Conquest of Space (1955) Movie Script

This a story of tomorrow,

or the day after tomorrow,

when men have built

a station in space,

constructed in the form

of a great Wheel

and set a thousand miles

out from the Earth,

fixed by gravity and turning

about the world every two hours,

serving a double purpose.

An observation post in the heavens

and a place where a spaceship

can be assembled

and then launched to

explore other planets

and the vast universe itself,

in the last and greatest

adventure of mankind,

a plunge toward the...

Rocket coming up, sir.

It's the transport, right on

schedule, eh, captain?

No, sir, they're late,

a minute and 33 seconds.

It's a minute and 34 seconds, captain.

It's not important, of course,

but it could be. In celestial navigation,

one second can be the difference

between life and death.

Gee, I hope they don't forget to

bring up the ice cream this time.

I thought I issued an order

to the effect that food

was never to be a subject of

conversation on the Wheel.

- I'm sorry, sir, I forgot.

- There are some men aboard

who are not permitted to enjoy

the food that you eat, corporal.

And unless you're anxious

to share their diet,

- I'd advise you not to forget again.

- I won't, sir.

The moon, Barney. A few days,

a month and we'll be on it.

Do you realize, sir, that I've been up

here a full year without any leave?

There are several of us

in the same boat, Barney.

But I'd only been married

for three and a half months.

I'm sure Linda will understand.

She's a sensible girl.

After all, when a girl

marries a soldier...

Soldier!

Ghost, you mean.

A robot spinning around the world

every two hours on a tin doughnut.

That's what you've been to Mother

for three years

- and what I'm becoming to my wife!

- Barney!

I'm sorry, sir.

You built the Wheel, and you're proud

of it. You've got every right to be, but...

...well, why me?

We were happy down there.

A little cottage right on the base,

she was just beginning to furnish it,

and you yank me out of it.

You belong here, Barney.

You're my son.

Space is your heritage.

I formally request, sir, that inasmuch

as service on the Wheel is voluntary

and I have never been accorded

the privilege of volunteering,

that I be granted permission to

return to Earth on the transport rocket.

Colonel, sir, there's a storm

building up in the Pacific.

A real 'looloo'.

Might be a hurricane.

Chart it and notify all weather

stations likely to be affected.

Yes, sir.

Permission denied, captain.

Somehow or another, I kind of hate

to see this job get finished.

It's like my cousin Seymour...

...he's a plastic surgeon.

He built a face

for an ugly dame once...

...which turned out to be

so beautiful...

...he fell in love with her!

So off she went with

the garbage collector!

You afraid this beautiful ship

will go off without you, Jackie?

Precisely and definitely the opposite.

Well, frankly, I'm...

I'm frightened of going, but...

...I'm more frightened

of being left behind.

For what you scared?

We build this ship, so we fly it.

And so we get to the moon.

Who's gonna guarantee

we ever get back?

I'm with Pete.

For a fat, solid year,

I been eating birdseed out of this

goofy sombrero with no squawk.

Now, let some other heroes

take it from here

This little guinea pig ain't going

on no more joy-hops

for the great Colonel Merritt

And if old space-happy

thinks otherwise...

- ...he can take his ship and...

- And what, Sergeant Siegle?

Sergeant Siegle just left, sir.

Roy! Secure that cable!

I... I...can't...move a finger.

Careful.

Watch out, the high voltage!

Grab it.

- Are you hurt?

- No, but I...

What is it, Roy?

What is the matter with you?

I don't know, I'm... I'm...paralyzed.

Let's get him back to the Wheel. Taxi!

We've got a sick man here!

Gotta get him back to the Wheel!

All set. Shove off!

Are you feeling better, Roy?

I'm all right, I guess.

Yeah, I'm all right.

Let's have the straight of it.

What's wrong with the lad?

What's the matter?

You sick or something?

- You hurt some place?

- No, I...

I just couldn't move out there, but...

- ...I'm all right.

- You couldn't move, you say?

- Why not?

- I don't know, I... I just couldn't.

He's all right, he told you.

Leave him alone! It ain't important!

You know the colonel's orders

with you incubator babies.

Even a pimple is important.

You bluebirds are my responsibility,

and he's reporting to the infirmary.

Come on, lad, I'll take you meself.

Gee, it'd be worth

taking a trip to the moon...

...just to get rid of that

overgrown babysitter.

What is it, sir? I...

I'm all right, aren't I?

Of course, my boy, of course.

Nothing more serious than a

momentary lapse of nerve function.

You're fine.

You believe him, sir? I mean,

this couldn't make any difference.

It's been a whole year, sir, and after

all this time, I... I'd hate to wash out.

Well, I'd hate to lose you, Cooper.

Thank you, sir.

