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.