Cast and Crew:   Donald E. Keyhoe (Book); Curt Siodmak (Story); Morris Ankrum

What It’s About: Dr. Russell Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) works in the U.S. space exploration program.  When he records a message from a flying saucer he gets drawn into Earth’s first encounter with aliens…an encounter that, as the title suggests, will not end peaceably.  Can Marvin devise a way to combat the alien menace, or will humanity be conquered?

Why Watch it Today?: Today is Washington’s birthday, and on this date in 1885 the Washington Monument was dedicated, and, at least in the film, aliens destroyed it in 1956.  Earth Vs. the Flying saucers is a fun, straight-forward B-movie; the real attraction are the wonderful stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen.  The film was a major influence on Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks!, but don’t hold that against it!

Where to Get It:  iTunes, Netflix (Rental) or Amazon.com

Trailer: