The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Edmund H. North (screenplay)
Harry Bates (story)

Release Date:

28 September 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

A robot and a man . . . hold the world spellbound with new and startling powers from another planet!

Plot:

An alien lands and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Robot | Hospital | Washington D.C. | Flying Saucer

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Michael Rennie	...	Klaatu
Patricia Neal	...	Helen Benson
Hugh Marlowe	...	Tom Stevens
Sam Jaffe	...	Professor Jacob Barnhardt
Billy Gray	...	Bobby Benson
Frances Bavier	...	Mrs. Barley
Lock Martin	...	Gort
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patrick Aherne	...	General at Pentagon (uncredited)
Holly Bane	...	Army Captain (uncredited)
Oscar Blanke	...	Peddler (uncredited)
Marshall Bradford	...	Chief of Staff (uncredited)
John Brown	...	George Barley (uncredited)
John Burton	...	British Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Wheaton Chambers	...	Mr. Bleeker (uncredited)
Jean Charney	...	Mother (uncredited)
Beulah Christian	...	Secretary (uncredited)
John Close	...	Captain (uncredited)
Louise Colombet	...	French Woman (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	General at Pentagon (uncredited)
Frank Conroy	...	Mr. Harley (uncredited)
Eric Corrie	...	British Soldier (uncredited)
John Costello	...	Cockney (uncredited)
James Craven	...	Businessman (uncredited)
Marjorie Crossland	...	Hilda (uncredited)
Jack Daly	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Elmer Davis	...	Himself - Commentator (uncredited)
Lawrence Dobkin	...	Army Physician (uncredited)
Jim Doyle	...	Medical Corps Major (uncredited)
Roy Engel	...	Government Man (uncredited)
Charles Evans	...	Major General (uncredited)
Edith Evanson	...	Mrs. Crockett (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Extra in Office Building Corridor (uncredited)
Michael Ferris	...	British Soldier (uncredited)
Elizabeth Flournoy	...	Emma - Jewelry Clerk (uncredited)
Grady Galloway	...	American Radar Operator (uncredited)
Bill Gentry	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Paul Gerrits	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Glenn Hardy	...	Interviewer (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Scientific Delegate (uncredited)
Harry Harvey	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Gabriel Heatter	...	Himself - Commentator (uncredited)
Gil Herman	...	Government Agent (uncredited)
John Hiestand	...	TV Announcer on Truck (uncredited)
H.V. Kaltenborn	...	Himself - Commentator (uncredited)
Hassan Khayyam	...	Indian Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Harry Lauter	...	Platoon Leader (uncredited)
Freeman Lusk	...	General Cutler (uncredited)
George Lynn	...	Colonel Ryder (uncredited)
Herbert Lytton	...	Brigadier General (uncredited)
Mike Mahoney	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Sandee Marriott	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
David McMahon	...	Air Force Sergeant (uncredited)
Tyler McVey	...	Brady (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Military Officer at Pentagon Meeting (uncredited)
Ralph Montgomery	...	Government Man (uncredited)
Bruce Morgan	...	Government Man (uncredited)
Bill Neff	...	Police Officer Behind Desk (uncredited)
Howard Negley	...	Colonel (uncredited)
Dorothy Neumann	...	Margaret - Secretary (uncredited)
Sammy Ogg	...	Sam (uncredited)
Robert Osterloh	...	Major White (uncredited)
Gayle Pace	...	Captain (uncredited)
Drew Pearson	...	Himself - Commentator (uncredited)
Ted Pearson	...	Colonel (uncredited)
House Peters Jr.	...	Military Police Captain (uncredited)
'Snub' Pollard	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
John M. Reed	...	Tank Driver (uncredited)
Barry Regan	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Fay Roope	...	Major General (uncredited)
Pola Russ	...	Russian Woman (uncredited)
James Seay	...	Government Man (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Government Man (uncredited)
Peter Similuk	...	Russian Pilot (uncredited)
Bob Simpson	...	Colonel (uncredited)
Marc Snow	...	Government Man (uncredited)
Olan Soule	...	Mr. Krull (uncredited)
Kim Spalding	...	Army Orderly (uncredited)
Murray Steckler	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Harmon Stevens	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Charles Tannen	...	Voice of Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Harlan Warde	...	Carlson (uncredited)
Gil Warren	...	Government Man (uncredited)
Stuart Whitman	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Rush Williams	...	Military Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Wilson Wood	...	Government Man (uncredited)
Carleton Young	...	Colonel in Jeep (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Wise

