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[Metal-Demon]

In the late 70's (perhaps very early 80's) I recall seeing a British movie (geared, I suppose to a younger audience) about a young school boy who happened upon a "magical orb" that had some mysterious powers (essentially it looked like a shiny steel ball-bearing that could sit in the palm of his hand). The boy "befriends" the strange, fascinating object and soon silliness ensues, with a few life-lessons thrown in for good measure.

Now, I seem to remember some misadventures with the orb that land the young boy in trouble with some crooks/local criminal element who then decide they must possess the orb for some reason or another (presumably to further their lawless endeavours).

The young boy tries to hide/protect the orb, and enlists some of his mates (one young girl in particular, if I recall correctly) In the end, the bad guys concoct a devious plan to capture the "ball", but it turns out that the "ball" is actually a benevolent alien life form investigating Earth and calls down it's fellow aliens (who were "waiting" in orbit? I dunno ... ) who then proceed to attack the bad-guys en masse, after which they escape back into space, leaving a tearful farewell for the young boy and his alien friend.

That's pretty much all I can remember ... but I really liked that little film, and it'd be nice to know what it was called, so that I might find it again one day.

Thanks in advance, and apologies on my terrible memory!

[Banger]

I was one of the 50 or so people who actually saw the movie when it was in the theaters

[vspot]

I remember an old black and white si-fi movie where these old space ships like the one in Zoom: acadamy for super hero's, was attacking Earth. We were defending earth with these trucks that had large ray guns on them. Do any of you know the title of this movie?

[raggedyman]

"Earth Vs The Flying Saucers" 1956

[vspot]

Thanks for the answer. I'v been thinking about that movie for a while.

[sparky672]

Looking for a time travel movie I saw as a kid. Coincidentally, my friend also remembers the same film but we can't figure out the title. I've searched IMDB yet it doesn't seem to exist there. At least not that I could find.

Here's what I know...

It's not the pilot for any of the time-travel TV shows

Year: 1950's to early 1960's
Format: Black & White
Plot:
Don't remember but here are some bits I do recall...

- time travel or time manipulation theme.
- main set looked like a plain windowless room with a computer on the wall and a desk in front of that.
- clock on the wall.
- the scientists or travelers wore jumpsuits.
- movie had a high overall "creepiness" factor.
- maybe a monster too, but not sure.
- climax of movie: something went wrong and the travelers get stuck in a near infinite time-loop. The last minute of these scenes was repeated over and over, faster and faster along with shots of the clock on the wall... maybe going backwards.

The time-loop ending of the film made a big impression on me and I'm very clear about that part.

My friend recalls the same elements but also said that there was a scene where they froze time. Some characters were moving so slow they were like statues and the other characters were moving around at normal speed. I only remembered this part after he told me.



Anyone know this film?

Thank-you!!

[ArthurFrayn]

It's either The Time Travellers or Journey to the Center of Time.

Both were written by David Hewitt. The Time Travellers is the first one made in 1964, and is directed by Ib Melchior. That's not bad, as I recall.
Journey to the Center of Time on the other hand, is kind of a cheesey "so bad it's good" ten cent remake, directed by Hewitt himself. Both have the time paradox ending you're talking about.

The irony is, Journey to the Center of Time is the one that's currently available on DVD.

So look up David L Hewitt on the imdb, and you'll see both.
Mr Hewitt is an unsung master of cheese -sort of the Albert Pyun of his time.

[sparky672]

It's either The Time Travellers or Journey to the Center of Time.

Both were written by David Hewitt. The Time Travellers is the first one made in 1964, and is directed by Ib Melchior. That's not bad, as I recall.
Journey to the Center of Time on the other hand, is kind of a cheesey "so bad it's good" ten cent remake, directed by Hewitt himself. Both have the time paradox ending you're talking about.

The irony is, Journey to the Center of Time is the one that's currently available on DVD.

So look up David L Hewitt on the imdb, and you'll see both.
Mr Hewitt is an unsung master of cheese.

Thanks for the info. Those two movies seem like logical matches. The earlier one seems more likely though as I remember it being an older movie. Maybe I forgot but would have sworn it was in B & W.

If I can locate stills from these films, I'm sure I'd recognize the main characters.

Thank-you again.

[ArthurFrayn]

Glad to help.

[sparky672]

It's either The Time Travellers or Journey to the Center of Time.

I'm 99.999% sure it was the 1964 version, The Time Travelers.

Found some photo stills at Monsters in Motion. Not sure if I'm allowed to post links so I won't.

- Creepy android heads on a shelf.
- I also recognized main character.

Found some discussions at IMDB...

- Image projected on wall turns out to be a time portal (remembered that now)
- Time loop ending described exactly like I remembered it.

I'm so happy that I found a copy on DVD and ordered it already.

Just to be sure I also put the other one, Journey to the Center of Time in my Netflix queue. Bonus is that it's a double feature disc including Things to Come (1936).

THANK-YOU again...

[ArthurFrayn]

Just to be sure I also put the other one, Journey to the Center of Time in my Netflix queue in my Netflix queue

Be forewarned -it's hilarious, but it's crap.

Bonus is that it's a double feature disc including Things to Come (1936).

That's the one I have.

Where did you find a DVD of The Time Travelers???!!! I don't see that anywhere
... unless you're buying a grey market copy...

[sparky672]

Be forewarned -it's hilarious, but it's crap.

That's the one I have.

Where did you find a DVD of The Time Travelers???!!! I don't see that anywhere
... unless you're buying a grey market copy...

Yes, I heard the 1967 version was pretty bad.

The Time Travelers is at Monsters in Motion dot com listed under "Time Travelers"... searching for it with the word "the" just doesn't work.

But I purchased mine for a couple bucks less from another site called Scifi Station dot com.

Both sites only offer DVD-R copies with similar explanations...

What is DVD-R?
Titles are provided on DVD-R media. Due to the rarity and special-interest nature of these films, commercially-pressed DVDs would not be financially feasible. DVD-R media allows small labels to produce titles in limited quantities, thereby holding production costs down, which keeps prices reasonable. DVD-R is compatible with nearly all consumer DVD players produced in the last three years or so. If you are unsure of your player's ability to handle DVD-R, you may wish to do a bit of research. One such database can be found here.

Are These Bootleg DVDs?
No. Sci-Fi Station does not sell bootlegs or pirated copies of existing North American DVD releases. All our titles are original DVD releases, or obtained from other vendors. The vast majority of our titles have never seen a widespread domestic release on DVD. If you believe that a title we carry is in conflict with some agreement you have as a rights holder, please contact us. We welcome the opportunity to discuss a fair distribution arrangement with you.

Oh yeah... and there's a used VHS copy currently for sale on eBay if you're interested.

Item #150092467086

[ArthurFrayn]

I'll check it out, thanks!

[Metal-Demon]

Damn ... I was hoping that someone might know the program what I was talking about.

Well, if that's the case ... can anyone suggest where I might be able to find out what the show was called??

[Hobbit]

Sounds like a Children's Foundation film.

Try typing Children's Foundation at www.imdb.com ?

Hobbit