In a magazine article the special effects department at Universal admitted that the "mutant" costume from the 1955 film 'This Island Earth' originally had legs that matched the upper body but they had so much trouble making the legs look and work properly they were forced by studio deadline to simply have the mutant wear a pair of trousers. Posters made to promote the movie show the mutant as it was originally supposed to appear.
Hey ... take it easy on the actress ya giant space bug!
"I was black-and-blue, from shoulder to feet, when I was battling [the Metaluna mutant] . . . that man in the monster suit really had me beaten up!" - Faith Domergue
According to Faith Domergue, the pants of her costume were so skintight that she could not wear underwear. A female assistant had to help her put them on and take them off.
The only woman from Metaluna in the film is played by Charlotte Lander, in her only screen appearance. She is at the control console for the decompression tubes on board the saucer.
The Metaluna flying saucer design was based on a famous photograph of an Unidentified Flying Object. In 1950, a farmer named Paul Trent saw, and photographed, a strange craft flying overhead. He took two photos before the craft sped off at fantastic speed and disappeared over the horizon. Known as The McMinnville Incident, because it happened in McMinnville, Oregon, Trent's photographs have never been exposed as a hoax. They remain among the very best photos ever taken of a UFO.
Where Do You You Two Think Your Going?
In interviews to promote the film, actors Jeff Morrow and Rex Reason said that when scenes involving the mutant came up during the premiere, it took every ounce of restraint for them not to sneak out. They were extremely embarrassed by the mutant costume, which they likened to a giant bug. They felt that the mutant completely ruined an otherwise decent film.
All trivia from IMDB
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