I have a really soft spot in my heart for this film. I was watching it on TV at about 5:30pm October 31st , Boston suburbs,1963, eating a frozen dinner (TV dinners is what they were called) while watching it. I was going to start "Trick Or Treating" in about an hour or so. I had really outdone myself this year. I was 9 years old and I chose Frankenstein as my costume. But this was no store bought costume ....I made it from scratch. I bought a full head latex Frankenstein mask from the local variety store. I found an old coat and stuffed the shoulders with towels,. I even dyed my arms green with food coloring. I went out "Trick or Treating" with my best friends that night and it was just one of those magical moments in time where everything went right. The strong smell of Autumn in the Massachusetts air, the wind swirling the crisp leaves, the thrill of Halloween, being 9 years old and not a care in the world. My parents were alive, my dog was still alive, It was like Hollywood perfection. It could have been a movie. All but one of those friends are dead now. I would give 20 years off my life to relive that night again. Lesson to be learned: Enjoy every moment you are still young......but alas youth can never see it. It is only longed for in old age.
@@Thunderdad974 Every Halloween I still watch the DVD,,,,drinking classic coke and Jiffy Pop,,,and some of the feeling of that era comes back to me. How could I have not seen how special it all was? Makes me sad.
One of my favorite scenes from this movie is when they have set the trap and are waiting for the Thing to arrive. One of the airmen nervously asks, "what if this thing can read our minds?" Another airman offers the greatest response, "he is going to be really upset when he gets to me!"
I think the comedy and dialogue are what work in this film, and not the sci-fi or horror. It's quite memorable as a comedy -- even amazingly gets away with a *bondage scene* (albeit clothed) in the 1950s -- and noteworthy for its negative depiction of science devoid of social consciousness, but as a horror/sci-fi film it's cheesy AF, and as an adaptation of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s "Who Goes There?" it's a travesty. Carpenter's film is a much closer adaption of the original story and is a true classic of sci-fi horror.
Ironically, in the story "Who Goes There?", which this film is VERY loosely based on, the alien CAN read minds, as well as perfectly mimic any creature it has killed. Not even John Carpenter's adaptation takes on the level of paranoia-inducing complications involved, and of course this film doesn't even preserve the alien's ability to mimic its victims.
I noticed that too, like all that trouble to barricade the door, either forgetting or not noticing the door opens the other way. Seems to me that most doors opening to the outside open inward. Also, if you notice, the long thick board the thing picks up is not there after he breaks up the barricade. Stop the video right after he breaks it up, it's not there. The the camera shifts to the other people in the room, then back to the Thing as he picks up that board.. Just something else I noticed.
I read somewhere that they actually doused tbe stuntman with buckets of kerosene for that shot. It was incredibly dangerous and took some big ones to pull it off.
I saw this on TV in 1975 when I was 7 years old and it scared the crap out of me. That fire scene blew my mind. It's one of those old movies that stays great through the generations.
Dont feel bad. Read my post. In 1951 it scared the crap out of a whole theatre full of high school kids., LOLOL The scene where they yank the door open and James Arness is standing there - they slam the door and shoot into it. You couldnt hear the gun shots for all of the screaming . LOL (My friend and I didnt acream tho.)
I watched it around 1970 when I was 7 or 8, I had more than 1 bad dream about the thing, the part where he planted baby seeds in the greenhouse creeped the f*** out of
The things that makes this Thing version great are these; incredibly fast, realistic and snappy dialogue among several characters, which never happens anymore. This Fire gag! Nothing like it before, almost nothing like it since: full body burn, throwing fuel around in an apparently-closed set, sharp editing, serious sensation of danger. Every character has a moment to shine, even a minor guy who freaks at the sight of the Thing, then has his gun gently taken away, he notices and gets himself under control. All-round excellent acting, even the scientist who risks his life to try to make contact with the Thing is a sympathetic character, and no-one takes revenge on him, not like modern films.
i was just talking about this yesterday with a friend ...... the MOST frightening parts of the movie is when we cannot see the THING, but only imagine his look and his ferocity ...... This technique was also employed by Spielberg in the filming of "Jaws", where we cannot see the shark, until near the end of the film (of course Spielberg was forced into this because the mechanical shark kept failing - ironically)
The scene where the team realizes the outline of the crashed ship is a brilliant demonstration of what can be done with minimal special effects, but imaginative writing.
As a 11 year old kid in 1951 this film absolutely scared the hell out of me. I remember not being able to sleep thinking the THING would come through a door in my room. Now that I see some of it again I recognize how great the music was and composed by the great Dimitri Tiomkin (GIANT, HIGH NOON, HIGH AND THE MIGHTY,FRIENDLY PERSUASION).
