- Pal, you are known as the one of the great modern science fiction filmmakers. Why did you first become acquainted with Science fiction? - Well, that actually happened in my childhood. I was born in Hungary, and I was very much interested in any kind of escapism, mainly because times were so bad. You would look for escapes, and I grew up on fairy tales. Later on, that branched into science fiction, which is a sort of modern or adult fairy tale. - [Interviewer] What kind was it? - {Interviewer] What year? - This was after the First World War. Then I went to school and graduated as an Architect, naturally had a great deal by training. Incidentally, in Hungary, something interesting: Before you can become an Architect, you have to be a brick layer or a carpenter. Being pretty cold in Hungary, I decided to become a carpenter. I still practice it, because I enjoy it. And then finally, I became an Architect. I think this is a very good idea for Architects or any designers to actually learn the crafts way down, from the bottom. And that happened to be a great deal developing the techniques of good "Puppetoons". - [Interviewer] And you started your "Puppetoons" in when? - In the '30s. - [Interviewer] In the '30s. - [Interviewer] And you came to this country in? - 1939. - [Interviewer] At this time, - [Interviewer] you became interested you said in making science film? - Oh yes. Well actually, I made Puppetoons first for Paramount for a whole series of "Puppetoons". You know, ideas the shorts became 1-2-3-4 kind of long pants We wanted to make something longer. Something, I don't know, I think Julius Caesar said it that, "I haven't got time to write letters short." I wanted to make something more important. With my training in "Puppetoons" which is basically special effects. I decided to go in my favorite field into science fiction fairy tales. We developed during the week the "Puppetoons" in the '40s. We developed the "tom thumb" project. Originally we wanted to have "tom thumb" as a little puppet. Later on we of course we changed our mind, and made a live person playing a six inch "tom thumb" cross-assembling. Going back to the science fiction angle, I couldn't sell it very well, the "Puppetoon" and "tom thumb" feature. But in the mean time, we also developed "Destination Moon". I got a hold of Robert Heinlein's book "Rocket Ship Galileo". The screen play was written by Van Ronkel and Heinlein and James O'Hanlon. I was able to put that together, but even that I wasn't able to put together. The regular motion picture studios was too far off, too different. Everybody did regard it as a Fantasy, which I resented, because we were particularly careful not to make a Fantasy of this particular one, "Destination Moon". We would make it as a, how did we call it? A documentary of the near future. - [Interviewer] Has anyone told you that the first televised Moon landing looked like a rerun of "Destination Moon"? - Oh yes, I heard that comment quite often. But that's a credit to people, like Sawley. God bless him, he was helping us a great deal. And of course Heinlein who, you know, loved how authentic how it will happen. And Chesley Bonestell who also worked on the mock paintings and design, and in many, many things. - [Interviewer] And you went on from "Destination Moon", to make "When Worlds Collide"? - Yes, then I finally went to work then major studios became very interested in these kind of things. I went to work to Paramount and made "When Worlds Collide" with Philip Wylie and Boehm-- - [Interviewer] In 1950? - In 1950, yes. Late 1950 - [interviewer] Wow. - After "Destination Moon", you went on to? - When we were in school, I had major studios give in and became interested in the kind of pictures that I wanted to make. Just strangely enough, I bought "When Worlds Collide" from Paramount, which Paramount originally bought from Cecil B. DeMille. When someone ever bought me, and then I saw them and made it for them in 1950. Then it was very successful, and I kept on making them. "War of the Worlds", which was a good story on the radio in 1953. So then we kind of follow this example, and we try to do what works best. Audience to participate in the picture. In other words, we, the audience, were attacked. Which unfortunately, the motion picture theater you went in to see where you couldn't do quite what could quite break into regular program, you know? [Interviewer} Did you have any Audience reaction from this? - Yeah! Yes, yes. We had a few principles. For instance, one of the basic principles was that when we were attacked, so we never showed anything from the Martian's point-of-view. It was always that we were attacked in the audience. We came through and the audience apparently appreciated and voted. Because when 1950 came up, it was very happy and didn't really happen in Los Angeles, especially here. And we are still here. - [Interviewer] Well, you destroyed Los Angeles. - Yes, quite a miracle. The Martians did! - [Interviewer] Not true, not true. - And Gordon Jerry Scott. - [Interviewer] An actor of "War of the Worlds", you went onto-- Then basically, - I think after that, became I believe, "Houdini". But again, a different kind of motion picture that has Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. That gave us the challenge to put magic on the film, which many people said, "It can't de done!" "People won't believe it." Again, we had a basic principle for us, that we had the camera on one shot while a trick was performed. Tony was a very good student of magic in tech. He became a very good Magician through the picture. He performed every trick in actually one shot. I think it was in 1954 or so, I