@@VincentMurphy000 The studio wasn't quite sure what to do with the film. Was it a political thriller? A science fiction film? Was it too "high brow" for the average audience? Computers were nowhere near as ubiquitous then as they are today, and I bet anything they also believed there wasn't much of an audience. Additionally, there had just been a film with a psychopathic computer making the rounds (2001).
I still do, and I've seen all these, too. Some oldies like Bodysnatchers, Forbidden Planet, Thing from Another World and Incredible Shrinking Man, I practically know by heart.
I just saw Forbidden Planet last week at a revival theater: new 70mm print & killer sound system - I was totally blown away. I'll never forget seeing it as a kid, especially of course the Krell Machine. I was fascinated by Nielsen and his partner going deeper and deeper into Morbius' house - first his office, then his lab & ultimately to the Machine.
Thank you, *thank you* for including "Quatermass and the Pit" (released in the US as "5 Million Years to Earth') - I was really worried you were going to overlook it. It's not just a great 1960s sci-fi movie, it's one of the best damn sci-fi movies ever made! I love how it starts out weird when they discover the skull, and keeps getting weirder and weirder until an apocalyptic climax. "First Men in the Moon" is another favorite of mine for many reasons, including Lionel Jeffries' performance as Prof Cavor; he took what could've been a standard "eccentric scientist" character and imbued him with a lot of humanity and vulnerability. Because of its cheesy lo-budget special effects, "X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes" definitely deserves/needs a remake. (Would you believe the comic book adaptation was actually better than movie? There's a panel in it from the doctor's perspective looking up at his "transparent" building including someone travelling in an elevator I haven't forgotten decades later.) BTW I'm fairly sure "Village of the Damned" was a black & white film; not sure how you wound up with a colorized version.
I was going to comment on Village of the Damned being black and white. The black and white made the film far creepier than the colorized clip shown here.
@@joestrike8537 I LOVE “X: The Man With The X-ray Eyes”. It stars Ray Milland in one of his later decent roles (Let’s not talk about “The Thing With Two Heads” 😄), and a young Don Rickles, of all people. “If thy eye offend thee, pluck it out!” 😫
The Day of the Triffids and the Village of the Damned (Midwich Cuckoos) are both by John Wyndham. His novels are some of the best SciFi ever written. I can thoroughly recommend Trouble with Lichen and his best novel and one of my favourite books, The Chrysalids.
Also a big fan of Wyndham's novels, including those he wrote under a pseudonym. And I agree with another commentator here - THE KRAKEN AWAKES would make a great film!
@@donsmith4833 Saw that movie back then when I was a kid. But it was the second movie that got me going that played with it. And I still believe in it and that was called Queen of Outer Space. Loved those micro skirts (from 976-CREOLEMAN)!
I was thirteen and thought it was great. I remember seeing, Triffids when I was fifteen, I was picked up from the theater when the show broke, It was dark out with lightning flashes, Perfect.
A favorite of mine is the British film “The Day The Earth Caught Fire”. It’s a doomsday story about how nuclear tests have altered the rotation of the Earth, causing it to spiral toward the sun. It’s a worthy addition to your list.
The male lead was extremely well acted. Peter Stenning, able to crack wise even as the world comes unglued. And it leaves us with a wonderful cliff hanger, we never know if they survived or died.
@@PeterNebelungI agree, brilliant movie. The actor was Edward Judd, who played Bedford in "The First Men in the Moon" and was also the lead in "Invasion". The latter is a tense and atmospheric low-budget gem of a sci-fi movie about aliens terrorising a small hospital. He was also in the peculiar but enjoyable sequel movie to Hammer's "She", imaginitively titled "The Vengeance of She".
This is the one I was coming to add, I was just recommending it to some one today,.I even have a reproduction movie poster in my home office. The movie is on you tube on the BFI channel
"First Men In the Moon" I first saw as a child in the 60s and did not see it again 'til about three years ago. I never forgot that movie in those decades since 1964 and it was a real treat to see it once again except this time in crystal clear color on DVD. Very glad to see it on your list 👍🏻
@@magiclantern66 The bbc don't actually make any of the programmes they show and haven't for years. They buy everything in these days and it shows with the ever downwards quality over decades.
Also called Doppelganger. Spoiler alert When it was shown on UK TV in the 80s, the technician thought the last half of the movie had been reversed because of the mirror writing, so he flipped it "back". This actually made the movie more mysterious as we didn't know why Roy Thinnes was freaking out over the bottles in the bathroom.
I saw it in the UK, as part of a double bill. Though it did have it's correct title of 'Journey to the Far Side of the Sun' and not the dumbed down US title of 'Doppelganger', which made no sense. Sadly the US has continued this theme of dumbing down film titles for US audiences. A slightly more modern example is 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', being called 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone', because WB though that US audiences wouldn't know what a Philosopher's Stone was, despite millions of US Americans reading the books before the films were made.
@@Thurgosh_OG It's the other way around. The UK title was Doppelganger, the US one was Journey to, etc. One of the most egregious title changes was the 1955 Diana Dors movie, "Yield to the Night", a thoughtful, powerful and emotive film about a young woman awating execution for murder (not based on Ruth Ellis) which was released in the US as "Blonde Sinner."
Totally agree! With a screenplay by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, the creators of my favorite Sci-Fi TV show UFO, and Donald James, and in the main role the great Roy Thinnes (The Invaders) and part of the cast for the future UFO Ed Bishop, George Sewell and Vladek Sheybal and of course the great Herbert Lom (The Pink Panther). Adding the great music of the British composer Barry Gray, this film is a true gem of great Sci-Fi!
