The Lost Missile was one of those movies I used to see on Saturday afternoon TV as a kid - it used to scare the heck out of me!
SPOILER - For some reason, a missile that flies at 4000 miles an hour appears from outer space over the (then) Soviet Union - they fire an interceptor missile at it, which knocks it into the atmosphere. The missile leaves a million degree heat trail which vaporizes everything in its path. The movie is primarily concerned with knocking it down.
The acting is somewhat melodramatic at points The story, typical for its time, has (for us nowadays) cheesy special effects - the missile looks like a drawing which to someone has added a flashing light bulb for a tail. The movie uses a lot of stock Defense footage - we see F-89 Scorpions, which carried a large number of unguided missiles in two wing tip pods, firing at the rocket, as well as F-86's, F-100's, F-94, B-52, B-36 - you name it! For anyone who is interested in vintage jet fighters and bombers, this is priceless!
One interesting note - if you're so inclined, look up Project Pluto sometime. This was a USAF project to develop a nuclear powered cruise missile that would fly at Mach 3 at treetop level - slightly over 2100 mph. There were those who thought that the radiation from the engine would poison vast areas of real estate. VERY similar to the movie, which came out a year later.
SPOILER - For some reason, a missile that flies at 4000 miles an hour appears from outer space over the (then) Soviet Union - they fire an interceptor missile at it, which knocks it into the atmosphere. The missile leaves a million degree heat trail which vaporizes everything in its path. The movie is primarily concerned with knocking it down.
The acting is somewhat melodramatic at points The story, typical for its time, has (for us nowadays) cheesy special effects - the missile looks like a drawing which to someone has added a flashing light bulb for a tail. The movie uses a lot of stock Defense footage - we see F-89 Scorpions, which carried a large number of unguided missiles in two wing tip pods, firing at the rocket, as well as F-86's, F-100's, F-94, B-52, B-36 - you name it! For anyone who is interested in vintage jet fighters and bombers, this is priceless!
One interesting note - if you're so inclined, look up Project Pluto sometime. This was a USAF project to develop a nuclear powered cruise missile that would fly at Mach 3 at treetop level - slightly over 2100 mph. There were those who thought that the radiation from the engine would poison vast areas of real estate. VERY similar to the movie, which came out a year later.