Cast and Crew:  William Alland (Producer); Henry Mancini (Score); Henry Brandon

What It’s About: A naval helicopter on an exploration mission crashes in the mouth of an Antarctic volcano that houses a lost world of prehistoric dinosaurs and plants.  Can the survivors find a way to repair their helicopter before the expedition gives up searching for them?  What or who is it that the dinosaurs fear?

Why Watch it Today?: Although not directly named, Operation Highjump, the 1946 mission to explore Antarctica, especially the crash of one plane on today’s date, partly inspired today’s film.  While not a classic by any means, the film features some wonderfully goofy dinosaur effects and a lot of great 1950s “can do” scientist action, and it does feature one clever twist that I won’t spoil here.