1958 science fiction 1958 movie
Attack of the Puppet People part 1 of 3
Attack of the Puppet People part 2 of 3
SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT.
They're people!
Not Dolls! Not puppets! Not marionettes! THEY'RE PEOPLE!
The film begins with a Brownie troop visiting a doll manufacturing company called Dolls Inc., owned and operated by the seemingly kindly Mr. Franz (John Hoyt).
Sally Reynolds (June Kenney) answers a newspaper advertisement for a secretary; Franz's previous one has mysteriously vanished.
IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP:
NEVER, never, never answer an ad for a strange "scientist" who likes dolls.
Although she is concerned about his obsession with his dolls, she reluctantly agrees to take the job. A traveling salesman, Bob Westley (John Agar), comes to the office and he and Sally soon develop a relationship.
IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP #2:
Never, ever, enter into a relationship with a traveling salesman. I mean, seriously?
After working at the doll factory for several weeks, Bob asks Sally to marry him and persuades her to quit her job, promising to break the news to Franz. The next day however, Franz informs Sally that Bob has returned home to take care of business and advises her to forget him. She sees a new doll that looks just like Bob. (It totally is Bob.) Frightened, she goes to the police claiming that Franz has somehow shrunk Bob, but Sergeant Paterson, played by Jack Kosslyn, is . . . skeptical. He investigates, but Franz convinces him that the dolls are just dolls.
When Franz finds that Sally plans to quit, he locks Sally in his lab. It is revealed that he has developed a projector machine which can shrink people down to a sixth of their original size.
He uses it on anyone who tries to leave him; the "dolls" in the glass case are former "friends" stored in suspended animation (which he has also invented). Sally becomes his latest victim.
After a reunion between Sally and Bob, Franz reveals how the process works and why he miniaturizes people (it seems that he developed an unhealthy phobia against being alone after his wife left him).
SCIENTIFIC NOTE:
The human anatomy is more complicated than a projector screen. I question the underlying premise here.
Periodically, Franz awakens his captives to enjoy parties he throws for them.
During a welcoming party for the two newcomers, Franz has to deal with full-size friend and customer Emil (Michael Mark). The prisoners try, but fail to call for help. However, Sergeant Paterson begins investigating Franz, as many people he knows seems to be missing. After Franz is questioned by Paterson, he panics, announcing to his miniature prisoners that he plans to kill them and himself before he can be caught. He takes his troupe to an old theatre, supposedly to test his repairs on Emil's marionette. There, he throws one last party, making his captives act out Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for him.
Bob and Sally manage to escape and make it back to Franz's workshop. Franz tracks them down, but not before they are able to return themselves to normal size. They leave to fetch the police, despite his feeble pleas. The fates of the other prisoners still miniaturized and frozen are not revealed.
WHY DEAR GOD WAS THERE NO SEQUEL?
Cast:
June Kenney as Sally Reynolds
John Agar as Bob Westley
John Hoyt as Mr. Franz
Michael Mark as Emil
text from wikipedia
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