The Doomsday Machine (1972)

4 hours ago 1

A poorly made cheap sci-fi throwback or a sci-fi crappy cult classic?You be the judge!

Directed by Herbert J. Leder, Harry Hope, Lee SholemWritten by Stuart J. Byrne
Produced by Harry Hope
Cinematography: Stanley Cortez
Distributed by Cine-Find
Running time: 83 minutes

Cast

Bobby Van as Danny
Ruta Lee as Dr. Marion Turner
Mala Powers as Maj. Georgianna Bronski
James Craig as Dr. Haines
Grant Williams as Maj. Kurt Mason
Henry Wilcoxon as Dr. Christopher Perry
Essie Lin Chia as Girl Spy
Casey Kasem as Mission Control Officer
Lorri Scott as Lt. Katie Carlson
Denny Miller as Col. Don Price
Mike Farrell as 1st Reporter

Trailer

A Red Chinese "doomsday machine" capable of destroying the surface of the Earth!

A plan to use the Doomsday machine within a matter of days

A manned U.S. space mission to Venus, ‘Project Astra’ taken over by the military!

Nearly half of Astra’s all-male crew replaced by women!But Why?

The Earth completely destroyed in a global cataclysm!

Is the human race doomed to extinction?

What of the crew of the Astra as they journey to Venus?

Read on for more.....

Spoilers follow below....

Image generated by Chatgpt

“Only Chairman Mao has the key to that”

The events of the film begin in China aka Red China aka Communist China aka The People’s Republic of China. An Asian female spy aka secret agent aka operative prepares ninja-style to enter a high security facility. First she delves into her spy-craft goody bag and extracts an essential bit of spy kit in the form of a …..cat. She employs the feline to lure a guard and his easily distracted German shepherd away by pitching it over a wall. (No cats were harmed in the making of this film!)

Having eluded detection by one single guard and a dog by means of a moggie and then vaulting a wall, our espionage extraordinaire enters the HIGH SECURITY facility. She then enters a locker room and dons a white lab coat, seemingly taking her sweet time about it. Suddenly a woman enters the locker room and is promptly dispatched by the spy, using the old ‘strangling-your-female-opponent-with-her-own-braids-move.’ After leaving the dead woman in place, the spy approaches an elevator, manned by an elevator operator.

When the elevator reaches the fifth floor, the door opens and a young man in a lab coat enters. Both he and the spy dispatch the elevator operator and a key is removed from his pocket. The key is then used to send the elevator to the eighth floor, possibly signifying that, man this operation must be really big! And what do they find on the eighth floor? A machine that looks like it would be more at home dispensing prizes at a fair ground or amusement park. And yet this is the dreaded….Doomsday Machine! The machine is locked in a cage made of red metal bars giving it a funky 60’s feel and signifying ‘Danger, Danger, Will Robinson, Commie Contraption of Catastrophe!’ The spy then does what all good spies are supposed to do and proceeds to photograph the machine and ensure the photos reach the West.

Back in the West, namely the United States at a time when it was considered as a good and trusted ally, we see three men with the Asian lady looking at the photographs projected on a screen. They must have taken copious amounts of valium beforehand considering their overly calm demeanor while learning it could be curtains for the Earth in 51 hours. One of the men has an impressive moustache while a second man is determined to look very serious and highlights this by using a very serious-looking pipe. The third man has as much personality as an inanimate pet rock. At this meeting of the chilled and unflappable, it is learned that “the device is suspended 700 miles below the control room” and that “the force of this detonation will rupture the faults of the Earth's surface and set up a chain reaction of explosions when the Earth's tension is broken.” (What?) How they acquired the intel on the time frame must have been based on the 72 hour deadline provided by the young man earlier at the facility minus the time it has taken for the photos to be transported and viewed. As to why China is intent on annihilating the Earth, that isn’t made clear. At any rate, the President must be informed as it is no doubt that he would probably be able to make things abundantly clear by viewing everything in a clear-eyed manner and seeing what must be done with complete clarity! Isn’t that what politicians constantly say they do?

“What do you consider unusual circumstances?"

“Anything we're not prepared for”

We now find ourselves at Space Flight Center - Project Astra during a pre-flight media briefing. Project Astra involves sending a crew of seven men commanded by Colonel Don Prioce on a two-year mission to Venus.

