Kronos
Ravager of Planets
By Roger Russell

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Scenes from the Movie
Trivia Question
Model
Answer to the Trivia Question

Originally released on April 1, 1957. This movie has a most fascinating invader.
It is considered one of the better science fiction movies of that time.
Running time is 78 minutes.

Scenes from the Movie

McCrary (Kenneth Alton), a truck driver, is overcome by a controlling alien force and he enters Dr. Eliot’s office.
The alien transfers to Eliot. The transfer of energy can be seen as a faint oval light to the left of the ceiling light.

Dr. Culver reports that the “meteor” is 4.9 miles in diameter and has a mass of six thousand megatons.

Talking about the new discovery are Dr. Arnie Culver (George O’Hanlon), Dr. Hubbell Eliot (John Emery) and Dr. Leslie Gaskell (Jeff Morrow)
The alien now controls Dr. Eliot and controls the approaching “meteor.”

After a nighttime of eerie underwater lights and sounds from the crashed meteorite, the morning light reveals the complete energy converting robot.
It is gigantic and hundreds of feet tall. It consists of two main cube-shaped sections supported by a single column and supporting legs.

It soon sprouts these two electrodes next to the dome and begins to emit sounds.
The glowing cube on the left is positive and the ball shape on the right is negative.
The ball assembly sometimes to moves around in a circle. The cube assembly sometimes moves inward towards the dome

The two scientists and their assistant Vera Hunter (Barbara Lawrence) fly out by helicopter to get a firsthand look.
The meteor is said to have landed in the ocean 100 miles south of Wymos, MX off the coast of Los Santos, MX.
Both towns appear to be fictional.

After landing on the top section, they move to one side against the ocean wind.

After the visitors are immobilized for a few seconds by some sort of electric field,
a crack suddenly opens in the landing surface revealing these weird inner workings.
Along with strange pulsating sounds, this is enough for them to hightail it out of there.

The machine begins to travel.
The glowing core seems to provide lift and propulsion along with the four tubular legs that alternate up and down as it moves along.

A newscaster shows an artist’s rendition of what the robot looks like.

This is the attack on the Navares Electro power station in Mexico.
It is the first assault to convert earth’s energy supplies into matter, making Kronos gain in size.

Kronos has compacted as it draws in the B52 bomber carrying a hydrogen bomb.
Kronos absorbs it all and becomes larger, converting the energy into matter. It
seems to be unstoppable. Dr. Eliot has passed out after the explosion.

Kronos moves on to the next energy source destroying everything in its path.

Dr. Gaskell figures out a plan to reverse the polarity using omega particles.
This will make the negative ball positive and dome negative, directing the energy inwards.

 

Sparks are caused by Omega particles dropped from above by a small parachute just outside of Los Angeles.

The electrodes are now both positive and discharge energy to the negative dome.

The short circuit spreads causing Kronos to completely self-destruct

Trivia Question

There are several different views of the recorder in the movie. What make of tape recorder was used in the lab to record Dr. Eliot’s voice. Hint, the record-play preamp at the right uses tubes that take time to warm up but Vera didn’t wait after turning it on and started to record right away. Oops, she is turning the play lever on the tape deck beside her with her left hand but forgot to simultaneously push the record button with her right hand.

Kronos was filmed in a little over two weeks in California using special effects created by Jack Rabin, Irving Block and Louis DeWitt. It is based on a story by Irving Block. He was involved with several other science fiction productions as a production designer, special effects designer, producer, and writer. He was also an artist, filmmaker, and teacher. He co-wrote Forbidden Planet with Allen Alder.

Kronos Model from My Collection

The model is made from a combination of wood and resin.
Excluding the antennae, it is about 11” tall and 2-3/4” square.

 

 

Answer to the Trivia Question

Berlant Record/Play Preamp from the 1950’s

Berlant Tape Deck
Note the record button in the center near the bottom.
The record/play lever is above it and swings to the right.