Forbidden Planet (1956)

Director:

Fred M. Wilcox

Writers:

Cyril Hume (screen play)
Irving Block (based on a story by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 March 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

IT'S OUT OF THIS WORLD! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

A starship crew goes to investigate the silence of a planet's colony only to find two survivors and a deadly secret that one of them has.

Plot Keywords:

Planet | Monster | Spaceship | Robot | Loss Of Father

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Walter Pidgeon	...	Dr. Edward Morbius
Anne Francis	...	Altaira 'Alta' Morbius
Leslie Nielsen	...	Commander J. J. Adams
Warren Stevens	...	Lt. 'Doc' Ostrow M.D.
Jack Kelly	...	Lt. Jerry Farman
Richard Anderson	...	Chief Quinn
Earl Holliman	...	Cook
Robby the Robot	...	Himself
George Wallace	...	Bosun
Robert Dix	...	Crewman Grey (as Bob Dix)
Jimmy Thompson	...	Crewman Youngerford
James Drury	...	Crewman Strong
Harry Harvey Jr.	...	Crewman Randall
Roger McGee	...	Crewman Lindstrom
Peter Miller	...	Crewman Moran
Morgan Jones	...	Crewman Nichols
Richard Grant	...	Crewman Silvers
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Best	...	Crewman (uncredited)
William Boyett	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Frankie Darro	...	Robby the Robot (uncredited)
Marvin Miller	...	Robby the Robot (voice) (uncredited)
Les Tremayne	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Fred M. Wilcox		(as Fred McLeod Wilcox)

Writing credits
Cyril Hume		(screen play)
Irving Block		(based on a story by) and
Allen Adler		(based on a story by)
William Shakespeare		(play "The Tempest") uncredited

Produced by
Nicholas Nayfack	....	producer

Cinematography by
George J. Folsey		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ferris Webster

Production Design by
Irving Block		(uncredited)
Mentor Huebner		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons
Arthur Lonergan

Set Decoration by
Hugh Hunt		(set decorations)
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Walter Plunkett		(costumes: men)

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Dave Friedman	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Rhein	....	assistant director
John Greenwald	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
A.D. Flowers	....	set dresser: trees (uncredited)
Mentor Huebner	....	production illustrator and storyboards (uncredited)
Arthur Lonergan	....	designer: Morbius house and Krell lab (uncredited)
Glen Robinson	....	special prop designer and builder: ray guns, accessories (uncredited)

Sound Department
Wesley C. Miller	....	recording supervisor (as Dr. Wesley C. Miller)
James Brock	....	sound (uncredited)
Kurt Hernfeld	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Kendrick Kinney	....	sound editor (uncredited)
John Lipow	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special effects
Joshua Meador	....	special effects
Warren Newcombe	....	special effects
Irving G. Ries	....	special effects
Doug Hubbard	....	special effects (uncredited)
Robert Kinoshita	....	robot builder (uncredited)
Glen Robinson	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Franklyn Soldo	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Bob Abrams	....	animation effects (uncredited)
Joe Alves	....	assistant effects illustrator (uncredited)
Max Fabian	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)
Howard Fisher	....	matte painter (uncredited)
Henri Hillinck	....	matte painter (uncredited)
Bob Trochim	....	animator (uncredited)
Matthew Yuricich	....	matte painting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Helen Rose	....	costumes: Anne Francis

Editorial Department
Charles K. Hagedon	....	color consultant

Music Department
Bebe Barron	....	composer: electronic tonalities
Louis Barron	....	composer: electronic tonalities

Other crew
Eylla Jacobs	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1978) (USA) (TV) (network premiere) (pan/scan)
• Criterion Collection, The (1989) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Turner Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print Panavision)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1957) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1987) (Greece) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1997) (2004) (Finland) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1992) (2010) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Walt Disney Productions  Joshua Meador through courtesy of
• GNP Crescendo Records  soundtrack (1995)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (as Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | UK:U | Argentina:Atp | West Germany:12 | Iceland:L | USA:Approved (certificate #17605) | USA:G (re-rating) (1972) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Sweden:15 | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Brazil:Livre | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Bellerophon is a hero from Greek mythology. His greatest feat was the destruction of the Chimera, a monster who breathed fire.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Robby the Robot uses the blaster on the plant in the garden, an unidentifiable shadow suddenly appears on the green V support directly behind Commander Adams.

Quotes:

[first Lines]
Narrator:In the final decade of the 21st Century, men and women in rocket ships landed on the moon. By 2200 AD, they had reached the other planets of our solar system. Almost at once there followed the discovery of hyperdrive through which the speed of light was first obtained and later greatly surpassed...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Time Machine (1960)

Brilliant: Undiluted Pulp Science Fiction on the big screen

This is the Roman Empire of Science Fiction films. All films before lead into it, and all films since flow out of it. It captures the romance, the spirit, and the nifty look of 1950's pulp science fiction. This is one science fiction movie with a theme, not just eye candy. No matter how high humanity climbs on the evolutionary scale, no matter how advanced our technology becomes, we must never forget the primal instincts of our darker nature.

This film is a masterpiece.