9: ‘Daleks Invasion: Earth 2150AD’
Events from Jan 66 to Aug 66
Operators
Robert Jewell
Six others
Voices
Peter Hawkins
David Graham
The main hero props have subtle
distinguishing features 
The Curse of the Daleks required one Dalek to have
a "Lamp Attachment" which makes its way into
the film in place of a sucker 
One of three props which elongated half-slats
From Stage to Screen
The first Dalek film had been a modest success, which lead Joe Vegoda and and AARU to make a sequel based on the second Dalek TV adventure. The idea had been mooted as early as April 1965 and an 80-minute script was developed from Terry Nation's original work.
Official confirmation of the film came on 16th December 1965 but there was another important event five days later, when the stage play The Curse of the Daleks started its run at Wyndham Theatre. The theatrical production featured five brand-new Shawcraft props which were oddly credited to the film company AARU - despite them not originating from the first movie. The AARU credit is in fact a clue that the play seems to have been allowed to make use of props destined for the planned second film, prior to them being handed over to the film production in the new year. As confirmation of this, not only did Bill Roberts of Shawcraft once recall that a batch of his props were used in both a film and the stage play1, but there is plenty of evidence to underline the links between the two productions, as will be explained.
The production team assembled as many props as possible for the second movie; ultimately entitledDaleks Invasion Earth: 2150AD and the Daleks were given a hybrid appearance which shared some characteristics of the TV Daleks mixed with the features of the Daleks from the first film.
The fact that their overall appearance was silver-grey may have been partly a creative decision to fit better with the gritty and less childish tone of the sequel, but it would also have meant no repainting was required for four out of the five Curse of the Daleks props (the fifth being black). The film props were in a dilapidated state even at the start of filming, and they also retained various appendages which were a legacy of some past life - further cementing the links between the play and the film. It appears obvious that very little time and effort was devoted to refurbishment work on props which did not look brand new for the film - And it makes perfect sense if they had already made a theatrical appearance.
It therefore seems the obvious conclusion that the group of hero movie props was founded upon four out of the five props that had appeared in Curse of the Daleks - a fifth being partly side-lined, as will be explained. The play's props can be distinguished from those in the first film by a visible seam up the front of each shoulder section.
One of the most notable oddities seen in the film was what's often referred to as the "silver sucker". Many strange theories have been put forward as to why one Dalek should have a small, silver sucker, but only when examining the likely past history of the props in the theatre does the appendage make sense.
In The Curse of the Daleks, one prop was fitted with a torch attachment that was used for illuminating secret sensors. When the so-called "silver sucker" from Daleks Invasion Earth: 2150AD is given closer scrutiny, it becomes clear that this reflective attachment is actually the business-end of a large torch, complete with a socket in which a bulb would fit. The inclusion of this irrelevant feature is yet another indication of how hastily arranged and shot the movie was, and how little care was given to the Daleks themselves.
As per the developments in the recent TV adventure The Chase, the shoulders were fitted with slats which had been devised as a type of solar-panel array. Unlike the TV variants however, most of the movie Daleks were given seven half-slats over the gunboxes, instead of the usual six. This allowed one slat to sit over the centre-line of the prop, conveniently obscuring the unsightly seams which had been left on the new batch of shoulders.
In keeping with the general poor standard of the appearance of these movie props, their slats were all arranged haphazardly and the cut of the new finer mesh was different on every prop. Three of the Daleks had half-slats which were unusually elongated, and on one prop they extend so far down that they are almost in contact with the gun-ball. Some Daleks have mesh which is nowhere near the height of the slats, and some have the mesh running right to the top and bottom edge of the slats. One prop's slats are nearly touching the lower collar. In a departure from the TV props the slats were changed from perspex to metal. The perspex slats were prone to snapping during studio recording, and metal slats would have stood up to more rigorous handling. However, the metal slats had their own problems and were often bent or buckled. All these features are useful in following the props through the movie.
Eight hero props feature in a couple of scenes 
The Dalek with which Jill Curzon poses, featuring
Curse-style gun and unusual pincer 
The Curzon Dalek makes a fleeting appearance
in the film, still with Curse-style gun with spokes
Hero Props, Supporting Props, and Background Props
Five props carried the bulk of the work throughout the film, and a sixth prop came into play when the Black Dalek joined the action. Two more props were constructed, however only a couple of scenes in the entire movie feature eight hero props. One such scene is the location work in which the Daleks surround the shack, which is then blown up.
Despite eight props appearing in this scene, only seven Daleks are seen to move. Similarly in the saucer attack, only seven silver Daleks are used despite there being more props available. This was because only seven operators were hired for the sequel. One experienced Dalek operator was employed: Robert Jewell, and he attempted to tutor six additional actors to work the remaining Daleks. The results are disappointing, as most of the Daleks move clumsily, often failing to point forwards when moving ahead, and rarely do they wave more than one appendage at a time.
