Hank Thorn (Russell Hicks) drafts Mike Trent (Mikel Conrad) for a covert mission in Alaska, where there have been recent sightings of flying saucers. The film never really says what qualifications Mike has for such a mission, aside from the fact he's a famous millionaire Playboy and polo player originally from Alaska. Regardless, our government thinks this drunk, chain-smoking, womanizing smart ass is the right man for the job of discovering the secrets of the flying saucers before the Russians do and use them to drop A-Bombs on all of the major American cities. Hank concocts a fake story about Mike suffering from a nervous breakdown to throw off the press, set him up with blonde "nurse" Vee Langley (Pat Garrison), who's actually a secret agent, fly the two of them to Seattle and from there they are off to Alaska on a boat.
Upon arrival, Mike and Vee go to their hunting lodge and meet up with the French caretaker Hans (Hantz von Teuffen). Not one to expose their true intention for being there, Mike immediately asks the stranger, "You seen any Russian spies around here recently?" Things are quiet for awhile as Mike and Vee soak up the scenery, go on hikes, go swimming, go on boat rides, encounter wildlife ("I just saw a bear! They're dangerous, aren't they?") and get better acquainted in a romantic sense, but one evening they are disturbed by strange, loud sounds in the sky. A man truly serious about his work, Mike promptly heads into Juneau, goes on a pub crawl and gets wasted drinking rye. What does this have to do with flying saucers, you ask? Well, absolutely nothing, but it sure does help to kill time, right?
It's eventually revealed that reclusive scientist Dr. Carl Lawton (Roy Engel) has finished his saucer prototype and has it hidden somewhere in the mountain ice caps with plans on selling the invention to the U.S. military for 10 million dollars. His assistant Mr. Turner (Denver Pyle) betrays him and goes to some Russian KGB agents stationed in Alaska led by Colonel Marikoff (Lester Sharpe) and his right hand man Alex Muller (Earle Lyon). The Russians are all played by American actors and none of them even attempt any kind of accent. The Frenchman is also in cahoots with the Russians but all of his attempts to kill Mike and Vee are botched in one way or another. There are a few poorly-choreographed and unexciting action scenes and lots of time is spent on travelogue footage. The utterly predictable finale takes place in some ice caves beneath a glacier.
Aside from decent location filming and some historical importance, this isn't a good film. It's dull, the acting is mediocre at best and it's filled with pointless, drawn-out scenes that exist solely to pad out the running time. Most disappointing of all is that there are just two scenes of the flying saucers in the air; both of which are over in a matter of seconds.
In Washington D.C., CIA agent Hank Thorn (Russell Hicks) drafts Mike Trent (Mikel Conrad) for a covert mission in Alaska, where there have been recent sightings of flying saucers. The film never really says what qualifications Mike has for such a mission, aside from the fact he's a famous millionaire Playboy and polo player originally from Alaska. Regardless, our government thinks this drunk, chain-smoking, womanizing smart ass is the right man for the job of discovering the secrets of the flying saucers before the Russians do and use them to drop A-Bombs on all of the major American cities. Hank concocts a fake story about Mike suffering from a nervous breakdown to throw off the press, set him up with blonde "nurse" Vee Langley (Pat Garrison), who's actually a secret agent, fly the two of them to Seattle and from there they are off to Alaska on a boat.
Upon arrival, Mike and Vee go to their hunting lodge and meet up with the French caretaker Hans (Hantz von Teuffen). Not one to expose their true intention for being there, Mike immediately asks the stranger, "You seen any Russian spies around here recently?" Things are quiet for awhile as Mike and Vee soak up the scenery, go on hikes, go swimming, go on boat rides, encounter wildlife ("I just saw a bear! They're dangerous, aren't they?") and get better acquainted in a romantic sense, but one evening they are disturbed by strange, loud sounds in the sky. A man truly serious about his work, Mike promptly heads into Juneau, goes on a pub crawl and gets wasted drinking rye. What does this have to do with flying saucers, you ask? Well, absolutely nothing, but it sure does help to kill time, right?
It's eventually revealed that reclusive scientist Dr. Carl Lawton (Roy Engel) has finished his saucer prototype and has it hidden somewhere in the mountain ice caps with plans on selling the invention to the U.S. military for 10 million dollars. His assistant Mr. Turner (Denver Pyle) betrays him and goes to some Russian KGB agents stationed in Alaska led by Colonel Marikoff (Lester Sharpe) and his right hand man Alex Muller (Earle Lyon). The Russians are all played by American actors and none of them even attempt any kind of accent. The Frenchman is also in cahoots with the Russians but all of his attempts to kill Mike and Vee are botched in one way or another. There are a few poorly-choreographed and unexciting action scenes and lots of time is spent on travelogue footage. The utterly predictable finale takes place in some ice caves beneath a glacier.
Aside from decent location filming and some historical importance, this isn't a good film. It's dull, the acting is mediocre at best and it's filled with pointless, drawn-out scenes that exist solely to pad out the running time. Most disappointing of all is that there are just two scenes of the flying saucers in the air; both of which are over in a matter of seconds.
