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Attack of the killer science fiction flicks: NMMNHS to screen out of this world cinema in tandem with its 'Sci-Fi & Sci-Fact' exhibit
Back in the 鈥50s, when even I was young, nothing could get my blood rushing, my imagination humming and the nightmares coming like science fiction movies.
What could be scarier than 1951鈥檚 鈥淭he Thing From Another World,鈥 about a team of Air Force men and scientists who pull an alien humanoid from the North Pole ice near its crashed flying saucer. Turns out the creature is a plant-based fiend, a kind of giant asparagus, who terrorizes an arctic science station until the good guys manage to microwave him. Pass the oil and vinegar.
Attack of the killer science fiction flicks
Then there鈥檚 鈥淭he Beast From 20,000 Fathoms,鈥 1953, in which a large dinosaur, cranky because it was awakened from its arctic hibernation by an atomic bomb test, makes its way south just to stomp on New York City. If he had wasted Nome, Alaska, I suppose no one would have noticed.
How about 鈥淭hem!,鈥 1954, the story of ants that are irradiated into giant size and picnic on people in the New Mexico desert.
鈥淐reature From the Black Lagoon,鈥 1954; 鈥淭arantula,鈥 1955; 鈥淭he Blob,鈥 1958.
My family didn鈥檛 go to the movie theater much in the 1950s, so I watched most of these on the black-and-white TV in our living room, taking cover behind furniture when necessary, which was often.
Those times were brought back to me in a rush a few days ago when I visited the 鈥淪ci-Fi & Sci-Fact鈥 exhibit at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road NW. The exhibit, which originated at Alamogordo鈥檚 New Mexico Museum of Space History last December, will be at the Museum of Natural History through this December.
The exhibit鈥檚 theme is the intersection of science and fiction. A video screen in the exhibit area shows a loop of science-fiction films and TV series such as 鈥淲hen Worlds Collide,鈥 1951; 鈥淭he War of the Worlds,鈥 1953; 鈥淕odzilla,鈥 1954; 鈥淟ost in Space,鈥 1965-鈥68; 鈥淪tar Trek,鈥 1966-鈥69; and 鈥2001: A Space Odyssey,鈥 1968.
鈥淎 lot of those were inspirational,鈥 Larry Crumpler, a planetary scientist and the museum鈥檚 research curator for volcanology, said as he watched the space operas flicker over the video screen.
Natural fitThe Museum of Natural History and Science is adding its own element to the 鈥淪ci-Fi & Sci-Fact鈥 exhibit by showing three science fiction films 鈥 1997鈥檚 鈥淐ontact,鈥 1951鈥檚 鈥淭he Day the Earth Stood Still鈥 and 1956鈥檚 鈥淔orbidden Planet鈥 鈥 on the domed screen of the museum鈥檚 planetarium during the summer. There are also plans to show a 鈥淪tar Wars鈥 movie in the planetarium in December.
鈥淲e had done some science fiction films previously,鈥 said Jayne Aubele, the museum鈥檚 adult programs educator. 鈥淭he exhibit acted as an impetus to do these films, but we might have done it anyway.鈥
鈥淭he movies are a natural fit for the exhibit,鈥 said Stephanie Lukowski, the museum鈥檚 new director of education. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something people can relate to.鈥
鈥淐ontact,鈥 which was filmed at the Very Large Array radio astronomy observatory between Magdalena and Datil, is part of the museum鈥檚 Thursday, June 20, Sally鈥檚 Night program, which is a tribute to late astronaut and physicist Sally Ride, America鈥檚 first woman in space.
Aubele, 74, said the movie is perfect for Sally鈥檚 Night because the protagonist, played by Jodie Foster, is a woman scientist at the VLA.
鈥淭he Day the Earth Stood Still鈥 will be shown on July 11. It鈥檚 about Klaatu (Michael Rennie), a space traveler from another world, who arrives on Earth with his imposing robot, Gort, to tell earthlings to be peaceful and tolerant 鈥 or else.
Lukowski, 43, who has master鈥檚 degrees in paleontology and natural science education, said 鈥淭he Day the Earth Stood Still鈥 is one of her favorite films.
鈥淚 used to watch science fiction with my dad,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 watched 鈥楽tar Trek鈥 with him, 鈥楽tar Wars,鈥 鈥楤attlestar Galactica.鈥 鈥楪odzilla鈥 may have spurred me to be a paleontologist. When I was 8, I was Godzilla for Halloween. My mother made the costume.鈥
鈥淔orbidden Planet鈥 will be screened in the planetarium on Aug. 8.
Crumpler, 73, has bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in geology and a doctorate in planetary sciences from the University of Arizona. He鈥檚 part of the Mars rover science team, communicating from his second-floor museum office with the rover Perseverance to do geologic mapping of Mars鈥 surface.
So, movies such as 鈥淔orbidden Planet,鈥 about earthmen visiting other planets, appeal to him.
鈥溾楩orbidden Planet鈥 was big, new and exciting鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou wanted to explore it.鈥
Besides, 鈥淔orbidden Planet鈥 had Robby the Robot, the forerunner of the Robot in the 鈥淟ost in Space鈥 TV series and R2-D2 of 鈥淪tar Wars.鈥 鈥淔orbidden Planet鈥 was also the first film of any kind with a completely electronic musical score, and it starred Anne Francis, who would go on to portray 鈥淗oney West鈥 on TV.
New ideas
Crumpler introduced Aubele, his wife, to 鈥淔orbidden Planet鈥 when it showed at Albuquerque鈥檚 Guild Cinema in Nob Hill. And they recently watched 鈥淲hen Worlds Collide鈥 on a streaming service.
Like her husband, Aubele, has bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in geology. She also has a master鈥檚 in planetary studies.
But she said she was a late comer to science fiction, being into Westerns and mysteries first.
鈥淚 was reading about Native Americans and history, and I was actually going to major in history in college,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut 鈥楽tar Trek鈥 was an inspiration and introduced new ideas to me. Spock influenced me to favor logic and scientific solution.鈥