Directed by Christian Nyby
Produced by Howard Hawks
Starring Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Robert Cornthwaite, Douglas Spencer, Dewey Martin, Eduard Franz, Robert Nichols, James Arness, John Dierkes, Paul Frees
The Thing (1951) scared me to death as a kid. It’s one of my Top 10 favorite films. It’s been sitting at the top of my Blu-Ray Want List since the format was introduced. And it’s finally coming to Blu-Ray from Warner Archive.
It’s basically about some cool military guys and a really cool woman saying and doing cool things as they take on a monster from outer space — and a scientist who’s determined to protect it. Howard Hawks’ stamp is all over it (cool people lumped together to deal with a crisis), whether he directed it or not.
This is essential. And I cannot wait for this Thing!
Keep watching the skies!
Toby, THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD is hands down a classic science fiction/horror movie with an alien monster, no less. This movie was quite an event when it was released in April of 1951. It all began with the novella “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell, Jr. written under the pen name Don A. Stuart, in ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION(Aug 1938). The screenplay was by Charles Lederer and according to RKO RADIO PICTURES production records contained at the UCLA Arts-Special Collections Library, Ben Hecht contributed rewrites on the picture. Also, on IMDb Howard Hawks is listed as an uncredited writer.
Who directed the movie? In a 1982 interview, published in the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, Christian Nyby acknowledged Howard Hawks’s directorial participation, stating that he “discussed every scene with him thoroughly.” Nyby also noted that Hawks changed “things to keep the spontaneity of the actors.” Also, RKO RADIO PICTURES production records indicate that Hawks directed the sequence in which “The Thing” is set on fire.
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