Let's have it, Kurt.

What's really the matter with that boy?

Oh, Cooper's in fine condition, sir.

Why, you gave him a complete

physical examination

only three days ago, major.

A perfect score, remember?

You don't have to worry about

that boy, sir, I assure you.

He was paralyzed out there, sergeant.

He couldn't move.

That's something to worry

about up here.

- What was it?

- Somatic dysphasia,

self-induced inability of the nerves

to transmit brain messages.

In your language, space fatigue.

- Self-induced?

- Well, not consciously, of course.

Each mind has its own limit

of endurance, at which point it rebels.

The result can be anything.

Simple hives, hallucination, headache,

loss of speech, paralysis,

total insanity, anything.

All of us up here suffer from the

same disease to some degree.

It is to be expected.

Man has never before lived in space.

Fortunately, most of the cases are

so minor they present no problem.

But Cooper?

Cooper will be perfectly normal...

- ...as soon as you return him to Earth.

- That bad?

What he experienced

was simply a warning.

If it happens again,

it could be permanent.

I see.

How about the others?

Andre, Imoto, excellent.

As for Siegle, Sanella

and Donkersgoed...

...every day with them, it is

a new set of horrible afflictions.

Some of them completely unknown

to medical science.

Furthermore, they all seem to have

an absolute loathing for the Wheel,

its commanding officer, its doctor,

a certain Sergeant Mahoney

and the Space Corps in general.

Everything...with the possible

exception of good food...

...and women.

In other words, they're normal.

Thank you very much, major.

What's the matter, sir, are you ill?

No.

No, I'm all right.

Carry on.

My Rosie!

Thank heaven science ain't found

no way to put you up in capsules.

The future Mrs. Siegle, Pedro!

How'd you like to paddle that

around in your gondola?

- For a wife, too skinny.

- Too skinny?

That's beautiful skin, boy.

Andre, what did they say?

- I'm not out, am I?

- Out of what, Roy?

The Spaceship. It must have a crew.

Now, look, Roy...

...the colonel hasn't told us

definitely we are the crew.

We don't have to be told.

We are, you know we are.

Every man on the Wheel won his place

after six months of the stiffest

competition in the world.

Each one of us were handpicked

from the winners for this special duty.

Who else is being conditioned as we

are? Special food, special exercise.

Tests, lectures! Watched every

second! Never any leave!

You fellows know how...

How tough it's been.

Now, just because I had a...

...bad couple of minutes out there...

That's funny, I didn't think to have

a bad couple of minutes myself.

I don't think we're going no place.

All right, so we built a spaceship.

That doesn't mean we have to fly it.

Hey, maybe we're guinea pigs.

Maybe they wanna find out how much

of them cosmic rays a human carcass

can absorb before we light

up like Christmas trees.

And at double pay,

I can learn to like cosmic rays.

With all that loot, boy,

I'm gonna open a TV shop,

settle down, marry my Rosie

and raise a houseful of kids.

So if I glow a little in the dark,

she could find me better.

If you get that charged

with cosmic rays,

you'd better not plan

on too large a family.

That's a lot of bull.

One of them cats in the lab

just had a litter of seven kittens,

and she's been up here

longer than we have.

And anything a cat can do,

me and Rosie can do too.

- Last call for dining car.

- Food!

One! Two!

- Shall we go, gentlemen?

- Yes, Mother!

Hey, Frank!

Ten-hut!

Be seated, gentlemen.

Mahoney has six little lambs

He has to watch their diet

They helped the colonel build his ship

And now they have to fly it

Peasants!

Dig in, fellas.

Space smorgasbord.

Say, pretty good today.

Corned beef, I think.

Imagine...all the nourishment

you need,

no mess, no bother and no waste.

I think I still prefer to eat the hard way.

Hey, Jackie...pass me a cup of coffee.

Cream and sugar.

OK, so I volunteered.

So I'll eat.

- What are you eating it for?

- Colonel Merritt eats it.

- That's a reason?

- For 30 years,

me and the colonel have been

banging around together.

Korea, Africa, China, now space.

If he intends to shove off

to anywhere else,

I ain't giving him any excuse

to leave me behind

because I ain't eating the proper diet.

Some more of that corned beef,

if you please.

You feeling better, son?

Oh...fine.

Mahoney, you know the colonel

a lot better than the rest of us.

- You don't think he'll wash me up...?

- Stop worrying.

If he's going off on an excursion,

who's he gonna take?

He'll have to ask for volunteers again.

Us?

That son of his?

I happen to know by the grapevine

that the captain has already

put in for a transfer.

So that leaves you.

So I hope you and the colonel

will be very happy together.

This ain't kosher corned beef!

So the captain put in

for transfer, did he?