Unintentionally Hilarious - The Flying Saucer
arthur_tafero9 November 2021
This was supposed to be a piece of sci-fi. It is a piece of something other than sci-fi. What a train wreck! There is no acting at all in the film; it sounds like the actors just got their lines after lunch for a few takes. The "flying saucer appears for all of 30 seconds and the one in the cellar (by the way; how did it get there?) is hilarious; it gives off fumes like the old Buck Rogers films of the late thirties. My motorcycle can go faster than that. What a turkey; don't waste your time.
The first UFO feature.
youroldpaljim23 June 2001
THE FLYING SAUCER is the first feature film about UFO's. The first screen depiction of "flying saucers" was in the serial BRUCE GENTRY: DARE DEVIL OF THE SKIES. Other than being a first, this film about a FBI agent sent to Alaska to find a flying saucer is pretty minor. Not much flying saucer in this film, but a lot endless shots Alaska's natural wonders, and scenes of FBI agent Mike Trent wandering around from one bar to another. The saucer is shown airborne for about a total of 30 seconds. There is also an interesting full scale mock up of the saucer, but it looks very different from the airborne one. Also the writers of this film seemed to think that there was always only one flying saucer that everybody was spotting back then.
One thing that disappoints a lot of people is that the saucer isn't even from outer space. This is not so odd considering when this movie was made. Back in 1949 about 80% of Americans thought flying saucers were real but did not automatically believe in E.T.s. Some thought they were from outer space, others thought they came from the U.S.S.R, while most thought they were American secret weapons (the Navy was often sighted as the ones who were testing them.) However in this film the subject of the flying saucer being from Russia is brought up, but no one mentions the idea of the saucer being from outer space. Also at the start of the film Mikes boss mentions that the saucer works on some totally new scientific principal. When the film wraps up, we are never told how the flying saucer works. I suspect the writers could not come up with one.
One thing that disappoints a lot of people is that the saucer isn't even from outer space. This is not so odd considering when this movie was made. Back in 1949 about 80% of Americans thought flying saucers were real but did not automatically believe in E.T.s. Some thought they were from outer space, others thought they came from the U.S.S.R, while most thought they were American secret weapons (the Navy was often sighted as the ones who were testing them.) However in this film the subject of the flying saucer being from Russia is brought up, but no one mentions the idea of the saucer being from outer space. Also at the start of the film Mikes boss mentions that the saucer works on some totally new scientific principal. When the film wraps up, we are never told how the flying saucer works. I suspect the writers could not come up with one.
Mind-Numbing!
BaronBl00d20 December 2005
A scientist in the wilds of Alaska has created a flying saucer and both the CIA and KGB are interested in the new technology. Such is the premise of The Flying Saucer, and if you were looking for aliens, a creative spaceship, or anything which might resemble good film-making - sorry you lose! This is one abysmal film. Mikel Conrad wears the hats of producer, screenwriter, director, and leading man; none fit too well - or at all. It seems that the CIA and the United States government is so hard up for help that they must enlist the aid of a "two-fisted" drinking playboy in New York who just happens to have roots in Alaska. So off goes Mike Trent with his "nurse" Vera Langley. Vera is played by the very forgettable Pat Garrison whose acting range is no range at all. She looks so disinterested through much of the film playing matron to tough guy Trent. Tough guy, yeah right! Mikel Conrad looks like he just left his barcolounger and got another piece of pie as he stumbles through this dreck. I have to be pretty harsh on Conrad here, because he is responsible for so much of the film. How he ever got backing for this project God only knows. Conrad's inept, stoic stumbling on camera is his worst fault in The Flying Saucer, but closely following its heels are his "abilities" as a director. His choice of music to accompany all the action in the movie just about put me to sleep. It sounds like something you might hear in one of those 50s movies made about putting out forest fires or how to avoid catching venereal diseases. Not to be outdone are some of the special effects as well. How about that glacier blow-up and what happens to one man screaming as he falls or the Russians who look like old veterans from the black and white version of Northern Exposure. And let's not forget that spaceship. All you see is it bounce across a very dark sky a few times and then rest in the ground looking like the smallest cast member from Willow MIGHT be able to get in. The acting is just horrible as previously stated with Conrad showing a range of no emotion flying a plane across the Alaskan wilderness with at least three possible engine failures looming. Now, that takes guts to just sit and look like you are waiting in a deli line for your sandwich to be made. After Conrad and Garrison, Hantz von Teuffen stars as - Hans, the mysterious caretaker of the lodge who looks like he wants to kill our two protagonists but waits to do so for the worst possible moment. Yes, Denver Pyle is in this and he is not able to rise above this material. This is a truly bad film that promises some kind of science fiction and delivers nothing. In that regard it is a disappointment. But if you like bad movies that are funny because they are bad, then The Flying Saucer is just up your avenue. It will deliver the goods with gut-wrenching laughs as the incompetence ensues. That is if you are able to stay awake through it.
