THE NIGHT THE WORLD EXPLODED (1957)

At a seismology research lab in Los Angeles, Dr. David Conway has invented a new machine, the pressure photometer, to predict strong earthquakes in order to allow more time for evacuations before quakes. In its first trial run, it predicts a strong quake in California in the next 24 hours. Meanwhile, on the domestic melodrama front, David's assistant Laura Hutchinson is about to leave to marry her longtime boyfriend Brad, though Ellis Morton, another associate, knows that Hutch (as everyone calls her) is harboring a crush on David who is too much of a workaholic to notice. Before she can leave the area, an earthquake does strike, shifting the Earth's axis by three degrees, and with more quakes predicted, Hutch decides to stay to help investigate. They theorize that something is causing the interior of the Earth to press outward, causing the quakes. The three colleagues head to Carlsbad Caverns for some experimental spelunking and discover that a new element, not found among the existing 111 elements (which they cleverly name Element 112) is the problem. Normally in water, it's harmless, but when it comes into contact with air, it catches fire and explodes. Meanwhile, as the quakes continue to occur around the world, new volcanoes pop up, sending poisonous gas into the atmosphere. David's machine predicts that the quakes will become so numerous, the world could be destroyed in less than a month. Our heroes bravely forge on to find a solution to this possible apocalypse.

This B-film is about par for the course for sci-fi disaster movies of the era. The budget isn't big enough for much in the way of special effects, so the destruction of the world, such as it is, either happens offscreen or via newsreel stock footage of natural disasters. However, the filmmakers did shoot some of the Carlsbad Caverns scenes on location, and the cave scenes in general are effective. One interesting plot point which certainly resonates today involves a theory that the Earth is striking back at us for looting its natural resources, though nothing is really done with this. The acting is solid if not distinguished. William Leslie, whom I called "a blandly vanilla baby-faced hero” a few days ago, remains blandly vanilla, also cool and logical, and eventually even figures out that he needs Hutch as more than just a cave exploring partner. Kathryn Grant, who married Bing Crosby just months after this movie's release, makes a fine spunky sci-fi heroine. In an early scene, her idea of helping the menfolk make sense of the quake predictions is to make coffee for everyone. But in the caves she proves a valuable asset, even though she freezes in fright on her first descent and David has to shame her into finding her bravery. Tristram Coffin, the older Ellis, is colorless but OK. The only other actors to make much of an impression are Fred Coby and Paul Savage as park rangers who accompany our group in the Caverns, with one of them becoming an early victim of Element 112. A disappointing and somewhat laughable line, from David, comes when, as the quakes begin, someone suggests we need to hope for a solution, and David replies, "We better do more than hope—we better pray!" I'd have thought a scientist would have come up with a more realistic option, which eventually he does. The most effective scene involves the sight of several dead bodies at a dam due to the volcano gases. Pictured are Grant and Leslie. [YouTube]