''Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster'' (sometimes stylized as ''Frankenstein Meets the Spacemonster'') is a 1965

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

film. It was directed by Robert Gaffney and starred

Marilyn Hanold Marilyn Hanold (born June 9, 1938) is an American model and actress. Biography Hanold was ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for its June 1959 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Bruno Bernard. Hanold was the second of six child ...

James Karen James Karen (born Jacob Karnofsky; November 28, 1923 – October 23, 2018) was an American character actor of Broadway, film and television. Karen is known for his roles in ''Poltergeist'', '' The China Syndrome'', ''Wall Street'', ''The Retur ...

and

Lou Cutell Lou Cutell (October 6, 1930 – November 21, 2021) was an American actor, who was perhaps best known for his appearance as Amazing Larry in the 1985 film ''Pee-wee's Big Adventure'' and as Dr. Howard Cooperman in the 1995 ''Seinfeld'' episode " ...

. It was filmed in Florida and Puerto Rico in 1964. The film tells the story of a facially-damaged android robot who fights alien invaders. Despite the title, neither

Dr. Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein is a fictional character who first appeared as the titular main protagonist of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. He is an Italian-born Swiss scientist who, after studying chemical process ...

nor

Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein, is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's ...

appear in the film. However, it is stated near the beginning of the movie that the android is partially built from human pieces and he is also often called by the first name of Frank.

Plot

All of the women on the planet Mars have died in an atomic war, except for Martian Princess Marcuzan (

). Marcuzan and her right-hand man, Dr. Nadir (Lou Cutell), decide they will travel to Earth and steal all of the women on the planet in order to continue the Martian race. The Martians shoot down a

space capsule A space capsule is a spacecraft designed to transport cargo, scientific experiments, and/or astronauts to and from space. Capsules are distinguished from other spacecraft by the ability to survive reentry and return a payload to the Earth's surfa ...

carrying the android

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

Colonel Frank Saunders (Robert Reilly), causing it to crash land in Puerto Rico. Frank's electronic brain and the left half of his face are damaged after encountering a trigger-happy Martian and his ray gun. Frank, now the "Frankenstein" of the title, described by his creator as an "astro-robot without a control system", proceeds to terrorize the island. A subplot involves the Martians abducting beautiful bikini-clad women for the purpose of breeding. A radiation-scarred mutant named Mull is part of the Martian invasion force. The "Frankenstein" android and Mull battle each other, and both are destroyed.

Cast

as Princess Marcuzan *

as Dr. Adam Steele (as Jim Karen) *

as Dr. Nadir * Nancy Marshall as Karen Grant * David Kerman as Gen. Bowers * Robert Reilly as Col. Frank Saunders/Frankenstein *

Robert Alan Browne Robert Alan Browne (June 2, 1932 – June 12, 2018) was an American film and television actor. Browne was born in New York City, New York. He played the minor role of the café owner Ralph Statler in ''Psycho II (film), Psycho II'' and ''Psycho ...

as Martian crewmember (uncredited) *

Robert Fields Robert Samuel Fields (born 10 July 1934) is an American actor who has appeared in film and television. A life member of The Actors Studio, Fields is known for his role as Daniel in the 1987 drama film ''Anna''. Early life and education Fields wa ...

as reporter (uncredited) *

Bruce Glover Bruce Herbert Glover (May 2, 1932 – March 12, 2025) was an American character actor, who is best known for portraying the assassin Mr. Wint in the James Bond film '' Diamonds Are Forever'' (1971). Other notable film appearances include roles ...

as Martian crewmember/Mull the Space Monster (uncredited) * Susan Stephens as blonde surf-bather (poster girl) (uncredited)

Release

The film was released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

as ''Duel of the Space Monsters''. It is also known as ''Frankenstein Meets the Space Men'', ''Mars Attacks Puerto Rico'', ''Mars Invades Puerto Rico'' and ''Operation San Juan''. Released by the Futurama Entertainment Corp., it was released on DVD by Dark Sky Films in 2006. In the United States, it was initially released on a

double feature The double feature is a Film, motion picture industry phenomenon in which theaters would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which the presentation of one feature film would be followed by various short subjec ...

with '' Curse of the Voodoo''. The film was ranked #7 in the 2004 DVD documentary ''The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made''.

Jean Shepherd Jean Parker "Shep" Shepherd Jr. (July 26, 1921 – October 16, 1999) was an American storytelling, storyteller, humorist, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film ''A Christm ...

talks about his old army buddy making this film on his WOR radio show, 3-4-1974

References

External links

* * * {{Frankenstein, state=collapsed 1965 films 1960s science fiction horror films American science fiction horror films Allied Artists films Films about extraterrestrial life Films set in Puerto Rico Films shot in Florida Films shot in Puerto Rico Mars in film Frankenstein films American black-and-white films Films about princesses 1960s English-language films 1960s American films English-language science fiction films

Plot

Cast

Release

See also

References

External links