Writing credits
Edmund H. North		(screenplay)
Harry Bates		(story "Farewell to the Master")

Produced by
Julian Blaustein	....	producer

Original Music by
Bernard Herrmann		(music)

Cinematography by
Leo Tover		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William Reynolds

Art Direction by
Addison Hehr
Lyle R. Wheeler		(as Lyle Wheeler)

Set Decoration by
Claude E. Carpenter		(as Claude Carpenter)
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Travilla
Clinton Sandeen		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Gene Bryant	....	unit manager (uncredited)
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	executive in charge of production (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stanley Hough	....	assistant director: second unit (uncredited)
Bert Leeds	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Arthur Lueker	....	first assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound
Arthur von Kirbach	....	sound (as Arthur L. Kirbach)

Special Effects by
Melbourne A. Arnold	....	robot builder (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects
L.B. Abbott	....	effects team (uncredited)
Lyman Hallowell	....	visual effects editor (uncredited)
Ray Kellogg	....	effects team (uncredited)
Emil Kosa	....	effects team (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Perkins Bailey	....	costume designer: Klaatu
Charles Le Maire	....	wardrobe director
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Ed Wynigear	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Orven Schanzer	....	first assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Bernard Herrmann	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Samuel Hoffman	....	musician: theremin (uncredited)
Paul Shure	....	musician: theremin (uncredited)

Other crew
Samuel Herrick	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Anthony Jowitt	....	dialogue director (uncredited)
Steve Pritko	....	stand-in: Michael Rennie (uncredited)
Clifford Sales	....	double: Billy Gray (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1951) (USA) (theatrical) (released by)
• Centfox (1952) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1962) (USA) (TV)
• 20th Century Fox (1953) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Fox Films (1952) (Finland) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (Canada) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox (1988) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Encore Entertainment (1998) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• Fox Video (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Magnetic Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1996) (Finland) (TV)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2008) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (collector's edition)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD) (2-disc special edition)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

92 min | Germany:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Hindi

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Italy:T | USA:Approved (PCA #15271) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1969) | Canada:G (video rating) | South Korea:12 (2004) | Brazil:Livre | Netherlands:12 | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Ireland:G | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

RKO Encino Ranch - Balboa Boulevard & Burbank Boulevard, Encino, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on January 4, 1954 with Michael Rennie reprising his film role.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In the boarding house scene, Drew Pearson states that the only means of identifying Klaatu are the photographs taken outside the spaceship, in which his head is covered by a helmet. However, Klaatu had also spent three days at Walter Reed Hospital, and any of his caregivers could have provided authorities with a detailed physical description.

Quotes:

[first lines]
American Radar Operator:Holy Mackerel! Call headquarters. Get the lieutenant.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Two and a Half Men: My Doctor Has a Cow Puppet (#1.22)" (2004)

A Peaceful Message in One of the Brightest Science-Fiction Movies

A flying saucer lands in Washington, and a man, Klaatu (Michael Rennie), brings the preoccupation of other planets with the use of atomic energy and development of spacecraft by people on Earth planet. Further, he brings a message and also a threaten against the danger Earth could cause to other planets: the planet could be destroyed if the people does not live in peace. Any menace to other planets would cause the destruction of the entire planet.

This classic is one of the best science-fiction movies I have ever seen. The story is very simple, but the message is wonderful. When this film was made, World War II had finished six years ago only, there was the Cold War and the paranoia of the Americans at that time was against the communists. The special effects are excellent for a 1951 movie. In Brazil, this classic movie was not released on VHS or DVD. It is a shame! I have a VHS, having a version dubbed in Portuguese, full of commercial and with a terrible quality of image that I recorded from TV many years ago. Yesterday I watched this video again, and it is really an outstanding movie. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): 'O Dia Em Que a Terra Parou' ('The Day Which the Earth Stopped')

Obs: 01 March 2006 - Fox do Brasil finally released this DVD in 2005. After so many years, I was able to see one of my favorite sci-fi in the original language and restored image.