Phantom from Space (1953) - A Vintage Flying Saucer & Invisible Alien Thriller from the Atomic Age

A mysterious object crashes in California's San Fernando Valley, causing severe interference with radio and television transmissions. Concerned that the disturbance may threaten public safety, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigators begin examining the incident. Leading the inquiry are Hazen (Ted Cooper), Charlie (Tom Daly), Major Andrews (James Seay), Dr. Wyatt (Rudolph Anders), Lt. Bowers (Harry Landers), Wakeman (Jack Daly), Darrow (Burt Arnold), and Joe (Burt Wenland). As reports pour in, witnesses describe encounters with a bizarre figure. Among those drawn into the investigation are Barbara Randall (Noreen Nash), Bill Randall (Steve Clark), Betty Evans (Lela Nelson), a Watchman (Michael Mark), a Neighbor (Harry Strang), a Policeman (Sandy Sanders), a Police Sergeant (Jim Bannon), and a communications Operator (Steve Acton). Radiation readings convince authorities that the visitor may pose a danger. The investigation reveals the intruder isn't human but an extraterrestrial being. The suit witnesses have seen is a protective spacesuit worn by a humanoid alien whose body is completely invisible under Earth's atmospheric conditions. Without the suit, the creature cannot be seen, making it nearly impossible to track. Authorities launch a massive manhunt as the invisible, radioactive visitor moves through Southern California. The being becomes known simply as The Phantom (Dick Sands). Investigators conclude that the alien's spacecraft has been damaged and that he is stranded on Earth. Although initially feared as a menace, it gradually becomes clear that he is not deliberately hostile. Instead, he is trying to survive while searching for a way to communicate with humans. The pursuit eventually leads to Los Angeles and Griffith Observatory. There the alien becomes trapped as police and government agents surround the building. During the standoff, it is discovered that ultraviolet light can briefly reveal the otherwise invisible being. The alien attempts to communicate by tapping out a coded message, but no one can decipher it. Meanwhile, his breathing apparatus begins to fail as his supply of life-sustaining gas runs low. Trapped high above the observatory on the telescope platform, the exhausted visitor weakens. Unable to survive without the gas that sustains him, he collapses and falls to his death. His body briefly becomes visible before evaporating, ending the tragic encounter between humanity and a lonely traveler from another world. A 1953 American Black & White science fiction horror film produced & directed by W. Lee Wilder, screenplay by William Raynor and Myles Wilder, story by Myles Wilder, cinematography by William H. Clothier, starring Ted Cooper, Tom Daly, Steve Acton, Burt Wenland, Lela Nelson, Harry Landers, Burt Arnold, Sandy Sanders, Harry Strang, Jim Bannon, Jack Daly, Michael Mark, Rudolph Anders, James Seay, Noreen Nash, Steve Clark, and Dick Sands. Released by United Artists. Stock footage of radar rigs was used. This stock footage later reappeared in "Killers from Space" (1954). W. Lee Wilder formed a film production company in the early 1950s called Planet Filmplays for the purpose of producing and directing "quickie" low-budget science fiction films, with screenplays co-written with his son Myles. Working with most of the same crew, this was one of several early 1950s films made by father and son on a financing-for-distribution basis with United Artists and, on occasion, RKO Radio Pictures. W. Lee Wilder (1904-1982), born William Wilder (aka Wilhelm Wilder, and Willy Wilder) in Sucha Beskidzka, was an Austrian-American screenwriter, film producer and director. He was the older brother of Billy Wilder. Their father owned a chain of railway restaurants. The family moved to Vienna at the onset of World War I. Wilder moved to the United States in the mid 1920s.] He originally worked in New York City as a maker of high end purses, was successful, and by the time his brother came to America in 1934 he accrued a considerable amount of wealth and was living in a mansion in Manhattan with his wife, his young son Myles, and several servants. With the huge success of his brother's film "Double Indemnity" (1944), Willy, who was then bored with life in New York, decided to uproot his life and move to Hollywood to follow his brother into a career in film. He was the father of television comedy writer and producer Myles Wilder. Movie ad posters show the 'alien' cradling a prostrate female victim in its arms; this never occurs in the film; also, and red high heels shoes, up to bared thighs, standing over a dead' male victim. This shot also never appears in the film. This sluggishly paced low-budget Flying Saucer indie has no real action and is driven by interchangeable characters. Considering it lacks any real production design, the technical effects are surprisingly well-executed. Only those with nostalgic affection for 1950s B-Movies may find entertainment value here.