9 Classic Sci-Fi Movies From the 1950s That Defined the Drive-In Era
Drive-in movies have gone through many ups and downs since the first theater opened in Camden, New Jersey, on June 6, 1933. After a slow beginning, the popularity of the drive-in theater skyrocketed in the 1950s. There were more than 4,000 of them across the country in 1958 before they began to decline decades later.
Almost since their inception, drive-ins have been associated with schlock. First-run movies stuck to indoor theaters that screened all day, so drive-ins played B-movies. Many of the most memorable titles from that era were sci-fi movies, and audiences could often catch a nighttime double feature of these cheesy flicks, distasteful horror pics, and the like.
Here are a few of our must-see favs that best represent the era.
1 The Day the Earth Stood Still
20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy Everett Collection
On June 14, 1951, The Day the Earth Stood Still brought a new sort of terror to the human race with the landing of those men from outer space, Klaatu and Gort, as they emerged from the big silver saucer and was set in Washington, D.C. Based on the 1940 short story “Farewell to the Master” and directed by Robert Wise, it was the second big budget sci-fi picture ever released by an American studio, next to The Thing from Another World which was released just three months earlier. While the movie’s final message was to bring peace, humans weren’t so eager to listen. Now, at 75 years old, it set the standard for sci-fi drive-in movies throughout the decade and in the years to come.
2 The War of the Worlds
Everett Collection
A more destructive form of aliens arrived on Earth in 1953, inspired by H.G. Wells‘s novel The War of the Worlds. Special effects in this movie ranged from blowtorches burning welding wire to form the spaceship’s sparks to vacuum cleaners creating the sound of the spaceships shutting down, which were very cutting-edge at the time. The movie won an Oscar for special effects and had twice as much budget for effects as it did for the actors. While Orson Welles first made the story famous with his 1938 radio broadcast, it was brought back to a new generation of film lovers with Steven Spielberg‘s 2005 version, starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning.
3 Them!
With a poster like this, you know the film HAS to be cool! (Courtesy Everett Collection)
Another early success was 1954’s Them!, the first “big bug” feature film to use insects as the monster. Starring James Whitmore and James Arness, it’s about a nest of giant ants discovered in the New Mexico desert. A national emergency arises when two queen ants escape and attempt to establish new nests, leading to a final battle in Los Angeles. It was one of the biggest hits of the year.
4 It Conquered the World
Everett Collection
One of the best known filmmakers responsible for making B-movies, Roger Corman produced and directed 1956’s It Conquered the World, which starred Peter Graves, Lee Van Cleef, and Beverly Garland. In it, an alien creature from Venus and a disgruntled scientist (Van Cleef) aim to take over the world.
5 Invasion of the Saucer-Men
Everett Collection
Prolific B-movie production company American International Pictures produced 1957’s Invasion of the Saucer-Men, a black-and-white tale of aliens who land their flying saucer in some woods and soon wreak havoc in a small town. The military and some crafty teenagers battle the saucer-men to stop the alien mayhem.
6 The Blob
The following year saw the release of Steve McQueen’s first lead in a feature film. The Blob (1958) is a sci-fi/horror tale about a carnivorous amoeboidal alien that crashes to Earth from outer space inside a meteorite. The blob terrorizes small towns in Pennsylvania, getting bigger and more aggressive as it grows larger than a building.
7 Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
Everett Collection
That same year saw the release of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, a variation on other 1950s sci-fi movies featuring humans that grew to massive or tiny sizes (The Amazing Colossal Man, The Incredible Shrinking Man). Allison Hayes‘ wealthy heiress has a close encounter with an enormous alien, causing her to grow into a giantess, which doesn’t help her troubled marriage. The movie was remade by Christopher Guest in 1993 with Daryl Hannah in the starring role, and it is reported that K-POP Demon Hunter screenwriters Danya Jimenez and Hannah McMechan, along with Tim Burton, will be attacking another remake.
8 The Giant Gila Monster
Don Sullivan, a veteran of B-movies, and Miss Universe contestant Lisa Simone starred in 1959’s The Giant Gila Monster, whose special effects included a live Mexican beaded lizard and a scaled-down model landscape. After attacking a couple parked near a ravine, the titular monster heads for town, where local teens are gathered for a sock hop.
9 Plan 9 From Outer Space
The notorious Ed Wood wrote and directed Plan 9 From Outer Space, which premiered in 1957 but didn’t receive a general release until 1959. Considered one of the worst movies ever made, it’s about aliens who attempt to resurrect the dead as part of a plan to stop humanity from creating a doomsday weapon that could destroy the universe.
What would you add to this list? Leave your answer in the comments.
This article first appeared in the 2021 Summer Fun Issue of ReMIND Magazine and can be purchased at the link below. Additional writing by Karen Ruud.
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July 2022
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