Shot in Aug. and Sept. 1949, just as the telegrams say
kevinolzak23 February 2010
I can't really add much more to what's already been said about this Alaska travelogue, but I will offer some praise to the unknown actress Pat Garrison, who plays the phony nurse Vee Langley. There is one sequence in which she goes swimming in a one-piece bathing suit, displaying an admittedly fine figure (she gets my choice for Anatomy Award Winner). There are some notable actors involved, all of them totally wasted (especially Denver Pyle and Earle Lyon), but veteran Frank Darien (Uncle John in "The Grapes of Wrath") has a better than usual role. Mikel Conrad is a total failure as a dramatic director, the action scenes are ineptly staged in what seems to come across as slow motion, and his own failings as an actor are maximized. He plays a two-fisted drinker who smokes constantly throughout the film (have to ward off boredom somehow), and the success of his secret mission (and the leading lady falling in love with him) boggles the mind; upon meeting the suspicious Russian caretaker for the first time, he blithely inquires as to whether or not he's noticed any Russian spies in the area! "The Flying Saucer" (1949) remains nothing more than a publicity stunt and vanity film for director-producer-star Mikel Conrad, notable chiefly as an historical footnote (being the first saucer movie), but effective only as a showcase for the Alaskan wilderness (I wonder if Sarah Palin ever saw this?)
The Commies might just have UFOs!
planktonrules30 September 2015
This film was a disappointment simply because I expected that it would be all about aliens. After all, with a title like "The Flying Saucer" you'd THINK it would be sci-fi...but it isn't. I LOVE cheesy 50s sci-fi. What you have instead is a Cold War Commie film- --which is interesting just because so many people have talked about how the sci-fi films of the day were actually metaphors for the West's paranoia and struggle with communism.
Mike is begged to become a special agent for the US government. However, he's very apprehensive to go and seems like a loser--and their picking him because he's a native Alaskan seemed silly. There MUST have been some other Alaskans who were more qualified than this drip! Eventually he goes and is assisted by an agent posing as his nurse. The reason they're going? Well, the Russians MIGHT have developed some top secret UFO and Mike and Vee (an odd name for a lady) are there to investigate covertly.
I was surprised that the film actually WAS filmed, in part, in Alaska. I expected lots of crappy stock footage but they really went places in this 49th state and I recognized the glacier in Juneau which was the backdrop for many scenes. It actually is a really lovely film despite being in black & white.
Unfortunately, the story itself is cheesy. Much of it consists of voice-over narration and the story is amazingly slow and dull considering it's about the Red menace! Other 50s anti-Commie films were certainly more exciting than this one. The leading man, Mike (Mikel Conrad) isn't exactly Mr. Charisma and having much of the story rest on his shoulders wasn't a good idea in hindsight. James Bond he wasn't! Perhaps he's all they could afford after blowing most of the budget getting everyone to Alaska! Overall it's a terribly dull thing that only gets a 2 because of the nice scenery. Probably not worth your time unless you are (like me) incredibly lame.
Mike is begged to become a special agent for the US government. However, he's very apprehensive to go and seems like a loser--and their picking him because he's a native Alaskan seemed silly. There MUST have been some other Alaskans who were more qualified than this drip! Eventually he goes and is assisted by an agent posing as his nurse. The reason they're going? Well, the Russians MIGHT have developed some top secret UFO and Mike and Vee (an odd name for a lady) are there to investigate covertly.
I was surprised that the film actually WAS filmed, in part, in Alaska. I expected lots of crappy stock footage but they really went places in this 49th state and I recognized the glacier in Juneau which was the backdrop for many scenes. It actually is a really lovely film despite being in black & white.
Unfortunately, the story itself is cheesy. Much of it consists of voice-over narration and the story is amazingly slow and dull considering it's about the Red menace! Other 50s anti-Commie films were certainly more exciting than this one. The leading man, Mike (Mikel Conrad) isn't exactly Mr. Charisma and having much of the story rest on his shoulders wasn't a good idea in hindsight. James Bond he wasn't! Perhaps he's all they could afford after blowing most of the budget getting everyone to Alaska! Overall it's a terribly dull thing that only gets a 2 because of the nice scenery. Probably not worth your time unless you are (like me) incredibly lame.
"It was just a small bomb" You got that right.
jnselko28 July 2005
Whenever I think about this movie, the scene that comes to mind is when the head bad-guy machine-guns one of his own henchmen to get the hero who is using the poor sap as a shield, figuring that the Evil Russian won't kill his own lackey. The E.R. than proceeds to pump about fifty rounds into the poor chump, but the hero is not hit once. Anyone with military or police experience knows that a human body will not serve as protection against a Thompson sub-machine gun shot from less than ten feet away. In real life, the hero would have been a sieve.
Now, the fact that this is what stuck with me about this movie is actually too bad. The shots of Alaskan scenery are terrific and the basic story was not too badly conceived. The plot as it is played out and dialog however are in the poor to horrid range. Not bad enough to be funny, disjointed and entirely unacceptable as to the actions of the hero and heroine who are supposed to be high level secret operatives, the abrupt ending typifies the entire movie.
Now, the fact that this is what stuck with me about this movie is actually too bad. The shots of Alaskan scenery are terrific and the basic story was not too badly conceived. The plot as it is played out and dialog however are in the poor to horrid range. Not bad enough to be funny, disjointed and entirely unacceptable as to the actions of the hero and heroine who are supposed to be high level secret operatives, the abrupt ending typifies the entire movie.
Not fit for the living
keith-moyes23 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
As the first 'flying saucer' feature film, this was a must-see movie for a Fifties SF nut like me. Well, I have seen! I can do no better than paraphrase Michael Caine:
"If I had my life to live all over again, I would do everything exactly the same - except I wouldn't see The Flying Saucer."
This looks like a vanity project for its 'star', Mikel Conrad.
