TARGET EARTH (1954). Colorized.

TARGET EARTH is a 1954 independently made American black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Herman Cohen, directed by Sherman A. Rose, that stars Richard Denning, Kathleen Crowley, Virginia Grey, and Whit Bissell. The film was distributed by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation.

Set in a large, deserted city, the film's storyline follows a small group of people overlooked during the city's mass evacuation, carried out because of a sudden invasion by hostile robotic beings believed to be from the planet Venus.

Plot
After a failed attempt at suicide, Nora King regains consciousness and discovers that her building has no electricity or water, so she wanders into the now quiet, empty streets of her city. Stumbling over the body of a dead woman, who has been killed, she encounters Frank Brooks, who has just recently revived after being beaten unconscious in an overnight robbery.

They join forces to find others in the deserted city. Hearing piano music coming from a nearby cocktail lounge, they come upon a couple, Jim Wilson and Vicki Harris, who are drinking. They were drunkenly incapable of joining the evacuation of the population that took place. Proceeding together as a group, they continue to search the deserted streets, coming upon a car that will not start. Another survivor, Charles Otis, sees them and tells them that the same applies to all the other cars he has tried.

A growing apprehension takes hold as they begin to appreciate that they are alone and must face an unknown menace that has caused the city's evacuation. Charles finds a newspaper in a hotel lobby that proclaims that a "mystery army" is attacking the city from the north. In a panic, he runs outside and is killed by a death ray emitted from an alien robot in the street.

While attempting to defend the city, a military force, led by Lt. Gen. Wood, sets up a command post. After Air Force fighters and bombers are quickly destroyed by the advancing invaders, the use of atomic weapons is considered as a serious option. A group of scientists, including their chief research scientist, finally get their hands on a damaged robot to discover its vulnerabilities.

The small band is joined by Davis, a psychotic killer, who has his own plans for survival. The survivors quickly realize they now have an armed enemy within their small group, as well as the invaders from outer space to deal with. Davis shoots and kills Vicki when she stands up to Davis. Jim then kills Davis as Davis attempts to shoot him. Jim is later killed by one of the invading robots. Army units later arrive in the streets, now fully equipped with a special sonic weapon transmitter that easily dispatches the invading robots, halting their invasion.

Cast
Richard Denning as Frank Brooks
Kathleen Crowley as Nora King
Virginia Grey as Vicki Harris
Richard Reeves as Jim Wilson
Robert Roark as Davis
Whit Bissell as Tom, Chief research scientist
Arthur Space as Lt. General Wood
Steve Pendleton as Colonel
Mort Marshall as Charles Otis
House Peters Jr. as Technician
Steve Calvert as the Robot
Rocketship X-M tells the story of a Moon expedition gone awry. Through a series of unforeseen events, the expedition's crew find themselves on the infamous red planet, Mars. During their time on the planet they go on to discover the remnants of a Martian civilization destroyed long ago by atomic war and now reverted to barbarism.

PLOT
Four men and a woman blast into outer space from the White Sands Proving Ground aboard the RX-M (Rocketship Expedition-Moon) on humanity's first expedition to the Moon. Halfway there, after surviving their jettisoned and runaway first stage and a meteoroid storm, their engines suddenly quit. Recalculating fuel ratios and swapping around their multiple, different fuels corrects the problem, supposedly allowing continuing to the Moon. When the engines are reignited, the RX-M careens out of control on a rapid heading beyond the Moon. The increased acceleration causes the crew pass out. Reviving days later, they quickly discover that they have traveled some 50,000,000 miles; the RX-M is now just 50,000 miles away from Mars. Dr. Karl Eckstrom is forced to "pause and observe respectfully while something infinitely greater assumes control".
The RX-M safely passes through the Martian atmosphere and lands. The next morning the crew, clad in aviation oxygen masks due to the low oxygen levels, begin exploring the desolate surface. They come across physical evidence of a now dead advanced Martian civilization: a partially buried-in-the-sand, stylized, Art Deco (or Tiki culture) like metal face sculpture and in the distance Moderne architecture-like ruins. Their Geiger counter registers dangerous radiation levels, keeping them well away. These dangerous levels make it clear that there was once an atomic war on Mars in the distant past.
Finding cave refuge, the crew notice in the distance the primitive human descendants of that civilization emerging from behind boulders and creeping toward them. Amazed, Dr. Eckstrom comments "From Atomic Age to Stone Age". Soon after leaving, two of the explorers encounter a dark-haired woman who has lost her footing and rolled down a hill toward them; she is blind, with thick, milky cataracts on both eyes. She screams upon hearing their oxygen mask-distorted voices. The radiation burned tribesmen attack, throwing large rocks and stone axes. Armed with only a revolver and a bolt-action rifle, the explorers defend themselves, purposely missing the primitives. Major Corrigan is killed by a large rock thrown by the primitives. Moments later, Dr. Eckstrom is killed by a stone axe. Navigator Chamberlain is badly injured by a large thrown rock. Colonel Graham, Dr. Van Horn, and Chamberlain finally make their way back to the ship.
As the RX-M nears Earth, the three survivors (Graham, Van Horn, with the unconscious Chamberlain) calculate that they have no fuel to make a landing. Col. Graham contacts their base and reports their dire status to Dr. Fleming, who listens intently and wordlessly over headphones. Col. Graham's report is not heard, but Fleming's subtle reactions tells of the crew's odyssey, their discovery of a once advanced civilization destroyed long ago by atomic war, and of the crew fatalities at the hands of Martian descendants reverted to barbarism.
Col. Graham and Dr. Van Horn embrace as the RX-M begins its uncontrolled descent, consoling one another in the moments left to them. Through a porthole, they bravely watch their rapid descent into the wilds of Nova Scotia. The press is later informed by a shaken Dr. Fleming that the entire crew has perished. When they ask if the mission was a failure, he confidently responds with conviction, stating that all theories about crewed spaceflight and exploration have now been proven. He continues, underscoring the point that a dire warning has been received from the crew that could very well mean the salvation of humanity, "A new spaceship, the RX-M-2, begins construction tomorrow". The pioneering exploration continues.

CAST
Lloyd Bridges as Col. Floyd Graham (Pilot)
Osa Massen as Dr. Lisa Van Horn (Ph.D. in Chemistry and developer of the unique "mon-atomic hydrogen" fuels which power RX-M)
John Emery as Dr. Karl Eckstrom (Physicist and RX-M designer)
Noah Beery, Jr. as Maj. William Corrigan (Flight engineer)
Hugh O'Brian as Harry Chamberlain (Astronomer and navigator)
Morris Ankrum as Dr. Ralph Fleming (Project Director)
Sherry Moreland as blind Martian woman
Judd Holdren as Reporter (Uncredited)
Stuart Holmes as Reporter (Uncredited)
Bert Stevens as Reporter (Uncredited)
Cosmo Sardo as Reporter (Uncredited)
Barry Norton as Reporter (Uncredited)