When I first watch Robinson Crusoe on Mars back in the 70's I was expecting a cheesy stinker, but I enjoyed it. I like being surprised. It's one of my favorite Sci/Fi movies.
I’ve never had someone recommend me 3 movies I would want to watch, let alone 12. lol great video! my niche recommendation is always Hobo With A Shotgun.
I’m 69 and I remember all these, I particularly liked “Robinson Crusoe on Mars”it’s storyline of mishap,survival and aliens is something that could in the hands of a talented writer be revisited,what’s especially intriguing is the concept of slavery and alien overlords,I had wondered about why the aliens needed slaves when they obviously had the technology to build robots and why humans never encountered them (their spacecraft was definitely advanced and had devastating weaponry)this is a movie asking for a reboot..
Seen most of these. I haven't been able to watch a meteor shower since the Day of the Triffids in case I go blind! Quatermass and the Pit was one of my favourites.
You can't have a list of classic 60s sci-fi without including the British sci-fi classic The Day The Earth Caught Fire. Written and directed by Val Guest ( Quatermass Experiment, Quatermass 2). It's a gripping story of nuclear bomb testing going wrong
This was also an excellent and scary film. Leo McKern, and all. Considering that it's been 93-100 degrees F. in Tokyo almost every day of the last two months, 5-10 degrees above normal day after day, night after night, an appropriate film to watch now.
Terrific list! Glad to see Crack in the World get some recognition! When I was a child, I was lucky to see Fantastic Voyage, First Men in the Moon, Mysterious Island, and Robinson Crusoe on Mars. My Dad was as much of a science fiction fan as I have become and was happy to take me and my older brother to see these! I would add The Power (1968, produced by George Pal, directed by Byron Haskin) and The Satan Bug (1965, produced and directed by John Sturges with an appearance by James Doohan).
Subscribed. Luckily, I had the opportunity to enjoy many of these hidden gems. Thank you for also including the written source of the hidden gems inspiration. These films are very much a part of me. Such wonderful and chilling memories.
Another I would add would be Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969). It was produced by Gerry Anderson of British Sci Fi fame including the Supermarionation shows of the 1960s. It stars Roy (TVs The Invaders) Thinnes and includes incredibly detailed model work and nice cinematography. Some of the props and set items would later be used in the Anderson produced live action Sci Fi TV classics UFO and Space:1999.
The theory/fantasy that a second, almost identical Earth existed directly opposite us, hidden by the sun was disproved because the effect of its gravity on the sun, if it existed would have revealed its existence. (Great movie nonetheless; I've been a Roy Thinnes fan since his TV series "The Invaders.")
Glad you included 'Day Of The Triffids', and 'Crack In The World', as these are vastly underrated, sci-fi/horror films. The best one you selected, is also one of my favorites: 'Five Million Years To Earth'. Unbelievably intelligent, science fiction story. Yes, one of Hammer's best, sci-fi/horror films🎞️, if not, THE BEST. My personal fav, sci-fi/horror movie: 'The Giant Gila Monster' 🦎(1959)☺️!!!
15:26 So very many favorites from my middle school and high school years. IIRC, Quatermass and the Pit was also shown as Five Million Years to Earth on tv.
Quatermass and the pit was originally made by the BBC as a black and white TV series, the film follows the story line faithfully and is my favourite Quatermass film.
It used to come on the TV at Grandma's just as we were leaving to go home. Young me thought it looked fascinating but the adults were against me watching it!
Glad you singled out The Illustrated Man for paise, I have always felt this was an unjustly underrated film, beyond the intrigue of it`s premise it has wonderful photography, a great Jerry Goldsmith score, and the all too rare cinematic pairing of the charismatic Claire Bloom and Rod Steiger.
5 Million, but who's counting? The label on my blu-ray's box has the US title and poster on one side...and the British "Quatermass and the Pit" cover on the reverse!
William Tuttle won an honorary Academy Award for Best Makeup working on 7 Faces of Dr. Lao. The key to "getting past" the yellow face aspect is to put the film into its historical context/time period. That way, viewers can still enjoy films of earlier eras while understanding that society has evolved.
@richarddixon7855 The film suggested Lao's ching-chong dialect was a deliberate affectation to mislead people into thinking him harmless, as he spoke in perfect English several times in the movie.
@@richarddixon7855 Absolutely agree with you. The dragon that grew as it rained, and the Medusa turning one of the lead characters into a statue were creepy when I saw this as a kid. "Stoned again! ", cackled a cow poke as he saw the results of this...
Here in Brazil 🇧🇷, Globo TV Network had a popular program called Sessão da Tarde (Afternoon’s Season) … that program is part of the childhood and adolescence of 2 generations of Brazilians. With that programming I had contact with a lot of cinema gems like The Planet Of The Apes (The Five Original Movies) and four movies presented here: First Men In The Moon, Robson Crusoe On Mars, Mysterious Island & Fantastic Voyage. What a wonderful time of my life! Ah: about Village of Dammed - I could swear it was a John Carpenter movie! Now I know Carpenter movie was a remake. You have my thankfulness. 😊
Thank you. Illustrated Man is a favorite of mine forever. The 50s and 60s really were the golden age of Sci fi, with a charm that cannot be duplicated today. Also, a must-watch is 1957's The Gamma People. Thoroughly Entertaining from Beginning to end, and Island of Terror (1966), with Edward Judd, Peter Cushing and Carol Grey. It's a knuckle-biter, with brilliantly witty dialog, especially the banter between Judd and Grey.
Village of the Damned, and Mysterious Island were favorite of mine when I was kid. I remember watching them with my family on Saturday afternoons while eating popcorn that my dad had made.