At considerable expense, he took his cast and crew on location in Alaska and shot a lot of footage of the admittedly spectacular scenery. It must have used up most of the slim budget and boy was he determined to get value for money! At one point the 'nurse' is trying to find the hero. We follow her around a fishing village asking questions. I counted 12 different camera set ups for a sequence that ends in her not finding him at all. It seemed madness at the time, but later appears a model of concise film-making.
The hero learns that the flying saucer is is hidden in a shack 'on the other side of the glacier'. He hires a sea plane to take him there. He takes off and flies over the glacier, looking around him. He spots the shack and lands. That simple little 30-second narrative bridge takes 6 minutes and at least 60 separate shots. I tried to count them (well, someone had to) but eventually gave up. He finds the saucer, returns home, is captured by the Russian agents and is immediately taken back to the hut again! This second trip takes a further 3 minutes and another dozen or so shots.
As a result of all this padding, a 25 minute story is strung out to a numbing 75 minutes.
I can only assume that Conrad went on location without a shooting script and just tailored the story to all the landscape footage he was accumulating. This is not movie-making.
If, like me, you feel obligated to see every movie of this type ever made, then be my guest.
But if you actually have a life, trust me - this is not for you.
"If I had my life to live all over again, I would do everything exactly the same - except I wouldn't see The Flying Saucer."
This looks like a vanity project for its 'star', Mikel Conrad.
At considerable expense, he took his cast and crew on location in Alaska and shot a lot of footage of the admittedly spectacular scenery. It must have used up most of the slim budget and boy was he determined to get value for money! At one point the 'nurse' is trying to find the hero. We follow her around a fishing village asking questions. I counted 12 different camera set ups for a sequence that ends in her not finding him at all. It seemed madness at the time, but later appears a model of concise film-making.
The hero learns that the flying saucer is is hidden in a shack 'on the other side of the glacier'. He hires a sea plane to take him there. He takes off and flies over the glacier, looking around him. He spots the shack and lands. That simple little 30-second narrative bridge takes 6 minutes and at least 60 separate shots. I tried to count them (well, someone had to) but eventually gave up. He finds the saucer, returns home, is captured by the Russian agents and is immediately taken back to the hut again! This second trip takes a further 3 minutes and another dozen or so shots.
As a result of all this padding, a 25 minute story is strung out to a numbing 75 minutes.
I can only assume that Conrad went on location without a shooting script and just tailored the story to all the landscape footage he was accumulating. This is not movie-making.
If, like me, you feel obligated to see every movie of this type ever made, then be my guest.
But if you actually have a life, trust me - this is not for you.
Travelogue: Come to Alaska! The Last Frontier! And see a flying saucer!.... maybe
Matthew_Capitano10 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Mikel (spelling looks Russian) Conrad 'stars' in this little sci/fi thing as a "two-fisted playboy" who is sent to Alaska with a cute chick (Pat Garrison) to investigate the recently reported 'sightings' of flying saucers circling intermittently overhead.
The film ultimately amounts to nothing more than a visual brochure detailing the beauty of the Alaskan tundra, sprinkled with Conrad smoking every two minutes followed by the inevitable littering of his cigarette butts, the curious prospect that Garrison only brought one change of clothes for the trip, and an occasional glimpse of what appears to be a flying saucer.
Non-stop mellifluous background music melds the proceedings together seamlessly, but as previously stated, at least the scenery is pretty. Frank Darien as 'Matt' delivers a realistic dying scene 48 minutes into the movie. Credit also goes to Conrad here for keeping the camera on Darien's face in close-up.
No doubt Conrad wanted to attain a hopefully stellar film career as a leading man. Somehow, he was able to produce, direct, and write the movie. He even closed his tale with a kissing scene on a rocky slope, remembering to carefully position himself just a bit higher than Garrison so he would appear taller than she was (which he was not).
Of interest to film historians and genre aficionados will be Conrad's innovative advertising stunt to coax potential movie-goers into theaters by falsely relating that the story is derived from "classified government files".
The film ultimately amounts to nothing more than a visual brochure detailing the beauty of the Alaskan tundra, sprinkled with Conrad smoking every two minutes followed by the inevitable littering of his cigarette butts, the curious prospect that Garrison only brought one change of clothes for the trip, and an occasional glimpse of what appears to be a flying saucer.
Non-stop mellifluous background music melds the proceedings together seamlessly, but as previously stated, at least the scenery is pretty. Frank Darien as 'Matt' delivers a realistic dying scene 48 minutes into the movie. Credit also goes to Conrad here for keeping the camera on Darien's face in close-up.
No doubt Conrad wanted to attain a hopefully stellar film career as a leading man. Somehow, he was able to produce, direct, and write the movie. He even closed his tale with a kissing scene on a rocky slope, remembering to carefully position himself just a bit higher than Garrison so he would appear taller than she was (which he was not).
Of interest to film historians and genre aficionados will be Conrad's innovative advertising stunt to coax potential movie-goers into theaters by falsely relating that the story is derived from "classified government files".
How Many Flying Saucers Can You Make Out of a Roll of Reynolds Wrap?
