It's Great to Be Alive
Encyclopedia
It's Great to Be Alive is a science fiction
musical comedy film
produced by Fox Film Corporation, is a remake
of The Last Man on Earth
(1924), and later influenced the novel Mr. Adam
(1946) by Pat Frank.
), and heads on a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean
. He has engine trouble and makes an emergency landing on an uninhabited island out in the Pacific. Shortly afterward, a global epidemic of a new disease called masculitis kills every fertile male human on the planet. When efforts to cure the disease fail, the human race is doomed. Humanity's institutions are all run by women, including the Chicago
underworld. Carlos escapes the island, and once he returns home and hears the news, it now depends on him to continue the human race.
One scene in this film depicts look-a-likes of the two top scientists of the era, Albert Einstein
and Auguste Piccard
, trying to find a cure for masculitis. Another scene portrays a burlesque
show dubbed "Girls of all Nations". Other cast members include Edna May Oliver
, Joan Marsh
, Edward Van Sloan
and Peaches Jackson
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
musical comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
produced by Fox Film Corporation, is a remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of The Last Man on Earth
The Last Man on Earth (1924 film)
The Last Man on Earth is a silent comedy produced by Fox Film Corporation and loosely based on Mary Shelley's 1826 novel The Last Man. The film was remade as the semi-musical comedy It's Great to Be Alive , and influenced the sci-fi novel Mr...
(1924), and later influenced the novel Mr. Adam
Mr. Adam
Mr. Adam is the first novel written by Pat Frank dealing with the effects of a nuclear mishap causing worldwide male infertility. The work was initially published by J. B. Lippincott Company, but was reprinted once in 1959 by Pocket Books under the title Mr...
(1946) by Pat Frank.
Synopsis
A young aviator, Carlos Martin (played by Raul Roulien), is dumped by his girlfriend (Gloria StuartGloria Stuart
Gloria Frances Stuart was an American actress, activist, painter, bonsai artist and fine printer. Over a Hollywood career which spanned, with a long break in the middle, from 1932 until 2004, she appeared on stage, television, and film, for which she was best-known...
), and heads on a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. He has engine trouble and makes an emergency landing on an uninhabited island out in the Pacific. Shortly afterward, a global epidemic of a new disease called masculitis kills every fertile male human on the planet. When efforts to cure the disease fail, the human race is doomed. Humanity's institutions are all run by women, including the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
underworld. Carlos escapes the island, and once he returns home and hears the news, it now depends on him to continue the human race.
One scene in this film depicts look-a-likes of the two top scientists of the era, Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
and Auguste Piccard
Auguste Piccard
Auguste Antoine Piccard was a Swiss physicist, inventor and explorer.-Biography:Piccard and his twin brother Jean Felix were born in Basel, Switzerland...
, trying to find a cure for masculitis. Another scene portrays a burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
show dubbed "Girls of all Nations". Other cast members include Edna May Oliver
Edna May Oliver
Edna May Oliver was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the best-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters.-Early life:...
, Joan Marsh
Joan Marsh
Joan Marsh was an American film actress.Marsh was the daughter of Charles Rosher. She made her first film appearance as an infant in the Universal Pictures film Hearts Aflame , billed as Dorothy Rosher...
, Edward Van Sloan
Edward Van Sloan
Edward Van Sloan was an American film character actor best remembered for his roles in Universal Studios horror films.-Career:...
and Peaches Jackson
Peaches Jackson
Peaches Jackson was an American film actress. Her sister, Mary Ann Jackson also became a child actor, and appeared in many Little Rascals short films for Hal Roach...
.