"The War of the Worlds" wins Oscar 1954

 The War of the Worlds won an Academy Award at the 26th annual ceremony held March 25, 1954.  The sci-fi classic won an Oscar for Best Special Effects, when it wasn't a regular category.  It was nominated for Best Sound Editing and Best Film Editing.  The War of the Worlds lost both to From Here to Eternity which won eight Oscars that night.

War of the Worlds trailer

Les Tremayne, "Shazam!" actor, born 1913

Les Tremayne, born April 16, 1913 in London, England, started his lengthy career in radio back in the 1930s.  He started in films in the 1950s and starred in movies such as War of the Worlds, The Angry Red Planet, and The Monolith Monsters.  He also appeared in King Kong vs. Godzilla.

For those of us born in the 1960s, we remember him best as Mentor in the Saturday morning show Shazam! from 1974-1976.  He appeared as the mentor to Billy Batson, Captain Marvel's secret identity.  

Tremayne passed away in December 2003 from heart failure. 

"The War of the Worlds" released 1953

H. G. Wells' science-fiction classic novel (with some creative liberties), War of the Worlds, premiered on the big screen August 26, 1953.  It starred Gene Barry as Dr. Clayton Forrester (sound familiar?).

It was released within a generation of Orson Welles' iconic and panic-inducing radio broadcast in 1939.  It was the biggest science-fiction movie of the year.

It won an Academy Award for Best Effects, Special Effects and has been selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in its National Film Registry.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 named its main antagonist Dr. Clayton Forrester as an homage to the film.