I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958)

Director:

Gene Fowler Jr.

Writer:

Louis Vittes (writer)

Release Date:

October 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The bride wore terror!

Plot:

Aliens from Outer Space are slowly switching places with real humans -- one of the first being a young man about to get married...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Planet | Marriage | Alcohol | Suspicion

Cast

Tom Tryon	...	Bill Farrell
Gloria Talbott	...	Marge Bradley Farrell
Peter Baldwin	...	Officer Frank Swanson
Robert Ivers	...	Harry Phillips
Chuck Wassil	...	Ted Hanks
Ty Hardin	...	Mac Brody (as Ty Hungerford)
Ken Lynch	...	Dr. Wayne
John Eldredge	...	Police Captain H.B. Collins
Alan Dexter	...	Sam Benson
James Anderson	...	Weldon
Jean Carson	...	Helen Alexander Benson
Jack Orrison	...	Officer Schultz
Steve London	...	Charles Mason
Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom	...	Max Grady (bartender) (as Maxie Rosenbloom)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Valerie Allen	...	Francine (hooker) (uncredited)
Tony Di Milo	...	Mr. Potter - Western Union Clerk (uncredited)
Darlene Fields	...	Caroline Hanks (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Wedding guest (uncredited)
Charles Gemora	...	Alien (uncredited)
Helen Jay	...	Woman in bar (uncredited)
Arthur Lovejoy	...	Minister (uncredited)
Ralph Manza	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Sherry Staiger	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Mary Treen	...	Mother Bradley (uncredited)

Directed by
Gene Fowler Jr.

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Louis Vittes		writer

Produced by
Gene Fowler Jr.	....	producer

Cinematography by
Haskell B. Boggs

Film Editing by
George Tomasini

Art Direction by
Henry Bumstead
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Robert R. Benton
Sam Comer

Makeup Department
Charles Gemora	....	makeup artist
Nellie Manley	....	hair stylist
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Sound Department
Charles Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Philip Wisdom	....	sound recordist
Bob Simpson	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1959) | USA:Unrated | Sweden:15

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Near the end of the film (a Paramount production) take a good look at the hand weapon the Aliens are using. It looks remarkably like the one the Klingons used on the Original Star Trek, minus the longer barrel. Coincidence or reuse of props?

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As Marge leaves Captain Collins' office after her second plea for help, the shadow of dollying camera equipment is visible on the wall and floor.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Woman in Bar: Those guys ain't even giving us a hard look.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Monkees: Monkees at the Movies (#1.31)" (1967)

Thunder, Dogs, and Oxygen...A few of My Least Favorite Things!

A pretty good 50's sci-fi film about aliens in need of a home. Their planet is destroyed, their female population is dead, and they scout Earth to see if it is right for them. The film mirrors Invasion of the Body Snatchers in many ways. A woman is out to prove an alien existence whilst no one believes her and aliens-looking-like-humans surround her. Gloria Talbott is the unfortunate bride to an alien. She gives a good performance and looks stunning. Tom Tryon, later the best-selling author of The Other, does an admirable job as an alien learning to adjust to human form yet still very alien in his approach with dealing with "inferior" life forms. Ken Lynch, of McCloud fame, also has a nice role as a doctor. Director Gene Fowler does many things right. He creates some tension early on in the film, delivers some eerie and atmospheric shots, and keeps the pace brisk. the special effect are quite good at times with the alien design being one of the better ones used in the 50's and laughable at times with a fake mist shrouding victims and in particular an early scene of a car hitting an obvious mannequin. Notwithstanding this the film is certainly one of the better alien sci-fi films of the 50's.