Great list, I've seen all of these as a kid...and have the DVD of Fantastic Voyage, First men in the Moon, Quatermass and the Pit, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, and Day of the Triffids. PLUS, I'm a model builder, and just finished the spacecraft from Robinson Crusoe on Mars!
Excellent list and reminder to rewatch so many of my favorites, and a few I've never seen yet. I'd add John Frankenheimer's Seconds. It's amazing how these movies really leave an impression. The Fifties through Seventies was really the golden age of sci fi, but I think that the Sixties had the most variety. Thanks.
I used to say that too, until I gave the 80s a closer look. Aliens, Bladerunner, Reanimator, Robocop, Terminator, They Live, Altered States, Predator, Alien Nation, The Fly, Scanners, Dune, Wrath of Kahn, Back to the Future, Dune, Lifeforce, Videodrome, The Thing, Buckaroo Banzai, KIller Clowns, Brazil, Time Bandits. The 70s had plenty of keepers, too, but for me the 80s comes out slightly ahead.
Great list with some of my favorite films: Mysterious Island, Quatermass & the Pit, and Robinson Crusoe on Mars. I would only add director Byron Haskins other 60s gem, The Power, with George Hamilton, Suzanne Pleshette, and the always memorable, Michael Rennie. It contains several of the most bizarre sci-fi moments ever filmed and a unique score by Miklos Rozsa featuring an unusual instrument called a "cimbalom" (which at one point actually appears on screen).
My God, forgot all about that one! (And I really liked it back when I saw it.) The only other production I remember where a character could remake reality was the Twilight Zone episode with Billy Mumy as a kid with the power. (Although Thanos gained that ability in the Avengers' final movies.) It was produced by George Pal who did so many great fantasy films (including the first War of the Worlds movie and Dr. Lao) and one scene featured his trademark stop motion animation. He started his career in the Netherlands and fled to the US when the Nazis invaded. His early "Puppetoons" are here on You Tube and def'ly worth a look.
I remember "The Illustrated Man" was assigned reading in my high school class in Literature in 1976. Loved "The Valley of Gangi", "Mysterious Island", "Fantastic Voyage" amd "Village of the Damned" on the Late Show in the 70's. The latter also creeped me out.
I saw "First Men in the Moon" several times on television when I was younger. I always loved that one. Also, Robinson Crusoe on Mars was pretty darned good as well!
……not 1960’s, but two films’ I’ve always enjoyed are, ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’, with the wonderful Michael Rennie, + Gort. Also ‘Invaders from Mars’. The creature in the plastic bubble still scares the proverbial outta me!
Day of the Triffids, First Men in the Moon, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Mysterious Island, Fantastic Voyage, and Village of the Damned were all movies I first saw decades ago and IMHO merit a re-watch. I don't think I've seen any of the others, but I'm now on the lookout for them.
Crack in the World is as good as any of the huge budget movies.. Robinson Crusoe still holds up today. More about story than effects.. and ALL of the Quatermass movies are great, especially Quatermass II (aka Enemy from Space) I saw it as a kid and it still haunts me
Too bad Crack in the World is scientifically impossible. The idea of a world-threatening hole in the Earth that ends up launched into space to create another Moon is fascinating to consider.
This list could not have been better. I was a teen during the sixties and saw quite a bit of sci-fi. However, I only saw a few of the films on your list and the rest are now on my radar for must-see events. Thank you. I find most of these movie list videos sadly lacking. Yours was succinct but thorough in that you managed to capture the essence of each movie in a surprisingly short expose. As the “Project Farm” UA-camr would say, “Very impressive!”
Great list!! One of my all time favorites is Robinson Crusoe on Mars! First saw it when I was quite young on TV. Then went years where I was the only person who knew about it!!
As a big fan of 50's and 60's sci-fi (When Worlds Collide is a 50's favorite) this was very useful. I've seen and liked half of this list, which means I'll probably enjoy the rest.
As a child of the 60's and a teen of the 70's, and noted film historian as an adult, I have seen all of these (most of them more than once) and you don't have a clinker in the bunch. Good choices, all worthy of binge watching with a jumbo box of popcorn
I’ve told friends for years about Crack in the World. I remember seeing it in the theater as a Saturday Matinee with my bff. It got me interested in the then-new theory of plate tectonics.
In “fantastic voyage“ the scientist being operated on did NOT discover how to make miniaturization permanent. He had the knowledge of how to control it beyond one hour, and they were trying to save him for his knowledge. Enjoyed your video thoroughly! Please keep up the good work. 😀👍
I cant believe that you did not have "The Creation of the Humanoids" that was made in 1962. This is a great SciFi movie. And it poses moral-ethical questions too... while also telling a love story.
Looks like the recent movie "Cowboys and Aliens" may have been inspired by one of these? I like just about any and all of the older films based on the stories of Jules Verne ❤
@MsAppassionata I know it as "The Trollenberg Terror", brilliant movie. Colin Douglas, who played the man who got possessed and did that really creepy look when he spotted the clairvoyant, played another alien-possessed man in Dr Who in the 70s. When he gave his creepy look in that, the director fell off her chair.
Great video and great list. Thanks for making it all about the films and not trying to show everyone how smart or clever you are, like so many other UA-cam videos of that ilk. Well done. The only films I would add to your list is: "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" from 1961 and 1965's "Planet of the Vampires" by Mario Bava.
Thanks for a great the summaries of my favs. Saw most of these in the theater 25 cent Saturday matinee. If are a boomer, none of these Gems are "lesser-known", and definitely not forgotten! One more to add, Vincent Price in "The Last Man on Earth" (1964)
That movie gave me nightmares when I was a kid. Unique idea and really scary for me at the time. Saw it at a drive in and couldn't easily go to sleep that night.
