Sept. 18, 1963 - Opening today is “X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes,” a science fiction horror film in Pathécolor, produced and directed by Roger Corman. The film stars Ray Milland (right) as a scientist who develops a method to extend the range of his vision, which results in unexpected complications. Comedian Don Rickles (left) co-stars in one of his rare dramatic roles. Director Corman said the idea for the film was his. It was originally about a scientist, but he felt that was “too obvious,” so he changed the protagonist to “a jazz musician who had taken too much drugs.” “Then I got into about four or five pages of my outline, and I thought, ‘You know, I don’t like this idea,’ and so I threw the whole thing out and went back with the scientist, which was the original idea.” The film was shot in three weeks on a budget of approximately $300,000.
Comments