The Thing from Another World (1951)

Director:

Christian Nyby

Writers:

John W. Campbell Jr. (story)
Charles Lederer (writer)

Release Date:

29 April 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Look Out...It's

Plot:

Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a blood-thirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.

Plot Keywords:

Arctic | Scientist | Alien | Arctic Expedition | Pilot

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Margaret Sheridan	...	Nikki
Kenneth Tobey	...	Captain Patrick Hendry
Robert Cornthwaite	...	Dr. Carrington
Douglas Spencer	...	Scotty
James R. Young	...	Lt. Eddie Dykes (as James Young)
Dewey Martin	...	Crew Chief
Robert Nichols	...	Lt. Ken Erickson
William Self	...	Corporal Barnes
Eduard Franz	...	Dr. Stern
Sally Creighton	...	Mrs. Chapman
James Arness	...	'The Thing'

Also Known As:

The Thing (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

87 min | USA:81 min (re-issue version) | USA:85 min (original US 16 mm television syndication prints)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #14925) | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) (video rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | West Germany:12 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

Company:

Winchester Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

According to make up artist Lee Greenway, he took James Arness in his car to the home of producer Howard Hawks to show off the make up for the Thing. After months of frustration, Hawkes told Greenway to put a "Frankenstein" type of head piece on Arness.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As they fly over the crash site, you can see a small black squarish-object at the far right of the screen on the ice. This could be some piece of studio equipment, and it certainly doesn't belong there.

Quotes:

Ned "Scotty" Scott: What if we haven't enough voltage?
Hendry: Just keep swinging at its arms.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Fright Show (1985)

Soundtrack:

A Lovely Way To Spend an Evening

Keep Watching the Skies!

One of the best science fiction pictures from the fifties, and one that helped define the genre, The Thing holds up remarkably well today. There's still considerable debate over whether producer Howard Hawks actually directed the film or credited director(and former editor) Christian Nyby. It's a Hawks production either way, and one of his best. The story of an alien invasion near the arctic circle, it builds slowly, relying heavily on the excellent, slangy dialogue of Charles Lederer, and the casual, jokey relationships between the various characters. This is lean, solid, old-fashioned moviemaking. There's not a wasted moment in this one. Hollywood in the studio era was especially good with stories of isolation, and this one's about as isolated as it gets. The monster is rarely seen, as we catch him only in horrifying glimpses, as the characters in the movie do. There's a standard brains versus brawn subtext in the film, but it's not emphasized to the movie's detriment. That the cast consists mostly of relative unknowns give the picture an almost documentary feeling at times, as if one were watching an actual event. Dimitri Tiomkin's spooky score helps spur the action on. This is a fine piece of commercial film-making, with everyone doing his job, and no "star turns". Nobody gets the upper hand here, not the actors, director, writer, cinematographer or alien. Everything comes together in the end. This is a perfect movie of its kind.