The Thing from Another World
Encyclopedia
The Thing from Another World (often referred to as The Thing before its 1982 remake), is a 1951 science fiction film
based on the 1938 novella "Who Goes There?
" by John W. Campbell
(writing under the pseudonym of "Don A. Stuart"). It tells the story of an Air Force crew and scientists at a remote Arctic
research outpost who fight a malevolent plant-based alien being. It stars Kenneth Tobey
, Margaret Sheridan
, Robert Cornthwaite
and Douglas Spencer
. James Arness
appeared as The Thing, whom was difficult to recognize in costume and makeup. No actors are named during the opening credits; the only cast credit is at the movie's end. Partly filmed in Glacier National Park
and at a Los Angeles ice storage plant.
In 2001, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress
and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry
.
re-supply crew is officially dispatched by General Fogerty (David McMahon
) from Anchorage, Alaska
at the unusual request of Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite
), chief of a group of scientists working at a North Pole base, Polar Expedition Six. They have evidence that an unknown flying craft of some kind crashed nearby. Ned Scott (Douglas Spencer
), a reporter in search of a story, tags along. A minor romantic sub-plot unfolds, involving Captain Patrick "Pat" Hendry (Kenneth Tobey
) and Carrington's secretary, Nikki Nicholson (Margaret Sheridan
).
Doctor Carrington briefs the airmen, and Doctor Redding (George Fenneman
) shows high speed photos of a heavy object moving downward, then up, and then on a straight line briefly before falling out of frame — not the movements of a meteor
. Hendry wonders to the doctor: "Twenty thousand tons of steel is an awful lot of metal for an airplane." "It is for the sort of airplane we know, Captain," Carrington responds. From Geiger counter
readings, Pat's crew and the scientists fly to the crash site aboard the supply team's ski-equipped C-47. The craft is buried in the ice, with a portion of a rounded airfoil
protruding from the surface. Forming a circle when they try to see how large the craft is under the ice, they are shocked to discover that it is in the shape of a flying saucer
. They then try to uncover it with thermite
heat explosives, but in doing so accidentally ignite the ship, destroying it. Crew Chief Sergeant Bob's (Dewey Martin
) Geiger counter locates what looks like a body frozen in the ice nearby.
They excavate the tall body, preserving it in a large block of ice, and return to the research outpost just as a major storm moves in, making communication with Anchorage very difficult. Some scientists want to thaw out the creature immediately, but Hendry orders everyone to wait until he receives orders from Air Force authorities. Feeling uneasy guarding the body, Corporal Barnes (William Self
) covers the ice block with a blanket, not realizing it is an electric blanket
, and the creature slowly thaws out, revives, and escapes to the outside sub-zero cold and snow storm.
The creature wards off an attack by twelve sled dog
s, and the scientists recover an arm, bitten off by the dogs. As the arm warms up, it ingests the blood from one of the dogs and begins to come back to life. They learn that, while appearing humanoid, the creature is in fact an advanced form of plant life. Dr. Carrington is convinced that the creature can be reasoned with and has much to teach them, but Dr. Chapman (John Dierkes
) and other colleagues disagree. The Air Force men are just as sure it may be quite dangerous.
Carrington soon realizes that the creature requires blood, any available blood to reproduce. He later discovers in the base's greenhouse
the hidden body of a sled dog, still warm, unconscious. He has volunteers from his own team, Dr. Voorhees (Paul Frees
), Dr. Olsen and Dr. Auerbach, stand guard overnight, waiting for the creature's return.
Later, Carrington secretly uses human blood plasma
from the infirmary to incubate and nourish seedlings taken from the severed arm, failing to advise his colleagues or Capt. Hendry of what he has done, or of having found the bodies of Olsen and Auerbach, drained of blood. Dr. Stern (Eduard Franz
) is almost killed but escapes to warn the others. Nikki reluctantly updates Pat when he asks about missing plasma supplies. Pat confronts Carrington in the greenhouse, where he sees that the creature's planted seed pods
have grown at an alarming rate. Dr. Wilson (Everett Glass) advises Carrington that he hasn't slept, but Carrington is unconcerned. The creature returns and the USAF crew, after gunfire has no effect, trap it in the greenhouse.
The creature escapes and breaks into another part of the camp. Following a suggestion from Nikki, Pat and his men set it alight with kerosene
, causing it to flee into the sub-zero night, burning out a whole room during the process.
Nikki notes that the temperature inside the station is beginning to drop quickly; a fuel line has been sabotaged by their alien visitor. The cold forces the scientists and the airmen to make a final stand near the generator room. They rig an electrical "fly trap", hoping to electrocute
the Thing. As the creature advances on them, Carrington twice tries to save it, once by shutting off the power in the generator room, and then by trying to reason with the creature directly. It throws him aside and continues its advance, finally stepping on the trap placed in a dimly lit corridor; the Thing is finally reduced to a smoldering pile of ashes at Pat's orders. Its seedlings are later destroyed without a trace.