Hitchcoc22 June 2015
Hardly worth the time to write this. Flying saucer sightings have been going on, making the headlines of major newspapers. A playboy and his girlfriend are sent to investigate. Mostly, we look at stock footage of Alaska (quite beautiful) as he tries to figure out what's with these devices. When we finally see one, it's all lumpy and disfigured, like it was hand made by some prop man. The plot really involves the Russians, who are going to use this saucer to attack the West (I guess). On the one hand, they are ruthless spies; on the other, they let people live, giving them opportunities to foil (aluminum foil) their plans. Since they are capable of killing, why tromp around a glacier when bodies could have been so easily disposed of? But that would have involved some intelligence on their part. Don't even bother to watch this.
a movie of more than historical interest
daniel-charles24 August 2008
The Flying Saucer started life as a documentary on Alaska -and indeed some of the B&W photography and scenery are not only spectacular, they are beautiful. Then, according to Hans de Meiss-Teuffen "the Big Brains in Hollywood re-wrote the story and made me, without the loss of a single foot already shot, into a villainous Russian spy". As an aside, Hans de Meiss-Teuffen was one of the great adventurers of the XXth cy, singlehanded-sailor, mining engineer, hotel owner, lion hunter, double-spy... (his "Winds of Adventure", 1953, is a wonderful read) As a grade-B movie of minimal budget, The Flying Saucer is much better than most. Continuity, that some have criticized her, is actually decent for its period (and immensely better than in the famed "Flash Gordon"); and it is much less incredible than John Wayne's "Jet Pilot". Definitely worth seeing.
Total snorefest
Woodyanders17 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
A flying saucer becomes the source of major concern and widespread panic after it lands in the desolate wastelands of Alaska. CIA agent Mike Trent (stolidly played by Mikel Conrad, who also wrote, directed, and produced this clunker) investigates and runs afoul of a group of meddlesome Soviet spies. Sound fun and exciting? Well, it just ain't, thanks to Conrad's flat (non)direction, the painfully talky script, static cinematography, and a meandering narrative that plods along at an excruciatingly gradual pace. The acting ranges from mediocre (fetching Pat Garrison as perky love interest Vee Langley) to quite good (Denver Plye as treacherous traitor Turner, Roy Engel as scientist Dr. Cal Lewton, and Frank Darien as boisterous local drunk Matt Mitchell are probably the stand-outs here). Moreover, there's some decent last reel action, but by then it's way too little far too late to alleviate the overall tedium. Worst of all, the titular flying saucer proves to be a complete cheat at the very end. A real dull chore to endure.
my flying lunch
march9hare22 March 2005
Folks, there are no words; hyperbole fails us. This movie is so incredibly bad, so stultifyingly boring, that it has to be seen to be believed. Granted, it was made in 1950, and, granted, there obviously wasn't much of a budget, but really. . .! Yes, we will allow that it was, after all, one of the first films to deal with the subject of UFOs (and CIA cover-ups, and Russian hoaxes, and a Canadian connection) but, after a mildly promising start, the film plays largely as if it were funded by the Alaska Board of Tourism - ENDLESS tableaux of glaciers, and wildlife, and rivers, and more glaciers, but precious little action, and even less in the way of FX. The saucer, when FINALLY seen, looks like something out of "Killers From Space." The fact that this cowflop of a film was made in 1950 doesn't really save it, either: both "The Thing" and "The Man from Planet X" were made right around the same time, and are far better efforts. In the case of "The Man from Planet X", that one was made for around $50,000.00 and was shot in six days on borrowed sets, and it was still better! In short, "The Flying Saucer" isn't just crummier than you think, it's crummier than you CAN think! If you really want to see early UFO films, see the above mentioned pair; don't - repeat, DON'T - waste your time with "The Flying Saucer".
a one way ticket to dullsville
graduatedan19 July 2006
I tried to like The Flying saucer...I really did, but this low budget thriller simply didn't work for me. (It didn't "take off", if you will.) For one thing the black and white photography is so bleak and cold that it actually works against the film. The acting ranges from bland to overwrought and the dialog is stilted and lifeless. Here's the thing; all of these shortcomings taken together still might mot torpedo the overall enjoyment of this film, but its' boneheaded polemic (even for 1950) left me flat. I did like the location shooting ( the film is set in Alaska) but that didn't stop me from wanting the movie to be over--soon. The Flying Saucer is disappointing on all levels.
A disappointing effort.
Hey_Sweden3 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Star / producer / director Mikel Conrad plays Mike Trent, a supposed two-fisted playboy recruited as a special agent by Hank Thorn (Russell Hicks) to venture into Alaska and investigate stories of unidentified flying saucers. What the U. S. Government really wants is to learn the secrets of such technology before the Russians can. Mike, a surly, disinterested boor, doesn't accomplish much at first before he finally does what might be considered heroic things. He's accompanied by a "nurse" named Vee Langley (Pat Garrison, one of the less dynamic leading ladies from this era in science-fiction).
It's hard to get over the disappointment when one is confronted by the "twists" in this minor feature. It has precious little to do with the title vehicle, or the sci-fi genre in general, although it's passably amusing as a relic of the Cold War era. One problem is nondescript lead characters: Conrad is a dud as the good guy of the story, and Garrison, though likeable, doesn't fare much better. The supporting cast DOES, however, include such familiar character actors as Frank Darien, Denver "Uncle Jesse Duke" Pyle, and Roy Engel, so the film is not a total loss. Despite Conrads' top billing, the real stars are the wonderful aerial photography and striking Alaskan scenery (yeah, it looks like they actually shot a fair amount of footage in the 49th state). The story, concocted by Conrad, is standard material for the period. It doesn't have much value to anybody who isn't interested in matters of Cold War intrigue.
