Show Notes
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As usual there are spoilers ahead!
This film is silly. And I love that for me. I hope many of you will enjoy something much more lighthearted after the heavy topic of nuclear annihilation from the last episode.
Teenagers from Outer Space (1959) was the work of Tom Graeff who wrote, produced, directed, edited and acted in the film.
As previously mentioned, the film is silly but I found it very enjoyable. Stilted dialogue that is often out of sync, special effects that are very simple and yet effective, space fascists with rayguns and a sweet hearted rebel finding his way in the unfamiliar new world of Earth. How many sci-fi tropes can you possibly fit into a film made on the tightest of budgets?
The film made me laugh a lot which admittedly isn't too difficult to do but it was a much needed laugh after the beautifully bleak misery of On the Beach.
I am not the only person who has a soft spot for this film. I am very lucky to be joined by two wonderful guests who are definitely avid fans of this alien invasion adventure.
Marc Longenecker is an Associate Professor of the Practice of Film Studies at Wesleyan University.
Blair Davis is a Professor of Media and Cinema Studies at DePaul University. He has written a lot about cinema and comics and including the book The Battle for the Bs: 1950s Hollywood and the Rebirth of Low-Budget Cinema.
Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:37 Why do you love this film? 08:41 Distribution and reception 12:48 "Bad" film 18:15 The tragic life of Tom Graeff 25:53 Derek the hero: the rebel anti-fascist with daddy issues 33:10 Special effects 38:17 Chekov's Gargon: the lobster monster! 40:58 Space adventures on Earth and teen appeal 44:28 Thor! A bad guy with great comedic value 47:04 The ending 50:18 King Moody: from space fascist to Ronald McDonald 50:54 Recommendations for the listener
NEXT EPISODE! Next time we'll be discussing the film The Tingler (1959) starring Vincent Price. The film is readily available on multiple streaming services to rent or buy and also on some free services in some regions. The Just Watch website gives a good overview of where you can find films in your region.
More from Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever*
"Please read the show notes!" She screamed into the void of a blank page. (I realise no one apparently reads the show notes but this time I genuinely think it might be useful to you.) This is episode two of the 2001: A Space Odyssey mini-series! I like to keep episodes under an hour to make them digestible but there is a 15 minute longer version of the episode available for Patreon members or to buy as a one off for £3 or $3. You can find it here: https://www.patreon.com/everyscififilm It is being released early because I am going on holiday and I have no idea how great my internet is going to be or how often I'll be able to check it while I am away. (I do know that in the summer of 2024 it once took somewhere between 3 and 6 hours to upload the podcast from my mum's house.) We have two more episodes to go (one about the sound and the other about Kubrick). If you missed the first episode I would suggest you go and take a listen to both parts. If you have not watched 2001: A Space Odyssey you can find an overview of it here on the Wikipedia page. I have also mentioned the IMDB page during the episode and the full list of credited cast and crew can be found here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cst_sm This episode is about some of the mind-blowing, ahead of their time (by at least 11 years or so when Star Wars came along) and fantastical special effects of the film. I never watch videos for podcasts myself, but I would perhaps consider it for this episode as Paul expresses the practicalities of special effects quite well with hand gestures. There are clips of the special effects you may want to look at. You can find the video on YouTube and on Spotify. As always, there are spoilers ahead! You can follow the podcast on social media on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky. The special effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey were shocking in 1968 but still amaze almost sixty years later. I have managed to procure two heavyweight guests to talk us through this mammoth achievement. (I wanted to make an ape pun but I remembered I don't actually like puns.) Paul Franklin is a Special Effects Supervisor for many blockbuster films including the Dark Knight series and has won Oscars for his work on Interstellar and Inception. Julie Turnock is Professor of Media and Cinema studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign she has written extensively about special effects in cinema including in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Chapters 0:00 Intro 01:35 Special vs Visual Effects 06:12 Impact of 2001 A Space Odyssey special effects 12:45 Douglas Trumbull and more 29:03 The Discovery centrifuge 33:38 A slow visionary film 39:35 Defying gravity 41:47 Joy Sneddon's moon 43:51 The floating pen 45:34 Front projections on The Dawn of Man 49:53 Legacy 54:36 Recommendations