I'd add Colossus: The Forbin Project: such a great movie with a terrific ending.
Colossus: The Forbin Project was from 1970.
@@luisreyes1963 true, but it was filmed in 68 and was delayed. It has that 60s sensibility.
@@luisreyes1963 the forerunner of Skynet. lol
The execution in that haunted ne for years as a kid.
@@VincentMurphy000 The studio wasn't quite sure what to do with the film. Was it a political thriller? A science fiction film? Was it too "high brow" for the average audience?
Computers were nowhere near as ubiquitous then as they are today, and I bet anything they also believed there wasn't much of an audience. Additionally, there had just been a film with a psychopathic computer making the rounds (2001).
I saw all of these movies and so many more, so none of these were forgotten by me, or missed. When I was younger, I lived for sci-fi movies.
I still do, and I've seen all these, too. Some oldies like Bodysnatchers, Forbidden Planet, Thing from Another World and Incredible Shrinking Man, I practically know by heart.
Same here, my all time favourite is Forbidden Planet, so much so that I'm printing a full size Robby the Robot.
Yep! Happily. I became a writer, then a member of SFWA back in the '60s. 'Loved it!
I just saw Forbidden Planet last week at a revival theater: new 70mm print & killer sound system - I was totally blown away. I'll never forget seeing it as a kid, especially of course the Krell Machine. I was fascinated by Nielsen and his partner going deeper and deeper into Morbius' house - first his office, then his lab & ultimately to the Machine.
Fantastic! I envy you. Take your friends and/or family back to catch that. It's possible in 15 or 20 years walk-in theaters will be a rare novelty.
Thank you, *thank you* for including "Quatermass and the Pit" (released in the US as "5 Million Years to Earth') - I was really worried you were going to overlook it. It's not just a great 1960s sci-fi movie, it's one of the best damn sci-fi movies ever made! I love how it starts out weird when they discover the skull, and keeps getting weirder and weirder until an apocalyptic climax.
"First Men in the Moon" is another favorite of mine for many reasons, including Lionel Jeffries' performance as Prof Cavor; he took what could've been a standard "eccentric scientist" character and imbued him with a lot of humanity and vulnerability.
Because of its cheesy lo-budget special effects, "X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes" definitely deserves/needs a remake. (Would you believe the comic book adaptation was actually better than movie? There's a panel in it from the doctor's perspective looking up at his "transparent" building including someone travelling in an elevator I haven't forgotten decades later.)
BTW I'm fairly sure "Village of the Damned" was a black & white film; not sure how you wound up with a colorized version.
I was going to comment on Village of the Damned being black and white. The black and white made the film far creepier than the colorized clip shown here.
Dr. Cavor was my favorite role that Lionel Jeffries played. He was in so many movies but this one was one of my favorites.
I remember "Village of the Damned" being in color. when I saw it, but I remember their hair being less yellow that shown here.
Village of the damned was not shot in colour .
@@joestrike8537 I LOVE “X: The Man With The X-ray Eyes”. It stars Ray Milland in one of his later decent roles (Let’s not talk about “The Thing With Two Heads” 😄), and a young Don Rickles, of all people.
“If thy eye offend thee, pluck it out!” 😫
The Day of the Triffids and the Village of the Damned (Midwich Cuckoos) are both by John Wyndham. His novels are some of the best SciFi ever written. I can thoroughly recommend Trouble with Lichen and his best novel and one of my favourite books, The Chrysalids.
The Chrysilids is long overdue for a movie. Both Miswitch and Triffids have been done 3 times.
How about "The Kraken Wakes"?
Chocky too
Also a big fan of Wyndham's novels, including those he wrote under a pseudonym. And I agree with another commentator here - THE KRAKEN AWAKES would make a great film!
@@aadamtx I think wyndhams novels would all make good films.
That's a good list. I'd like to add two to the list: The Last Man on Earth, w/Vincent Price., 1964, and Fahrenheit 451, 1966.
Yes! Fahrenheit 451. Love that movie (from 976-CREOLEMAN).
The movie from my childhood is, "The Creation of the Humanoids" that was made in 1962. It has a few mind bending theories in it.
@@donsmith4833 Saw that movie back then when I was a kid. But it was the second movie that got me going that played with it. And I still believe in it and that was called Queen of Outer Space. Loved those micro skirts (from 976-CREOLEMAN)!
Panic in Year Zero is another good one
Love “Fahrenheit 451”. I was a fan of Osker Werner, and also loved his performances in “Ship Of Fools”, and “Jules And Jim”.
I saw "Fantastic Voyage" when I was around 11 year old. All I remember is Raquel Welch.
I was thirteen and thought it was great. I remember seeing, Triffids when I was fifteen, I was picked up from the theater when the show broke, It was dark out with lightning flashes, Perfect.
we all remember Raquel Welch.
Raquel was massive even in reduced form.
@@davidyoung8521 She filled out that wetsuit like few women ever.
And how much you wanted to be one the guys ripping the antibodies off her.
A favorite of mine is the British film “The Day The Earth Caught Fire”. It’s a doomsday story about how nuclear tests have altered the rotation of the Earth, causing it to spiral toward the sun. It’s a worthy addition to your list.
Another excellent '60s Brit-Fi movie!
The male lead was extremely well acted. Peter Stenning, able to crack wise even as the world comes unglued. And it leaves us with a wonderful cliff hanger, we never know if they survived or died.
@@PeterNebelungI agree, brilliant movie. The actor was Edward Judd, who played Bedford in "The First Men in the Moon" and was also the lead in "Invasion". The latter is a tense and atmospheric low-budget gem of a sci-fi movie about aliens terrorising a small hospital.
