The Swarm (1978)

Director:

Irwin Allen

Writers:

Stirling Silliphant (screenplay)
Arthur Herzog Jr. (novel)

Release Date:

14 July 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

It's more than a speculation - it's a prediction !

Plot:

A huge swarm of deadly African bees spreads terror over American cities by killing thousands of people.

Plot Keywords:

Swarm | Bee | Military | Killer Bee | Scientist

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Brad Crane
Katharine Ross	...	Helena
Richard Widmark	...	General Slater
Richard Chamberlain	...	Dr. Hubbard
Olivia de Havilland	...	Maureen
Ben Johnson	...	Felix
Lee Grant	...	Anne MacGregor
José Ferrer	...	Dr. Andrews (as Jose Ferrer)
Patty Duke	...	Rita (as Patty Duke Astin)
Slim Pickens	...	Jud Hawkins
Bradford Dillman	...	Major Baker
Fred MacMurray	...	Clarence
Henry Fonda	...	Dr. Krim
Cameron Mitchell	...	General Thompson
Christian Juttner	...	Paul Durant
Morgan Paull	...	Dr. Newman
Alejandro Rey	...	Dr. Martinez
Don 'Red' Barry	...	Pete Harris
Elizabeth Rogers	...	Woman Scientist (extended version only)
Doria Cook-Nelson	...	Mrs. Durant (as Doria Cook)
Robert Varney	...	Mr. Durant
Ernie F. Orsatti	...	Duty Officer (as Ernie Orsatti)
Patrick Culliton	...	Sheriff Morrison
John Furlong	...	Cameraman
Chris Petersen	...	Hal
Jerry Toomey	...	Eddie
Barbara Costello	...	Receptionist / Nurse (extended version only)
Jenifer Taurins	...	Nurse (extended version only)
David Himes	...	Radioman (extended version only)
Mara Cook	...	Secretary
Joey Eisnach	...	Bee Boy
Stephen Powers	...	Radarman
Chris Capen	...	Lieutenant
Tony Haig	...	Officer #2
Bill Snider	...	Radarman #2
George F. Simmons	...	Nurse (as George Simmons)
Arell Blanton	...	Sergeant
Trent Dolan	...	Radio Sergeant
John Williams	...	Launching Officer
Steven Marlo	...	Pilot #1 (as Steve Marlo)
Phil Montgomery	...	Mechanic
Jim Galante	...	Doctor (extended version only)
Frank Blair	...	Himself
Marcia Nicholson	...	Captain
Arthur Space	...	Engineer
Chuck Hayward	...	Standby Engineer
Glenn Charles Lewis	...	Chemical Warfare Guard
Art Balinger	...	Radio Announcer
Michael Sheehan	...	Airman #1
Howard Culver	...	Airman #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marneen Fields	...	Train Passenger (uncredited)
John Otrin	...	Wild Lines (uncredited)

Directed by
Irwin Allen

Writing credits
Stirling Silliphant		(screenplay)
Arthur Herzog Jr.		(novel) (as Arthur Herzog)

Produced by
Irwin Allen	....	producer

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
Fred J. Koenekamp		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Harold F. Kress

Casting by
Jack Baur

Production Design by
Stan Jolley

Set Decoration by
Stuart A. Reiss		(as Stuart Reiss)

