Stalwart 50s science fiction hero Richard Carlson doubles as director on "Riders to the Stars" (going on to helm a total of five features, the same number as Ray Milland, this the lone genre film). Carlson was best remembered for Universal classics "It Came from Outer Space" and "Creature from the Black Lagoon," but also graced "The Magnetic Monster," "The Maze," "The Power," and "The Valley of Gwangi." Miami-based producer Ivan Tors made a handful of serious space epics before confining himself to TV shows like SEA HUNT, DAKTARI, GENTLE BEN, and FLIPPER (William Grefe shot "Stanley" at the Ivan Tors studio in late 1971). This film was the second of a trilogy, preceded by "The Magnetic Monster" and followed by "Gog," centering on the fictional research team OSI (Office of Scientific Investigation), with some of the same actors cast in different roles (in particular Carlson, Herbert Marshall, and King Donovan). "Monster" was a low budget effort built around stock footage from the climax of 1934's German title "Gold," while "Riders" was essentially a sober retread of George Pal's "Destination Moon" (also shot in color), only on a smaller scale as three astronauts endure rigorous physical and emotional training for a mission just outside the earth's atmosphere, to capture a meteor on the move for securing safety measures on future space flights. The color process was below average, and the endless talk drains the picture of any dramatic weight, but the actors are fine and the climax does include a couple of shocks that make up for the lengthy preamble. Top billed William Lundigan ("The Black Doll," "The Missing Guest") later starred in the futuristic teleseries MEN INTO SPACE, while lovely Martha Hyer would go on to generally minor genre efforts: "Abbott and Costello Go to Mars," "Pyro," "First Men in the Moon," "Picture Mommy Dead," "Some May Live" (Peter Cushing), "House of 1000 Dolls" (Vincent Price), and "Once You Kiss a Stranger."
Review of Riders to the Stars