He was also in the peculiar but enjoyable sequel movie to Hammer's "She", imaginitively titled "The Vengeance of She".
This is the one I was coming to add, I was just recommending it to some one today,.I even have a reproduction movie poster in my home office. The movie is on you tube on the BFI channel
my favorite actor in the film was Rumpole, Leo Mckern, you can't tell he's acting
I’m 70, and I remember so many of these.
i have many of them in my collection
me too on both counts
❤
51, and I do too :)
I'm 70 also, and own several of these and about 30 others. The RerunZone is probably the ONLY exposure I have on social media. It shows, right?😂
"First Men In the Moon" I first saw as a child in the 60s and did not see it again 'til about three years ago. I never forgot that movie in those decades since 1964 and it was a real treat to see it once again except this time in crystal clear color on DVD. Very glad to see it on your list 👍🏻
He did have such a bad cold 🤣
@@57RickH There was also an excellent adaptation of the novel made by the BBC more recently. Worth a look.
I saw it as a child too, but on TV and in the 80s. It's a great movie! 😊 👍👍
@magiclantern66 I love both versions, especially the line in the BBC version "Don't touch anything" Whooosh.
@@magiclantern66 The bbc don't actually make any of the programmes they show and haven't for years. They buy everything in these days and it shows with the ever downwards quality over decades.
I'd like to add Journey to the Far Side of the Sun to the this great list. Thanks for this post.
Also called Doppelganger.
Spoiler alert
When it was shown on UK TV in the 80s, the technician thought the last half of the movie had been reversed because of the mirror writing, so he flipped it "back". This actually made the movie more mysterious as we didn't know why Roy Thinnes was freaking out over the bottles in the bathroom.
I was so impressed by this movie in my high school days (early 1970s) that I named my Honda motorcycle "Doppelganger"! 😅
I saw it in the UK, as part of a double bill. Though it did have it's correct title of 'Journey to the Far Side of the Sun' and not the dumbed down US title of 'Doppelganger', which made no sense. Sadly the US has continued this theme of dumbing down film titles for US audiences. A slightly more modern example is 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', being called 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone', because WB though that US audiences wouldn't know what a Philosopher's Stone was, despite millions of US Americans reading the books before the films were made.
@@Thurgosh_OG It's the other way around. The UK title was Doppelganger, the US one was Journey to, etc.
One of the most egregious title changes was the 1955 Diana Dors movie, "Yield to the Night", a thoughtful, powerful and emotive film about a young woman awating execution for murder (not based on Ruth Ellis) which was released in the US as "Blonde Sinner."
Totally agree! With a screenplay by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, the creators of my favorite Sci-Fi TV show UFO, and Donald James, and in the main role the great Roy Thinnes (The Invaders) and part of the cast for the future UFO Ed Bishop, George Sewell and Vladek Sheybal and of course the great Herbert Lom (The Pink Panther). Adding the great music of the British composer Barry Gray, this film is a true gem of great Sci-Fi!
When I first watch Robinson Crusoe on Mars back in the 70's I was expecting a cheesy stinker, but I enjoyed it. I like being surprised. It's one of my favorite Sci/Fi movies.
I enjoyed this movie so much, I received the Criterion DVD of it as a Christmas Gift 3 years ago...at the age of 67!
I saw Robinson Crusoe on Mars at the theater in 1964, age 11. I was fascinated with the portable TV recording device.
Such a good movie.
I was 8 in 1964 and saw it with my parents at a drive-in cinema.
Great movie ☑
Crack in the world owes the idea to Arthur Conan Doyle and "The Day the World Screamed".
Also enjoyed Robinson Crusoe on Mars. Wonder if "The Martian" drew inspiration from it. And they owe author Defoe
The Illustrated Man is very good. Day of the Triffids-thumbs up. The Gorgon-YES. RC on Mars-YES. Village of the Damned-4 stars.
Day of the Triffids tv series in the 80s the closest to the original story
but its not science fiction
I’ve never had someone recommend me 3 movies I would want to watch, let alone 12. lol great video!
my niche recommendation is always Hobo With A Shotgun.
The Man With the X-Ray Eyes freaked me out when I was a kid.
I’m 69 and I remember all these, I particularly liked “Robinson Crusoe on Mars”it’s storyline of mishap,survival and aliens is something that could in the hands of a talented writer be revisited,what’s especially intriguing is the concept of slavery and alien overlords,I had wondered about why the aliens needed slaves when they obviously had the technology to build robots and why humans never encountered them (their spacecraft was definitely advanced and had devastating weaponry)this is a movie asking for a reboot..
At the end he tore his eyes out of his skull and screamed that he could still see. YIKES
@@tperk and his eyes were entirely black - his pupils had expanded to totally fill the space between his eyelids!
@@tperk “If thy eye offend thee pluck it out!”
Mysterious Island(1961) is a fun adventure movie
Seen most of these. I haven't been able to watch a meteor shower since the Day of the Triffids in case I go blind! Quatermass and the Pit was one of my favourites.
... If you love SciFi, then you should watch "The Creation of the Humanoids" that was made in 1962.
You can't have a list of classic 60s sci-fi without including the British sci-fi classic The Day The Earth Caught Fire. Written and directed by Val Guest ( Quatermass Experiment, Quatermass 2). It's a gripping story of nuclear bomb testing going wrong
This was also an excellent and scary film. Leo McKern, and all. Considering that it's been 93-100 degrees F. in Tokyo almost every day of the last two months, 5-10 degrees above normal day after day, night after night, an appropriate film to watch now.
One of my all-time favorite sci-fi movies in glorious black and white by the Brits.