Well, good riddance, I say.

He's a fine officer.

He doesn't measure up

to his father's belt buckle.

You know...

...I was with the colonel the night

he got the word the kid was born.

We were in Indochina.

We did a little bit of celebrating.

I remember the colonel,

captain he was then,

pointing up to the sky and said,

"You see that moon?

"That's his birthday present.

"Someday I'm gonna give it to him."

A balloon on a string would

mean as much to the ingrate.

Putting in for a transfer!

- This is a mistake.

- No mistake.

Compliments of Colonel Merritt.

- Steak!

- With mushrooms, yet.

Asparagus.

Go ahead, Roy...dig in.

Looks...

Looks delicious, doesn't it?

Go on, cut it. Cut that steak!

Man, that juice.

You were saying, Sergeant Brooklyn?

I was saying, Sergeant Imoto,

if it wasn't for a certain

fatheaded stool pigeon

just waiting for me to do it...

...man, I'd be lapping up

that steak juice...

- Watch out!

- Look out!

Meteor, sir!

Evacuate section 34 and seal off!

Switch to alternate tanks

and compensators.

Fire all jets...

...sporadic blasts...

...stabilize the Wheel.

Boy, oh, boy, what a fortune I could

make with this thing at Coney Island!

Boy, I'm telling you!

What happened to my...?

What happened to my turkey?

Landing crew ready to make fast.

All stations manned.

Let's go.

It's OK, Mr. Fenton. Don't be afraid.

You'll just float over.

Hiya, Johnnie.

Got you back on the milk run, I see.

Yeah. Somebody's got

to service this box kite.

- Brought you a visitor. Doctor...

- Dr. Fenton. Nice to see you.

The colonel's expecting you, sir.

If you'd like to freshen up first...

Thanks, later. If it's possible, I'd

better see the colonel at once.

Of course. Take charge of

the new men, lieutenant.

This way, sir.

Come in.

George.

Thank heaven they sent you.

How are you, boy?

A bit rocky, but all right otherwise.

- And you, Sam?

- Oh, fit as a fiddle.

It's against regulations

to feel any other way on the Wheel.

- My own orders. Come on, sit down.

- Thanks, I will.

I didn't know until a half hour ago

that they were sending you up.

You remember my son,

Barney, don't you?

Dr. Fenton helped to plan every

detail of this Wheel, Barney.

They thought we were insane then,

didn't they, George?

Well, frankly, I thought so too...

...but here it is. You put it up here.

You know, for once, the International

Authority has really sent up somebody

who knows what it's all about.

And since you are one of the geniuses

responsible for that...monstrosity,

would you mind telling me what it is?

We assembled this thing

piece by piece as it came up,

according to your

brilliant specifications.

It's a masterpiece of technology

and electronics.

But it doesn't make one

particle of sense.

- In just what way do you mean?

- Well, here.

Take these wings, for instance.

What in blazes are wings

doing on this ship?

- There's no atmosphere on the moon.

- The moon?

And this booster. All that power.

What are we gonna do,

go up to the moon, or going through it?

Or maybe we're supposed

to tow it back with us

so those bright boys

from every nation on Earth

can have a better look at it.

Is that the idea?

Working for one government

was bad enough,

but now we've got

all of them on our backs.

I think you'd better read your orders...

...general.

- General?

- Your promotion

is among these dispatches.

Congratulations, sir. A general!

Your orders, Sam.

And for you, captain, your transfer.

You'll be attached to Muroc,

I believe, as you requested.

You'll be attached to Muroc,

I believe, as you requested.

You can return with me,

if you like.

You can return with me,

if you like.

Mars?

Mars, sir?

George, this is fantastic.

No more so than going to the moon.

Mars isn't the moon.

There's a slight difference of...

...several million miles.

Not one word.

No warning.

Just...take off and leave!

It's just across the solar system.

I tell you we're not ready, George.

Why wasn't I consulted?

We only reached the decision

yesterday.

There was some

discussion about your age,

and, well, General Cronin

convinced the Authority...

And who convinced Cronin? You?

A long time ago, the Supreme

Council issued an order

A long time ago, the Supreme

Council issued an order

that the final objective of this project

was to be the planet Mars.

You were present at all

those discussions.

The moon was never anything

more than just a test hop.

Now the orders are to eliminate the

test and proceed with the original plan.

Time makes it imperative.

There's only one man who can

take that ship to another planet

and bring it back,

the man who built the Wheel.

To gamble the lives

of a crew of men...

To gamble the lives

of a crew of men...

...on as senseless a mission as this...

...is callous. It's stupid!

Stupid or callous it may

seem to be at this time.

It is not senseless.

Man's very survival on Earth

depends upon the success

of this or some future search

for a new source of raw materials.

