Queen of Outer Space (1958)

En route to Earth’s orbiting space station in 1985, a spaceship carrying four astronauts, led by Captain Patterson (Eric Fleming), is attacked, and they awaken after it crash-lands.

One of them, Professor Konrad (Paul Birch), determines they have landed on Venus, a planet scientists believed was uninhabitable (something to do with the 477°C temperatures and 225 mph winds), but actually looks like the interior of an Interflora shop.

They are taken prisoner by the inhabitants, all beautiful women, who imprisoned the men and took control of the planet.

Their masked Queen, Yllana (Laurie Mitchell) – embittered and disfigured by radiation – plans to destroy Earth with their beta disintegrator, but there are dissenters among them, led by the beautiful scientist Talleah (Zsa Zsa Gabor).

She and her nubile confederates stage a coup in which the queen perishes along with her energy ray destructor.

In great relief, the rocketmen radio home and are far from saddened to find that help will be some time coming, and they may have to wait a whole year with the Venusian beauties before assistance arrives.

Sure, it seems camp and low-budget now (it probably even did at the time), but Queen of Outer Space is chock full of vivid colours, leggy (and busty) Venusian women in mini skirts and high-heels (their costumes were actually left over from 1956’s Forbidden Planet), outdated sexist references and some of the best unintentional humour on celluloid. What’s not to love?

Talleah
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Captain Neal Patterson
Eric Fleming
Lt. Mike Cruze
Dave Willock
Queen Yllana
Laurie Mitchell
Motiya
Lisa Davis
Prof. Konrad
Paul Birch
Lt. Larry Turner
Patrick Waltz
Kaeel
Barbara Darrow
Odeena
Marilyn Buferd
Venusian Girls
Mary Ford
Marya Stevens
Laura Mason
Lynn Cartwright
Kathy Marlowe
Coleen Drake
Tania Velia
Norma Young
Marjorie Durant

Director
Edward Bernds

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