Suspending My Disbelief

Televised Terrors (1950 - 1959)

The decade of the 1950s was one of the most fascinating in the history of the cinema. Regarded as "The Golden Age of Science Fiction Films," it was a genre populated by giant bugs, alien invaders, resurrected dinosaurs and outer space adventures produced during a time of drive-ins and drop-drills. Yet behind the imaginative storylines and astounding effects were often subliminal messages regarding the general paranoia affecting so much of the nation, be it atomic age anxieties, social reorder, working women, environmental concerns, and The Red Scare. In Suspending My Disbelief the author analyzes 60 science fiction, fantasy, and horror movies giving so many Baby Boomers - including the author - nightmares after watching them on their 16-inch black-white television screens. Intriguing, involving and engaging, Suspending My Disbelief will take the reader on a wonderful, weird, and often wild ride through the frightening and fascinating world of 1950s science fiction cinema.

If you're of the age...

I was too young to see these in the theater, but in the 1960-70s I watched Creature Features late on Friday nights on black and white, late night TV. One of my earliest memories was Earth vs Flying Saucers. The movies made a great impression to my imagination.

This book delightfully breaks down stories these films tell. I don't know how many times I've seen The Thing from Another World, but I learned a lot from this narrative. Whether the films were great, like The Thing and The Day the Earth Stood Still, or really not well made, Robot Monster, the movies are told from an objective eye.

If you were tuned into classic sci-fi back in the day, you should give this a listen.