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The Philadelphia Experiment
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The Philadelphia Experiment (1984) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.1/10   3,942 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Stewart Raffill
Writers:
Wallace C. Bennett (story)
Charles Berlitz (book)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Philadelphia Experiment on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 August 1984 (USA) more
Tagline:
Will You Survive? more
Plot:
Based on an "actual event" that took place in 1943. About a US Navy Destroyer Escort that disappeared from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and sent two men 40 years into the future to 1984. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
User Comments:
I'm a sucker for a time travel movie... more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Michael Paré ... David Herdeg
Nancy Allen ... Allison Hayes
Eric Christmas ... Dr. James Longstreet
Bobby Di Cicco ... Jim Parker
Louise Latham ... Pamela
Kene Holliday ... Major Clark
Joe Dorsey ... Sheriff Bates
Michael Currie ... Magnussen

Stephen Tobolowsky ... Barney
Gary Brockette ... Adjutant / Andrews
Debra Troyer ... Young Pamela
Miles McNamara ... Young Longstreet
Ralph Manza ... Older Jim
James Edgcomb ... Officer Boyer

Glenn Morshower ... Mechanic
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Additional Details

Runtime:
102 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Back in 1980, AVCO Embassay Pictures asked John Carpenter, who serves as an executive producer on this film to both write and direct this film after the success of Halloween (1978) and The Fog (1980). However, Carpenter showed them Escape from New York (1981) (which he wrote years earlier) and they did that instead. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: At the 1940s dance in the opening sequence the camera shot from under the hi-hat cymbals of the drum kit shows four holes in the bottom "Flat" cymbal. These type of hi-hat cymbals called: "Flathats" are made by the Zildjian Cymbal Company of the USA and were not available until the late 1970s. more
Quotes:
Jim Parker: Isn't that - water up ahead?
David Herdeg: No. This is a desert. And that's a mirage.
Jim Parker: [later, walking through the flooded plain] How much longer you think this mirage is gonna last?
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in 100 Million BC (2008) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
The Runner more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
20 out of 24 people found the following comment useful:-
I'm a sucker for a time travel movie..., 29 May 2001
Author: Lone Wolf (cbaile@msaa.com) from South Jersey

I've seen every time travel movie ever made, and I must say that the Philadelphia Experiment ranks pretty high on my list of favorites. Despite the cheesy love story (almost as bad as Titanic or Pearl Harbor) the effects are pretty good and the story is cool.

The actors were fair (Nancy Allen was great, though) and the screenplay is pretty good. It's a really interesting story in itself, though. If you have any interest at all in this movie, I would strongly recommend looking for books about the actual Philadelphia Experiment. (sometimes found in collections of paranormal phenomenon) The supposed true story involves tests to camoflauge a navy ship - rendering it either invisible to radar or TRULY invisible (stories vary as to the exact intent of the experiment) apparently through the use of magnetic fields. The rumor is that the ship disappeared from the Philadelphia naval yard and TELEPORTED to a Virginia naval yard. The crew had a variety of side-effects, ranging from temporary invisibility and/or intangibility to getting phased into solid objects and getting stuck there. (a couple of people who were phased into solid objects can be seen in the movie - pretty cool!) The "true" story makes a great read and even if only a fraction of it is true, it's a pretty remarkable idea that any of it happened in reality.

The Philadelphia Experiment is an entertaining movie, but more for sci fi fans and their girlfriends rather than the average moviegoer. Stay away from the Philadelphia Experiment II, though... it's just awful.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
what if they killed him? yesboss40
are there any similar movies out there? Hunky Stud
History Channel program 'The True Story of the Philadelphia Experiment' northern_imager
Continutiy problem with Jim Parker's clothes when he returns to the ship northern_imager
Official Naval Reports huntsvillenews
Lost? kat4892
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