Phantom Planet

 

 

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Legend Films presents "PHANTOM PLANET" (13 December 1961) (82 mins) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --- now in COLOR and Glorious Black and White --- The mysterious appearance of an unknown planet brings miniature people, giant monsters, beautiful women and undaunted heroes to the screen --- The self-contained planet "Rheton" has the ability to move in and out of galaxies to escape their enemies --- Earth sends an astronaut team to investigate, which discovers miniature people. One astronaut survives to help them fight off monsters and Solorite attacks --- The leader of the miniature people is Francis X. Bushman who was once a popular romantic lead in silent movies.

Under the production staff of:
William Marshall - Director
Fred Gebhardt - Producer / Screenwriter
Fred de Gortner - Screenwriter
William Telaak - Screenwriter
Elwood J. Nicholson - Cinematographer
Hayes Pagel - Composer (Music Score)
Hugo Grimaldi - Editor
Donald Wolfe - Editor
Robert Kinoshita - Art Director
Joseph Kish - Set Designer
Marla Craig - Costume Designer
David Newell - Makeup
Studio Film Service - Special Effects
Jane Huizenga - Production Director

Story line and plot, Astronauts Frank Chapman (Dean Fredericks) and Ray Makonnen (Richard Weber) are sent out from Lunar Base 1 to determine what's happened to a couple of ships that simply disappeared in outer space --- A meteor storm damages their propulsion system, and while making repairs, Chapman is knocked unconscious by a stray light flash --- With the Pegasus IV captured by a gravity ray, the ship is brought down to the living planet Raton, where miniature people marvel at the gigantic newcomer --- Will Captain Chapman shrink down to their size, as a result of the planet's atmosphere.

Of course the newcomer is tested by his captors, put on trial for "harming" one of them, and is punished by allowing him freedom on Raton with his choice of two beautiful women (Colleen Gray and Dolores Faith) --- Our hero Chapman is no Captain Kirk, and he can't be moved by the wiles of his female companions, all the while trying to figure out how to get back home --- In the mean time, he must battle a jealous Ratonian in hand to hand combat, and team up with him to defeat the threat of an evil Solarite (Richard Kiel in a wild alien costume) --- Kiel who was "Jaws" in the James Bond film series.

"The Phantom Planet" is a wild ride, and you'll have fun with it as long as you have patience and a good sense of humor --- This film had me right from the get go --- What other sci fi film can you name that uses the word "azimuth" even once, while here it's referenced a good half dozen times! --- Just remember click your heels three times and repeat, "There's no place like home"

the cast includes:
Dean Fredericks ... Capt. Frank Chapman
Coleen Gray ... Liara
Anthony Dexter ... Herron (as Tony Dexter)
Francis X. Bushman ... Sessom
Dolores Faith ... Zetha
Marvin Miller ... Introductory Narrator (voice)
Richard Weber ... Lt. Ray Makonnen
Al Jarvis ... Eden, the judge
Dick Haynes ... Col. Lansfield
Earl McDaniels ... Capt. Leonard - pilot (as Earl McDaniel)
Mike Marshall ... Lt. White (as Michael Marshall)
John Herrin ... Capt. Beecher
Mel Curtis ... Lt. Cutler
Jimmy Weldon ... Lt. Webb - navigator
Akemi Tani ... Communications Officer
Lori Lyons ... Radar Officer
Richard Kiel ... The Solarite

BIOS:
1. Dean Fredericks (aka: Frederick J. Foote)
Date of Birth: 21 January 1924 - Los Angeles, California
Date of Death: 30 June 1999

2. Coleen Gray (aka: Doris Bernice Jensen)
Date of Birth: 23 October 1922 - Staplehurst, Nebraska
Date of Death: Still Living

3. Anthony Dexter (aka: Walter Reinhold Alfred Fleischmann)
Date of Birth: 19 January 1913 - Talmage, Nebraska
Date of Death: 27 March 2001 - Greeley, Colorado

4. Francis X. Bushman
Date of Birth: 10 January 1883 - Baltimore, Maryland
Date of Death: 23 August 1966 - Pacific Palisades, California

SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Legend Films Trailers

The complete print was restored and colorized by Legend Films, using the latest technology --- Although the Legend Films release was advertised under its reissue title, both the color and black and white prints featured the original title and opening credits --- Legend Films can restore, colorize and release many of the classic earliest black and white films --- a patented coloring and remastering process makes each film picture perfect plus more vivd than ever --- no one can resist collecting every title that Legend Films releases.

Hats off and thanks to Barry B. Sandrew Ph.D. (Founder, COO & CTO) and his Legend Films Staff --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage era of the '20s, '30s & '40s --- order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on DVD --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out Legend Films where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector.

Total Time: 82 mins on DVD ~ Legend Films. ~ (10/21/2008)

Phantom Planet is a generally-overlooked but thoroughly enjoyable slice of early-60s SF cheese. Not really good enough to be a "good movie," not really bad enough to achieve Trash status; but I could watch this one every six months without getting tired of it. Dean Fredericks in the lead makes a quite unappealing, unsympathetic 'hero,' lending a strange atmosphere to the movie right off the bat. Francis X. Bushman (the silent Ben Hur) and Anthony Dexter (fallen far from 1951's Valentino) lend kitsch appeal, and Coleen Gray and Dolores Faith, as the 'mute girl,' provide potential love interest for drippy Fredericks. If you watch this with the mindset of a 10-year-old there's lots of fun and clever ideas and effects: the shrinking thing, passable outer space/rocketship sequences, the disintegrator floor panels and duel of death, the flaming Solarite death ships, etc. And the sad sack monster, played by clumsy giant-for-hire Richard Kiel ('Jaws'), has to be one of the most lovably moth-eaten, pathetically unthreatening creations to grace any B-flick; kind of Paul Blaisdell-meets-Harry Thomas at the thrift store. You could probably suspend your disbelief and really enjoy this movie on a comic book level, or have a few friends over and laugh yourselves silly. Highly recommended.
For long-time fans of this movie, Image's DVD delivers a fine print of the film: sharp and detailed, great tonal scale, virtually spotless save for some very light speckling and a rare blemished frame. You'll never need to worry about upgrading from this one. It blows my VHS TV prints right off the map. Unfortunately, there is no trailer for the feature, and the only other 'extra' is the chapter stops. There are five trailers included in an 'easter egg,' but they're the same ones as on every other Image release. Considering all the movies in their catalog, they could dish out a few new ones already! A minor gripe though, and if you love this movie you'll want this disc anyway.

Today the film looks corny,but back in the early 1960's it was a great picture to see.Especially if you are ten years old and with a big imagination.You must remember that this movie came out just when the space race was on.not a bad picture when you went to the theater on a saturday for 35 cents and saw a double feature.And you could stay all day and see it again and again.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Late Night fun as a kid
This film is no classic but it is a fun one i remember as a kid. I saw it late night of course and enjoyed it then and i have seen it since and realize that you should take it as... Read more

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2.0 out of 5 stars SCHLOCK MEETS CAMP
The plot involves something about astronaut Dean Fredericks landing on an asteroid where he's shrunk down to miniature size by a race of miniature people who ... Read more

Published on Sep 1 2000 by Parisonn of Atlantis

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