General Samuel T. Merritt.

A very imposing title...

...for a tombstone.

The orders are naturally contingent

to your acceptance, general.

You can refuse.

When do we leave?

You're going?

I've never refused to obey

an order, captain.

I never have either, sir...

...until now.

When do we leave?

Our previous orders were

to leave the Wheel...

Our previous orders were

to leave the Wheel...

...proceed to the moon...

...orbit for observation, make a

landing and return to base.

...orbit for observation, make a

landing and return to base.

These orders have

now been cancelled.

We're not going to the moon.

Mr. Fenton has brought

us a new directive.

Our time of departure will be

36 tomorrow morning.

Our time of departure will be

36 tomorrow morning.

Our destination, the planet Mars.

Now, that time of departure, both for

the outer trip from the Wheel to Mars

and for the return from Mars to

the Wheel, is most important.

We must arrive at the Martian orbit

at the exact time when it

is occupied by the planet.

Obviously, the same precision

of timing applies for our return.

Now, you five men have been chosen

after intensive competitive

examinations.

For the past year,

you have been receiving

special training and instruction

for travel into outer space.

The ship, however, can accommodate

only two officers and three crew men.

I have been assigned

as commanding officer.

All other service on this

trip will be voluntary.

Since Captain Merritt

has already volunteered,

there are only three berths left open.

Two of you, then, are going

to be disappointed.

I can take it, sir.

Before I ask for volunteers, I should

like to state my own preferences.

Before I ask for volunteers, I should

like to state my own preferences.

You're all fine men.

Final selection will be made on

the basis of special qualifications.

- Sergeant Siegle.

- Yes, sir?

I don't think there's a man

on the Wheel

with less formal education

than you possess.

with less formal education

than you possess.

Yes, sir. I'm sure ignorant, sir.

Nor one with a better knowledge

of advanced electronics.

I should like to have you along.

Sergeant Imoto...

...you're a graduate of

Osaka University,

with two years of postgraduate work

at the Colorado School of Mines.

That knowledge is valuable.

Sergeant Fodor, two years of

medicine in Vienna, right?

You're both needed.

Before any of you accept, I should

like to make it unmistakably clear...

Before any of you accept, I should

like to make it unmistakably clear...

...that the dangers of this journey

are above and beyond anything

that the Space Corps

or your own governments

have any right to ask of you.

I can give you confounded little reason

for this attempt to reach Mars...

I can give you confounded little reason

for this attempt to reach Mars...

...and no assurance at all

that it will even be successful.

It's my personal conviction that no

one but an idiot would volunteer.

And I shall strongly suspect

the sanity of anyone who does.

All right.

We've all got it straight.

Who wants to go?

Is it permitted to disagree

with the general, sir?

Of course, sergeant.

In my humble opinion, sir, there is

an excellent reason for this voyage.

Well, suppose you tell us about it.

Some years ago, my country

chose to fight a terrible war.

It was bad. I do not defend it.

But there were reasons.

Somehow those reasons

are never spoken of.

To the Western world at that time,

Japan was a fairy-book nation.

Little people living in a strange

land of rice-paper houses.

Little people living in a strange

land of rice-paper houses.

People who had almost no furniture...

...who sat on the floor

and ate with chopsticks.

The quaint houses of rice paper, sir,

they were made of paper because

there was no other material available.

And the winters in Japan are

as cold as they are in Boston.

And the chopsticks?

There was no metal for forks

and knives and spoons,

where slivers of wood could suffice.

So it was with the little

people of Japan,

So it was with the little

people of Japan,

little as I am now.

Because for countless generations,

we have not been able to produce

the food to make us bigger.

Japan's yesterday will be

the world's tomorrow.

Too many people and too little land.

That is why I say, sir, there is

urgent need for us to reach Mars...

...to provide the resources

the human race will need...

...if they are to survive.

That is also why I am most grateful

to be found acceptable, sir.

I volunteer.

Thank you, Sergeant Imoto.

You're not a little man.

Anyone else?

Look, general, sir...

...you wouldn't want these helpless

infants along on a mission like this.

...you wouldn't want these helpless

infants along on a mission like this.

Now, a couple of tough old

soldiers like ourselves...

Now, a couple of tough old

soldiers like ourselves...

You're not going, Mahoney.

I'm within me rights

to demand a reason.

You're 20 years too old.

Too old?

I am three months younger

than you, Sam Merritt,

and with twice the endurance.

Who was it carried you

on his back for seven miles

after the battle of Bloody Hill in 1952,

on his back for seven miles

after the battle of Bloody Hill in 1952,

when all the breath you had left in you

wasn't enough to blow out a candle

when all the breath you had left in you

wasn't enough to blow out a candle

- in a Halloween pumpkin!

