First Man into Space (1959)

The first pilot to leave Earth's atmosphere lands, then vanishes; but something with a craving for blood prowls the countryside...After being turned down by AIP, Gordon successfully pitched the film idea to MGM. Gordon and Vetter then signed on as producers for the project because of the financial success of their two previous films, "Fiend Without a Face" and "The Haunted Strangler". Because of MGM's financial involvement, the budget set for "First Man into Space" was slightly higher than for the producers' two previous films.While the film is not terribly well-known today, it is a great movie about space exploration before such things became standard. Indeed, who knew what might happen in space, or if the radiation would be a problem? The makeup and costume effects are excellent, and more than make up for any shortcomings from the actors.

*Spoiler/plot- First Man into Space, 1959. An test pilot wishes to be the first into the lower reaches of space flying his test aircraft. While trying he has to eject. While falling to Earth, he comes back to Earth covered in a metallic crust. He turns into a blood seeking monster but still seeks to get help from his friends on his airbase support staff. Drama ensues.*Special Stars- Marshal Thompsom. Bill Edwards, Marla Landi, Roger Delgado.*Theme- The unknown space is to be feared.*Trivia/location/goofs- English. Has good stock footage of Chuch Yaeger's flight in the X-1.*Emotion- A bit dated, but wonderful film of the era that is enjoyable to see. The duplication of the film's plot is in many of the other competing films of this subject matter. One of the better scripts of these test pilot films.*Based On- 50's space exploration lore and fantasy.

While the plot involves a man getting blasted off into space, running into a meteor shower, and getting turned into something resembling a golem carved out of rock and having a strong desire for blood, I notice something else here. There seem to be some references to marijuana. Aside from the fact that they talk about the astronaut being very "high", he says that he'll bring back the "dope". If only they knew what they were saying! As for the movie itself, "First Man Into Space" was mostly like any '50s sci-fi flick. Although what the Italian woman said seems more relevant than ever: "Sometimes you have to understand that people are more important than science." As it is, if I'd had a hubby like that babe, you couldn't have paid me to go into space! All in all, nothing special, but worth seeing.

A first rate little sci-fi story, told on a modest budget. Air Force office Marshall Thompson (star of 'It! The Terror from Beyond Space', and 'Fiend Without a Face') is the Earth-bound brother of an undisciplined test pilot who yearns to be be the 'first man into space'.While testing a new rocket plane, the pilot kicks in all his reserve power and takes his ship right out of the atmosphere. Please note that this not a far-fetched idea in view of the fact that the X-15 had special attitude rockets along the fuselage to allow it to maneuver in the near vacuum of the upper atmosphere!In space the pilot encounters a strange cloud of meteoric particles that smashes through his canopy and envelopes both his ship and his spacesuit-clad body in a flexible, asbestos-like coating. The material alters his physiology, changing him into creature that can survive in the low pressure of the upper atmosphere but NOT in the killing pressure at sea level.He returns to Earth as a hideous monster (good makeup), gasping as his lungs struggled with the pressure that he's now unsuited for. In his dazed and desperate mental condition, the monster commits acts of violence, using the razor-sharp edges of his rough coating to slash his victims flesh. While trying to track down the monster, Thomas and a scientist discuss the possibility of using the strange substance on the wreckage of the rocket plane as a heat shield for future space craft. Nice thinking, there.All in all, a film with more to think about than to laugh at, unlike so many other low budget 1950s films.