This blog was begun Sunday night March 29th, and completed the following day :
Tonight we knocked it out of the park with a movie called "The Brain From Planet Arous"(1957). The title alone gives you an idea of it's greatness, and after a single viewing I'm gonna place it in the Pantheon of Brain Movies, sitting at the right hand of "The Brain That Wouldn't Die". I found it in an IMDB list of public domain flicks. I'd never heard of it, which astounds me now because it's a freakin' classic, but because it had a Brain in the title and starred John Agar, I thought I'd give it a try. Agar is a name you can trust in '50s Sci-Fi, having been in the legendary "Tarantula" as well as "The Mole People". He was also married to Shirley Temple for a while, but that's neither here nor there. What was mostly great about his acting style was his high level of arrogance. Agar played characters that you loved to hate because they were so smug, and you got the feeling he was that way in real life, which made it all the better!
He's in Ultra-Smug Mode in "Planet Arous", where he plays nuclear physicist Steve March, who is working in an unnamed capacity for the military near the White Sands Proving Ground. I think he's monitoring fallout in the surrounding area following atomic bomb tests, because he has Geiger counters at his disposal as well as a device called a "Scintillator" that looks something like a blow-dryer. There's no mention of what it does, haha, but you can be sure it produces "scintillating" results! As the movie begins, Agar and his assistant Robert Fuller (of "Emergency" fame, looking very young here) observe an object in the sky behind Mystery Mountain (yes, that's what it's called). It shines like a star, descending slowly until it lands out of sight behind the mountain, where it's impact produces ground shaking similar to a medium sized earthquake.
Agar and Fuller drive out to the desert to investigate, bringing along the Scintillator of course. At a certain point, their path becomes impenetrable by Jeep and they have to get out and walk, climbing over rock formations on their way to the back of Mystery Mountain. When they get there, they see a tunnel that has been bored into the side. This tunnel (suspiciously resembling the Bat Cave in Bronson Canyon) hadn't been there before. Fuller's Geiger counter starts red-lining; could the fallen object have created the tunnel by crashing into the rock? Agar and Fuller enter to investigate, flashlights on, Scintillator at the ready.
You have to be prepared for what happens next, and I'm just gonna tell ya, because this movie doesn't waste any time. This will be a major spoiler, so read no further if you don't want to know.
What happens is that, as Agar and Fuller go deeper into the tunnel, they see a light shining off to one side. The Geiger counter is going crazy, but then........it abruptly shuts off. The scientists are armed, Agar points his pistol toward the light and says, unsmugly for once because he is frightened, "just come out of there. We don't want any trouble". After a moment of silence, we hear a deep booming voice : "Haha! You might as well put down your insignificant weapons, gentlemen. They will have no effect on me"!, and as we are hearing this, the source of the voice comes floating into view......
It's a Giant Brain! Well, maybe not a giant one. But it's oversized for sure, probably ten or twenty times bigger than a normal brain. And.......it has Eyes! Yes indeed, it has eyes and it can see you, or rather it can see Agar and Fuller (and probably you as well!).
The Brain introduces itself as "Gor". He comes from a Planet of Brains, out of which he considers himself the supreme intellectual. Talk about smug! John Agar's got nothing on this guy. As Gor makes his intentions known, it quickly becomes clear he's a megalomaniac bent on world domination. He kills Robert Fuller on the spot, burning him with radiation that Gor "thinks" at Fuller. Then he explains to Agar that he, Gor, is going to inhabit Agar's body and there is nothing Agar can do about it. Gor has chosen him deliberately after much study of the human race. His reasons are twofold. Firstly, Agar works at White Sands, where an H-Bomb is about to be tested. "I will use you to conquer humanity"!, he boasts. Gor's second reason for selecting Agar out of 3 billion earthlings (in 1957 numbers) is because he's got an attractive fiancee (Joyce Meadows). Yep, ol' Gor is a hot blooded Brain. He tells Agar that there are no such pleasures on his planet. He can't wait to get his hands on Meadows, which he can only do through Agar himself.
Agar returns home late that night, acting "formal" and half-zombified as people do in these movies when they've been taken over by malevolent Brains. Meadows senses something is wrong but he assures her he's fine, before pawing at her like a teenager in the backseat of a car. That's Gor at work, naturally. Agar shifts back and forth between being himself and this "other" personality, until he's mostly Gor and by now, Meadows is afraid of him. Also, unbeknownst to her, he's walked out into the desert that night and blown up an airplane in the sky, just by "thinking" at it. He gets a big kick out of this, a warmup to his much bigger plan at the atomic test site.
Meadows becomes so scared of him that she calls her Dad to intervene. He comes over and has a talk with Agar, who smugly reassures him that everything's okay. This seems to pacify the father, who explains to Meadows that "it's probably just stress. He's got a lot of responsibility with this big bomb test coming up". But then........another Brain shows up! This Brain is named Val, a Good Brain who has tracked Gor to Earth and is now prepared to stop his Evil Quest to rule the planet. Val explains everything to Meadows and her father; that Gor - an arch criminal - has taken over Agar's body. Gor is exceedingly dangerous, but Val has the power to stop him, if an Earthling will volunteer his or her body for Val's use. He suggests Joyce Meadows, but she is terrified by the prospect. "It's got to be someone who is close to Steve", he says (meaning Agar). "Someone he trusts. Otherwise Gor will become suspicious". The father offers himself for the job, but Val declines. "He'd wonder why you were hanging around all of a sudden". Then a solution is reached : The dog! Yes, George the dog will be the ideal choice, as Steve loves him and takes him everywhere. He's also a big German Shepherd who can do some damage. Val will inhabit George's body in an attempt to kill Gor.
But how can he do this without killing John Agar?
This will prove to be a moot point, but I shant tell you the reason. Gor - via Agar - will soon hatch his Master Plan at White Sands, and I'll leave you to see that for yourself as well. I'm telling ya, you don't wanna miss this one. I don't care how cheesy it sounds, or how cheesy it may be!, "The Brain From Planet Arous" is not only one of the best Brain Movies ever made, it's also a Certified Classic of 1950s Science-Fiction, an accolade that has weight, coming from Yours Truly. It's got it all; John Agar, Joyce Meadows, great location shooting, scientific hardware, military scenes (meetings of Generals), a nostalgic depiction of '50s domesticity, and most of all........it's got Brains! Not one, but two! The production values are good, it doesn't look cheap (even if it was), the actors are invested in the plot, and the Youtube print looks like it was just released in the theater, shot in crisp black and white.
I loved this movie so much I'm gonna give it my highest rating, Two Gigantic Thumbs Up. Now, such a rating would also go to a film like Bresson's "Diary of a Country Priest", but don't get the wrong idea, haha. The rating in this case takes into account the type of film it is representing, but in that context, it is well merited. We struck gold with this one. ////
That's all for the moment. I'm gonna go for a CSUN walk, then come back and attempt to draw for a little while before seeking out tonight's film. Elizabeth, you inspired me with the beginning of your drawing last night. Is it a doggie? It looked like one, from the nose and mouth. I don't know what I'll draw yet, but I'll think of something during my walk.
See you later tonight at the Usual Time. I trust all is well.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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