When the weather finally clears, Scotty is finally able to file his "story of a lifetime" by radio to a roomful of fellow reporters in Anchorage. During his report on the harrowing events at the top of the world, Scotty broadcasts a plea and warning to the reporters listening intently on the other end of his broadcast: "Tell the world. Tell this to everyone, wherever they are. Watch the skies everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies."
, with uncredited rewrites from Howard Hawks
and Ben Hecht
, from the 1938 novella Who Goes There?
by John W. Campbell, Jr. The novella was originally published in Astounding Science Fiction under the pseudonym Don A. Stuart.
There is debate as to whether the film was directed by Hawks, with Christian Nyby
receiving the credit, or whether Nyby directed it with considerable input in both screenplay and advice in directing from producer Hawks for Hawks' Winchester Pictures, which released it through RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
The film took advantage of the national feelings of the time to help enhance the horror elements of the story. The film reflected a post-Hiroshima
skepticism about science and negative views of scientists who meddle with things better left alone. In the end, it is American
servicemen and sensible scientists who win the day over the monster.
The screenplay changes the fundamental nature of the alien as presented in Campbell's novella: Lederer's "Thing" is a humanoid monster whose cellular structure is closer to vegetation
, although it must feed on blood to survive. One character describes it as an "intellectual carrot". The structure of the monster makes it impervious to bullets. In the original story, the "Thing" is a lifeform capable of assuming the physical and mental characteristics of anyone it chooses. This aspect was realized in the John Carpenter remake of the film in 1982 (see below).
One of the film's stars, William Self, later became President of 20th Century Fox Television
. Appearing in a small role was George Fenneman
, who at the time was gaining fame as Groucho Marx
's announcer on You Bet Your Life
.
domestic (U.S. and Canada) rentals, making it the year's 46th biggest earner, beating all other science fiction films released that year, including The Day The Earth Stood Still
and When Worlds Collide
.
Bosley Crowther
in The New York Times
observed, “Taking a fantastic notion (or is it, really?), Mr. Hawks has developed a movie that is generous with thrills and chills…Adults and children can have a lot of old-fashioned movie fun at The Thing, but parents should understand their children and think twice before letting them see this film if their emotions are not properly conditioned" "Gene" in Variety
complained that the film "lacks genuine entertainment values.” Lester del Rey
compared the film unfavorably to the source material, John W. Campbell
's "Who Goes There?
", calling it "just another monster epic, totally lacking in the force and tension of the original story."
The Thing is now considered by many to be one of the best films of 1951. The film holds an 89% "Fresh" rating on the review aggregate
website Rotten Tomatoes
, with the consensus that the film "is better than most flying saucer movies, thanks to well-drawn characters and concise, tense plotting". In 2001, the United States Library of Congress
deemed the film "culturally significant" and it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry
. Also in 2001, the American Film Institute
placed the film at #87 on 100 Years... 100 Thrills
, a list of America's most heart-pounding movies. It was also on the ballot for several other AFI 100 Series
lists, including AFI's 10 Top 10
, under the science fiction
category, the tenth anniversary edition of the 100 Movies list, 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes
for the line "Watch the skies, everywhere, keep looking! Keep watching the skies!", and 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains
, for the Thing in the villains category. Additionally, Time
magazine named The Thing from Another World the greatest 1950s sci-fi movie.
made a more faithful version of the novella Who Goes There? under the title The Thing. It was already well-known that Carpenter was a fan of the original film, as he included considerable footage from it in his own Halloween
.
Certain elements of Carpenter's film were heavily suggested by this film, including the "burning letters" opening titles.
Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
made a prequel to Carpenter's 1982 version with the identical title of The Thing
. The film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead
as protagonist Kate Lloyd.
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
based on the 1938 novella "Who Goes There?
Who Goes There?
Who Goes There? is a science fiction novella by John W. Campbell, Jr. under the pen name Don A. Stuart, published August 1938 in Astounding Stories. In 1973, the story was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the finest science fiction novellas ever written, and published with...
" by John W. Campbell
John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell, Jr. was an influential figure in American science fiction. As editor of Astounding Science Fiction , from late 1937 until his death, he is generally credited with shaping the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction.Isaac Asimov called Campbell "the most powerful force in...