- Now, I said no, Mahoney.

Now, you angled your way onto

this Wheel against my specific orders,

and you're not gonna

bull your way onto the Spaceship.

And if you say another word,

I'm gonna have you thrown

into solitary for a month.

And tied to a wheelchair

when you get out.

I'll go, sir.

Well, sir...

Well, I'd hate to see everybody eat

with chopsticks, so... Check!

To you men, our thanks,

for your patience

and all your sacrifices.

The Earth rocket leaves in two hours.

Get packed, huh?

The Earth rocket leaves in two hours.

Get packed, huh?

Dismissed.

- Speechmaker.

- Chopstick.

Get down in front!

I'm mad about a sheik

I must have his embrace

When he's near me

Dear me

I'll tell him to his face

Oh, Ali Baba, be my baby

Take me by the hand

Maybe we'll make love, huh, maybe

On the desert sand

Come into my tent

No.

- We couldn't have that kind of luck.

- Ali Baba, sell your harem

- We couldn't have that kind of luck.

- Ali Baba, sell your harem

Why pay all that rent?

- Or could we?

- Send your harem, harum-scarum

- After all, if there's life...

- Come into my tent

- After all, if there's life...

- Come into my tent

...there's always the female

of the species.

Forget the lady waiting in Persia

I'm the girl who really prefers you

- Yes, but what species?

- When a dreamy melody stirs you

- You just come to me

- Yeah.

Shimmy dancers doing it socko

Try to tempt you back in Morocco

But I'll chase them off of the block

Oh, you belong to me

Ali Baba, be my baby

I'm at your command

Maybe make some love, huh, maybe

On the desert sand

We interrupt this program

to take you now to the press room

of the Trans- World Communications

in New York City

Ladies and gentlemen,

it has just been revealed

by the security office of the Supreme

International Space Authority

that within the next 24 hours,

exact time to be given later,

Man's first spaceship,

built and commanded

by General Samuel Merritt,

will blast off on the most

fabulous voyage

ever conceived

by the human mind

Their destination is the planet Mars

- Mars? You guys?

- Mars? Wow.

You want our autographs, peasants?

We take you now to our permanent

station on Mount Palomar

There they are, ladies and gentlemen,

the satellite and the Spaceship

The dream of all mankind come true

The moment is almost here

The moment for that creation

of the Wheel

to launch out into limitless space

to carry five heroic men

to a new planet and to immortality

And now, ladies and gentlemen,

please stand by

while we close our circuits for the

final special event of the evening:

A private last look at the world for

the heroic men of the Wheel alone

Take it away, Vienna

So meine Gn�digste, darf ich bitten

jetzt zum Mikrofon zu kommen

Jetzt ist der Moment

Bitte etwas n�her, etwas n�her

This lady is Mrs Heinz Fodor,

gentlemen,

the mother of Andre Fodor

So und jetzt bitte

sprechen Sie ganz ungeniert

da hinaus,

sehr liebensw�rdig von Ihnen

Dankesch�n

Andre

Andre, my boy,

this is your mother

Can you hear me?

What you are doing must be good

You are a good boy

Please, Andre, be careful

God watch over you, my boy,

and bring you back to me

Darf ich bitten

And now Now we take you

back to New York

And now Now we take you

back to New York

Miss Rosalie McCann,

who has something to say

to Sergeant Siegle before he leaves

Rosie!

- Hello, Jackie

- Wow!

Mine, all mine!

Do you miss me, Jackie, baby?

I miss you, honeypot

You've been away

a long time, Jackie,

but where love is concerned,

what's a year this way or that

when the flame of love is burning?

And it's burning, Jackie,

right here, forever

In here, too, Rosie, baby.

For me, there never could be

anyone else but you

Never, ever, ever

- Rosie

- In a minute In a minute

So I won't say goodbye, Jackie,

just farewell

- Rosie Hey, come on

- Please, Sidney

In a minute

Sidney!

I gotta hurry now, Jackie

- Mama's waiting

- Mama!

Oh!

Bye now

Don't forget to bring your Rosie back

a nice souvenir from Mars

Souvenir! You two-timing tomato!

For that Sidney I got a souvenir!

Come on out, you rat!

I'll fight you. I'll throttle you.

That's what I'll do.

I'll fight you. I'll throttle you.

That's what I'll do.

Holding 20,000 miles per hour, sir.

- Set your gyros for Mars.

- Yes, sir.

On course, captain?

On course.

- You were saying, Sergeant Brooklyn?

- I was saying, Sergeant Imoto,

that the next time,

I am definitely gonna try the train.

You men can get out

of those couches now.

We won't need them again

till we land on Mars.

We won't need them again

till we land on Mars.

