Friend Or Foe, Aliens Attracted To Hollywood

For centuries humans had wondered if someone was out there somewhere in the vast reaches of the universe.

Finally, they got the answer (or so they thought) in 1877. That’s when Italian astronomer Giovanni V. Schiaparelli discovered what he described as “channels” or “canals” on the surface of Mars. The discovery fired the imaginations of just about everyone, including writers.

The canals had to be manmade. How else could they have gotten there?

Stories about trips to Mars and other worlds began to show up in newspapers and magazines. Most had Americans or Englishmen soaring away to explore these distant outposts where high adventure and strange creatures awaited.

Then in 1898, H.G. Wells put a more ominous spin on the existence of other civilizations. What if they decided to come here? The result was one of the most famous science fiction tales of all time, “The War of the Worlds,” in which Martians invade Earth with the intention of conquering it.

Ninety-eight years later, Wells’ nightmarish vision lives on in the current movie “Independence Day,” about an alien attack on Earth that results in the leveling of Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles and other cities around the world.

It’s the kind of stuff seemingly tailor-made for filmmakers. The visitors-from-outer-space theme offers numerous possibilities for action sequences and dazzling special effects. It makes you wonder why it took Hollywood so long to hop on the alien band rocket.

During the first half of the 20th century dozens of books, comic strips and pulp magazines dealt with the subject. But the movie studios all but ignored extraterrestrials, content to focus on such earthly horrors as vampires, werewolves and giant apes.

It was left to the motion picture serial, the cinema’s own version of pulp fiction and comic books, to become the first to deal with a contemporary invasion from the stars. “The Purple Monster Strikes,” a 15-chapter serial released by Republic in 1945, is about an advance scout sent to Earth to help pave the way for a Martian invasion. Crude by today’s standards, “The Purple Monster” still has a certain charm.

Another six years elapsed before the rest of Hollywood finally caught on and discovered there was gold to be made in those beings from other galaxies. “The Thing” and “The Day the Earth Stood Still” were released in 1951 and were two different looks at how a visitor from outer space might behave. One was a bloodthirsty, unemotional killer; the other a kindly figure sent to save the Earth from itself.

Both visions were big money makers and launched a science fiction movie craze that dominated the 1950s. Some historians say the films reflected the paranoia and Cold War fear that gripped the country at the time. Maybe so, but most moviegoers at the time failed to make the connection. They were just happy to finally see sci-fi treated seriously by movie makers.

For sheer volume, the decade of the 1950s was the high water mark for sci-fi movies, but the genre has remained very much alive since then and experiences periodic explosions of interest as it is doing now.

Most of Hollywood’s past looks at travelers from other planets are available on video. What follows is a checklist of some of the best.

‘We come in peace’

Some of the aliens who have landed on our cinematic Earth have been friendly folks, or at least they tried to be, as these films demonstrate:

“The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951): Michael Rennie, accompanied by his robot, Gort, comes to Earth in a sleek, flying saucer to warn us to stop our aggression against each other or be blown to bits. Naturally, we don’t listen to him. Patricia Neal is the earthling who befriends Rennie and eventually saves Earth by uttering the famous phrase, “Gort! Klaatu barada nikto.” It remains one of the most intelligent sci-fi films.

“It Came from Outer Space” (1953): Scientist Richard Carlson helps aliens who have crash-landed on Earth repair their spaceship. There are several creepy sequences before we realize they mean us no harm.

“Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977): Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillon head to the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming where they are convinced an alien spacecraft will land. An array of dazzling special effects and an upbeat, optimistic ending from director Steven Spielberg.

“Superman” (1978): Aliens don’t get any friendlier than the man of steel who came to Earth from the planet Krypton. Christopher Reeve was perfect as the guy who fought for truth, justice and the American way. Three sequels followed.

“E.T.” (1982): Henry Thomas is the boy who befriends E.T., the extraterrestrial, when he is left behind on Earth. Thomas helps E.T. eventually get home. Another dazzler from Spielberg.

‘Run for your lives’

You can see from the following films that other movie aliens have been bent on world conquest:

“The Thing from Another World” (1951): James Arness is the monster who crash lands in the arctic and proceeds to terrorize Americans stationed there. Scientists discover he’s more vegetable than human. Still a terrific movie to watch. The 1982 remake, although a bit too gory, also packs a wallop.

“War of the Worlds” (1953): Wells’ novel comes to life as Martians land in the California countryside and began to wreak havoc on the world. Los Angeles is all but destroyed and the special effects, even without the aid of computers, remain thrilling. All seems hopeless until …

“Invaders from Mars” (1953): A boy sees a spaceship land in a nearby field and nobody believes him. A really creepy film. The 1986 remake was a disappointment.

“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956): The hatchlings of seed pods from outer space are taking over the bodies and minds of the people of a small California community. Kevin McCarthy is the man who tries to warn the world. Some chilling moments here. The 1978 remake with Donald Sutherland is equally effective.

“Earth vs. the Flying Saucers” (1956): Special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen brought the flying saucers to life in this minor sci-fi classic. Inside the saucers are aliens from a dying planet who want to relocate on an already overcrowded Earth. They’re not defeated until several Washington, D.C., landmarks have been destroyed.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: WHAT’S NEW TO VIEW Now available: “Screamers” (Columbia), “Unforgettable” (MGM), “Two Bits” (Touchstone), “Georgia” (Touchstone), “Tales of Erotica” (Vidmark). Available Tuesday: “Diabolique,” “Othello,” “Hate,” “City Hall,” “Natural Born Killers” (director’s cut).