Them! (1954)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

Ted Sherdeman (screenplay)
Russell S. Hughes (adaptation)

Release Date:

19 June 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Horror

Tagline:

The Amazing New Warner Bros. Sensation!

Plot:

The earliest atomic tests in New Mexico cause common ants to mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten civilization.

Plot Keywords:

Ant | Desert | New Mexico | Police | Trailer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

James Whitmore	...	Police Sgt. Ben Peterson
Edmund Gwenn	...	Dr. Harold Medford
Joan Weldon	...	Dr. Patricia 'Pat' Medford
James Arness	...	Robert Graham
Onslow Stevens	...	Brig. Gen. Robert O'Brien
Sean McClory	...	Maj. Kibbee
Chris Drake	...	Trooper Ed Blackburn
Sandy Descher	...	The Ellinson Girl
Mary Alan Hokanson	...	Mrs. Lodge (as Mary Ann Hokanson)
Don Shelton	...	Trooper Capt. Fred Edwards
Fess Parker	...	Alan Crotty
Olin Howland	...	Jensen (as Olin Howlin)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marshall Bradford	...	Psychiatrist (scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

Them (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Norway:16 (1954) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 (1969) | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #16752, General Audience)

Filming Locations:

Blaney Ranch - 160th & Q Streets, Palmdale, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Walt Disney screened the movie because he was interested in casting James Arness as Davy Crockett. However, he was so impressed by Fess Parker as the "Crazy Texan Pilot" that he chose him for the part.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Robert Graham shoots the ant that has Sgt Peterson he uses a rifle that looks an M1 Garand, a very big bulky rifle. He then turns and starts shooting at the other ants and he has a much smaller Thompson sub-machine gun.

Quotes:

[the nest has been saturated with cyanide]
Robert Graham: Boy, if I can still raise an arm when we get out of this place, I'm gonna show you just how saturated *I* can get.

Movie Connections:

References Three Sailors and a Girl (1953)

I`d Forgotten How Good This Was

I watched THEM last week after an absence of nearly 15 years and was expecting to see another corny SF bug movie , but I was surprised as to how much I enjoyed it . Okay the science involved is absolute rubbish but it is a very enjoyable film with some really good moments like the lone cop investigating the eldritch sound of the ants , the attack on the ship , and the final battle underneath the city . Gordon Douglas uses an almost documentary type of filming that suspends disbelief . THEM is rightly regarded as one of the best films of the golden age of SF

I enjoyed watching this for the first time when I was about 8 years old , but it does have a personal relevence to me: It was the very first film I taped off the television when I got my own video recorder way back in 1988