Martians
get mad, then get even on First
Friday
January 26, 2005
For Immediate Release
For calendar & event editors; Images available.
Contact: Jon Pishney
at (919) 733-7450, ext. 304
RALEIGH – Get ready for a spectacular adventure beyond time and space as the NC Museum of Natural Sciences features The Angry Red Planet (1960) on First Friday, February 4. After disappearing without a trace and being given up for lost, a manned rocket to Mars is observed returning to Earth but will not respond to any contact. After mission control risks an automated landing, they find that there are only two survivors. One, pilot and navigator Col. Thomas O'Bannion, is critically injured and has some strange growth on his arm. Doctors turn to the other surviving astronaut, Dr. Iris 'Irish' Ryan, for answers and discover the Martians' angry warning.
Humphrey Bogart look-alike Gerald Mohr stars as Col. Thomas O'Bannion, pilot and navigator of the rocket ship. Mohr started his show-business career as a staff broadcaster for CBS radio which, in turn, opened the door for him with Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre. He played the Lone Ranger, Phillip Marlowe and Johnny Dollar on the radio, and was one of seven actors to portray the Lone Wolf in mystery B-movies. He later became the voice of comic book superheroes Green Lantern and Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four in television series of the late '60s.
Lester Tremayne plays professor Theodore Gettell, the man who designed the rocket ship and is the foremost authority on space travel and rocketry. Tremayne, like Mohr, enjoyed a lengthy career on radio, appearing in scores of serials and shows using a variety of voices and accents. In 1936 he earned fame after replacing actor Don Ameche as the leading man on "The First Nighter," a weekly program of radio dramas. He later starred in the popular "Thin Man" and "Falcon" mystery thrillers. After a six-decade plus career in radio, Tremayne was finally inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995. He also provided voices for cartoon characters on popular television shows of the '60s, '70s and '80s, including "The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo," "Shazam" and "Johnny Quest."
Electronics and radar expert Sam Jacobs is played by Jack Kruschen, who that year also was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Dr. Dreyfuss in the Billy Wilder comedy The Apartment. Brilliant young biologist and zoologist Dr. Ryan is played by Naura Hayden whose other movie appearances in 1960 included two horrible Danish comedies: The Greeneyed Elephant and Operation Camel. It appears The Angry Red Planet was the highlight of her short career.
First Friday runs from 5 to 9 p.m. The feature begins at 7 p.m. and is preceded by live music from The Foyer and a film short from the A/V Geek archives. Admission to First Friday is free. Additionally, the Acro Café will serve up light fare, beer and wine. The Museum Store offers after-hours shopping and an opening reception for the new exhibit, "Created Treasures," will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Nature Art Gallery. The exhibit, which runs February 4-March 27, showcases original works by the NC Society of Goldsmiths, along with art in a variety of media from Museum staff members and volunteers.
It's also Diamond Appreciation Night in the Museum's special exhibit, "Treasures Unearthed: North Carolina's Spectacular Gems and Minerals." Representatives fdrom Jolly's Jewelers teach you what to look for when buying a diamond. From 5 to 9 p.m. Only $2 for First Friday attendees. Free for Friends of the Museum. Last tickets are sold at 8:00 p.m.
The Museum is located in downtown Raleigh at 11 West Jones Street. Parking is available on the street and in surface lots along Wilmington and Edenton streets. For more information, contact Steve Popson at 919-733-7450, ext. 379.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the web at www.naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.
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