The Atomic City

In this cold war thriller, Gene Barry plays Frank Addison, an atomic scientist at Los Almos (aka The Atomic City) whose son Tommy is kidnapped by communist agents. The kidnappers demand from Addison that he hand over atomic secrets in exchange for Tommy's safe return.

This very effective cold war era espionage thriller used turn up often on late night television in late sixties and early seventies. I missed it then, but got a chance to see it very recently when I found a video copy tucked away in a remote corner of my favorite video store. I found THE ATOMIC CITY to be a tense, exciting thriller of the type they made so well back in the late forties and early fifties. The film moves at a quick pace, most of the cast is good, the black and white photography excellent, and very good use of real locations.

One interesting thing I discovered while watching this film is how Los Almos was actually a self contained city, hence the title. The scientists who worked at Los Almos lived in houses inside the secure confines of Los Almos. Los Almos even had its own schools. It is interesting that Tommy is kidnapped when he leaves the secure isolated confines of "The Atomic City" when goes on a school trip.

Here is a much lesser known 50's sci-fi with a little different twist. An atomic researchers son is kidnapped and held for a ransom of the the Father's atomic secrets.

This is a tightly knit atomic sci-fi thriller with great production values and above average acting, even from the kid. The Atomic City actually has a movie feel to it unlike a lot of other 50's sci-fi of this time which which came off more like an episode of a TV show.

The Atomic City was also actually nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay - how many other 50's sci-fi can tout an Academy Award Nomination?

Great pacing, tight direction and some superb location filming in the 'real' Atomic City of Los Alamos, New Mexico make this one worth hunting down. The collectors print in circulation is an above average transfer and makes for a great double feature with the Atomic Man!!

Recommended.

The Atomic City refers to the community of Los Alamos in New Mexico where nuclear scientists live and work. It's a self contained private community with right security as tight as when it began during World War II. But on a school trip, Lee Aaker son of atomic scientist Gene Barry, is kidnapped and held for ransom for the secret of the newly developed hydrogen bomb.

This film was made in 1952 at the time when Julius and Ethel Rosenberg's case was on appeal and front page headlines. So it was a timely film back during the McCarthy era.

It's a tightly edited little noir thriller. I recommend it highly as an antique of bygone days.

What was amusing to me is the way the FBI is portrayed. In this day and age I'm not sure too many people really care other than for political posturing as to how terrorists are treated. Back then though the FBI had this all American image. They don't do things like torture prisoners.

When Leonard Strong one of the kidnappers is nabbed, he laughingly flings the Bill of Rights and the FBI's code of conduct in their faces and won't divulge anything. Then Milburn Stone, the FBI agent takes a break and father Gene Barry goes in with the prisoner alone. Needless to say, Strong coughs up what they need but quick.

J.Edgar Hoover was most concerned about the image of his bureau and his agents, so the third degree for the FBI couldn't be shown. Kind of laughable today.

Check out the first 20 minutes even though the suspense hasn't yet kicked in. We get a pretty good look at super-secret Los Alamos just a few years after the big bomb test that helped end WWII. Except for the tight security, it looks unthreatening enough. Note how it's a TV repairman, an obvious regular guy, who takes us through security. Once through, it's like any-town-USA, nice homes, quiet streets, kids going to school, and a family TV on the blink. Later on we see little Tommy and little Peggy frolicking along streets lined with impressive looking facilities separated by locked gates. The movie appears to be saying, "Okay, we're tough, only because we have to be. But, basically, we're still just folks."

Now, I expect that was a comforting message to Cold War audiences still not used to government's "dooms-day" research. It's a clear effort at popular reassurance. The one darker note is when Tommy's mother (Clarke) worries about her son's mental state. He doesn't say, "When I grow up"; instead, it's, "If I grow up". That note of doubt not only reflects a Los Alamos reality, but also a national one that in 1952 had just seen footage of the apocalyptic H-bomb. Note too, how professionally FBI agents are portrayed, a standard feature of McCarthy era fare. When brute force is needed, it's not they, but private citizen Gene Barry who thrashes out the information—an early version, I suppose, of modern era "rendition".

Once the kidnapping occurs, the suspense doesn't let up. The intrigue is nicely handled with colorful LA locations that keep us guessing. The climactic scenes around the cliff dwellings may not be plausible as a hiding place, but the view of northern New Mexico is great. Then too, the ancient stone apartments amount to one of the more exotic backdrops of the decade. Note also the extensive use of the police helicopter just coming into use as a law enforcement tool. Among an otherwise subdued cast, Nancy Gates remains a sparkling presence as teacher Ellen Haskell. Never Hollywood glamorous, she was still a fine unsung actress and winning personality. I also expect this was one of director Hopper's more successful movie efforts, and though people have since gotten used to the nuclear threat, the movie remains a revealing and riveting document of its time.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Jerry Hopper for Paramount release, "The Atomic City" stars Gene Barry (in his movie debut), Milburn Stone, Lydia Clarke and Nancy Gates.

A straight science fiction-espionage thriller that emphasizes suspense rather than gadgetry, as physicist Gene's son is kidnapped by enemy agents. The Los Alamos setting was topical at the time, and proves to be still relevant.

Gene Barry's magnetism on screen served him in good stead, not as a movie star but as the lead in successful series I enjoyed like "Bat Masterson" and "Burke's Law", quite different genres but both made his own as a smooth performer -the sort of easy, comfortable personality as an actor that Perry Como exuded as a singer/host.