Costume Design by
Paul Zastupnevich

Makeup Department
Ruby Ford	....	hair stylist
Tony Lloyd	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Norman A. Cook	....	production manager
George E. Swink	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herb Adelman	....	trainee second assistant director
Mike Salamunovich	....	assistant director
Skip Surguine	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Ralph Aubert	....	property master
Tom Cranham	....	production illustrator
Irwin 'Eppy' Epstein	....	drapery
Harold Fuhrman	....	set designer
Alfred M. Kemper	....	set designer
Joseph Musso	....	production illustrator
William O'Brien	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Jerry Jacobson	....	adr editor
Herman Lewis	....	production sound mixer
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Allan R. Potter	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Howard Jensen	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Greg Anderson	....	stunts
Larry Holt	....	stunt performer
John Moio	....	stunt performer
Paul Stader	....	stunt coordinator
Mickey Caruso	....	stunts (uncredited)
Marneen Fields	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Loren Janes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mike Johnson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mags Kavanaugh	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Nowak	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ernie F. Orsatti	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Stader	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Benson	....	camera operator
Hal Landaker	....	video supervisor
John Monte	....	still photographer
Edward Morey III	....	assistant camera (as Ed Morey III)
Gene Stout	....	gaffer
Serge Poupis	....	assistant camera: second unit (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Tim Board	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Les Fresholtz	....	re-scoring mixer
Donald Harris	....	music editor
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator
Arthur Piantadosi	....	re-scoring mixer
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer

Other crew
Nancy Claycomb	....	production secretary
Al Gail	....	production executive
Ron Gruchy	....	air force coordinator (as Major Ron Gruchy)
Tony Habeeb	....	publicist
Ken Harris	....	technical advisor: bees
Fred Hesper	....	technical advisor: bees
George Leslie	....	cost controller
Steven Marlo	....	dialogue coach
Sidney Marshall	....	production executive
Julie Pitkanen	....	script supervisor
Sheridan Dar Reid	....	location manager (as Sheridan Reid)
Bill Ryan	....	electronic foreman
Art Volpert	....	executive assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia-Warner Distributors (1978) (UK) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1980) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1978) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1978) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Van der Veer Photo Effects

Other Companies

• Pacific Title  titles

Runtime:

116 min | USA:155 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints)

Certification:

Netherlands:12 (orginal rating) | France:-12 | West Germany:16 (nf) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1978) | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Michael Caine stated in an interview that during filming he thought the little yellow spots left by the bees on his clothing was honey so he began to eat it, unaware he was eating bee poop.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the stuntman crashes through the window of the base in Houston to fall to his 30-story death, hanging plants can be seen on the outside, revealing he is simply crashing from one room to another.

Quotes:

Brad Crane: These bees, General, are of joint concern, and they are killing Americans, without reference as to whether or not they have a serial number and are expected to salute YOU! So there will be no air drops of any kind until I give the OK!
General Slater: Your OK, huh? Then just possible I can persuade you to attack this particular swarm, now that we know where it is! Attack and eliminate it!
Brad Crane: Possibly, if you can explain to me, how you air drop chemicals, without killing the native insect life! If your chemical will kill the African bee, it will also kill the American bee, right?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mork & Mindy: Mork's Best Friend (#1.24)" (1979)

Reach for the Windex!

Whenever I bother to watch "The Swarm," I'm always tempted to get out the Windex and spray the TV screen until I remember those dark smudges are supposed to be killer bees, the star attraction of what proved to be disaster flick king Irwin Allen's last box-office hit (and a modest one at that). That's the number one problem with this movie. How can killer bees incite terror in the viewer when they only amount to a bunch of dots on the screen?

Since the "horror" has no sting, the only thing left to do is gawk at the movie stars. Give Allen credit. Even if he wasn't much of a director (this film marked his debut in that capacity), and was strictly a schlockmeister as a producer, he did what many others, including the producers of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," had tried and failed to do when he brought megastars Steve McQueen and Paul Newman together to headline "The Towering Inferno." The lineup for "The Swarm" doesn't have quite the same star power, but we do get Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, and Richard Widmark, as well as cameos by Henry Fonda and Fred MacMurray, along with the TV names that always round out these "all-star casts." If star watching doesn't keep you occupied, Allen's dreadful direction may keep you glued to your chair in bewilderment by his idea of style. My favorite scene is the first confrontation between bee expert Caine and short-tempered military man Widmark. While the two stars argue back and forth, the camera slowly circles the pair as if something very dramatic is taking place. It must be the worst staging of a scene since Ed Wood was grinding out another kind of B movie. But Wood's movies were more entertaining than "The Swarm," and although there are more unintended laughs to come, there not enough to combat the boredom.