"The Flying Saucer" is, overall, a dull, talky, and uneventful yarn with uninspired direction by Conrad. Look elsewhere if you want your fix of 50s sci-fi.
Four out of 10.
It's hard to get over the disappointment when one is confronted by the "twists" in this minor feature. It has precious little to do with the title vehicle, or the sci-fi genre in general, although it's passably amusing as a relic of the Cold War era. One problem is nondescript lead characters: Conrad is a dud as the good guy of the story, and Garrison, though likeable, doesn't fare much better. The supporting cast DOES, however, include such familiar character actors as Frank Darien, Denver "Uncle Jesse Duke" Pyle, and Roy Engel, so the film is not a total loss. Despite Conrads' top billing, the real stars are the wonderful aerial photography and striking Alaskan scenery (yeah, it looks like they actually shot a fair amount of footage in the 49th state). The story, concocted by Conrad, is standard material for the period. It doesn't have much value to anybody who isn't interested in matters of Cold War intrigue.
"The Flying Saucer" is, overall, a dull, talky, and uneventful yarn with uninspired direction by Conrad. Look elsewhere if you want your fix of 50s sci-fi.
Four out of 10.
The Flying Saucer
robfollower7 April 2020
Despite the viral marketing, the first American UFO warning turns out to be a false alarm. Alien visitors are notably absent from The Flying Saucer (1950), which plays like low-budget cold war spy serial interlaced with a promotional film for the Alaskan outback.
. Directed by Mikel Conrad. Written by Mikel Conrad and Howard Irving Young. Starring: Mikel Conrad, Pat Garrison, Hantz von Teuffen, Earle Lyon, Lester Sharpe, Russell Hicks, Frank Darien, Denver Pyle, Roy Engel.
One must give Mikel Conrad credit for seizing on the UFO rumblings before anyone else in Hollywood, and for his brilliant trolling of the media with his stories of real flying saucers and the phony FBI agent. Unfortunately he chooses to go about the subject in the most unimaginative way possible and probably pissed off so many sci-fi fans with the movie that he blew away any chance of a cult legacy within the genre, let alone a film career. The Flying Saucer is a hodgepodge of clichés served up as a bland and badly directed porridge. It made me want to visit Alaska, though.
. Directed by Mikel Conrad. Written by Mikel Conrad and Howard Irving Young. Starring: Mikel Conrad, Pat Garrison, Hantz von Teuffen, Earle Lyon, Lester Sharpe, Russell Hicks, Frank Darien, Denver Pyle, Roy Engel.
One must give Mikel Conrad credit for seizing on the UFO rumblings before anyone else in Hollywood, and for his brilliant trolling of the media with his stories of real flying saucers and the phony FBI agent. Unfortunately he chooses to go about the subject in the most unimaginative way possible and probably pissed off so many sci-fi fans with the movie that he blew away any chance of a cult legacy within the genre, let alone a film career. The Flying Saucer is a hodgepodge of clichés served up as a bland and badly directed porridge. It made me want to visit Alaska, though.
Saucer on Ice
kapelusznik1820 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** One of if not the very first movie about the advent of "Flying Saucers" or "Flying Disks"" to come out of Hollywood has them to be of earth not out of space origin. With flying saucers seen flying all over the USA at speeds of 2,000 MPH or more the US government gets undercover playboy and recovering alcoholic Mike Trent, Mikel Conrad, an Alasken native to go up north to Alaska to check out the story. It's from Alaska where it's believed the mysterious flying disks originate from.
Making believe that he's on sick leave from the bar scene in NYC Mike, on a secret mission for the government, is provided with a fellow government agent undercover nurse Vee Langley, Pat Garrison, straight out of CIA headquarters in Langely Virgina to look after his needs and provide him with medication for his so-called drinking problem. Spending his time at Vee's secretly rented by the CIA cabin in the woods it later turns out that her local houseboy the dark and sinister looking Hans, Hantz Von Teuffen, is really a Soviet spy trying to get all the information about this flying saucer mystery and deliver it back, by carrier pigeon, to the Soviet Union.
***SPOILERS*** It soon comes out that this Dr. Lawton, Roy Engel, is the inventor of the flying saucer and is trying, feeling it's his patriotic duty, to reveal the secret behind it's propulsion system to the USA. That after Dr. Lawton was offered a cool one million dollars by the Soviet Union to hand it over to them or else! And worst of all it's Dr. Lawton assistant Turner, Denver Pyle, who's secretly working as a spy for the USSR. Explosive final in the wilds of Northern Alaska as the Commies, or Russians, try to grab the flying saucer in Dr. Lawton's secret cabin basement where they all end up getting killed in a massive snow and ice avalanche due to the Commies shooting off their guns. In a desperate attempt to escape justice Turner takes off with him behind the wheel of the flying saucer on his way to the Soviet Union. He doesn't go too far with a bomb planted in it by Mike going off and sending both the saucer and Turner to the bottom of a frozen nearby glacier lake.
