209 - FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER and MISSILE TO THE MOON (1958)

The Bloody Pit

This episode is the second part of my discussion of the films of Richard Cuhna with author Mark Clark. We focus on FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER and MISSILE TO THE MOON (1958) before we ramble off into talking about the Planet of the Apes franchise. Staying on topic is difficult for both of us!

The cast of FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER (1958) is examined with lots of love directed at the amazingly villainous Donald Murphy as a descendant of grandaddy Frankenstein. One could only imagine what his character might have accomplished if he could gain some control over his libido. We look at the various funding methods used by mad scientists and the ways that suburban homeowners can somehow forget entire areas of their house exist! We also lament the lack of Jack Pierce’s contributions to the monster makeup and wish he could have returned after his work on GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN as the film’s monster look is oddly non-gender specific. As a science fiction/horror tale, the movie actually has a very rare pair of competent police officers, although their detective skills don’t mean they will live through the investigation.

When our conversation turns to MISSILE TO THE MOON (1958) we praise the excellent rock monsters and a few of the performances but struggle to find more to love. Perhaps shifting from original screenplays to remaking a not very good film wasn’t the best idea for Cunha and his collaborators. Still, there are things to enjoy in the movie, especially if you have a soft-spot for 50’s science fiction tales told with more enthusiasm than fidelity to reality.

If you have any thoughts about the four genre films directed by Richard Cunha [e-mail] is where to send them. We both love these movies and return to them regularly. With some luck the missing two can be rescued from YouTube by an enterprising Blu-Ray company soon.