The mission to Venus will involve a voyage of 160 Million Miles that will take the crew four months to reach their destination. The entire mission will be for a duration of two years. Apparently this is a future world of 1975 and since 1965, the human race has had fixed satellites, space stations, space probes to the outer solar system along with a Luna landing and Luna base.

They may have “come a long way in space flight in the last 10 years,” while in the last 50 years we have so far managed to propel a few billionaires and a bunch of elite all-female passengers into space. And here we have humans in 1975 ready to embark on a mission to Venus clearly unaware that if they step on the surface of the planet, they will be squashed like a pancake, incinerated and asphyxiated. But heck, it was once believed that Venus had lush tropical vegetation. The Russians had a red hot go at putting landers on the planet with their series of Venera probes. Here’s what we do know about Venus:

Atmosphere: Venus has a thick atmosphere composed mainly of carbon dioxide (about 96.5%) with traces of nitrogen and other gases. The atmospheric pressure at the surface is about 92 times that of Earth's, which is equivalent to the pressure found at depths of about 900 meters (3,000 feet) in Earth's oceans.

Extreme temperatures: Venus has an extreme greenhouse effect due to its thick atmosphere, trapping heat from the Sun. As a result, the surface temperature is incredibly high, reaching about 462°C (864°F) on average. This makes Venus the hottest planet in our solar system, even hotter than Mercury, which is closer to the Sun.

Surface features: Venus has a relatively young surface, with evidence of volcanism and extensive lava flows. The planet's surface is dominated by vast plains, highland regions, and thousands of volcanoes, including some large shield volcanoes similar to those found on Earth, such as Maat Mons and Sapas Mons.

No water: Unlike Earth, Venus has no liquid water on its surface. The extreme temperatures and high atmospheric pressure make it impossible for water to exist in liquid form. Any water that may have existed in the past would have evaporated and been lost to space.

Retrograde rotation: Venus rotates on its axis in the opposite direction to most other planets in the solar system, a phenomenon known as retrograde rotation. This means that the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east on Venus.

Thick cloud cover: Venus is shrouded in thick clouds of sulfuric acid droplets, which completely obscure the planet's surface when viewed from space. These clouds reflect much of the sunlight that reaches Venus, contributing to the planet's high albedo (brightness).

Lack of a magnetic field: Unlike Earth, Venus does not have a significant magnetic field. This absence of a global magnetic field allows solar wind to directly interact with the planet's atmosphere, leading to significant atmospheric erosion over geological time scales.

The media briefing ends with the announcement that all unauthorized personnel are instructed to clear the launch area and that second stage fueling is about to begin.

“Even if you kept up with your comic books you ought to know what China's been tooling around with”

During the pre-launch preparation and medical checks, one wonders on what basis this crew was selected considering the sniping that goes on between some of them and the sense of edginess that’s displayed by those who are supposed to be able to deal with stress and pressure. The sense of tension and unease is further heightened when it is felt that the countdown and pre-flight procedures are being sped up. There is a definite feeling of something occurring that is out of the ordinary.

Soon enough any feelings of unease are confirmed with the incessant whining sound of military alert sirens and the fact that all leaves have cancelled and the base is now operating under martial law. That this is definitely not a drill or test is made obvious when the crew learn that the time of launch has been sped up and that half of the male flight crew are to be replaced by women. But why?

“There must be a practical side to having women along.”“You mean like having your socks washed?”

The seven crew members will consist of Danny, Dr Marion Turner (FL
surgeon and microbiologist), Major Georgianna Bronski (survival specialist and first woman on the moon) Maj. Kurt Mason, Colonel Don Price, Dr Christopher Perry and Lt Katie Carlson (computer tech and meteorologist).

With the earth facing the prospect of imminent destruction, a fact not yet known to the crew, three male crew members have been removed from the mission and replaced with three women. The rationale behind this decision is a desperate attempt to re-establish the human race on Venus for the purpose of reproduction. A rather odd choice for survivors considering that Doctor Perry is getting on a bit (but probably still qualifies for US presidential nomination though!) and that the biological clocks of a couple of the women are rapidly tick tick ticking away….