Making believe that he's on sick leave from the bar scene in NYC Mike, on a secret mission for the government, is provided with a fellow government agent undercover nurse Vee Langley, Pat Garrison, straight out of CIA headquarters in Langely Virgina to look after his needs and provide him with medication for his so-called drinking problem. Spending his time at Vee's secretly rented by the CIA cabin in the woods it later turns out that her local houseboy the dark and sinister looking Hans, Hantz Von Teuffen, is really a Soviet spy trying to get all the information about this flying saucer mystery and deliver it back, by carrier pigeon, to the Soviet Union.
***SPOILERS*** It soon comes out that this Dr. Lawton, Roy Engel, is the inventor of the flying saucer and is trying, feeling it's his patriotic duty, to reveal the secret behind it's propulsion system to the USA. That after Dr. Lawton was offered a cool one million dollars by the Soviet Union to hand it over to them or else! And worst of all it's Dr. Lawton assistant Turner, Denver Pyle, who's secretly working as a spy for the USSR. Explosive final in the wilds of Northern Alaska as the Commies, or Russians, try to grab the flying saucer in Dr. Lawton's secret cabin basement where they all end up getting killed in a massive snow and ice avalanche due to the Commies shooting off their guns. In a desperate attempt to escape justice Turner takes off with him behind the wheel of the flying saucer on his way to the Soviet Union. He doesn't go too far with a bomb planted in it by Mike going off and sending both the saucer and Turner to the bottom of a frozen nearby glacier lake.
An embarrassment of a movie.
jvance833 September 2014
I just love 1950s B-grade science fiction movies, but I can't open my heart to this one. Mikel Conrad walking, Mikel Conrad smoking, Mikel Conrad standing around, Mikel Conrad riding in a boat, Mikel Conrad...well, you surely have the drift of my opinion by now. For the life of me I can't figure out what anyone had in mind when they financed this turkey of a film, which has some of the worst acting and dialogue I've ever laid eyes or ears on. Even the "action-filled" fight scenes have all the realism one might expect from a grade school production. The flying saucer? Well it appears they saved a bit on the budget by purchasing the item from the pages of a schlock comic book of the era ("Genuine Spaceship!! Holds 2 crewman!! Only $3.99 plus shipping!!!"). Nope, not even my odd obsession with giant irradiated bugs, spooky invaders and evil scientists can brook this piece of garbage.
A real bore
Leofwine_draca21 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
With THE FLYING SAUCER I was hoping for a mini sci-fi epic of the era, but instead this is a typical spy story with a plodding pace and zero interest in the proceedings. A couple of dull characters head off to Alaska to investigate UFO sightings but only find evil Russians instead. With annoying drunk characters, casual sexism throughout, weak villains and barely-glimpsed science fiction elements, THE FLYING SAUCER is a real bore.
Another sci-fi bore, as far off course as the missing u.f.o.
mark.waltz26 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Cheaply made Z grade science fiction clap trap is part Alaskan travelog and like the title says, a bit of sci- fi. Throw in Russian spies whose house the heroine might have been able to see from her back yard, and it becomes pretty obvious almost immediately where this is going. Yes, the mountainous terrain is gorgeous to look at, but the acting is amateurish at best, with romantic scenes dubbed over with warbling music that sounds like a damaged 78 rpm.
This looks like something made for prehistoric TV, obviously released in only the most secondary of neighborhood theaters. This seems to me like a film that started off with a conception but no script, with narration tossed over as a last minute thought, and resulting in a film that never seems to know what direction it is supposed to go in. Allegedly the first film to deal with the subject of U. F. O.'s, it fortunately has been overshadowed by many more. If Ed Wood's "Plan 9" failed badly, this "Plan 1" crashed on landing.
This looks like something made for prehistoric TV, obviously released in only the most secondary of neighborhood theaters. This seems to me like a film that started off with a conception but no script, with narration tossed over as a last minute thought, and resulting in a film that never seems to know what direction it is supposed to go in. Allegedly the first film to deal with the subject of U. F. O.'s, it fortunately has been overshadowed by many more. If Ed Wood's "Plan 9" failed badly, this "Plan 1" crashed on landing.
The Flying Saucers are coming
chris_gaskin12312 April 2005
The Flying Saucer was the first movie to deal with this subject and was one of the first sci-fi movies of the 1950's. Despite reading a lot of bad reviews about it, this isn't actually too bad.
A journalist and his "nurse" are sent to Alaska to investigate strange sightings of flying saucers over there. His "nurse" is with him because as he is undercover, he is in Alaska "recovering from a nervous breakdown". Not surprisingly, he falls in love with her during the movie. They make a hunting lodge as their home during their stay but the man who suppose be helping them to do odd jobs is actually a Russian spy and tries to kill the woman a couple of times. He has something to do with the saucer, which appears eventually. The spies are caught out at the end and one of them takes off in the saucer, which then explodes into thousands of little pieces.
There is some nice scenery in The Flying Saucer and the music score is quite good for a low budget movie.
The cast is mostly made up of unknowns with Mikel Conrad and Pat Garrison as the too main stars. Conrad also wrote the story and produced. He also appeared in another sci-fi B movie - Untamed Women in 1952.
Though not brilliant, The Flying Saucer is worth having in any sci-fi collection. Enjoyable.
Rating: 2 and a half stars out of 5.
