Attack of the killer time piece? Sworn enemy of the fearsome alien race, the Westclox? No. KRONOS was an invading robot shaped like a big blocky skyscraper:
It’s like the attack of the ill-proportioned International Style office block. It did not speak in-that-met-tal-voice, which helped the suspense. It didn’t say anything; just stamped around and sucked up electricit, making an odd squeak, stamping its legs as it moved. If you're ten, it's pretty awesome. If you're not it has other pleasures - it's superwide screen, keeps the stock footage to a minimum, has an usual monster, includes the standard inefficacious nuclear attack, and
This being the 50s, upright scientists are aware of Kronos before it even
Love the sets: here’s the big lab.
We’ve placed those data tapes in an inconvenient location, just as you asked, sir. And we substituted paper-mache pizzas for the tapes. My kid made them. She's awfully proud. Hope you don't mind.
The scientist calls his computer SUSIE, and of course there's a good reason:
Ah but of course.
Another lab-office.
Sir, are you sure you want these dials and readouts placed away from your desk? You’ll have to get up and walk around to see them. Dammit, man, do what I say!
In the end he fares poorly:
Why did I decorate with faux marble and egg cartons? Why?
As for how the combined forces of humanity performed against Kronos:
Thanks for the day-brightener, Mr. General Sir. Maybe you could try something? Let's try anything. What's the worst that could happen?
I'm always amused that they run other stories on the front page. Old sci-fi newspapers are always like this: the armies have FAILED to stop the world-destroying monster, and a controversial building code still makes the front page. But that's not why I bring this up. I bring it up because of this guy, a perennial Bleat subject:
Here's a grab from a scene in which the fellow above informs his colleagues about the trajectory of an object heading towards good old terra firma:
Here's the dialogue.
If you just sat up and said hey, I know that, you're not alone, and you know how I felt. When I heard that line, it was a wonderful moment. It identified If something I heard about eight years ago:
Yes, it's Escape Velocity, by Man or Astro-Man? But wait! There's more!
This is the actor who spoke the line:
Once more, the line:
Sound familiar? Yes, it's him. His real name is actually George, too. Somehow that brings it all full circle - mid-century sci-fi, post-punk surfcore whatever music, and the jet-age vision of the future. What it coheres into I've no idea, but there it is.
