Dir. Fred M. Wilcox. 1956, 98 mins. 35mm. With Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen. Neilsen plays Commander J.J Adams, sent with his crew to investigate the silence from a planet inhabited by scientists. He discovers that only two, Dr. Morbius and his daughter Altaira, have survived the hideous monster that roams the planet—and one of them carries a deadly secret. The film features a number of spectacular special effects and the groundbreaking use of an all-electronic music score. It was also the first screen appearance of the iconic Robby the Robot, who can be seen as a precursor for 2001’s HAL.