Ib Jørgen Melchior (September 17, 1917 – March 14, 2015) was a

Danish-American Danish Americans ( da, Dansk-amerikanere) are Americans who have ancestral roots originated fully or partially from Denmark. There are approximately 1,300,000 Americans of Danish origin or descent. History The first Dane known to have arriv ...

novelist, short-story writer, film producer, film director, and screenwriter of low-budget American science fiction movies, most of them released by

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

Personal life

Melchior was born and raised in

Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, the son of

Lauritz Melchior Lauritz Melchior (20 March 1890 – 18 March 1973) was a Danish-American opera singer. He was the preeminent Wagnerian tenor of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s and has come to be considered the quintessence of his voice type. Late in his career, Me ...

, an opera singer. He served in the Counterintelligence Corps (U.S. Army) during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, getting his training at

Camp Ritchie Fort Ritchie at Cascade, Maryland was a military installation southwest of Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania and southeast of Waynesboro in the area of South Mountain. Following the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, it closed in 19 ...

in Maryland which classifies him as one of the

Ritchie Boys The Ritchie Boys were a special collection of soldiers, with sizable numbers of German-Austrian recruits, of Military Intelligence Service officers and enlisted men of World War II who were trained at Camp Ritchie in Washington County, Maryland. ...

. He also participated in the liberation of

Flossenbürg concentration camp Flossenbürg was a Nazi concentration camp built in May 1938 by the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office. Unlike other concentration camps, it was located in a remote area, in the Fichtel Mountains of Bavaria, adjacent to the town of F ...

as well as the discovery of stolen currency, gold and art at

Merkers-Kieselbach Merkers-Kieselbach is a former Municipalities in Germany, municipality in the Wartburgkreis Districts of Germany, district of Thuringia, Germany. Since 31 December 2013, it is part of the municipality Krayenberggemeinde. Geography Merkers-Kieselb ...

Cavern, and the capture of a

Werwolf ''Werwolf'' (, German for "werewolf") was a Nazi plan which began development in 1944, to create a resistance force which would operate behind enemy lines as the Allies advanced through Germany, in parallel with the ''Wehrmacht'' fighting in f ...

unit in 1945, for which he was awarded the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. He was also involved in a long legal battle involving his father's estate, Chossewitz in

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...

, Germany, which was confiscated by the communist government of

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

and never returned. In 1965, a decorated war hero, he was dubbed Knight Commander of the Militant Order of

Saint Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (c. 1303 – 23 July 1373) born as Birgitta Birgersdotter, also Birgitta of Vadstena, or Saint Birgitta ( sv, heliga Birgitta), was a mystic and a saint, and she was also the founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after t ...

. In 1976, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films awarded Ib Melchior its Golden Scroll Award of Merit for Outstanding Achievement. Biographies include ''Ib Melchior: Man of Imagination'' by Robert Skotak, as well as Melchior's own autobiography ''Case by Case: A U.S. Army Counterintelligence Agent in World War II''. Melchior died on March 14, 2015 at the age of 97, five months after the death of his wife of over 50 years, architect Cleo Baldon.

Fiction and non-fiction

Melchior's novels include ''Code Name: Grand Guignol'', ''Eva'', ''The Haigerloch Project'', ''The Marcus Device'', ''Order of Battle: Hitler's Werewolves'', ''Sleeper Agent'', ''The Tombstone Cipher'' and ''The Watchdogs of Abaddon''. His non-fiction includes the books ''Quest: Searching for Germany's Nazi Past'' (with co-author Frank Brandenburg) and ''Lauritz Melchior: The Golden Years of Bayreuth'', the latter a biography of his father, the opera singer and movie star

. In 1993 Melchior published an account of his career as a staff sergeant with the US Counterintelligence Corps (U.S. Army) during World War II, ''Case by Case: A U.S. Army Counterintelligence Agent in World War II.''Melchior, Ib. ''Case by Case: A U.S. Army Counterintelligence Agent in World War II.'' Presidio Press, 1993. With his wife, Cleo Baldon, Melchior wrote the non-fiction books ''Reflections on the Pool: California Designs for Swimming'' and ''Steps & Stairways'', both influenced by Baldon's work as an architect. Melchior also wrote ''Hour of Vengeance'', a play based on the Viking story of Amled that also inspired

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''. In 1982, it was awarded the Hamlet Award for best playwriting by the Shakespeare Society of America.

Films and television

As a filmmaker, Melchior wrote and directed ''

The Angry Red Planet ''The Angry Red Planet'' (also called ''Invasion of Mars'' and ''Journey to Planet Four'') is a 1959 American science fiction film directed by Ib Melchior and starring Gerald Mohr. Melchior reportedly had an initial production budget of only $ ...