Ain't that just grand, sergeant?

Nothing to worry about

for millions and millions of miles.

Spaceship, Wheel calling

Come in Over

Spaceship One to the Wheel.

Come in, Wheel. Over.

Hello, Spaceship One

Professor Fenton for General Merritt

General, sir.

- How are we doing, George?

- Good, general

You're getting a bigger push from

Earth than we anticipated, however

Is our cotangential orbit correct?

We're computing it now

Keep your radio open

We'll be in constant communication

as long as possible

Incidentally, TWC has OK'd

relay broadcasts for morale

Your boys like to hear

some mood music?

Thanks.

For this mood, there is no music.

- Stand by the radio.

- Yes, sir.

Sergeant Imoto, Sergeant Fodor,

go aft and check

the tailpipe temperatures.

Look at him. He's off again.

We went to a lot of trouble

to develop those magnetized shoes.

We went to a lot of trouble

to develop those magnetized shoes.

Now, you get back into them

and keep them zipped up.

We'll have no unnecessary floating

aboard this ship.

We'll have no unnecessary floating

aboard this ship.

No, sir.

General! Look!

Grab him.

Put him over there.

Mahoney!

Don't just stand there.

Get some water.

Yes, sir.

Of all the stupid,

harebrained things to do.

Stowing away on a spaceship.

What a beating he must have taken

during the blastoff.

Wake up, you insubordinate lunatic.

Thirty years in the Army

and still too brainless to obey an order.

Wake up, so I can have you shot.

He's coming to.

What are you doing aboard this ship?

You forgot your toothbrush.

I don't remember you

reading the Bible so often, sir.

It's the one book you never

really get through reading.

Man's every move, his every thought,

his every action

is in there somewhere,

recorded or predicted.

Every move except this one.

According to the Bible,

Man was created on the Earth.

Nothing is ever mentioned

of his going to other planets.

Not one blessed word.

At the time the Bible was written,

it wouldn't have made

much sense, would it?

Does it now?

The Biblical limitations

of Man's wanderings

The Biblical limitations

of Man's wanderings

are set down as being

the four corners of the Earth.

Not Mars or Jupiter or infinity.

The question is, Barney,

what are we?

Explorers...

...or invaders?

Invaders?

Of what, sir?

Of the sacred domain of God...

...his heavens.

To Man, God gave the Earth.

Nothing else.

But this taking of...

Of other planets...

...it's almost like an act of blasphemy.

But why?

They belong to no one else.

We don't know that.

But, look, sir, it couldn't be

just an accident

But, look, sir, it couldn't be

just an accident

that at the very time

when Man's resources on Earth

are reaching an end,

Man develops the ability

to leave his own world

Man develops the ability

to leave his own world

and seek replenishment

on other planets.

The timing is what fascinates me.

It's too perfect to be accidental.

Those other planets

might already be tenanted.

I don't think so.

The universe was put here

for Man to conquer.

I don't know.

I... I just don't know.

Why don't you try to get

a little sleep, sir?

Why don't you try to get

a little sleep, sir?

Huh? Oh.

Yes, I...

I think I will.

Good night, Barney.

Good night, Father.

Topside viewer's jammed.

Can't move it.

Sergeant Siegle, Sergeant Fodor,

get out there and free that pickup.

Out, sir?

But the ship is going

20,000 miles an hour, sir.

So are you, sergeant.

You won't fall off.

The operation's the same as it

would be on the Wheel. Get going.

- Yes, sir.

Look at her.

If we ever get back,

you know what business

I'm really going into?

Real estate.

Cut out that chit-chat up there

and fix that pickup

Yes, sir.

That's what I love about this job,

the privacy.

That's what I love about this job,

the privacy.

Try it now, sir.

It's OK now.

You men go forward.

Asteroid, dead astern.

Come on, let's get inside before

they throw something else at us.

Come on, let's get inside before

they throw something else at us.

Meteor fragments.

He's been hit!

Sergeant Siegle, return to the air lock

at once. That's an order.

Sergeant Siegle, return to the air lock

at once. That's an order.

- Give him a hand.

- Yes, sir.

- Mahoney.

- Yes, sir.

Say, if anybody'd like

some hot coffee...

Say, if anybody'd like

some hot coffee...

...I could heat up a couple of tins.

Get lost, Fodor.

Get lost, will you?

Get lost.

Get lost. Get lost!

Take it easy, lad.

He can't hear you.

Sir, shouldn't someone

go out there and...?

"O Lord,

"rebuke me not,

"nor chasten me in thy

hot displeasure.

"For thine arrows stick fast in me,

and thy hand presseth me sore.

"There is no soundness in my flesh

"because of thine anger,

"and there is no rest in my bones

"because of my sin.

