''The Atomic Kid'' is a 1954 American

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Leslie H. Martinson Leslie Herbert Martinson (January 16, 1915 – September 3, 2016) was an American television and film director. Career Martinson was born to Gertrude and Lewis Martinson in Boston, Massachusetts on January 16, 1915. He had a brother named Bert ...

and starring

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

and Robert Strauss. It was distributed by

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City an ...

and produced by Maurice Duke and

Plot

While

uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...

prospector "Blix" Waterberry is in the desert, eating a

peanut butter sandwich A peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J) consists of peanut butter and fruit preserves—jelly—spread on bread. The sandwich may be open-faced, made of a single slice of bread folded over, or made using two slices of bread. The sand ...

, he wanders into an active atomic bomb test site and is accidentally exposed to radiation from a direct overhead A-bomb blast. He miraculously survives, becoming radioactive, and in the process gaining special powers. He is then recruited for his powers by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

to help break up a spy ring. After helping to capture the spy ring, Bix and his former nurse decide to get married. They head toward Las Vegas and get lost in the desert along the way. They stop at a lone

ranch-style house Ranch (also known as American ranch, California ranch, rambler, or rancher) is a domestic architectural style that originated in the United States. The ranch-style house is noted for its long, close-to-the-ground profile, and wide open layout. ...

they come upon to ask for directions, only to discover that the house is open and mannequins have been placed in the furnished house. Bix has somehow driven into ''another'' active atomic bomb test site! In a dead panic, he hurriedly drives himself and his fiance away from

ground zero In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. In the case of an explosion above the ground, ''ground zero'' is the point on the ground ...

before history has a chance to repeat itself.

Cast

as Barnaby 'Blix' Waterberry * Robert Strauss as Stan Cooper *

Elaine Devry Elaine Devry (born Thelma Elaine Mahnken) is an American actress. Early life Devry was born Thelma Elaine Mahnken to Fred P. and Hortense Mahnken in Compton, California, where she was raised. Her brother, Jeff, was three years her senior. She be ...

as Audrey Nelson * Bill Goodwin as Dr. Rodell *

Robert Emmett Keane Robert Emmett Keane (March 4, 1883 – July 2, 1981) was an American actor of both the stage and screen. Biography Keane began on stage in the 1910s, his first Broadway appearance being in the production of '' The Passing Show of 1914''. He co ...

as Mr. Reynolds *

Whit Bissell Whitner Nutting Bissell (October 25, 1909 – March 5, 1996) was an American character actor. Early life Born in New York City, Bissell was the son of surgeon Dr. J. Dougal Bissell and Helen Nutting Bissell. He was educated at the Allen-S ...

as Dr. Edgar Pangborn *

Joey Forman Joseph Forman (November 18, 1929 – December 9, 1982) was an American comedian and comic actor. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Forman appeared on the late 1940s local radio show the Magic Lady Supper Club along with his school f ...

as MP in hospital * Dan Riss as Jim, FBI Chief Agent *

Peter Leeds Peter Leeds (May 30, 1917 – November 12, 1996) was an American actor who appeared on television more than 8,000 times and also had many film, Broadway, and radio credits. The majority of his work took place in the 1950s and 1960s. Working ...

as FBI Agent Bill *

Hal March Hal March (born Harold Mendelson; April 22, 1920 – January 19, 1970) was an American comedian, actor, and television quiz show Master of ceremonies, emcee. Early career March entered show business as a straight man in the vaudeville act the ...

as FBI Agent Ray * George E. Mather as 1st Sergeant *

Fay Roope Fay Roope (born Winfield Harding Roope; October 20, 1893 – September 13, 1961) was a Harvard graduate and a character actor who appeared in American theater in New York City from the 1920s through 1950, and in American film and television from ...

as Gen. Lawlor *

Bill Welsh Bill Welsh (April 25, 1911 – February 27, 2000) was a radio and television announcer. Early years Welsh born in Greeley, Colorado, the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Welsh. He attended the Colorado State College of Education. Career Welsh's car ...

as Commentator * Stanley Adams as Wildcat Hooper * Robert Nichols as Bob (Technician) *

Paul Dubov Paul Dubov (October 10, 1918 – September 20, 1979) was an American radio, film and television actor as well as screenwriter. He frequently appeared in the works of Sam Fuller. Among Dubov's radio credits include the 05/02/1953 episode of Gunsm ...

as Anderson (advertising agent) *

Peter Brocco Carl Peter Brocco (January 16, 1903 – December 20, 1992) was an American screen and stage actor. He appeared in over 300 credits, notably ''Spartacus'' (1960) and '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1975), during his career spanning over 60 ...

as Comrade Mosley * Trustin Howard as Corporal *

Charles J. Conrad Charles Julius Conrad (November 28, 1909 – January 15, 1998) served in the California State Assembly for the 57th district from 1947 to 1973 and during World War II, he served in the United States Coast Guard. He was defeated in 1972 by Howar ...

as Scientist * Sig Frohlich as Photographer * Milton Frome as Communications man

Production

The film's screenplay is based on a story by Blake Edwards. Rooney's character "Blix" Waterberry wanders into an atomic test site, and, as one reviewer describes, "Mannequins are depicted sitting around the dinner table in front of their plastic meal, awaiting the predetermined bomb drop ... Rooney remains with the mannequin family and discovers at the last minute that an atomic bomb will be detonated over his head. In a deliberately humorous scene, Rooney frantically tries to find a place to hide from the approaching explosion, only to close his eyes and stick his fingers in his ears as the bomb goes off".Joyce A. Evans, ''Celluloid Mushroom Clouds: Hollywood and the Atomic Bomb'' (Westview Press: 1998), p. 64. Nurse Audrey Nelson (

), who marries "Blix" at the end, is the only female character in the film's opening credits and promotional posters, where she is billed as "Elaine Davis". At the time ''The Atomic Kid'' was being filmed, Devry/Davis was married to Mickey Rooney in real life.

In popular culture

* This is the

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

showing in 1955 at the fictional Town Theater in the fictional Hill Valley in 1985's science fiction comedy '' Back to the Future''.

References

Bibliography

* Ted Okuda, "The Atomic Kid: Radioactivity Finds Andy Hardy" in ''Science Fiction America: Essays on SF Cinema'' (edited by David J. Hogan; McFarland, 2006), pp. 120–129. * Bill Warren. ''Keep Watching The Skies, Vol I: 1950–1957''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1982. . * David Wingrove, '' Science Fiction Film Source Book'' (Longman Group Limited, 1985).

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atomic Kid, The 1954 films American science fiction comedy films American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Leslie H. Martinson Films about nuclear war and weapons Republic Pictures films 1950s science fiction comedy films 1950s American films