Target Earth (film)
| Target Earth | |
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| Directed by | Sherman A. Rose |
| Produced by | Herman Cohen |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Paul W. Fairman |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Paul Dunlap |
| Cinematography | Guy Roe |
| Edited by | Sherman A. Rose |
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Production
company |
Abtcon Pictures, Inc.
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| Distributed by | Allied Artists Pictures Corporation |
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Release date
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Running time
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75 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $85,000 |
Target Earth is a 1954 independently made black-and-white science fiction film, distributed by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation, produced by Herman Cohen, directed by Sherman A. Rose, and starring Richard Denning, Kathleen Crowley, Virginia Grey and Whit Bissell.
Target Earth tells the story of a deserted Chicago and a small group of people who have been overlooked during a mass evacuation of "the city that never sleeps" because of a sudden invasion by hostile robotic beings from the planet Venus.
After a botched attempt at suicide, Nora King (Kathleen Crowley) revives and discovers that her building has no electricity or water. She soon realizes that Chicago is deserted when she wanders out into the empty, quiet streets. Stumbling over the body of a dead woman, she encounters Frank Brooks (Richard Denning), another person who has just recently revived after being beaten in a robbery.
With her new companion, Nora continues to try to find others in the abandoned city. Hearing music from a nearby restaurant, they come upon a couple, Jim Wilson (Richard Reeves) and Vicki Harris (Virginia Grey), who are drunk and admit they were incapable of joining the evacuation with the rest of Chicago's population. The group then continue to search the deserted streets, coming upon a car that will not start. Another survivor, Charles Otis (Mort Marshall), sees them and reveals that the same applies to all the other cars he has tried.
A growing apprehension takes hold as they begin to realize that they are alone with an unknown menace that has caused everyone to evacuate Chicago. Charles finds a newspaper in a hotel lobby that proclaims that a "mystery army" is attacking the city. In a panic, he runs out into the street, only to be killed by a death ray from a nearby alien robot.
While attempting to defend the city, the military, led by Lt. Gen. Wood (Arthur Space), sets up a command post. Although Air Force bombers are easily destroyed by the advancing invaders, the use of atomic weapons is contemplated. A group of scientists, including the chief research scientist (Whit Bissell), are finally able to work on a captured robot in order to find out if the alien machines have any vulnerabilities. While trying to escape the attacking robots, the small band is joined by Davis (Robert Roark), a psychotic killer who has his own plans for survival.
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Wikipedia