I watched this 1962 Genie Productions Science Fiction movie “The Creation of the Humanoids” on Svengoolie. After the nuclear war the remaining humans begin to rely on robots to get the Earth going. A human organization, Order of Flesh and Blood, fear that the robots are planning a takeover. The robots, which some humans disparagingly call “Clickers”, have a scientist experimenting with creating human replicas that have genuine emotions and memories.
The movie is produced and directed by Wesley E. Barry (child star from silent movies) and written by Jay Simms (wrote TV episodes of Laramie, The Rifleman, Have Gun…Will Travel, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. , The Big Valley).
The movies stars Don Megowan (Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, The Creature Walks Among Us, The Werewolf, Blazing Saddles), Erica Elliot (TV episodes of Ripcord, Peter Gunn), Don Dolittle ( Wake Me When It’s Over, Hawaii),
George Milan (War of the Colossal Beast, The Singing Nun, TV episodes of Death Valley Days, My Three Sons, Cheers), Dudley Manlove (radio announcer and actor, Plan 9 from Outer Space, TV episodes of Dragnet, State Trooper, Alfred Hitchcock Presents),
Frances McCann (assigned to MGM but never assigned a project) and David Cross (TV episodes of The Silent Service, Highway Patrol, Steve Canyon, Peter Gunn, U.S. Marshal, 77 Sunset Strip, Thriller).
The movie starts with a film on the progression of robotic design and the first robot shown is from the move “Earth vs the Flying Saucers”. The head of Universal’s make-up department, artist Jack Pierce (Frankenstein, The Mummy, Wolf Man, White Zombie, The Golem, Dracula) was responsible for the robots looks in the movie. Each robot wore uncomfortable silvery contact lenses which were furnished by Dr. Louis M. Zabner, an optometrist who pioneered the use of contact lenses to change actors’ eye color.
The Theremin (an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact), like music along with wordless female vocalizations were provided by,
according to the credits, “Electronic Harmonics by I.F.M.”. The movie is super low budget and it shows. Andy Warhol once said it was his favorite film.
I didn’t think it was awful, but pretty slow. The story was OK. I’ll give it 2 out of 5 stars. For more information read Wikipedia, IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.