"Make haste

"to help me, O Lord...

"...my salvation."

Wheel calling Spaceship

Come in, over

The Wheel. They're trying to get us.

Spaceship to Wheel, we hear you.

We hear you. Come in.

Over.

- Lost them.

- No, it takes time.

Millions of miles.

Spaceship to Wheel, we hear you.

We hear you. Come in.

Come in. Over.

Spaceship to Wheel.

Come in, come in.

Over.

Getting bigger all the time,

isn't it, sir?

Yes, sergeant.

The planet and the blasphemy.

The what, sir?

Spaceship

Wheel calling Spaceship

This is Fenton

We've been calling you

constantly for weeks

Come in Over

Spaceship to Wheel.

This is Captain Merritt.

Standby for the general.

General, sir, the Wheel.

Merritt speaking.

Here's the report:

Lost course for several days

due to near collision with asteroid.

But we can still reach

destination as plotted,

which may be Mars...

...or hell.

This voyage is a cursed abomination.

If it were possible, I'd come back now,

return the ship to Earth

- and blow it up!

- General, please.

Together with all plans

in existence for building another.

We're committing Man's

greatest sacrilege!

And we can't stop.

Professor, the general isn't well.

Fatigue.

He's been suffering from severe

headaches and insomnia.

He's very tired, almost exhausted.

We lost a crew member,

Andre Fodor, struck by a meteor.

We lost a crew member,

Andre Fodor, struck by a meteor.

The general took it very hard.

I'm sure it's only temporary.

He'll be all right, don't worry.

Everything else is under control.

Hey, you guys, we're in trouble.

- Off our course?

- No, the general.

You ought to hear the blast

he just threw at the Wheel.

Not just that Bible talk

he's been spouting lately.

Not just that Bible talk

he's been spouting lately.

Crazy stuff.

Things like blowing up the ship.

Things like that.

Gone.

Just like Cooper.

Listen, you slimy little calumniator.

If you were one-tenth

the man the general is,

you'd be twice the man you are.

What he says or how he acts

is not for you to criticize.

And if I catch you doing it again,

I'll pull out your filthy tongue

and strangle you with it.

I'll pull out your filthy tongue

and strangle you with it.

Sam.

How about coming down to the parlor

and having a little cup of tea

How about coming down to the parlor

and having a little cup of tea

with a lonesome old friend?

Look at her,

all red-faced and pouting,

like she might be angry with us.

And with us coming

all this way to visit her.

Aft viewer, Sergeant Siegle.

We've gotta release the boosters.

Hey, don't we need them tanks?

They're empty,

just excess baggage now.

The reserve tanks below

will take us back home.

Ready, sir.

Jettison boosters.

Look at it go.

That's what would happen to us

if we hit the atmosphere that fast.

All right, men, positions for landing.

Slowing nicely, sir.

Clear landing ahead.

Slowing nicely, sir.

Clear landing ahead.

No.

We mustn't. We can't.

We haven't the right.

General, stop!

What are you doing?

You'll kill us.

What are you doing?

You'll kill us.

Hold your places

until the ship is raised.

The ship is upright, sir.

Good landing.

This is a good landing?

Any landing's a good landing.

Gravity.

Beautiful gravity.

Let's go below, shall we?

Feels like good soil.

Given water, I bet you can grow

anything here we grow on Earth.

Big things, maybe,

like in Jack the Beanstalk.

Be wonderful to try and see

what could happen.

I have some flower seed.

I been carrying them

ever since I left Hawaii.

I been carrying them

ever since I left Hawaii.

I was gonna try them on the moon,

but here in this soil...

You'd need a pipeline from the

Colorado River to water them.

Captain, look.

Must have damaged the pipes

when we landed.

Must have damaged the pipes

when we landed.

Wait here.

General, stop!

"As wax melteth before the fire,

so let the wicked perish

"As wax melteth before the fire,

so let the wicked perish

- "at the presence of God."

- Father, stop it!

You're mad! Hydrazine and nitric acid

explode on contact!

We'll be blown to bits!

- Father!

- Stay back.

Dad, it's Barney.

Please, you've got to listen to me.

Don't turn that valve!

Don't turn it!

Father, please.

I...

Don't blame yourself.

- You killed him.

- No.

Your own father.

You murdered him!

Why, you no-good...

No.

No, captain.

You'll not die, not now.

But when we get back,

and we'll get back,

But when we get back,

and we'll get back,

we've got a date, you and me,

with a court-martial.

And I'll be the witness.

And it'll be a rope for you, captain.

And I hope they make it slow,

very slow,

so I can watch you kick.

No signs of water.

Not even bugs or worms.

They ought to give this planet

back to the...

Who do you give it back to?

No people.

What water we have left is our life.