The good Colonel Price is about to suffer an ulcer as he voices his displeasure (one of many) about the change in personnel, along with the absurd, no – “absolutely insane!” - notion of sending women (Oooh, Girl germs!) on a mission like this. I mean, for goodness sake, what would happen to morale if the three women formed part of the crew? However, it does appear that any potential partner of Major Turner would be destined to be given an earful and forced to take up residence on the couch should he transgress in any way. Major Bronski comes across as a stereotypical Soviet cold, efficient and professional officer. Lt Katie Carlson seems like an eye-lid batting give-any-guy-the-eye bimbo. Oh God, imagine being cooped up with this lot! I’m sure that there is no need to worry “about the emotional stability of a mixed crew in deep space for over 2 years.” Especially with this crew that’s been so hastily cobbled together!

With the last minute change of crew composition, together with the realization that there is a military crisis (perhaps the “Big Rumble”) and the forgoing of full routine checks prior to launch, bad luck Colonel, you’ll just have to suck it up and get ready for launch.

“I got a feeling there's something more than a war involved”

During the Astra’s lift-off into space, Dr Perry experiences an elevated pulse rate and has difficulty with breathing. (What, no inkling of this would have been picked up during routine prer-flight medical examinations?) Needing pure oxygen, Bronski and Danny leave their stations to assist him. Of course, we’ve been set up for Perry’s likelihood of running into trouble with the frequent references to his age. Ageism has been and is still alive and well in many quarters.

It isn’t long before suspicions are being voiced that there may be more involved with this “cruise” than a war. The possibility that “Russia and the US and the Chinese are at it again” along with “China with her nuclear toys” and the “new device they came up with” is perhaps at the bottom of things. According to Perry, this raises the unbelievable but disturbing scenario that if “China did destroy the world there'd be nothing left for us to come back to.” At this point arrogance and racism combine to dismiss such an eventuality on the grounds that “those chopstick jockeys couldn't come off with the planet buster - could they?”

Potential parings and relationships are about to be tested. First, there’s young Danny boy’s obvious interest in Comrade Bronski. I’ll not even get into the ‘toy-boy’ and ‘mother-complex’ implications here!

Then there’s the sexually charged attraction between Mason and Kate. The latter definitely has a “speciality” and is fully aware of what makes things aboard the ship “tick.” For her they can cross off Colonel Price who is separated from his wife at present. Danny is but a boy and Dr Perry, being an old Grandpa, well according to conventional wisdom, he’s as good as being dead and not up to engaging in any rumpty pumpty with young insatiable man-eating Kate. That just leaves forceful predatory Mason whose dangerous animal ‘manly’ qualities seem to ignite something within Kate that can’t be had from the other men aboard. But being at present oblivious to the dangerous and true nature of the Astra’s mission, is Kate also similarly naively unaware of what she is embarking on with Mason?

Lastly, we have the predictable relationship forming between Turner and Price who at first viewed each other with animosity. Both discuss the situation aboard the Astra agreeing that it was the result of “a joint recommendation of the National Security committee and the scientific Advisory Board” and that “the president had to act before the Astra was launched so in case the world did end they figured a few people like you and me could do a rerun on Adam and Eve.” Oh, and by the way, according to Price, Turner looks very pretty without her glasses. Well, that ruins it for bespectacled women the world over!

Meanwhile, poor Bronski winds up yet again being weedled over Soviet short-comings especially over the Russian space program and “those Russian ghost ships supposedly involving “an early Venus probe that was lost in space". There is a question mark over whether it was unmanned or not. The Soviets did indeed like to keep secrets and often would be less than forthcoming with the truth, while the Americans loved nothing better than to wave an admonishing self-righteous finger at their geo-political adversaries. Yes indeed. politics does tend to get mixed in with everything and it seems like nothing much ever really changes.

“We're the lucky ones. at least we have a tomorrow”

It isn’t long before the worst thing that the crew or anyone else feared actually happens - “nuclear chain reaction” resulting in the destruction of Earth. The activation of the Doomsday Machine apparently has done its work resulting in elevated levels of radiation as well as “Earth fragments, great broken masses of land hurtling toward us at meteoric speed!” As the meteors head toward the Astra, a course change will need to occur along with installation of radiation shielding in the form of what looks like some ugly block-out drapery.

People do respond to and try to process crises in different ways and the crew of the Astra are no exception. Initially, Kate goes into a kind of incoherent hysteria. Kurt Mason loses all semblance of self-control and hysterically and repeatedly shouts, “I want to live!” Young Danny just sits there unresponsive in a brief catatonic state. Outwardly, Bronski appears to be “very calm” which she attributes to her “years of training.” This is like holding a red rag to a bull and immediately we have the good old free West v’s State controlled Communist Russia comparison. We are meant to be appalled at the notion that someone could become an astronaut simply because they excelled in science at University and were directed by the state to be a part of the space program and not simply because they might have been interested in it. As to a lack of freedom of choice and the right to question such decisions, in the West it seems that for decades women were not as free to “follow the same professions as men” a situation they were not supposed to question and simply had to accept! Go figure.