Stannorton Remember the scene where they open that door and the "thing" is standing on the other side, they slam the door shut and the guy fires a bunch of rounds into the door? When the door swung open and revealed the "thing" every girl in the theatre screamed bloody murder and I suspect some guys did too. I also suspect some had to go home after and change their skivvies. That was one good movie in 1951. Gort wasnt too bad either. LOL
This movie basically invented the unstoppable indestructible villain trope that influenced later films such as Halloween, The Terminator, Alien, Jaws and of course The Thing(1982). This and the original Boris Karloff starring version of Frankenstein.
I’ve seen this picture dozens of times throughout my life and it’s still terrific. Great over-lapping dialogue (a trademark of the consulting producer, Howard Hawks ), outstanding-and terrifying-score from Dimitri Tiomkin, great build-up of tension using the Therimin and Geiger counter, along with classic dialogue that even influenced a young Steven Spielberg..”Watch the skies ! Everyone ! Keep looking ! Keep watching this skies !”
Funny you mentioned the Theremin. Any time I hear it in a movie, I think of The Thing, and it sends chills up my spine. Great effects throughout, since we really never knew where The Thing was or when he was going to jump out of the dark!
You said it Dimitri! The combination of the Theremin and the Geiger counter more than made up for any cinematic faults in this movie. Aliens turned the Geiger counter into a motion detector. It’s the damn anticipation that gets you every time. Add that Therimin and it’s bone chilling!
The overlapping dialog is great! I especially love when they discuss how to get the alien out of the ice, and you hear Scotty in the background say "We could use more thermite". lol
I love it that when the lights go out the Thing just stays where he was until the lights come back on, like "I'm not walking in the dark, I could trip over something."
This film is a Masterpiece. An ensemble extravaganza! The scenes are so real, especially when everybody is talking at once.......... just like in Real Life!
watched this as a kid and in later yrs got it on vhs then dvd, whenever a snowstorm came through nyc i would hunker down at night light up some weed and watch this one of a kind classic..
It is great to read comments from others who were also 11 years old when this movie first came out. I and my brothers with several friends went to the Avalon Theatre in Des Moines, IA on a Thursday night to see it because we couldn't wait until Saturday afternoon which was our usual movie visit. We walked six blocks to the theatre because it was in our neighborhood. Walking across the Grandview University campus was part of the route. and I have never run so fast in my life when we returned home that night., especially through the campus where I was certain that "The Thing" was lurking behind every tree and bush. Those memories are so precious as I approach my 83rd birthday. We had a similar experience with "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Having the hell scared out of you by these movies was a rite of passage and something that provides beautiful and nostalgic memories. Those were the days, my friend.!
i always felt that this film was and remains the greatest sci fi horror thriller of all time...... at 70 years and counting, and without the high tech razzle dazzle of today's Hollywood features, it still gives me chills
@@solomongrundy4905 of course you think the movie is terrible..you dont have the imagination to grasp the prep that went into it or the fact that any entity that is a frontier ground breaker requires foresight and accomplished performance above the norm...
No remake compares to the chills this movie created when I first saw it as an 11 year old . From the quick overlapping dialogue, the eerie score and the alone-ness of the installation, nothing compares. Remakes are worthy but they are too gory, with too much guts , blood and slime. The men, in the 1951 version were courageous and seasoned veterans of WW2 and had seen a lots of enemy action, blood, guts, etc.. They were not afraid. They just wanted to kill it once it killed one of them. In the remake they all looked pertrified.
I was a kid in the 50s when I first saw this in TV at my uncle's house at some big holiday gathering. It was the scariest thing I ever saw! I haven't seen the whole thing since. I need to find the full version and watch it again. This clip brought back a lot of good memories from my childhood with my cousins and aunts and uncles. Time long gone. Only my cousins are left and not even all of them. Ah, nostalgia!
I was eight years old. I lived in an orphanage on the upper North Side of Pittsburg, PA. We kids walked to the movie theater on Saturdays along Perrysville Ave. It was about a half hour away. I don't remember hearing anything from anyone else what the movie was and what it was about. I don't remember noticing what the pictures outside showed. What I remember is that I missed much of the movie because I was hiding down behind the seat in front of me. My most remembered moment was when the Thing broke through the door at the other end of the hallway. He picked up a board and started waling toward us. The rest I missed because I was down behind the seat in front of me. What I did see was to the sides of the theater. The kids that were in the rows in front of me were streaming back up all ailes toward the rear of the theater. The last thing I remember about the movie was hearing the reporter tell the world to "Watch the skies.".When I came out of the theater, I watched the sky all the way back to the orphanage. I never forgot seeing that movie. I watched it on TV as an adult many years later with my wife. Even then It was scary. I said to her "I wish they would stop opening those doors."
