I also saw the movie, in the early 1950s, in a drive-in theater no less. G

Yes, it was in color. The ends of the serpentine arms were cameras that looked
like a triune lens of the three basic colors.

I believe that idea came from the Crosley(?) color wheel that was used, I
believe, by CBS in the early days of color, before the RCA electronic scheme
was accepted.

Oh, and the actual critters were inside the machines.

Bill, K5BY