A small town in California is attacked by Martians, beginning a worldwide invasion.
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Title: The War of the Worlds (1953)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Gene Barry | ... | Dr. Clayton Forrester | |
| Ann Robinson | ... | Sylvia Van Buren | |
| Les Tremayne | ... | Maj. Gen. Mann | |
| Robert Cornthwaite | ... | Dr. Pryor (as Bob Cornthwaite) | |
 |
Sandro Giglio | ... | Dr. Bilderbeck |
|
|
Lewis Martin | ... | Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins |
|
|
Houseley Stevenson Jr. | ... | Gen. Mann's Aide (as Housely Stevenson Jr.) |
| Paul Frees | ... | Second Radio Reporter / Opening Announcer | |
| William Phipps | ... | Wash Perry (as Bill Phipps) | |
|
|
Vernon Rich | ... | Col. Ralph Heffner |
| Henry Brandon | ... | Cop at Crash Site | |
| Jack Kruschen | ... | Salvatore | |
| Cedric Hardwicke | ... | Commentary (voice) (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke) | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Cliff Clark | ... | Australian Policeman (scenes deleted) | |
|
|
Rudy Lee | ... | Boy (scenes deleted) |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
H.G. Wells' classic novel is brought to life in this tale of alien invasion. The residents of a small town in California are excited when a flaming meteor lands in the hills. Their joy is tempered somewhat when they discover that it has passengers who are not very friendly. Written by KC Hunt <khunt@eng.morgan.edu>
Taglines:
Mighty panorama of Earth-shaking fury as an army from Mars invades! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
26 August 1953 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Kampf der Welten See more »Filming Locations:
Westminster Presbyterian Church - 1757 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$2,000,000 (estimated)Gross USA:
$4,360,000Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
3 Channel Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (5.0) (L-R)Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
Edit
Radio Reporter: [voiceover] In the First World War, and for the first time in the history of man, nations combined to fight against nations using the crude weapons of those days. The Second World War involved every continent on the globe, and men turned to science for new devices of warfare, which reached an unparalleled peak in their capacity for destruction. And now, fought with the terrible weapons of super-science, menacing all mankind and every creature on the Earth comes the War of the Worlds.
See more »
(uncredited)
Written by Zip Wilson
Performed by Zip Wilson
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
George Pal initially planned to portray the Martians and their fighting machines similarly to how they appear in the original novel. However, after being informed by a United States Army technical adviser that the Tripods, as they are portrayed in the 1897 novel, would pose no real threat to a 1950s era human military, he opted to change the fighting machines. Namely, Pal chose to introduce the atom bomb-resistant deflector shields. See more »Goofs
When wild horses are running down a steep embankment, in the final seconds of the scene you can see men on horseback following the wild horses, raising their arms and causing the horses to stampede. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Radio Reporter: [voiceover] In the First World War, and for the first time in the history of man, nations combined to fight against nations using the crude weapons of those days. The Second World War involved every continent on the globe, and men turned to science for new devices of warfare, which reached an unparalleled peak in their capacity for destruction. And now, fought with the terrible weapons of super-science, menacing all mankind and every creature on the Earth comes the War of the Worlds.
See more »
Soundtracks
Flop-Eared Mule (Without Calls)(uncredited)
Written by Zip Wilson
Performed by Zip Wilson
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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Decided to view this film which has been showing on TV for a very long time and enjoyed the great efforts of the director to create a great Classic Sci-Fi Film. Gene Barry (Dr. Clayton Forrester),"Burke's Law,TV Series, '63, gave a great performance hiding behind some rather large framed glasses. Ann Robinson,(Sylvia Van Buren),"Imitation of Life",'59 gave a great supporting role and helped Dr. Forrester try to defeat the invading enemy from another planet. This is a great Classic film from the 1950's, however, I am very glad that our films industry has progressed since this flick. I never thought we would ever see just what the enemy looked like and the ending of the film will surprise you to NO END!!! KEEP PRAYING!