Invisible Invaders (1959) Directed by Edward L Cahn. Responsible for 2 of my favorite films of the 50s It, The Terror From Beyond Space 1958 and The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake 1959
Stars the ever present John Agar (Tarantula 1955, Brain From Planet Arous 1957) as Major Bruce Jay.
JOHN AGAR
Philip Tonge (Miracle on 34th Street 1947, Witness For The Prosecution 1957) as Dr. Adam Penner. His role as Adam Penner was the final role for Philip Tonge. He died on January 28 1959 before this film went into release on May 15 (shooting began December 11, 1958)
Jean Byron as Phyllis Penner (The Magnetic Monster 1953 tv actress, mom on The Patty Duke Show, Pat in the Columbo episode Ransom for a Dead Man 1971)
JEAN BYRON
and Robert Hutton (Tales From The Crypt 1972 Trog 1972 The Vulture, The Slime People 1963) as Dr John Lamont and a small part by Hal Torey (Earth vs The Spider, The Cosmic Man) as a local Farmer turned dead man walking.
And of course the inimitable John Carradine as Karol Noymann, a dead scientist inhabited by the lead invisible.
Released May 15th, 1959 Double billed with The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake. Music by Paul Dunlop offers up a very science eerie sonic landscape. Written by Samuel Newman and Philip Sheer is responsible for the very effective re-animated corpse make-up.
Invisible Invaders predates Night of The Living Dead 1968 by 9 years.
Night Of The Living Dead offered up more of a variety of local dead folk, some even in their boxer shorts and nightgowns.
From the book Interviews with Science Fiction and Horror Movie Makers. Writers Producers, Directors, Actors Moguls and Makeup by Tom Weaver. McFarland Press. On page 11 interview with John Agar.
Asking John Agar how much guidance he got from Ed Cahn on the set of Invaders.
Agar says “Edward Cahn was Mr Speed-O He’d jump and almost get in the shot before he’d yell “cut” But in all fairness, I have to say that directors like Eddie Cahn Didn’t really have a chance. They had a schedule to contend with and they wanted those films finished ka-boom. I think he did the best he could with the time he had. but in something like Invisible Invaders, it’s pretty much learn the lines and get’em out. They just didn’t have the money to stay there and work on it.”
A silly fun fact:
In the film, John Carradine’s character is named Dr. Karol Noymann. In the ending cast list, his character is listed as Carl Noymann
An alien contacting scientist Adam Penner in the form of the corpse of Karol Noymann famous scientist killed in a laboratory experiment comes knocking on Penner’s door. The disembodied voice of Noymann informs Penner that they have been on the moon for twenty thousand years, undetected due to their invisibility, and have now decided to annihilate humanity unless all the nations of Earth surrender immediately. Hiding out in an impenetrable laboratory bunker trying to find the key to the aliens’ invisibility and thus penetrating their weakness, Penner, his daughter, a pragmatic army major, and a squeamish scientist are attacked from outside the cave bunker by the aliens, who have occupied the bodies of the recently deceased.
This is one of those 50s sci-fi films where the military is working with science and not in conflict with it, to defeat a common enemy invader that threatens to destroy our world. Continue reading “Obscure Scream Gem: Invisible Invaders (1959) “The Dead Will Kill The Living…And The People Of Earth Will Cease To Exist””