Whilst four of the Curse props became hero props, a fifth only underwent partial and sub-standard conversion, and was barely used in the movie. The rarely-seen ninth prop is best known from publicity photography in which actress Jill Curzon posed with a Dalek that had been hastily and clumsily adapted from the play. Not only does the "Curzon Dalek" have a peculiar scissor-like pincer different to those from the first film, but it still sports a gun with spokes, and it doesn't have the same slats as its big-screen counterparts.
Curse of the Daleks props were styled exactly as per the TV adventures, including guns with octagonal spokes. Ordinarily, these guns would not be used in the movie because a wider barrel was needed to accommodate the fire-extinguisher plume - however the Curzon prop was left with its spoked gun
As well as the incongruous weapon, this Dalek's slats were inconsistently affixed. The rest of the film Daleks were given seven half-slats, including one in the centre, however the Curzon Dalek only has six half-slats but with one slat aligned centrally. This gives the whole shoulders an asymmetrical appearance. Also the shoulder mesh was of the courser TV style rather than the new finer style of the other props.
The Curzon prop only makes it into three shots in the entire film, two of which are in the scene in which Tyler and Susan escape by smashing through a line of Daleks with a van. This ninth prop was taken on location, although it can only be glimpsed in the distance at the mine workings. The condition of the props seems to have had little bearing on how and when they were used, therefore the exclusion of this prop is most likely because its narrow-bore gun did not allow a fire extinguisher to be used inside and therefore it couldn't feature in scenes such as where the shack is fired upon.
A high-quality fibreglass FX prop which had earlier
been hurled down the ramp of the Dalek saucer
In addition to the hero props, three good-quality FX props were constructed from fibreglass, bringing the total props of all kinds up to 12, which can be seen together briefly - albeit distantly - in the aforementioned van scene. The main FX prop which was prominently hit by the van had earlier been employed when a Dalek was hurtled down the ramp and exploded at the bottom. As such, it was already in a slightly dilapidated state when it came to filming.
Identifying Features and Changes During the Shoot
All the skirts had internal bracing similar to the refurbishments carried out for The Daleks' Master Plan, which meant that prominent bolts could be seen on the front panels of the skirts. The size and positioning of these bolts are different on every prop, which makes tracking their appearances a little easier. The top halves of the Daleks had a variety of unique features and even different construction techniques, further illustrating their different origins and again allowing their uses to be examined.
The first scenes to be shot were those in the Dalek saucer, and the rebels attack. From the outset one Dalek was painted red and silver, to act as the overseer of activities in London. All the other props were silver at this stage.
One prominent silver prop was notable for having an extremely tiny gap between the top of the collar and the lower-edges of the slats. The mesh was also exactly the same height as the slats, whereas on other props the slats extend further than the mesh beneath. It had widely-spaced half-slats at the front and most curiously of all, different-coloured hemispheres to all the others, being more akin to the first batch of TV props. This prop has the "silver-sucker" torch attachment when the group of Daleks advance on the rebels, however the appendages and the eyes swap constantly throughout filming.
One prop is easy to distinguish because the mesh and slats had become detached at the front, giving them a V-shape sagging effect and causing them to lift at the rear. It is also the only prop to have the rivets affixing the slats positioned at the extreme ends of the slats, rather than nearer the centre.
When filming began of the bomb control scenes, this particular prop was re-painted to become the Gold Dalek at which time its slats were re-mounted properly to remove the sagging effect. Even after refurbishment, it still retained a host of unique features, most notably a gigantic eye-ball, and rivets at the ends of the slats rather than the middle.
At the same time the Gold Dalek was painted up, a prop was nominated to play the Black Dalek, and a silver casing was used that had barely been used up until that point.
One of the last shots to be filmed was a Dalek rising from the Thames. The two Daleks watching from the shore had been refurbished at that stage, receiving large eye-balls, and one had its collar remounted so that displays a prominent lift at the front.
The Gold Dalek repainted Red and Black
appeared when Alan Whicker met terry Nation
After filming was completed, the usual rounds of promotional work was carried out, and the UK Campaign book claims that a highly optimistic 24 Daleks would be used up and down the country in store displays, being driven on the back of a truck. Sugar Puffs provided extra funding for the film in return for some unsubtle product-placement, and as a further tie-in a competition was run in which people could win real Dalek props via Quaker products.
The props that remained were refurbished once again, and the Gold Dalek was painted red with black hemispheres. Four props ended up in the hands of their creator, Terry Nation, including the formerly-gold Dalek. A complete explanation and analysis and what happens to them can be found on the Nation's Daleks Page.
The second Dalek film performed relatively poorly when it was released on 5th August 1966, despite its larger budget. Plans for a third film based on The Chase were shelved. Despite the public becoming increasingly tired of the metal monsters, they were deemed a valuable hook to soften the transition between William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton which was being planned for the television series. And so despite 1966 being a year that saw the conclusion of the longest Dalek story ever, a stage play, and a new film, the Daleks would return to the small screen yet again before the year was out.
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