THEM! TRAILER 1954 SCI-FI GIANT ANTS

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captbijou
October 13, 2009

Theatrical trailer for the 1954 science-fiction classic, THEM!, starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon and James Arness. This story of ordinary ants radiated into giant. mutant monsters by the first nuclear test near Alamagordo, New Mexico, began as a mystery in serious, almost documentary style, thanks to a literate script by Ted Sherdeman (adapted by Russell S. Hughes from a story by George Worthington Yates). THEM was effectively helmed by former child actor and gag writer Gordon Douglas, a prolific director who began started with Little Rascals comedies, programmers for RKO and, later, over a decades' worth of box-office hits for Warner Brothers. Interestingly, THEM was the only science-fiction film he directed in his five dacade career.

The film began production in the fall of 1953, it wsa to be shot in 3-D and the studio's own color prcess, Warner Color. During pre-production, color tests and stills were to be shot -- some of which survive today -- but the huge, purplish large-scale, articulated monster ants did not appear convincing. Some accounts note that the studio's "All Media" 3-D camera rig malfunctioned during scheduled films tests, which caused the the studio to scrap both the color and 3-D formats, although scenes remain in the films that were obviously slated for the 3-D (--the helicopter landing, flamethrower shooting at the camera, etc) were discarded and the film was shot in widescreen and black and white.

Kudos also to Whitmore and other cast members for eranest, believable emoting in roles that would all-too-soon become cliche in the hands of less capable performers in lower caliber films later in the decade.

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Special Effects, THEM was also Warner Brothers' highest-grossing film of 1954. It remains today, one of the finest science-fiction films of the 1950s.

To buy classic movies, serials, westerns and vintage television shows on DVD -- plus original movie posters, golden & silver age comics, celebrity autographs and collectibles, be sure to visit www.captainbijou.com.

Category: Film & Animation

Tags:

retro sci-fi science-fiction atom atomic monster creature mutant ants 1950s

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