A piece of trivia not mentioned is 'Day of the Triffids' and 'Village of the Damned' are both based on novels by John Wyndham :)
An excellent author-I read both novels.
Very good novel and surprisingly also a good movie. (!Triffids )
Terrific list! Glad to see Crack in the World get some recognition! When I was a child, I was lucky to see Fantastic Voyage, First Men in the Moon, Mysterious Island, and Robinson Crusoe on Mars. My Dad was as much of a science fiction fan as I have become and was happy to take me and my older brother to see these!
I would add The Power (1968, produced by George Pal, directed by Byron Haskin) and The Satan Bug (1965, produced and directed by John Sturges with an appearance by James Doohan).
I'd completely forgotten Crack in the World, I'm so glad to be reminded of it.
You showcase a colorized version of Village of the Damned the original black white version much more scarier.
The originals of most movies are better than the remakes.
My favorite for years has been Robinson Crusoe on Mars. If I could only watch the same movie once every week, this would be it!
Mine too.
I saw the film, Quatermass and the Pit, when I was a younger kid in the late 1960s or very early 1970s. I still love watching that film now.
Subscribed. Luckily, I had the opportunity to enjoy many of these hidden gems. Thank you for also including the written source of the hidden gems inspiration. These films are very much a part of me. Such wonderful and chilling memories.
Another I would add would be Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969). It was produced by Gerry Anderson of British Sci Fi fame including the Supermarionation shows of the 1960s. It stars Roy (TVs The Invaders) Thinnes and includes incredibly detailed model work and nice cinematography. Some of the props and set items would later be used in the Anderson produced live action Sci Fi TV classics UFO and Space:1999.
The theory/fantasy that a second, almost identical Earth existed directly opposite us, hidden by the sun was disproved because the effect of its gravity on the sun, if it existed would have revealed its existence. (Great movie nonetheless; I've been a Roy Thinnes fan since his TV series "The Invaders.")
@@joestrike8537 Excellent actor and The Invaders is a great TV series.
Dr Who, also very British
Glad you included 'Day Of The Triffids', and 'Crack In The World', as these are vastly underrated, sci-fi/horror films. The best one you selected, is also one of my favorites: 'Five Million Years To Earth'. Unbelievably intelligent, science fiction story. Yes, one of Hammer's best, sci-fi/horror films🎞️, if not, THE BEST.
My personal fav, sci-fi/horror movie: 'The Giant Gila Monster' 🦎(1959)☺️!!!
Fantastic Voyage was fantastic.
which also deserves a remake with today's cgi effects
@@joestrike8537 That would be cool to see!
@@joestrike8537 Innerspace
@@peterwinters8587 Yeah, that was the only "remake" needed.
@@joestrike8537
There's a rumor that James Cameron wants to remake this badly. Hope he makes it.
15:26 So very many favorites from my middle school and high school years. IIRC, Quatermass and the Pit was also shown as Five Million Years to Earth on tv.
Happy, scary memories! What a great list of oldies to go back and re-watch.
Quatermass and the pit was originally made by the BBC as a black and white TV series, the film follows the story line faithfully and is my favourite Quatermass film.
It used to come on the TV at Grandma's just as we were leaving to go home. Young me thought it looked fascinating but the adults were against me watching it!
Glad you singled out The Illustrated Man for paise, I have always felt this was an unjustly underrated film, beyond the intrigue of it`s premise it has wonderful photography, a great Jerry Goldsmith score, and the all too rare cinematic pairing of the charismatic Claire Bloom and Rod Steiger.
Ray Bradbury's novel of the same name is fantastic, and should be required reading for sci-fi afficianados!
My favorite line of Dialogue from "The Gorgon" is when Grand Mof Tarkin says "Good day, Sir....I said GOOD DAY!!!" 😂🤣😂
Wasn't that Willy Wonka?🙂
The one I remember most is, "How can you perform an autopsy on a body completely turned to stone?"
That's Peter Cusing, Grand Moff Takin was character he played in Star Wars
@@PaulHFleming Thanks 👍 I was aware of that. 😉
"The first men in the moon", "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" and "Fantastic Voyage" were some of my favorite movies I would watch on late night movie shows.
Great list! I've seen every one of these films at least twice. Note: Quatermass and the Pit also goes by the name 10 Million Years to Earth.
5 Million, but who's counting? The label on my blu-ray's box has the US title and poster on one side...and the British "Quatermass and the Pit" cover on the reverse!
@joestrike8537 Someone put a poster of Quatermass and the Pit on the wall of the gent's toilets where I used to work.
@@Benjiesbeenbetter. I hope that wasn't a comment on the movie!
@@joestrike8537 No, it was a fairly accurate comment on the toilets.
Colossus the Forbin Project needs to be at the top of the list.
its from 1970.
That movie was released in 1970. Missed it by that much.
That is a movie that warns of AI coming at you. Want to see the future, check out the sci-fi.
@@paulreynolds8245 For all we know that may already be the case. Who's the "they" everyone always refers to? Where does Biden get his orders from?
ITS Forbidden Planet
I love sci fi from the 50s (best sci fi era in my opinion) and 60s and I can't believe I've seen only one movie from this list - the last one
Robinson Crusoe on Mars was one of the BEST Sci-fi outer space movies (pre 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars) made!!! Highly underrated!!!!!
Robinson Crusoe On Mars(19640 is a classic
I don't know if you'd count this as Sci-Fi, but "The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao" is a forgotten gem, if you can get past Tony Randall doing yellowface.
William Tuttle won an honorary Academy Award for Best Makeup working on 7 Faces of Dr. Lao. The key to "getting past" the yellow face aspect is to put the film into its historical context/time period. That way, viewers can still enjoy films of earlier eras while understanding that society has evolved.
