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TRENDS
SPACE EXPLORATION AS ENVISIONED IN THE 1950s
("Atomic Avenue #1", art by Glen Orbik)
MORE: http://www.scifi.darkroastedblend.com/2008/11/travel-distant-worlds.html
MORE: http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2009/07/exploring-mars-1956.html
- LIFTOFF 1957-1960
- In October of 1957, the market for these books changed drastically. With the launch of Sputnik, the "space race" had started and there was a national call to educate our children about the new frontier. The strategic value of a missile base on the moon was candidly discussed and timetables for landing on the Moon within the next 10-20 years were put forward. The preparation and testing of the men who would go to space was explained in endless detail. Children were told "you will go to the Moon!"
MORE: http://dreamsofspace.nfshost.com/1957-1960.htm
A. Bibliographic scope
statement
This bibliography is primarily a list of hardcover non-fiction children’s books published between 1945 and 1975 that had significant “space art” illustrations (see the discussion of space art in the essay) and/or focused on manned space flight. Such lists are always incomplete but no other unified bibliography of these books currently exists to my knowledge.
However in addition to hardcover books the list includes selected soft cover books as well as other ephemera such as workbooks, play activity books and comic books. These were included based on their containing a significant focus on non-fictional descriptions of space flight. By the nature of the material (children's books) the fiction/non-fiction line is not always clear so there are also a selected number of fictional books included based on their significant focus on non-fictional descriptions of space flight.
MORE: http://dreamsofspace.nfshost.com/spacebookdraft07July-webpage.htm#1959
While The
Complete Book of Space Travel was aimed at teen and pre-teen boys, the
1958 book Exploring
Space was looking for a younger audience (still of boys, mind you, since
we all know that lady-parts get confused with all that science and math).
Below are sample pages from the book, including one that some little tyke got
after with a brown crayon.
MORE: http://paleo-future.blogspot.com/2008/12/exploring-space-1958.html
Chesley Bonestell
Chesley Bonestell
MORE: http://www.scifi.darkroastedblend.com/2008/10/grand-old-times-in-future-overview-of.html
Rocketship X-M (1950) was the second of the American science fiction feature films of the space adventure genre begun in the post-war era, in 1950. Because expensive special effects and production value delayed the release of Destination Moon, this black-and-white film was quickly shot (in 18 days) so as to be able to make it to the cinemas first. Unlike Destination Moon, this one delivers an anti-nuclear message.
It was directed by Kurt Neumann and features Lloyd Bridges, Osa Massen, John Emery, Noah Beery, Jr., Hugh O'Brian, Morris Ankrum, Patrick Ahern, Sherry Moreland, John Dutra and Katherine Marlowe. The film was scored by American composer Ferde Grofé. Instruments and technical equipment were supplied by Allied Aircraft Company of North Hollywood. The film is also known as Expedition Moon and originally as Rocketship XM-1. This was one of many B-movies mocked as episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
In the 1970s the rights to the film were acquired by collector Wade Williams, who set about re-shooting some of its special effects scenes in order to improve the film's look. The DVD release incorporates the re-shot footage.
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocketship_X-M
MORE: http://www.lileks.com/bw/scifi/xm/index.html
Flight to Mars (1951) is a Cinecolor science fiction film, written for the screen by Arthur Strawn, produced by Walter Mirisch for Monogram Pictures (which also distributed) and directed by Lesley Selander. The film features Cameron Mitchell, Arthur Franz, Virginia Huston, and John Litel as American spacemen, Marguerite Chapman appeared as Alita, the leader of the human-like Martian women, and Morris Ankrum as Ikron, the leader of the Martian council. The film has some similarities to the Russian silent film Aelita.
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_to_Mars_(film)
Conquest of Space is a 1955 science fiction movie produced by George Pál which depicts a voyage to Mars. The science and technology were intended to be as realistic as possible. The poster tagline was "See how it will happen in your lifetime!"
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquest_of_Space
MORE: http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_product_static.asp?master_movie_id=211&sku=335103
ART BY ROBERT McCALL
MORE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/x-ray_delta_one/3813545616/
The weekend is around the corner and to inspire you here is artist Robert McCall's vision of man exploring Mars, scanned from the October 1964 issue of Life Magazine. McCall did many illustrations for NASA in the 1960s as well the movie 2001 by Stanley Kubrick. Have a great weekend!
MORE: http://www.ultraswank.net/art/1964-vision-of-man-exploring-mars/
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