Unknown World (1951)

A group of geonauts consisting of seven fuddy-duddy scientists including one sexy chick take a trip down into the earth's inner core so they can find a 'haven' from the threat of the atomic bomb.Dark and ultimately boring, this little thing is at least a bit different. Victor Killian is the leader, but he looks as though he'd rather be at a Brooklyn Dodgers game. Marilyn Nash is the female on board the drilling car -- too bad we don't get to see her topless... that would have helped the movie immensely. Bruce Kellogg plays the shallow millionaire financing the expedition. About as exciting as it sounds.Directed by Terry Morse. Cave scenes filmed in Arizona.

There are various versions of this sci-fi wannabe floating around, stating it runs anywhere from 64 to 73 minutes--whatever the showing time, it's far too long, for most of the running time you gasp for air! There are essentially two sets--the Carlsbad Caverns (or as a stand-in, some caverns near Griffith Park in Los Angeles) and the interior of some contraption called the Cyclotram, sort of a large dumpster with controls and four leatherette office chairs with straps. Plot: Scientists have decided to burrow to the center of the Earth to avoid the predicted oncoming Atomic Holocaust.The titles on the print from one purveyor are jumpy and miss listing the only female in the cast--and one who has an interesting back-story: Marilyn Nash was supposedly discovered by Charlie Chaplin while playing tennis in Hollywood, and he signed her to a contract to play "The Girl" in Monsieur Verdoux; her contract was for five years, in which time Chaplin made no further films in the U.S. Miss Nash's Tinseltown buzz faded quickly and years later she tried to make a "comeback" with this Lippert Films release. Too late. It's pretty dull stuff, if not excruciating, and not even mild camp, unless you are starved for an underground adventure with few thrills, deadly dialogue, and forgotten actors.

The film begins with some stock footage about nuclear war and is part of a presentation scientists are making in order to drum up support for an ark, of sorts, to be sent deep within the planet. This way, in case we have a nuclear war, the species can survive deep inside mother Earth. The story, at times, is highly reminiscent of Jules Verne's JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH.When I rented this film, I assumed based on the box cover that it was a typical low-budget 1950s sci-fi/horror film. However, to my surprise, there were no bug-eyed monsters, alligators or lizards with cheap fins pasted on or silly masked ghouls. While it certainly did not have a huge budget, the film made a genuine effort to entertain, have SOME basis in scientific facts of the day and say something about mankind. While some might find this all pretty dull, I actually enjoyed it more than I thought and in hindsight I am glad the usual silly and schlocky monsters and such were missing. Now this isn't to say this is a masterpiece. Occasionally, the characters behave a bit silly--such as their needlessly bickering (which makes no sense for such an expedition) and the science behind all this is suspect (such as the lack of differences in air pressure, the presence of drinkable water as well as breathable air over a thousand miles inside the Earth and their ability to ascend at an incredible rate without exploding!). Still, it is oddly compelling and the acting (while they weren't arguing) was pretty good. Plus, unlike JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, it's nice NOT to see dinosaurs and other creatures waiting to greet our heroes.Final verdict--well worth a look and a decent time-passer despite some limitations.PS--This film is from Alpha Video--one of the worst producers of DVDs out there. Fortunately, unlike many of their films which are scratchy public domain prints, this one is a very good copy and is very watchable.

What should have been an interesting trip ends up as a rather dreary and none too exciting (despite filming in New Mexico's famed Carlsbad Caverns) slice of modest sci-fi. The main problem is not the cheap special effects (some are actually not too bad at all), but the characters. Without exception, they are a most unengaging lot. The heroine and Mr Kellogg are the only players that connect at all, though Miss Nash is often unflatteringly photographed and Mr Kellogg tends to out-stay his welcome. Otto Waldis, as usual, tries to hog the camera, managing to deduct at least two points from the film's appeal in the process. The other players just don't register at all. Blame Millard Kaufman's lackluster screenplay. This is certainly no Raintree County, let alone Bad Day at Black Rock.Despite his second-string cast, Terry Morse's direction manages two or three moments of real effectiveness, but in a 74-minute movie, that's far from an acceptable figure.