Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a bloodthirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a bloodthirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.Scientists and American Air Force officials fend off a bloodthirsty alien organism while at a remote arctic outpost.
- Awards
- 1 win
- Dr. Ambrose
- (uncredited)
- Tex Richards
- (uncredited)
- Dr. Chapman
- (uncredited)
- Dr. Redding
- (uncredited)
- Lee - a Cook
- (uncredited)
- Dr. Vorhees
- (uncredited)
- Dr. Wilson
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe skeleton crew at the South Pole Telescope station have a tradition every winter-over of watching this movie, and the other two adaptations on the very first night after the departure of the final plane of the season.
- GoofsAs the flying saucer explodes, the camera tilts up to follow the blast, revealing the top of the Arctic backdrop built around the set.
- Quotes
Ned "Scotty" Scott: All right, fellas, here's your story: North Pole, November Third, Ned Scott reporting. One of the world's greatest battles was fought and won today by the human race. Here at the top of the world a handful of American soldiers and civilians met the first invasion from another planet. A man by the name of Noah once saved our world with an ark of wood. Here at the North Pole, a few men performed a similar service with an arc of electricity. The flying saucer which landed here and its pilot have been destroyed, but not without causalities among our own meager forces. I would like to bring to the microphone some of the men responsible for our success... but as Senior Air force officer Captain Hendry is attending to demands over and above the call of duty... Doctor Carrington, the leader of the scientific expedition, is recovering from wounds received in the battle.
Eddie: [Softly] Good for you, Scotty.
Ned "Scotty" Scott: And now before giving you the details of the battle, I bring you a warning: Everyone of you listening to my voice, tell the world, tell this to everybody wherever they are. Watch the skies. Everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies.
- Crazy creditsOnly technical and production credits precede the film, no acting credits.
- Alternate versionsThere is a version which shows Dr. Carrington wandering through his "nursery" of baby "things" on his way to the generator to shut it down as the others prepare to fry the creature. The "things" have grown to a height of over 12 inches.
- ConnectionsFeatured in House of Horror: The Thing (1957)
Major director Howard Hawks (Sergeant York, The Big Sleep, Red River, Rio Bravo) produced it but some sources (Leonard Maltin) credit him as co-director. Christian Nyby, a film editor for Hawks, is officially credited as the director. Whoever directed it, The Thing is an impeccably crafted movie. It's considered as a Grade B movie, probably because of its subject matter, but it's one of the best Grade B's along with Them and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
A group of scientists at the North Pole discover something buried in the ice. Unknowingly they bring back part of it to the camp for study.
The acting is solid and the characters are given great dialog. Kenneth Tobey is the take charge Captain Patrick Hendry. Robert Cornthwaite is great as the slightly nutty Dr. Carrington. Douglas Spencer as Scotty is fun as the wisecracking reporter always looking for a photo. Margaret Sheridan is Nikki the shapely love interest. James Arness plays The Thing monster. With an ensemble cast of supporting actors. Be sure to rent the DVD version because it has a few scenes between Tobey and Sheridan that were always cut for TV and VHS probably because they were considered a little too racy for the time although now they are just cute.
The film has held up well for over fifty years. The film's contributors were seasoned professionals who had worked on major films. The screenplay by Charles Lederer (Mutiny on the Bounty, Ocean's Eleven, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, His Girl Friday) is full of crisp dialog. The black and white cinematography by Russell Harlan (Red River, Witness for the Prosecution, To Kill A Mockingbird, Run Silent Run Deep) makes everything look right. The prolific film composer Dmitri Tiompkin provides a very eerie, theremin-based score.
After 50 years this movie rightly earns the label of classic.
- StanleyStrangelove
- Aug 3, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Howard Hawks' Production The Thing from Another World
- Filming locations
- Glacier National Park, Montana, USA(second-unit footage)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,600,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 27 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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