One of the weirdest and most fun films to watch. Hans Conreid. Perfect. Arch Oboler was pretty famous for his radio work - writing, sound FX, mysteries, spookies - and this is definitely between odd, weird and spooky.
Well, that was a strange one. I wonder what the people at Admiral thought about a slightly-modified model of theirs being used as an agent of futuristic totalitarianism. By 1952, Orwell's 1984 had already gotten plenty of attention, so they idea was not unheard-of. Nearly 70 years later, with everything from our latest TVs, to our laptops having cameras, and our phones listening to our conversations and popping up items we might want to buy, this seems closer to realty then ever.
Wow what a flashback! I saw this movie on TV in the late 50s or early 60s I was very young and it left an impression on me. I never saw it again until now (2023)❤
Weird and surprisingly funny at times. Love Hans Conried, and I recognize some of the character actors throughout. Also love the house - glad it was finally explained that the wife inherited it, since I couldn't believe a philosophy professor's salary would have bought it! And yes, Gloria Blondell is Joan Blondell's sister. The assistant in the tv shop is Vic Perrin, whose long career doing voicing cartoon and other characters also included being the voice on the original "Outer Limits" tv series ("We control the vertical, we control the horizontal.").
A University professor makes a decent salary (above the national average). Mine were all published authors, as well. Of course, it was decades after this movie, but I would think that the salaries were decent in the fifties, too.
I just viewed this with the wife. She read the book but never even knew of the movie. Now, her life is complete! LOL I'm still laughing which always happens when I see this movie. In the world of today everyone needs a good laugh and it's been way too long since I've seen this classic B movie. Thanks for bringing it back to the world.
I remember this movie. I have been looking for it since I was about three or four. I'm 66 now and this is the second time I am watching it. I don't know what it was a bout this T v, set, but to me it was strange and surreal. It seemed to have a mind of it's own, and that was the attraction i suppose. I have never seen television the same since. Happy to have found it after all these years. Thanks!
My microwave is bigger than that TV! 😂 Hans is one-of-a kind actor, with his unique style and voice. Some great video effects for 1953, especially the walking ….!
Cute movie! I've never seen this one before, it's good to see the old brand-names and styles again. Pretty imaginative for the day and good special-effects, too, I'd say! Fun to watch, thanks for sharing this. :^)
Pretty tough to keep watching, but overall worth it. I hope ya'll notice that even though this was fantasy when it was made, ALL of it is now reality. TV dialing your phone? Check. In fact, let's notice what else can dial your phone--- your car, someone named Alexa, the NSA, several people in Russia & India, someone named Siri, etc.
This movie creeped me out when I saw it, the creepiest part was the way the TV walks around and it's laser beam. I can see a remake of this movie with Kevin Hart in the lead role and the TV able to create 3d projections and use the internet as well as its other talents, like hypnosis and eventually murder, the movie Poltergiest stole the ending as well, about the freeman family freaking out about the hotel tv and throwing it out of the room after their horrifying night.
And Captain Hook in Peter Pan, and the Magic Mirror in Snow White. And the fisherman in The Fisherman and His Wife. His voice was so distinctive.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tLptmNi9wzo.html
Just the first minute had me cracking up!!! Best movie intro ever!!! Now I am hooked!!! Poppin some corn and setteling in for a unique fynny as hell movie!!! Who thinks this stuff up!????😂❤
Came across this little gem quite by accident. Interesting comedy horror. With pretty good special effects for it's time. Doubtful that anything like this would be made today though. Different times i guess.
Released at an age when TVs that looked like the Twonky were showing up in living rooms across America. And then began programming the masses. Nowadays we accept the programming as news, entertainment and ads. But the TV still demands our attention more than we interact with anyone else.
Then it was "mother's little helper" Valium. And still IS - mixed with antidepressants too. Drug people up & stick them in front of a social engineering machine like a TV (computer, cellphone) & you've got 'em!
Great to see Conreid in a lead film role, if not an "A" picture, but Oboler put Conreid's talents to much better use on radio in "Lights Out" and other programs a decade or more before.
It’s on RU-vid movies for free. I just watched it. It is bizarre. I know it’s supposed to be the kid’s nightmare, but some of the scenes were disturbing. Dr. Seuss wrote that one.
Ii'm an inveterate reader of movie credits. This picture is remarkable in that, to the best of my knowledg,except for Hans Conried, I have never seen any these names before; not the director, not the writers, not even the boom operator. Still, it's a delightful little romp. Very likely, none of those people I mentioned previously have ever heard of me either.
I checked his IMDB page. He was a panelist on Match Game, and on To Tell The Truth. Check his page under “self” for other game shows. TTTT was way before my time. The guy worked a lot (295 titles, including “self,” “voice,” “actor,” and more.
I love it that the offensively anodyne professorial propaganda “Individualism is the basis of all great art,” is struck out in favor of the arguably much truer “Freedom of self-expression is…” Genius!
The copywrite says 1950. Not 1953. Still as much fun as it was back then and, just as prolific and foreshadowing. Big Brother was the hidden premise and now, Big Brother is here!!
I think this film was an early attempt at subliminal messages… After watching it, they hoped (emphasis on ‘hoped’) the audience could only report “no complaints.” Lol
Well we know that this is supposed to be funny because the intro music told us so for 10 minutes and doesn't let us forget it. Then it comes back to be sure. The worst score for a movie I have ever heard.
