The Phantom Planet (1961) is a one-shoestring budgeted, space-rangers kind of science fiction from Four Crown Productions (apparently their only one), shot largely on soundstages with a mix of miniatures, rear projection, and recycled stock footage, then released by American International Pictures as the bottom half of a double bill with Assignment: Outer Space using the second shoestring. It’s noteworthy for the first appearance of Richard Jaws Kiel (Eegah, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Moonraker). Of course Mystery Science Theater 3000 had a go at it, and it inspired the name of the rock band Phantom Planet, best known for their 2002 hit track California, the theme song for the Fox TV series The O.C. In 2010, La Quinta Inns & Suites, the hotel chain, leveraged clips from it for its humorous ad campaign.
Assignment: Outer Space (1960), originally titled Space-Men, was an Italian space opera picked up by AIP, redubbed to English, and suitably packaged with The Phantom Planet as a quick-money item for exhibitors (especially drive-ins). Commentary from fans and critics point out that, despite its era and limited budget, the film gives its female officer characters a surprising amount of competence, with multiple scenes of women handling station duties and technical tasks, which leads some viewers to note that the film even manages a primitive form of the Bechdel Test. (The Hannibal 8). Note: For an example of a complete failure for the Bechdel Test as comparison, I refer you to The Green Slime. It’s instructive and still very funny, the best way to learn, I say.
