Spaceways *** (1953, Howard Duff, Eva Bartok, Alan Wheatley) – Classic Movie Review 11,089

‘The screen’s first story of SPACE ISLANDS in the sky! Space is a cold place to die!’

Director Terence Fisher’s 1953 British black and white sci-fi thriller film Spaceways is a really odd little Hammer Films murder fantasy set against the background of a British space programme to launch a satellite permanently orbiting Earth.

Spaceways is freely adapted from a Fifties radio play by Charles Eric Maine about an American engineer Dr. Stephen Mitchell (Howard Duff) who is accused by investigating Dr. Smith (Alan Wheatley) of stowing his wife Vanessa Mitchell (Cecile Chevreau) and her lover’s corpses in the fuel tanks of the British scientists’ first test space rocket, having murdered them after she has embarked on a fling with scientist colleague and Russian spy Dr. Philip Crenshaw (Andrew Osborn).

But, as mathematician Dr. Lisa Frank (Eva Bartok), who is in love with Mitchell (Duff), helps him out of his jam, all is not what it seems…

Spaceways is cheaply made with poor production values, and rather too slowly paced in places by director Fisher, though nevertheless still quite skilfully done, with attractive performances by Wheatley, Osborn and Chevreau. Overall it is a most interesting and enjoyable little movie, with its mix of murder mystery and sci-fi film, and it is invested with some intriguing ideas and much period charm.

Also in the cast are Michael Medwin as Dr. Toby Andrews, Philip Leaver as Professor Koepler, Anthony Ireland as General Hayes, Hugh Moxey as Colonel Alfred Daniels, David Horne as Minister, Leo Phillips, Marianne Stone and Jean-Webster Brough.

Spaceways is directed by Terence Fisher, runs 76 minutes, is made by Hammer, is released by Exclusive Films (1953) (UK) and Lippert Pictures (1953) (US), is written by Paul Tabori and Richard Landau, based on a Fifties radio play by Charles Eric Maine, is shot in black and white by Reginald Wyer, is produced by Michael Carreras, is scored by Ivor Slaney, and designed by J Elder Wills. Jimmy Sangster is assistant director.

It was shot at Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, from mid-November 1952 to early January 1953, and released on 7 August 1953. Some scenes of the spaceship taking off are from Lippert Pictures’ film Rocketship X-M (1950).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,089

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com