'' (1959) and '' The Time Travelers'' (1964). His most high-profile credit was as co-screenwriter (along with John C. Higgins) of

Byron Haskin Byron Conrad Haskin (April 22, 1899 – April 16, 1984) was an American film and television director, special effects creator and cinematographer. He is best known for directing ''The War of the Worlds'' (1953), one of many films where he t ...

's critically acclaimed ''

Robinson Crusoe on Mars ''Robinson Crusoe on Mars'' is a 1964 American science fiction film directed by Byron Haskin and produced by Aubrey Schenck that stars Paul Mantee, Victor Lundin, and Adam West. It is a science fiction retelling of the classic 1719 novel ''Robins ...

'' (1964). He cowrote the screenplays for two U.S.–Danish coproductions, ''

Reptilicus ''Reptilicus'' is a 1961 Danish-American Monster film, giant monster film about a prehistoric reptile. The film was produced by Cinemagic and Saga Studio and separate versions were released in Denmark and in the United States, with American Inter ...

'' (1961) and ''

Journey to the Seventh Planet ''Journey to the Seventh Planet'' is a 1962 Danish-American science fiction film. It was directed by Sid Pink, written by Pink and Ib Melchior, and shot in Denmark with a budget of only US$75,000. Uranus, the seventh planet in the solar system, ...

'' (1962), and provided the English language script for

Mario Bava Mario Bava (31 July 1914 – 27 April 1980) was an Italian filmmaker who worked variously as a director, cinematographer, special effects artist and screenwriter, frequently referred to as the "Master of Italian Horror" and the "Master of the Ma ...

's ''

Planet of the Vampires ''Planet of the Vampires'' ( it, Terrore nello Spazio, lit=Terror in Space) is a 1965 Italian-Spanish science fiction horror film, produced by Fulvio Lucisano, directed by Mario Bava, that stars Barry Sullivan and Norma Bengell. The screenplay ...

'' (1965). For television, he wrote the episode " The Premonition" for the second season of the original '' The Outer Limits'' series. The episode was broadcast in 1965. Melchior's 1956 short story "The Racer" was adapted as

Paul Bartel Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938 – May 13, 2000) was an American actor, writer and director. He was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy ''Eating Raoul'', which he wrote, starred in and directed. Bartel appeared in over 90 movies and ...

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

favorite, ''

Death Race 2000 ''Death Race 2000'' is a 1975 American science fiction action film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transco ...

'' (1975), starring

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', playi ...

and

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

and produced by

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

. It was later remade as '' Death Race'' (2008), starring

Jason Statham Jason Statham (; born 26 July 1967) is an English actor. He is known for portraying characters in various action-thriller films who are typically tough, hardboiled, gritty, or violent. Statham began practising Chinese martial arts, kickboxing ...

and

Joan Allen Joan Allen (born August 20, 1956) is an American actress. She began her career with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1977, won the 1984 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for ''And a Nightingale Sang'', and won the 1988 Tony Awa ...

, directed by

Paul W. S. Anderson Paul William Scott Anderson (born 4 March 1965) is an English filmmaker who regularly works in science fiction films and video game adaptations. Anderson made his feature film debut with the British independent film '' Shopping'' (1994), a ...

and produced by

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...

. He claimed to be the creator of the original idea upon which

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen, June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film gen ...

based his television series ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...

'', although he never received onscreen credit for this. In 1960, Melchior had created an outline for a series he called ''

Space Family Robinson ''Space Family Robinson'' was an original science-fiction comic-book series published by Gold Key Comics. It predates the ''Lost in Space'' television series. Both are loosely based on the 1812 novel by Johann David Wyss and similarly named movi ...

'', which later became a Gold Key comic book. Decades later, Prelude Pictures hired Melchior as a consultant on its ''

'' feature film adaptation, but later sold his contract to

New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...

, its production partner on the film. New Line agreed to pay Melchior a $75,000 production bonus and $15,000, but refused him his contractually promised two percent of the producer's gross receipts from the film.

Sources

Interviews

* Lawrence Fultz Jr., "The Man From ''Angry Red Planet'': Ib Melchior" ''Monster Bash Magazine,'' 2007, no. 6 * Brett Homenick, "THE IMAGINATION OF IB MELCHIOR! A Conversation with the Danish Monster Moviemaker!" ''Vantage Point Interviews,'' July, 2012. https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2017/05/18/the-imagination-of-ib-melchior-a-conversation-with-the-danish-monster-movie-maker/

Articles

* David C. Hayes, "Return To The Angry Red Planet" ''Planet X Magazine,'' October 2000 Vol. 1 No.4

References

External links

* * *
Ib Melchior
on

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and f ...

Trailers from Melchior's best-known films, with his own commentary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melchior, Ib 1917 births 2015 deaths 20th-century American novelists American film directors American film producers American male novelists United States Army personnel of World War II American male screenwriters English-language film directors Science fiction film directors Danish emigrants to the United States Writers from Copenhagen American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers United States Army officers