The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

Director:

Eugène Lourié

Writers:

Ray Bradbury (story)
Fred Freiberger (writer)

Release Date:

13 June 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Horror

Tagline:

It's alive !

Plot:

A ferocious dinosaur awakened by an Arctic atomic test terrorizes the North Atlantic and ultimately New York City.

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Rhedosaurus | Beast | Arctic | Paleontologist

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Paul Hubschmid	...	Professor Tom Nesbitt (as Paul Christian)
Paula Raymond	...	Lee Hunter
Cecil Kellaway	...	Prof. Thurgood Elson
Kenneth Tobey	...	Col. Jack Evans
Donald Woods	...	Capt. Phil Jackson
Lee Van Cleef	...	Cpl. Stone
Steve Brodie	...	Sgt. Loomis
Ross Elliott	...	George Ritchie
Jack Pennick	...	Jacob Bowman
Ray Hyke	...	Sgt. Willistead
Michael Fox	...	ER Doctor
Alvin Greenman	...	1st Radar Man
Frank Ferguson	...	Dr. Morton
King Donovan	...	Dr. Ingersoll
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vera Miles	...	Announcer in trailer (scenes deleted)
Paul Picerni	...	Announcer in trailer (scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

Monster from Beneath the Sea (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #16143, General Audience) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Jack Dietz Productions

Trivia:

When the radio announcer is reading the news about the monster's rampage through New York, various shots of the city are shown, mostly with panicked citizens in the street. When the announcer mentions the situation at Times Square, the accompanying footage shows the Palace Theater, whose marquee reads "Judy Garland - Live and in Person."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The fact that the roller coaster is in Long Beach, Cal, not New York (already noted under Trivia) is revealed by the scene in which the two men climb into the cars. They didn't cover up the sign which says "Cyclone Racer." New York's coaster is just called "Cyclone." And in one of the outdoor shots you can see the "Jackrabbit Racer" which is also in Long Beach.

Quotes:

Professor Tom Nesbitt: The world's been here for millions of years. Man's been walking upright for a comparatively shoret time. Mentally we're still crawling.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983) (TV)

One of the All-Time Greats

This film is not only a great science fiction film, but it is also one of the most influential as well. Within a few years of its release, giant monster films began to pop up from every major studio. Everything from giant ants, tarantulas, praying mantises and gila monsters began to pop up all over the place. But, perhaps its biggest influence was felt in Japan. This film is often sighted as being the main inspiration for Gojira (Godzilla). This film is defintely a classic.