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Lloyd Bridges stars as Colonel Floyd Graham, pilot of the eponymous vehicle in "Rockestship X-M" (1950), which carries a team of scientists on the first human mission into space. Alternatively titled "Rocketship XM-1" and "Expedition Moon", the film describes a mission to the moon gone slightly awry: the astronauts land on Mars. It's a good thing they have oxygen breathing apparatuses (the sort fighter pilots wore in World War II) and comfy khaki pants suitable for hiking the Red Planet's sepia-toned terrain. They discover evidence of an advanced, ancient civilization, high levels of radiation, and stone age Martian who look a lot like us.
The interactions between the characters highlights gender issues of the mid-20th century. The expedition's chemist, Dr. Lena Van Horn (Osa Massen), is the only woman on the crew. From the start, her sex is an issue to reporters, in determining whose calculations to use, and to the handsome Floyd. Yet the Hugo award-winning film does more than portray negative gender stereotypes—it attempts to engage with them. Lena's mentor, Dr. Karl Eckstrom, the ship's designer, explains to the reporter that Lena is the most qualified person for the job and Lena herself challenges (nicely) Floyd's curiosity about her pursuing a career in science. Yet Eckstrom himself dismisses one of her arguments, accusing her of womanish behavior, and her budding romance with Floyd has her in his arms at the end of the film. Is the film sending mixed messages about female scientists or does it indicate the characters are more complex and dynamic than is often found in sci-fi films of this era? Watch and decide.
