EDWARDS BERNDS

Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB. 

USA, 1956.  Allied Artists Pictures.  Screenplay by Edward Bernds.  Cinematography by Ellsworth Fredericks.  Produced by Richard V. Heermance.  Music by Leith Stevens.  Production Design by Dave Milton.  Film Editing by Eda Warren.

This is the kind of hilarious science-fiction B-picture that features giant spiders made of foam attacking innocent bystanders. A spaceship crash-lands on a mysterious and foreign planet that turns out to be Earth many eons into the future. The human race has descended below the ground to avoid attack from the mutant monsters that have taken over the land, and as a result the males of our species have all become sickly old men. The women, however, seem to be flourishing, and all throughout the film there are incredibly sexy secretaries wandering around built like brick shithouses. Good thing these spacemen come along with their bulky muscles and tough-guy attitudes to show them a moment or two of fun. Oh yeah, and they help save them from the evil monsters outside too! Rod Taylor has a supporting role (as the beefiest of the beefy astronauts) in this delightfully kitschy film that doesn’t have the spectacular wonder of Forbidden Planet but manages to have a few memorable retro moments of its own.