Every drop must be rationed.

No washing, no heat.

Look, captain...

...why couldn't we kick off

with what we got left?

...why couldn't we kick off

with what we got left?

We could, except for one slight detail.

The Earth wouldn't be there

when we arrived.

How very unpleasant.

So how long we gotta stick around

this crummy planet?

So how long we gotta stick around

this crummy planet?

How old are you, Sergeant Siegle?

- Just turned 29.

- When you turn again,

you can start packing.

You and Sergeant Mahoney

start draining the pipes

of the heating system.

Well, he says we gotta

squeeze the water.

So let's get to squeezing.

It's gonna be a cold, dry winter.

God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ

our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day

our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day

Call the Wheel again, sergeant.

What for?

To wish them a merry Christmas?

Spaceship to Wheel.

Come in, Wheel.

Over.

How long you gonna

keep doing this?

How long you gonna

keep doing this?

We ain't heard from

the Wheel in months.

And supposing

they answer, so what?

Maybe we ask for room service...

...and have them send up

some ice water.

We've done what no men

in the world have done before us.

We've got to let them know

before it's too late.

We've got to let them know

before it's too late.

If it's humanly possible,

we've got to report.

Report what?

That the operation was a big success,

but the patients are dying

on a lousy, dried-up ball

but the patients are dying

on a lousy, dried-up ball

- in the corner pocket of nowhere?

- We could report a murder, captain.

I've told you everything

that happened, sergeant.

Yes, captain...

...that you have.

And you can tell it to me

from now until doomsday,

but don't forget, I was there and

I saw everything with me own eyes.

Spaceship calling the Wheel.

Spaceship to Wheel.

Over.

The general wasn't crazy,

he was right.

We asked for it.

There's a curse on this ship

and everybody in it.

Baloney.

You can leave that stuff

back on Earth...

You can leave that stuff

back on Earth...

...but it don't operate

past a thousand-mile limit.

...but it don't operate

past a thousand-mile limit.

Only God can make a tree.

OK.

Where is it?

Where's the trees and the flowers

and the grass?

Where's the water?

You hear me?

Where's the water?

Hey, fellas, look!

- Snow!

- Boy, you can hit me with a snowball!

- Merry Christmas, boys!

- Open the hatch!

OK, captain, let her rip

Leave that, Mahoney.

We won't take anything

unessential to the voyage.

Everything OK up there, sir?

All secure. By this time tomorrow,

we'll be on our way home.

All secure. By this time tomorrow,

we'll be on our way home.

Just about finished, captain.

I think these soil and mineral samples

will prove that life is possible on Mars.

I think these soil and mineral samples

will prove that life is possible on Mars.

It can be done, sir.

All the elements are in those sacks.

Even air and water, in other forms.

Until now, this little planet

has been alone...

Until now, this little planet

has been alone...

...friendless, all drawn up into itself.

So it's crusty, dried-up

and unyielding.

But with patience and

understanding and hard work,

it could be made to blossom.

I wish I had your faith, Imoto.

Hey, fellas! Come!

Captain, come! Look!

Look. Look.

It grew. A flower.

A seed from Earth growing here.

Look at it. A flower on Mars.

It is a flower.

Hey, captain, the ship is tilted.

We won't be able to take off.

That sand, look at it. It's draining.

Must be caves or crevices

underneath.

This whole section is honeycombed.

- We drilled into a lot of pockets.

- Caves, caverns.

- We drilled into a lot of pockets.

- Caves, caverns.

If we could crack them open,

the sand would pour in like water.

If we could crack them open,

the sand would pour in like water.

We might draw off enough

to lower that side of the ship.

We might draw off enough

to lower that side of the ship.

Straighten her up?

It's possible. But how do we

crack open the cavities?

With the engines. We blast.

Hammer the ground with the rockets.

Great. But what happens if we open

some cracks on the wrong side?

We fall over.

We've got exactly 14 minutes

to come up with a miracle

and say goodbye to this planet,

or we'll never leave it.

and say goodbye to this planet,

or we'll never leave it.

- You were saying, sergeant?

- I'm sold.

Punch it, captain.

Again, sir.

It's moving.

It's working.

Try it again, captain.

That's it. I don't dare to...

We're perpendicular.

Protect yourselves.

We're blasting off.

You did it.

A date is a date, sergeant.

It was a glorious way the general died.

Sacrificing his life as he did

to bring his ship and his crew

safely to a landing

to bring his ship and his crew

safely to a landing

on the rocky desert of a new planet.

That's the way

the history books will tell it.

Won't they, captain?

A fitting end for a grand soldier.

For the man who conquered space.

Would you be caring

for a cup of tea, captain?

Thanks.

Conquest of Space (1955) - full transcript