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The Thing from Another World (1951)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
29 April 1951 (USA)
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Tagline:
Look Out...It's more
Plot:
Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a blood-thirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win
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NewsDesk:
(16 articles)
A Very Cunning Plan, Indeed
(From doorQ.com. 1 November 2009, 11:08 AM, PST)
Celebrate Bob Burns' Hollywood Halloween
(From shocktillyoudrop. 5 October 2009)
(From doorQ.com. 1 November 2009, 11:08 AM, PST)
Celebrate Bob Burns' Hollywood Halloween
(From shocktillyoudrop. 5 October 2009)
User Comments:
Keep Watching the Skies!
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Cast
(Complete credited 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' |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
The Thing (USA) (short title)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
87 min | USA:81 min (re-issue version) | USA:85 min (original US 16 mm television syndication prints)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
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.
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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.
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Fright Show (1985)
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Soundtrack:
A Lovely Way To Spend an Evening
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FAQ
Can I watch this film online?Is this movie based on a novel?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
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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.