A journalist and his "nurse" are sent to Alaska to investigate strange sightings of flying saucers over there. His "nurse" is with him because as he is undercover, he is in Alaska "recovering from a nervous breakdown". Not surprisingly, he falls in love with her during the movie. They make a hunting lodge as their home during their stay but the man who suppose be helping them to do odd jobs is actually a Russian spy and tries to kill the woman a couple of times. He has something to do with the saucer, which appears eventually. The spies are caught out at the end and one of them takes off in the saucer, which then explodes into thousands of little pieces.
There is some nice scenery in The Flying Saucer and the music score is quite good for a low budget movie.
The cast is mostly made up of unknowns with Mikel Conrad and Pat Garrison as the too main stars. Conrad also wrote the story and produced. He also appeared in another sci-fi B movie - Untamed Women in 1952.
Though not brilliant, The Flying Saucer is worth having in any sci-fi collection. Enjoyable.
Rating: 2 and a half stars out of 5.
Torpid adventure from the dawn of the cold war
jamesrupert201429 July 2019
Mike Trent (Mikel Conrad), a dissolute playboy and pretty federal agent Vee Langley (Pat Garrison) are sent to Alaska to locate a mysterious flying saucer before Russian operatives find it. The saucer is purported to be designed to carry an atomic bomb and capable of out-flying anything else in the air. Made only four years after the end of WW2, the importance of air superiority would be well known: as intelligence officer Hank Thorn (Russell Hicks) states, "any country that learns the secret of the flying saucer will control the skies of the world". The film is a simplistic, low-budget spy-thriller and the only thing that recommends it is the Alaskan scenery (very nice) and the novelty of the titular vehicle. Mikel Conrad wrote, directed and stars in the film - none done particularly well. The story is simplistic with an abrupt and unsatisfying climax, the 'action' pieces (fights and shootings) are inept (the Russians seem especially incompetent), the pacing leaden, and Conrad himself is dull and unengaging. The supporting cast is better, with veteran character actors Russel Hicks and Denver Pyle doing the best with what they are given. The special effects are minimal and the 'saucer' found in the secret hanger looks like a 'flying wing' with jet engines - quite different from the one glimpsed in the air. I am suspicious that the latter, more 'alien' looking flying saucer, was added in response to the burgeoning public interest in UFOs. Noteworthy as the first 'flying saucer' movie (predated slightly by the serials 'Bruce Gentry - Daredevil of the Skies' (1949) and 'Flying Disc Man from Mars' (1950), although the title of the latter is misleading as the 'disc' is actually recycled footage of a flying wing from 'King of the Mounties' (1942)). Despite the promising title, "The Flying Saucer' is watchable only by aficionados of the genre or the tinfoil-hat crowd.
Retro Alaska Outdoor Adventure
mikej-410 February 1999
I've seen this film a few times, I must confess, and I like it. My favorite part is Mike Trent's bender in the bars of the Juneau waterfront. For my money, it is the centerpiece of the film and also where Denver Pyle appears. I love McCarthy era portrayals of Soviet operatives. Hantz is a first class strange character with voyeuristic and other kinky tendencies. The official-type Americanos are very fifties. People often expect all films to be realistic and can't seem to appreciate the interesting little views we can get into the past from off beat, low budget stuff like "The Flying Saucer".
A tedious below average adventure spy-drama.
christopouloschris-5838825 August 2019
The Flying Saucer (1950) is a below average movie in many respects.
Across the United States, people are stunned and terrified by sightings of what seems to be a flying saucer. American Intelligence officials have learned that Soviet spies have begun exploring a remote region of the Alaskan Territory in search of answers to the worldwide reports of flying saucers.The CIA sends playboy Mike Trent posing as himself suffering from a nervous breakdown, to Alaska with agent Vee Langley, posing as his "nurse," to investigate flying saucer sightings and determine what the Soviets are up to.
The Flying Saucer is more of an adventure spy-drama rather than a science-fiction film. It does, nevertheless, plainly highlight the prevailing mood of nervousness arising from cold war tensions between the Iron Curtain countries and the West. Instead of proposing that flying saucers originate from somewhere outside of the earth, a more earthly origin is offered as the most likely explanation for the development of such a piece of technology.
Overall, The Flying Saucer is pretty dull fare and light on pace and action. It is also maddeningly tedious with its plethora of scenic shots of Alaska and with characters travelling to and fro. Not to mention a many minutes long plane ride over the ice punctuated by sputtering engine noises!
Across the United States, people are stunned and terrified by sightings of what seems to be a flying saucer. American Intelligence officials have learned that Soviet spies have begun exploring a remote region of the Alaskan Territory in search of answers to the worldwide reports of flying saucers.The CIA sends playboy Mike Trent posing as himself suffering from a nervous breakdown, to Alaska with agent Vee Langley, posing as his "nurse," to investigate flying saucer sightings and determine what the Soviets are up to.
The Flying Saucer is more of an adventure spy-drama rather than a science-fiction film. It does, nevertheless, plainly highlight the prevailing mood of nervousness arising from cold war tensions between the Iron Curtain countries and the West. Instead of proposing that flying saucers originate from somewhere outside of the earth, a more earthly origin is offered as the most likely explanation for the development of such a piece of technology.
Overall, The Flying Saucer is pretty dull fare and light on pace and action. It is also maddeningly tedious with its plethora of scenic shots of Alaska and with characters travelling to and fro. Not to mention a many minutes long plane ride over the ice punctuated by sputtering engine noises!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
