The Red Planet Mars (a 1952 movie for your enjoyment)

https://youtu.be/4OXYLCVUaCc

The movie -- which can be seen on YouTube -- shows that, in 1952, Mars was still thought to have canals and a civilization.

The gist of the movie was the current, at that time, Cold War: The United States vs Soviet Russia.

The movie is rather hokey, with all the ideas about alien contact -- in this case alleged messages from the Red Planet about their "advanced civilization" which destroys the American system of capitalist enterprises -- which some say UFO disclosure would bring about if it occurred.

The film then swerves into something else, which I won't divulge here so as not to ruin the ending.

Wikipedia's take on the movie:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Planet_Mars

(I add the links here for your edification and pleasure.)

RR