@richarddixon7855 The film suggested Lao's ching-chong dialect was a deliberate affectation to mislead people into thinking him harmless, as he spoke in perfect English several times in the movie.
It's called acting. He wasn't a Yeti either.
@@richarddixon7855
Absolutely agree with you. The dragon that grew as it rained, and the Medusa turning one of the lead characters into a statue were creepy when I saw this as a kid. "Stoned again! ", cackled a cow poke as he saw the results of this...
the still of the stop motion gorilla was mighty joe young.
Correct. I noticed that too.
Which was conceived by O'brien and completed with help from his young student, Ray Harryhausen.
Here in Brazil 🇧🇷, Globo TV Network had a popular program called Sessão da Tarde (Afternoon’s Season) … that program is part of the childhood and adolescence of 2 generations of Brazilians. With that programming I had contact with a lot of cinema gems like The Planet Of The Apes (The Five Original Movies) and four movies presented here: First Men In The Moon, Robson Crusoe On Mars, Mysterious Island & Fantastic Voyage. What a wonderful time of my life!
Ah: about Village of Dammed - I could swear it was a John Carpenter movie! Now I know Carpenter movie was a remake.
You have my thankfulness.
😊
Thank you. Illustrated Man is a favorite of mine forever. The 50s and 60s really were the golden age of Sci fi, with a charm that cannot be duplicated today. Also, a must-watch is 1957's The Gamma People. Thoroughly Entertaining from Beginning to end, and Island of Terror (1966), with Edward Judd, Peter Cushing and Carol Grey. It's a knuckle-biter, with brilliantly witty dialog, especially the banter between Judd and Grey.
Village of the Damned, and Mysterious Island were favorite of mine when I was kid. I remember watching them with my family on Saturday afternoons while eating popcorn that my dad had made.
"Crack In The World" and "Fantastic Voyage" are two of my very favorites of ANY 1960's sci-fi movies.
Great list, I've seen all of these as a kid...and have the DVD of Fantastic Voyage, First men in the Moon, Quatermass and the Pit, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, and Day of the Triffids. PLUS, I'm a model builder, and just finished the spacecraft from Robinson Crusoe on Mars!
Great selection Quatermass and Mysterious Island are my favorites
Crack in the World is one of my old favorites, along with Them! and The Monolith Monsters. Oh! And Quatermass And The Pit. Great movie.
Excellent list and reminder to rewatch so many of my favorites, and a few I've never seen yet. I'd add John Frankenheimer's Seconds. It's amazing how these movies really leave an impression. The Fifties through Seventies was really the golden age of sci fi, but I think that the Sixties had the most variety. Thanks.
I used to say that too, until I gave the 80s a closer look. Aliens, Bladerunner, Reanimator, Robocop, Terminator, They Live, Altered States, Predator, Alien Nation, The Fly, Scanners, Dune, Wrath of Kahn, Back to the Future, Dune, Lifeforce, Videodrome, The Thing, Buckaroo Banzai, KIller Clowns, Brazil, Time Bandits. The 70s had plenty of keepers, too, but for me the 80s comes out slightly ahead.
The early version of The day the earth stood still is my favourite science fiction movie
Me too. I much prefer the 1951 version. The newer version is nowhere near the level. (imo). 💁♂️
Great list with some of my favorite films: Mysterious Island, Quatermass & the Pit, and Robinson Crusoe on Mars. I would only add director Byron Haskins other 60s gem, The Power, with George Hamilton, Suzanne Pleshette, and the always memorable, Michael Rennie. It contains several of the most bizarre sci-fi moments ever filmed and a unique score by Miklos Rozsa featuring an unusual instrument called a "cimbalom" (which at one point actually appears on screen).
Love "The Power" and Rozsa's score and Arthur O'Connell getting walled up in his office! 🙂
@@creech54 Another one that somehow always ended up presented on a network night at the movies instead of Saturday afternoon.
My God, forgot all about that one! (And I really liked it back when I saw it.) The only other production I remember where a character could remake reality was the Twilight Zone episode with Billy Mumy as a kid with the power. (Although Thanos gained that ability in the Avengers' final movies.) It was produced by George Pal who did so many great fantasy films (including the first War of the Worlds movie and Dr. Lao) and one scene featured his trademark stop motion animation. He started his career in the Netherlands and fled to the US when the Nazis invaded. His early "Puppetoons" are here on You Tube and def'ly worth a look.
"Mysterious Island".... Everytime I see that giant Terror Chicken, I think "What a pair of drumsticks!" 😅
You did a nice job of selecting this dozen. So good, I've rewatched them multiple times.
6:07 I'm a sci-fi classic fan... Great choices .. .. I seen them all 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
What about my favorite, "The Creation of the Humanoids" that was made in 1962. Did you see that, too?
Grew up on these movies and loved most of them, especially the three with barbara shelly. Still watch them when they're on.
I'm 63. I remember ALL of these!
I remember "The Illustrated Man" was assigned reading in my high school class in Literature in 1976.
Loved "The Valley of Gangi", "Mysterious Island", "Fantastic Voyage" amd "Village of the Damned" on the Late Show in the 70's. The latter also creeped me out.
I saw "First Men in the Moon" several times on television when I was younger. I always loved that one. Also, Robinson Crusoe on Mars was pretty darned good as well!
……not 1960’s, but two films’ I’ve always enjoyed are, ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’, with the wonderful Michael Rennie, + Gort. Also ‘Invaders from Mars’. The creature in the plastic bubble still scares the proverbial outta me!
