I need info on 50’s American sci fi
50’s SF. Well, don’t forget the seminal Television series, Tom Corbett: Space Cadet, or Space Patrol, or Rocky Jones Space Ranger. These were all proto-star trek series which had runs of several years and featured on television, radio, comics, books and collectibles. There’s actually a web site called “Solarguard” that is devoted to these.
“Cult” SF didn’t really exist at the time. But SF movies of various sorts were coming out. Allow me to add a few more to the list, in no particular order. Queen of Outer Space, Conquest of Space, Missile to the Moon, It Came From Outer Space, Godzilla, King Kong (reissued in 52 and made more money than on its original release), Them, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, It Conquered the World, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Plan 9 From Outer Space.
Also, you have to consider the popular folklore around this time. This was the era of the first flying saucer craze. Saucers were a brand new thing, fleets of saucers were sighted over Washington, saucers were reported to have shot down Captain Mantell’s air force fighter jet, engaged in dogfights, and sometimes featured human pilots with important messages to guys like Adamski. This was also the age when interplanetary exploration seemed just around the corner. In essence, there was a strong feeling that the Sci Fi movies weren’t far fetched, but often depicted real possible futures or fears and dreams of futures which were thought to be quite possible.