For those of you who think this movie is lame, think about it. You're in an arctic base, kilometres away from all human life, and then this pissed of alien you know nothing about, start killing your teammates and possibly menacing the entire world. If none of that scares you, you surely have brain cancer
James Arness was really something. Newark Oh, Midland Theatre 1951, The audience screamed (regularly) and a lot of people swallowed their gum It was a great thriller
OMG that was awsome, everyone is waiting in antisipation for the thing to open up the heavily barricaded door. LOl the door opens up from the other side hehe.
One of the best sci-fi films from the 1950s, it stars Janes "Gunsmoke" Arness as a cannibalistic giant carrot from outer space. One of my all-time favorites. It was remade with Kurt Russell as the hero.
TAN... TAN... TAN TAN TAN!!! I love dramatic music from super old movies. I wouldn't want it in modern movies, would make them kinda cheesy, but I love it in older movies.
I first saw this movie with my father when I was about eight years old. I loved it, but as darkness fell I would not leave my father's side. I was terrified of The Thing!
Saw this as a teen in the 60s. Late night TV?! Scared the Cr%p out of me!!! My all time favorite Creature Feature. Followed by... "Them!!!" and the original 30s version of King Kong !
this movie and the 1982 one shows opposites of how men would work in face of unknown danger and both portrayed them quite delicately. love these two movies.
I remember watching this as a kid with my parents, and they kept pausing it over and over until....EUREKA! They figured out the The Thing, was infact, James Arness, brother of Peter Graves and of course the immortal star of Gunsmoke
If you watch the whole film, you will notice a lot of overlapping dialogue. Most directors avoid this like the plague. But it happens to be a particular characteristic of the direction of Howard Hawks. Oddly though, the direction of the movie is credited to Christian Nyby. So it's generally assumed that Hawks shadow directed the movie for some reason, but this has never actually been proven.
It's one of the best parts of the movie. It really feels like the airmen were a team for a long time the way there were naturally able to talk over one another and finish each others' thoughts. You could also see the same a bit with the scientists group, but with a bit more reverence towards each other (in that they would let them finish their thoughts before adding their own hypothesis).
Howard Hawks also did Bringing Up Baby. Those lightning fast dialogues intensify both comedy and horror. That first appearance of James Arness and the firebombs...yikes, intense. The sounds he made still scare the crapola out of me.
Science fiction aside, this is just a good movie. Substitute a hired gun, corporate badass, or loan shark for the Thing and you still have a good picture.
I believe it was ABC out of Chicago in the sixties had a 3:30 afternoon movies and this was on for the first time I was maybe 10yrs old......I started watching it with my younger brother and older sister in our room and after a while my brother ran down to the living room to watch it with my mother then my sister did the same but I stuck it out for a while longer then I too went to the living room to finish it. Truth be known that movie scared the shit out of me for years. I love the remake from Carpenter and the 2011 version but something about this one....a true masterpiece of horror/sci-fi................
James ARNESS the THING!!! I first watched this movie when I was 10,and it scared the XXXX out of me!! The part when they opened the door to the lab,an it was standing there no music build up to the scene. An the board it picks up was 6x6 ARNESS was 6ft 6 or 6ft 7 just look at his size an the board,he`s holding it in 1hand. A trivia question "Which 1950s science fiction film had 3 actors who became TV icon roles? Alert spoilers!!!! THEM! ARNESS= MATT DILLON, FESS PARKER= DAVY CROCKETT,DANIEL BOONE and LENARD NEMOY =SPOCK he had 1 line!
I was eight years old when I saw this. My friend's mom took us for his birthday. Scared me BAAAAAADDDD. Literally took me year to get of it. Awww. You didn't let us see Scotty faint.
A great movie, but has anyone noticed how in this version (and its remake) that there are day and night scenes when, at that part of the world, periods of daylight and nightfall would be extended, so all this action would really occur during daylight or nighttime hours instead of day-and-night as we know it?
The thing melts out of its ice cube. The guard draws his automatic and starts firing at him which means... he is carrying around a Colt 1911 automatic with a round chambered, the hammer cocked and the safety off! This guy really hates his toes.
