By Chris Rennirt
Whatever happened to the good old days of sci-fi, when aliens and monsters could carry away a helpless Earth woman–a “Damsel in Distress,”–sometimes with the damsel even scantily clad, in a bikini, more or less, making her all the more sexy, vulnerable, and all the more the victim? Whatever happened to the days when all of this wonderful, pulp-style art could grace not only movie posters, but the covers of books, magazines, comic books, and whatever. And, whatever happened to the days when it was considered totally harmless, all in good fun, and nobody cared? What was all the more harmless was the fact that the alien, robot, or monster was usually carrying the woman, not because she was in distress or danger, but in order to protect her. Harmless fun, for sure!
Before I go further, I must talk a little about the inspiration for this article. Often, an idea for writing precedes its text features. An article is usually written first, and only later populated with the photos to illustrate it, more for decorations than necessities. And yes, that’s what even I usually do. But not this time! Here, I first created a nostalgic photo (using AI, shown above) and was then struck with overwhelming thoughts and an idea to write an article. Yes! Only after a long-suppressed yearning reared its alien head, manifesting as easy-to-produce, digital art did I think enough to compose an article. While I realize that my art is more modernized and millennial, and perhaps more graphic (with an arguably dead victim on the beach), it still made me think of the glorious days of old–the atomic age of the ’50s, with rocket-finned cars, ray guns in every toy store, and a new alien-invasion movie every week. Maybe a better vintage comparison to my art would be the more violent Mars Attacks trading cards produced by Topps in the ’60s, definitely avant-garde and shocking for the times. (And that would be the subject for yet another article.) But, again, the downed girl on the beach in my photo, in my creative mind, is just another “damsel” who merely feinted from fright…before ever being abducted, or perhaps rescued, herself. Yes! That’s the way I look at it. Harmless fun it all is, however!
Believe it or not, back in 1956, the iconic image of Robby the Robot carrying Altaira (Anne Francis) on the Forbidden Planet movie poster, was just a marketing invention to boost ticket sales, not a scene that appears in the film. MGM designed the poster to evoke the “monster-carrying-a-beautiful-girl” trope, capitalizing on curiosity, even though Robby is portrayed as a harmless, loyal protector in the movie. In the movie, Robby does not act as an antagonist of any sort. Instead, he serves as a guardian and servant, acting as her tailor, chef, and protector. The studio, however, aimed for an eye-catching, dramatic, and somewhat misleading advertisement, designed to create a sense of danger that didn’t really exist in the actual plot…and designed to make more money. When the audience saw the poster, before the movie, they didn’t know if Robby was good or bad; it created intrigue in the mind of viewers, making them want to see the movie and see if the “Damsel in Distress” is rescued, or not. MGM even put Altaira in a flesh-colored dress on the poster to attract hordes of teenage boys (and, no doubt, as many men, as well). This further sexualized Altaira, profiting from her even more, further achieving the goal, with none of the backlash such depictions of women in peril would generate today. And again, market research and box-office results proved that it worked; it brought in more movie goers and made more money for movie studios.
The same can be said of the movie posters for The Day the Earth Stood Still, five years earlier in 1951, and Creature from the Black Lagoon, two years earlier in 1954–two popular sci-fi films from the same decade. In The Day the Earth Stood Still, the destroyer-of-worlds robot Gort, does actually carry Helen Benson (Patricia Neal) into his spaceship. Again (as with Altaira in Forbidden Planet), it is not technically a “Damsel in Distress” kidnapping scene as suggested by the film’s pulp-style poster. Gort actually carries Helen gently while she is unconscious, only to help her and Klaatu escape.
In the Creature from the Black Lagoon’s movie poster from 1951, we have “The Creature” carrying Kay Lawrence (Julie Adams). Again, the woman-carrying scene does appear in the movie, as he does carry her, limp and unresponsive, to his lair, in the famous “Grotto Scene.” But again, it is not the “Damsel-in-Distress” scene it appears to be (although Kay may indeed be in distress not knowing The Creature’s motives). Unbeknownst to Kay, she is never really in any danger. “The Creature” is only carrying her, because he has done the harmless, very human-like thing of falling in love with her. He carries her very carefully and never has any intent to harm her. A scene depicting a helpless, vulnerable (and yes, sexy woman, in a bathing suit) was nonetheless there again, in full force, for all the marketing advantages it had, pulling in all the extra teenage boys (and yes, men too).
More that come to mind include Invaders from Mars (1953) and the fun, ultra-low budget Invasion of the Saucer Men from 1957–filmed in just seven days, as a fun fact! I could go on and on with more, with countless more from the decade, but I won’t. Why? It isn’t necessary. And just as it’s unnecessary, it’s quite possible, highly likely, or most certain that, by now, some have already stopped reading this article anyway. Some may have stopped in disgust, asking questions, if not ranting. “How could he actually be longing for such ‘good old days,’ when women were ‘exploited’ for money and marketing?” I can hear them asking, maybe yelling. “How could he really believe that women being carried off helplessly by aliens, robots, and monsters was ever a good thing?” “What about gender equality, for God sakes?” “What about a woman always being self-sufficient, always as rough and tough as any man?” “Why shouldn’t women always rise to the occasion, strong-arming and defeating arch villains, aliens, and monsters, just like Ellen Ripley in ALIEN (1979) or Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), or more recently, Rain Carradine in Alien: Romulus (2024)?” “How in God’s name could he ever diminish a woman’s ability to defend herself, on her own, no man needed?” “How could he ever not prefer women actually saving men in movies these days instead?” Yes! I’ve probably already pissed off and/or deeply offended someone or a lot of people of all sexes…of course. But does that stop me from thinking and remembering the harmless fun it was? Does that stop me from writing about it, as a catharsis to clear my head, to justify my thinking as much as to reminisce? No! Not at all! It doesn’t stop me one bit! Whether or not anyone agrees with me, whether or not I’ve convinced or converted a single person who disagreed, it matters not. I’ve decompressed and stated my case…and I feel better having done it! Thank God such films from a bygone era are preserved forever, for those who still love them today! With this, am I saying that a woman can’t kick alien ass and sometimes even save the man? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I love Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor, Rain Carradine, and all the rest! Just don’t take away my damsels in distress…PLEASE!
Perhaps, I’m absolutely, unequivocally wrong to think it could ever be right to depict women as helpless, vulnerable victims of sci-fi aliens, robots, and monsters, even worse looking sexy and irresistibly attractive as well. (And I won’t even add “scantily clad” to the mix.) Perhaps, I’m really a male chauvinist, as some would suggest, to even think of it, let alone write a whole article defending it. Perhaps, if a single person is offended, it should (to use a ’50s movie title), be “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” But damn was it ever fun back then! And damn is it ever still fun, every time I see the posters, pulp sci-fi comics, and watch those movies from “The Good Old Days”! Better yet, maybe that alien, monster, or robot is really rescuing the woman, saving her from a fate worse than being carried by someone (or something) other than a human, being carried by a man–or, just being carried at all, not being able to kick ass like a man and defend herself! Maybe, she’s not really a “Damsel in Distress,” after all. Maybe, instead of chauvinism, it’s chivalry!
For more Memoirs of a Monster Kid, check Space Jockey Reviews!
Chris Rennirt is a movie critic and writer in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as editor in chief at Space Jockey Reviews. He has been a judge at many film festivals, including Macabre Faire Film Festival and Crimson Screen Film Fest, and he attends horror and sci-fi conventions often. Chris’ movie reviews, articles, and interviews appear in Effective Magazine and are published regularly on Space Jockey Reviews.