The four month voyage to Venus on this “Latter Day Noah's Ark” is not destined to be a dull one. Soon enough the drew of the Astra find themselves beset by the obligatory meteors heading their way. During the evasive manoeuvres, Mason unravels and has abandoned any vestiges of his training and has become something like an unhinged Bill Paxton character from the movie, Aliens.

With the reality of their situation laid out before them, the crew of the Astra begin to ponder what the future means for them. Kate has returned to the others and seems to have become somewhat bitter and sardonic observing that she had got herself “railroaded into a stud poker game” and that from being considered as he girl “who thought she had everything going for her” she now finds herself as “the future mother of a nation.”

The self-appointed elder statesman of the group offers up his observation that “the past is gone and that “every second brings us closer to a new untouched world; our world.” He concludes that they are the lucky as they at least have a tomorrow .” I do hope he has stopped to consider the likelihood that the new world and tomorrow will consist of a rather diminished gene pool resulting in something comparable to outcome of the the Hapsburg dynasty intermarriages and inbreeding!

Just to prove the old adage, ‘it never rains but it pours,’ it is discovered that the Astra has only less than two months to reach their destination and not four months. They cannot afford to increase their acceleration as it would drain their fuel supply and they wouldn't have enough to make the Venus entry. In addition, “the Earth's explosion has tripled the radiation out there and it's non-directional.” The crew can't shield it out and four months exposure to it will result in (in a cruel ironic twist of fate) sterilization. Danny’s hysterical giggling highlights the irony of their predicament. The crew is now faced with the horrible revelation that “the weight of a few people could affect the safety of a 50ton ship.”

After an altercation between Danny and Mason over the latter’s attempt to force himself on Kate, the crew assemble to hear what Dr Perry has to say about their situation. Due to the “omnipresence of all this radiation” along with “fuel and weight factors” only three of the crew can survive. But who will decide which three will be selected? The decision will be left up to the computer programmed by Perry.

Although it is not specified who if any of the crew had been selected by the computer, the result causes some bitterness and Kate describes it as “almost biblical” and a “ fine choice” on the part of the “fatherly” and “kindly” Dr Perry, in the role of some kind of “patriarch Adam.” As is the case with the Doomsday Machine, the important point lies in the use of and the potential consequences of using such a machine to determine the fate of human beings. If we allow ourselves as products of millions of years of evolution and accumulated knowledge and wisdom to be ruled by unemotional computer algorithms, we in effect become “machine worshippers.”

Kurt exemplifies the worst aspect of human nature when one is faced with a a stressful and tense situation, when survival is at stake and when the moral and ethical constraints of society are removed. He doesn’t care “what that damn computer says” as he’s already made his decision. Kate is there for his taking and for him it’s the law of the jungle in which “we're all animals,” where there are “no more rules” and where only the wielding of power counts. There follows a disturbing scene of the misogynistic Kurt brutally forcing himself on Kate. In the process, Kate triggers the airlock control and both she and Kurt are sucked into space. The film’s budget seems to have only allowed the application of red fluid around the characters' eyes to suggest decompression while the their weightlessness is conveyed by the obvious use of wires.

“How's that for a long Shot?”

With the exception of the five year supply of food concentrates, the crew sets about jettisoning as much weight as possible. It is then resolved that no-one is going to be sacrificed in order to save weight so “it's all of us or nobody” even if that amounts to committing suicide. The order is given to “hit the booster commit” and hopefully the last stage will blast free in ten minutes. But heck, nothing is ever that simple. A circuit's been shorted and there's a misalignment in the booster connect! Danny of course volunteers to perform an EVA to repair the problem knowing that it will probably be the last thing he will ever do. An attempt is made to rationalise away the inevitable by clinging on to the forlorn hope that the booster will blast free and Danny could use it as a raft. Being committed and unable to stop the sequence, Danny of course will not be able to get back to the ship.

Despite his youthful demeanor throughout, Danny performs like a man with a degree of maturity beyond his years. Bronski realises this along with his being deserving of her love for him despite the age difference. She exits the ship to assist Danny as he struggles to resolve the problem. More to the point she needs to be with him despite the likely outcome.