Gort: klaatu merada nikto
@@grammeatticus2172 ………actually, Klaatu barada nikto
What a wake up of sci fi memories. Watching these films in the sixties was everything from mildly interesting to very scary for me. Thanks
Day of the Triffids, First Men in the Moon, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Mysterious Island, Fantastic Voyage, and Village of the Damned were all movies I first saw decades ago and IMHO merit a re-watch. I don't think I've seen any of the others, but I'm now on the lookout for them.
Excellent choices. I grew up in this era and have seen all of these wonderful films. I miss those days!!
Crack in the World is as good as any of the huge budget movies.. Robinson Crusoe still holds up today. More about story than effects.. and ALL of the Quatermass movies are great, especially Quatermass II (aka Enemy from Space) I saw it as a kid and it still haunts me
Too bad Crack in the World is scientifically impossible. The idea of a world-threatening hole in the Earth that ends up launched into space to create another Moon is fascinating to consider.
This list could not have been better. I was a teen during the sixties and saw quite a bit of sci-fi. However, I only saw a few of the films on your list and the rest are now on my radar for must-see events. Thank you. I find most of these movie list videos sadly lacking. Yours was succinct but thorough in that you managed to capture the essence of each movie in a surprisingly short expose. As the “Project Farm” UA-camr would say, “Very impressive!”
Great list!! One of my all time favorites is Robinson Crusoe on Mars! First saw it when I was quite young on TV. Then went years where I was the only person who knew about it!!
Andromeda Strain, drops mike exits stage left.
Robinson Carusoe was always one of my favorites.
This is meant to be a list of films we may have missed. *Andromeda Strain* was well known, hard to miss.
Thanks man. I love these old sci fi's
As a big fan of 50's and 60's sci-fi (When Worlds Collide is a 50's favorite) this was very useful. I've seen and liked half of this list, which means I'll probably enjoy the rest.
IIRC it was only White people who were on the rocket to the new planet!
Thank you for reminding me of so many gems from my childhood.
Cheers
A comprehensive list, all legit "gems." Thanks for your efforts!
I would love to see this become a series from this channel!
Journey to the Far Side of the Sun was a fav of mine growing up...
Very good choices. Village of the Damned is one of my favorites.
Excellent choices. Too hard to choose a favorite amongst these, though Robinson Caruso on Mars is brilliant on so many levels. Thanks for sharing!
As a child of the 60's and a teen of the 70's, and noted film historian as an adult, I have seen all of these (most of them more than once) and you don't have a clinker in the bunch. Good choices, all worthy of binge watching with a jumbo box of popcorn
Great compilation RerunZone! The only one I DIDN'T watch was "Day of The Triffids".
I’ve told friends for years about Crack in the World. I remember seeing it in the theater as a Saturday Matinee with my bff. It got me interested in the then-new theory of plate tectonics.
"Village of the Damned" I fell in love with Nancy.
In “fantastic voyage“ the scientist being operated on did NOT discover how to make miniaturization permanent. He had the knowledge of how to control it beyond one hour, and they were trying to save him for his knowledge.
Enjoyed your video thoroughly! Please keep up the good work. 😀👍
I cant believe that you did not have "The Creation of the Humanoids" that was made in 1962.
This is a great SciFi movie. And it poses moral-ethical questions too... while also telling a love story.
'Humanoids' is one of the hidden gems of sci-fi! I am very glad you pointed it out.
Great video, so glad you guys had a great time. Have a safe trip home.
It's great to hear that some of my favorite movies are "hidden gems."
The Flesh Eaters (1964) was one of my all time favorites
I was worried that you may have forgotten Children of the Damned but you came through in the end Rick 👍
Great job ! Long live Sci-Fi
GREAT LIST! JOB WELL DONE!
Looks like the recent movie "Cowboys and Aliens" may have been inspired by one of these?
I like just about any and all of the older films based on the stories of Jules Verne ❤
I would add to the list one of my favorite reptilian critters, Gorgo, and the tentacular, Crawling Eye.
The Crawling Eye is from 1958. Close, but no cigar. Love the film though.
@MsAppassionata I know it as "The Trollenberg Terror", brilliant movie. Colin Douglas, who played the man who got possessed and did that really creepy look when he spotted the clairvoyant, played another alien-possessed man in Dr Who in the 70s. When he gave his creepy look in that, the director fell off her chair.
This is one of those rare "Greatest 10..." videos (in this case, 12) that I can agree with, and is worth watching.
Fantastic list! Never saw the "Gorgons" one, but each of the rest is a personal favorite, each purchased separately in one form or another.
Growing in the '60's and '70's I happily remember seeing MOST of these as first-run in the local theater, the Wareham.
The Illustrated Man is a fantastic movie. Thanks for reminding me about it ❤
The ending of The Man with the X-Ray Eyes is amazing!
QUATERMASS AND THE PIT AND THE CRACK IN THE WORLD ARE MY FAVES!!! AN AMAZING LIST! GOOD JOB!!!
Great video and great list. Thanks for making it all about the films and not trying to show everyone how smart or clever you are, like so many other UA-cam videos of that ilk. Well done.
The only films I would add to your list is: "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" from 1961 and 1965's "Planet of the Vampires" by Mario Bava.
I applaud your choices. Thanks.
Good selection. There's actually two I've never seen, and as an SF author, I pride myself on my pulp era movie knowledge.
Thanks for a great the summaries of my favs. Saw most of these in the theater 25 cent Saturday matinee. If are a boomer, none of these Gems are "lesser-known", and definitely not forgotten! One more to add, Vincent Price in "The Last Man on Earth" (1964)
1966 island of terror, a must watch
That movie gave me nightmares when I was a kid. Unique idea and really scary for me at the time. Saw it at a drive in and couldn't easily go to sleep that night.
Good list! Thanks.
A really excellent list of movies.