(writing under the pseudonym of "Don A. Stuart"). It tells the story of an Air Force crew and scientists at a remote Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
research outpost who fight a malevolent plant-based alien being. It stars Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
, Margaret Sheridan
Margaret Sheridan
Margaret Elizabeth Sheridan was an American actress of the early 1950s, and protégée of director Howard Hawks. The raven-haired beauty is best remembered for her role as Nikki Nickolson opposite Kenneth Tobey in the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World.-Career:She was born in...
, Robert Cornthwaite
Robert O. Cornthwaite
Robert O. Cornthwaite was an American film and television character actor who began his acting career in 1937, appearing in a college production of Twelfth Night, while attending Reed College in Portland, Oregon....
and Douglas Spencer
Douglas Spencer
Douglas Spencer was an American film actor. Starting in the mid 1930's and going through the 40's, he appeared in dozens of films as an extra, then cameo roles and uncredited roles. He worked as a Stand-In and in Production Departments...
. James Arness
James Arness
James King Arness was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon in the television series Gunsmoke for 20 years...
appeared as The Thing, whom was difficult to recognize in costume and makeup. No actors are named during the opening credits; the only cast credit is at the movie's end. Partly filmed in Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park may refer to:*Glacier National Park in British Columbia, Canada*Glacier National Park in Montana, USA-See also:*Glacier Bay National Park, in Alaska, USA*Los Glaciares National Park, in Argentina...
and at a Los Angeles ice storage plant.
In 2001, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
.
Plot
A United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
re-supply crew is officially dispatched by General Fogerty (David McMahon
David McMahon
David McMahon is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy in the VFL.McMahon played on the half forward flank and after being recruited from Preston he made his league debut in 1973. He retired in 1984 with 218 VFL games to his name which puts him at 7th on the all time list...
) from Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
at the unusual request of Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite
Robert O. Cornthwaite
Robert O. Cornthwaite was an American film and television character actor who began his acting career in 1937, appearing in a college production of Twelfth Night, while attending Reed College in Portland, Oregon....
), chief of a group of scientists working at a North Pole base, Polar Expedition Six. They have evidence that an unknown flying craft of some kind crashed nearby. Ned Scott (Douglas Spencer
Douglas Spencer
Douglas Spencer was an American film actor. Starting in the mid 1930's and going through the 40's, he appeared in dozens of films as an extra, then cameo roles and uncredited roles. He worked as a Stand-In and in Production Departments...
), a reporter in search of a story, tags along. A minor romantic sub-plot unfolds, involving Captain Patrick "Pat" Hendry (Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
) and Carrington's secretary, Nikki Nicholson (Margaret Sheridan
Margaret Sheridan
Margaret Elizabeth Sheridan was an American actress of the early 1950s, and protégée of director Howard Hawks. The raven-haired beauty is best remembered for her role as Nikki Nickolson opposite Kenneth Tobey in the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World.-Career:She was born in...
).
Doctor Carrington briefs the airmen, and Doctor Redding (George Fenneman
George Fenneman
George Watt Fenneman was an American radio and television announcer.Fenneman was born in Beijing, China, the only child of American parents in the import-export business. He was nine months old when his parents moved to San Francisco, California, United States, where he grew up...
) shows high speed photos of a heavy object moving downward, then up, and then on a straight line briefly before falling out of frame — not the movements of a meteor
METEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
. Hendry wonders to the doctor: "Twenty thousand tons of steel is an awful lot of metal for an airplane." "It is for the sort of airplane we know, Captain," Carrington responds. From Geiger counter
Geiger counter
A Geiger counter, also called a Geiger–Müller counter, is a type of particle detector that measures ionizing radiation. They detect the emission of nuclear radiation: alpha particles, beta particles or gamma rays. A Geiger counter detects radiation by ionization produced in a low-pressure gas in a...
readings, Pat's crew and the scientists fly to the crash site aboard the supply team's ski-equipped C-47. The craft is buried in the ice, with a portion of a rounded airfoil
Airfoil
An airfoil or aerofoil is the shape of a wing or blade or sail as seen in cross-section....
protruding from the surface. Forming a circle when they try to see how large the craft is under the ice, they are shocked to discover that it is in the shape of a flying saucer
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
. They then try to uncover it with thermite
Thermite
Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal oxide that produces an exothermic oxidation-reduction reaction known as a thermite reaction. If aluminium is the reducing agent it is called an aluminothermic reaction...
heat explosives, but in doing so accidentally ignite the ship, destroying it. Crew Chief Sergeant Bob's (Dewey Martin
Dewey Martin (actor)
-Career:Martin was born December 8, 1923 in Katemcy, Texas. His film debut was an uncredited part in Knock on Any Door . He also appeared in The Thing from Another World , co-starred with Kirk Douglas in The Big Sky , played younger brother of Humphrey Bogart in The Desperate Hours , and was...
) