Unknown World (1951)

User Rating:

4.0/10   

Director:

Terry O. Morse

Writer:

Millard Kaufman (original screenplay)

Release Date:

26 October 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Drilling into the forbidding depths of the earth!

Plot:

Scientists use a gigantic drilling machine for an expedition to the center of the earth.

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Subterranean | Nuclear War | Drilling Machine | Male Female Relationship

Cast

Bruce Kellogg	...	Wright Thompson
Otto Waldis	...	Dr. Max A. Bauer
Jim Bannon	...	Andy Ostergaard
Tom Handley	...	Dr. James Paxton
Dick Cogan	...	Dr. George Coleman
George Baxter	...	Carlisle Foundation Chairman
Marilyn Nash	...	Dr. Joan Lindsey

Also Known As:

Night Without Stars (USA) (working title)
To the Center of the Earth

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Lippert Pictures

Trivia:

Although Victor Kilian, as Dr. Morley, is clearly the star of the film, he received no screen credit because he was blacklisted shortly after completing the movie, a victim of the McCarthy "Red Scare" hysteria sweeping the country at the time. This was perhaps the only instance in Hollywood history where the leading actor in a film was deliberately not listed in its cast while everyone else was.

Quotes:

Andy Ostergaard: [Reflecting on the expedition's status deep beneath the Earth] You know once when I was working on the Holland Tunnel, I got cut off from my crew for ten hours. I felt this way then.

Low-budget and dated but surprisingly good

A group of scientists drive an enclosed vehicle into an extinct volcano and then bore more than a thousand miles into the earth. They're searching for underground sanctuaries in case the surface of the earth becomes uninhabitable due to nuclear warfare. This is one of those low-budget, black-and-white films from the 50's that you want to laugh at it, and while it does have its share of bad dialog and cheesy special effects, there's an earnest, committed quality here which eventually overcomes most of the obvious faults. Viewers looking for cheap thrills will be disappointed.