Sunday, February 10, 2008

ROCKETSHIP X-M - Ferde Grofé Sr. - "Walkin Around On Mars" (1950)

The only movie we've been able to find from the year 1950 that had any music that wasn't strictly orchestral is "Rocketship X-M", but if there's only going to be one, at least it's a really good one!! Classic composer Ferde Grofé Sr. used the talents of the number one 'go to guy' when you needed the spooky sound, Dr. Samuel Hoffman on the theremin quite nicely! Together they made this walk on Mars a lot more than just interesting! Mind-boggling Podiatrist, Dr. Hoffman established the sound everyone to this day associates with a scary or spacey scene, and will dwell in the "Dwrayger Dungeon" Hall Of Fame for eternity for his contributions to cool horror sounds! Dr. Samuel Hoffman, we salute you!!! 
 
So, Okay, just try and imagine, it's 1950, do you think anything could look cooler than this? I seriously doubt it! 
 
You just automatically can tell it's Mars by the color! 
 
Here's some of that classic "Space Theremin"!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The spaceship is not from the original 1950 version of the film but from the 1978 special edition producer by film fan/distributor Wade Williams (not to be confused with the TV actor of the same name). Williams hired a spfx crew to go out and shoot new footage to replace some of the not-so-special effects in the original film. The image of the rocket that you've posted is part of that new footage; look at the base of the rocket and you can see it is a foreground miniature on a table. I believe most North American DVDs of ROACKETSHIP XM are struck from the new edition print.

Greg Goodsell said...

ROCKETSHIP X-M also has a rather daring anti-nuclear message as well -- for the time, it could have been construed as "un-American!"

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