There certainly seems to be a hell of a lot of gravity holding Danny and Bronski on to the ship’s hull. Ever tried to screw and unscrew nuts or pry things loose in space without hand or foot holds or other restraints?

After repairing the fault with the last stage of the spaceship, Danny and Bronski notice another spacecraft that looks remarkably like an Apollo command module! The second craft is in fact a lost Soviet ship that disappeared and had been piloted by a close friend of Bronski, part of the mission referenced earlier.

“And now your journey will begin”

Danny and Bronski enter the space ship and low and behold, they seem to be clad in different spacesuits. Conveniently, we are unable to see their faces through their helmets’ visors to conceal the fact that the original actors were no longer available for the shooting of this later sequence. Even their voices are nothing like they sounded only moments before! Ah, nothing like a lack of continuity and a hope that no one will notice.

Meanwhile, back in the Astra it appears that the three remaining crew members are going to make it to Venus. One hopes they will give a moment’s thought to the sacrifice made by Danny and Major Bronski!

Now what follows inside the second spacecraft is of no real importance except that it offers the viewer enough time to go make a cup of tea or coffee and nibble on a couple of scotch finger biscuits (cookies!) And on and on it goes…...They find a corpse….on and on it goes….They are close to an awfully blue Venus...on and on it goes….Their craft transforms into a Japanese JX-1 spceship (Ishiro Honda’s Gorath 1962) ….on and on it goes…..until just before you lose the will to live…...

...... stentorian disembodied voice announces that it is the collective mind or consciousness of Venus and that during the span of its evolution their civilization has “witnessed the birth and death of worlds and suns.” It then sets about informing the speechless "Last of Man" that the Astra no longer exists and that the signal they had been following is a warning. If the humans had understood the message they would not have attempted to trespass on the Venusians’ world.

There follows the usual we humans have been bad – very bad - routine admonishment and therefore the crew are not permitted to enter Venus. Nothing personal of course except that we self-destructive nitwits have managed to destroy our place in the universe. But hey, not all is lost! The “Last of Man’s” journey will continue where something very great awaits them “beyond the rim of the universe” and now the journey will begin……..BOOM!….Whoosh!….The End

Points Of Interest

This post is the third and final one dealing with some Cold War association with China. The other two are, Battle Beneath the Earth (1967) and The Bamboo Saucer (1968).

Production of The Doomsday Machine began in 1967 under Herbert J. Leder's direction. the titles under consideration were, Armageddon 1975 and Doomsday Plus Seven. Production halted before the film was completed and lay dormant for several years. A lack of financing resulted in it not being completed until 1972 minus the original cast members. The unfinished footage lay in storage during the intervening years. Lee Sholem was hired to direct the new footage.

It was intended that the climax would to take place on the surface of Venus but due to insufficient funds the ending was hastily rewritten to be set inside a spaceship.

No your ears weren’t deceiving you as they picked up the familiar tones from the soundtrack of the 1950’s classic, Forbidden Planet (1956). Now there was a film!

The Doomsday Machine is a film with obvious sloppy production standards relying heavily on stock footage, NASA rocket footage, special effects shots from David L. Hewitt's The Wizard of Mars and is replete with numerous continuity errors. For instance, just how often can one spaceship change in appearance throughout a film? Then there’s the LONG final segment featuring the abandoned Soviet spacecraft that was shot after the unfinished principal photography without the participation of the original cast. Suddenly, their spacesuits appears to be different from those shown just moments previously. In addition, their faces remain hidden behind their opaque helmet visors and the characters now speak with different voices. The excruciatingly slow pacing of the sequence is merely an exercise in padding. At least it finally ended….albeit abruptly.

End Note: The ending of The Doomsday Machine had the usual admonishing voice from space telling off human beings for their destructive tendencies and how the rest of the universe cannot possibly tolerate their behavior and indeed their very presence. Usually there is some sort of judgement given and sentence being passed but also the possibility of a second chance only if humanity sees the errors of its ways and takes the appropriate action. Coincidentally my previous post similarly features a warning from space about the impending destruction or demolition of planet Earth by an unidentified alien power. However, there is no possibility of a second chance for humanity to redeem itself. Judgement has been passed, sentence given and our fate is sealed. Nor is there any possibility of appeal.

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Link to poem, WARNING FROM SPACE

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