As always there are spoilers ahead! This is episode one of a four-episode mini-series. To make things even more confusing Episode 1 has two parts. This is part 2. If you have arrived here before treading the ground of part 1 turn back now! The idea is to most definitely watch the film before listening to the episode. If you don't want to do that and still want an overview of the film and the plot you can check out the Wikipedia entry here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey Please refer to these very show notes for some extra information or clarification. (Yes I'm repeating the same text from part 1. Do you even know how busy I've been and now I must copy and paste to get this out on time!) You can follow the podcast on social media on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky. If you have money to invest in further space or other scientifically romantic adventures and would like to be a patron of the podcast, pay heed! You can join Patreon and for £3 or $3 a month you can get ad free version of the show. https://www.patreon.com/everyscififilm
As always there are spoilers ahead! As we chronologically venture through science fiction history it is finally time to examine one of the heaviest of heavyweight sci-fi films. 2001: A Space Odyssey. The idea is to most definitely watch the film before listening to the episode. If you don't want to do that and still want an overview of the film and the plot you can check out the Wikipedia entry here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey This is episode one of a four-episode mini-series. To make things even more confusing Episode 1 has two parts. This is part 1. Part 2 is also out. (Why two parts? Because I prefer a more digestible length of podcast.) Please refer to these very show notes for some extra information or clarification. You can follow the podcast on social media on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky. If you have money to invest in further space or other scientifically romantic adventures and would like to be a patron of the podcast, pay heed! You can join Patreon and for £3 or $3 a month you can get ad free version of the show. https://www.patreon.com/everyscififilm This is the longest episode I've ever recorded (hence the two parts) and I simply couldn't cut much of it down because of my phenomenal guests. Michael Benson is an artist, filmmaker and author of a range of exciting books including the magnificently comprehensive 2018 Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece. Scott Bukatman is a cultural theorist and Professor of Film and Media Studies at Stanford University. He has written extensively about popular culture with a focus on how it mediates between modern technologies and the human experience. He is also the author of the wonderful BFI book on Blade Runner (which we will get to in good time). 34:48 The literal translation of "alte kackers" which is how Stanley Kubrick's wife Christiane described the people at the premiere is "old shitters".
As usual there are spoilers ahead! You can follow the podcast on social media on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky. If you have an air of gravitas and money to spend and would like to be a patron of the podcast, please do! You can join Patreon and for £3 or $3 a month you can get ad free version of the show. https://www.patreon.com/everyscififilm The novel Planet of the Apes was released in 1963 in France by French author Pierre Boulle. In that same year publicist Arthur Jacobs bought the screen rights while he was looking for something "like King Kong". Five years later in 1968 the film was released with one of the most famous twist endings of cinematic history. The film is a fun "off-planet" sci-fi adventure story with heavy commentary on societal expectations and standards. I have two lovely guests to help us understand this sci-fi classic. John Wills is a Professor of American Media and Culture at the University of Kent. He has written lots about popular culture including his new book Doom Town USA Phil Nichols is Senior Consultant to the Ray Bradbury Center at Indiana University, and formerly Film & Television course leader at the University of Wolverhampton. The Scopes trial was a 1925 case in the USA in which a teacher was accused of violating the law by teaching evolution in schools. The trial was set up on purpose to challenge the Butler Act which prevented the teaching of evolution.
As always, there are spoilers ahead. You can follow the podcast on social media on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky. If you have an air of gravitas and money to spend and would like to be a patron of the podcast, please do! You can join Patreon and for £3 or $3 a month you can get ad free version of the show. https://www.patreon.com/everyscififilm Graphic novels and comics were widely considered to be for children in the early 1960s. It was a relatively small number of artists and publishers who were working to have comics seen as a viable form of art as well as making comics for adults. Although the history of comics for adults is definitely older, this period marks a surge in European interest in the medium. Famous film producer Dino de Laurentiis helped this when he bought the filming rights to adult comics Diabolik (from Italy) and Barbarella (from France) turning them both in to movies in the 1960s. De Laurentiis originally wanted Bridget Bardot for the title role and after she turned it down, he looked to Sophia Loren who did the same. His third choice was Jane Fonda who initially rejected the script until her then husband Roger Vadim convinced her to take it. Vadim joined as Director and the rest is kitschy sci-fi history. I have two fantastic guests to talk through this swinging 60s sci-fi space opera oddity. Lisa Yaszek is Regents' Professor of Science Fiction Studies at Georgia Tech and has written/edited extensively on science fiction. Hugo Frey is Professor of History at the University of Chichester. He has a special interest in graphic novels and is co-author of the 2026 book The Look of the 1960s. Barbarella and the Pulp Pop Comics. CORRECTION: In the question about the legacy of Barbarella I say Star Trek when I mean Star Wars.