Cat-Women of The Moon

CAT-WOMEN OF THE MOON: Curvy Cuties In Black Tights

By Steve D. Stones

Here is another film that ranks in the top five “worst movies of all
time” according to most reputable film critics. Like Robot Monster, this
film was released in some theaters as a 3-D film in the early 1950s.
Rhino Home Video released a VHS print of the film in the mid-1990s
containing two pairs of 3-D glasses. The 3-D effect is ineffective, but
as a collector, it’s a real treat to have the glasses as a part of your
video collection.

A space expedition on board Moon Rocket 4 is sent to explore the surface
of the moon. Pretty navigator Helen, played by Marie Windsor, is
experiencing telepathic messages from a group of cat women from the
moon’s surface. The cat women inform Helen where to land on the moon.
She instructs the crew, lead by veteran actor Sonny Tufts, to land on a
specific spot near some caverns. There the crew encounters a cheesy
giant rubber spider, which is seen in many low budget 1950s sci-fi
movies.

Helen leads the crew to an ancient underground moon civilization
inhabited by cat women dressed in black tights. According to the opening
credits, the cat women are played by the Hollywood Cover Girls. Each one
is named after a letter in the Greek alphabet, such as Alpha, Zeta and
Lamda. Apparently the Ancient Greeks were capable of space travel and
somehow made their way to the moon to influence the culture of the cat
women. I thought space travel didn’t happen until the mid-20th century?
Guess I was wrong.



The cat women are hospitable towards the crew and take an immediate
liking to the three male members. Little do the men realize that the
women are trying to obtain information from them on how to operate the
rocket ship so they can leave their dying civilization. They have no
desire to mate with the men, but only to obtain information from them.

It’s interesting to note that this film was remade at least three times
during the 1950s as Missile To The Moon, Fire Maidens of Outer Space and
the notoriously awful Queen of Outer Space with Zsa Zsa Gabor. Why
anyone would want to remake a turkey like this is anyone’s guess, but
fans of low-budget, grade Z movies, like myself, love seeing attempts at
remakes. Composer Elmer Bernstein created the music for this film and
Robot Monster. Special effects veterans Al Zimbalist and Jack Rabin are
also credited. Don’t miss the tacky cat women dance about half way into
the film. It’s well worth the price of admission!