made "The Naked Jungle", which is based on a book called, a short story actually in Esquire, "Leiningen Versus the Ants", which was with Charlton Heston, Eleanor Parker, and billions of ants. It was very challenging, really. An interesting picture to do. Then I made "Conquest of Space", and that did not turn out quite as well as I thought it would. But it was reasonable end date. Incidentally, we had Wernher von Braun as a Technical Advisor. Then finally, I got "tom thumb" made. I made it for MGM. And I think that was in '58, 1958-1959. After that, we made "The Time Machine", which was a great pleasure to do with Rod Taylor Yvette Mimieux. It turned out very satisfactory, I liked the picture. And then we kept making "Atlantis: The Lost Continent", and "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm", which was the first Cinerama picture with a story. It was very difficult, it was quite challenging, because the Cinerama system, at that time, was three panels. It was very difficult to stage action because that match line was always in the way. The match line still moved a little bit up and down. So you couldn't face 50 feet tall. And the moves, and all the eyes are moving. So it was a rather difficult picture to make, but we did make it, and it was very successful. And then came "7 Faces of Dr. Lao", which was based on "The Circus of Dr. Lao", was to be Tony Randall playing Dr. Lao and six other parts. And then "The Power", with George Hamilton and Suzanne Pleshette, then went on preparing quite a number of other pictures. - [Interviewer] Oh. - One of them is "Logan's Run". That's a science fiction story book written by Bill Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. The screenplay by Richard Maibaum who wrote most of the Bond pictures, including the last one, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". "When the Sleeper Wakes", I'm glad to make a third H. G. Wells novel. I wanted to buy this from the AIP, but they weren't ready to sell it. But they should make it for us and we would be glad if we do it. So, I went to the agents, and they were happy and we could make this picture in England this coming summer. That's a very good story about a man who falls asleep, sleeps 200 years and wakes up helpless. I also have pictures, like "The Last Revolution" in preparation, Rod Serling's screen play based on Lord Dunsany's book, which is Man versus Machine. One more, which I'm sure I'm going to make called "The Disappearance" it's a Phillip Wylie story. All the women disappear from the men's life, and all the men's from the women's life. - [Interviewer] You often return to a favorite author, like Phillip Wylie and H. G. Wells, do you agree-- - That's right. - [Interviewer] Are there certain qualities they have that appeal to you? - Well H. G. Wells, I wish he would be alive because he would make a great screenplay writer, mind you, Because big difference to write now and write the screenplay But H. G. Wells somehow wrote for the screen. It's not by accident that all his novels filmed were very good and very successful. I think the only exception is one because it came out in the wrong time, "The Island of Lost Souls", which is the island of Dr. Moreau. And that particular time, in it was 1928 or so, wasn't it? For a 40 year old! - [Interviewer] Off-screen voice! - [Interviewer] Well when you are making those films-- - What films? - [Interviewer] Film was about 1933, I would say and it has a lauded appearance. - Thank you, for the experimented heights! - What were the qualities of the science fiction and film that you looked for? - This is the hardest thing to determine, because I don't know! I know when it hits me. I remember when somebody told me about "When World Collide". All I had to know was the basis of it. From then on, actually I could have made my own story. But of course, who can top Philip Wylie? That mongrel. But H. G. Wells not classy, not without reason that his books became successful. And his films, "The Invisible Man", "Shape of Things to Come", - Is this particular thing of when you know it's a good idea. Is it something about the idea, the excitement, or the dramatic impact, or the fact that it's different? What is it that you? - Well. I don't know it all tight. You don't know it when you are knocked out. You don't know when a punch comes from here or from here or there. Somebody hits you and gives you the excitement and the desire, and the obsession to make these pictures. That's why sometimes it takes me so long to make a picture, because it's very hard to convince people what I see in these movies. Especially since I tried to do something different and sort of Pioneer, you do things differently. And if it's very hard for studios, it was hard to convince studios that, just because it's different, it might help a great deal! Maybe an addition in traction and desire from people to see the different and unusual. - There's quality of difference, and perhaps that you're looking for and-- - It could be, could be. - Something that has not yet been. - Yes, the challenge in, yeah. I say that I claimed that in the only medium is the motion picture medium where there is nothing impossible. Every other medium has limitations, where you can't do it. Thanks to special effects Really, there is no more boundaries. You can do anything. - In "Destination Moon", you had a great concern for Authenticity. - Yes. - And in many of your other films, this has been the case, as well. Is that a concern for - [Interviewer] the actual shape of things to come, - [Interviewer] To use the H. G. Wells? - [George Pal] Well actually, even when you deal with things that are super sizing.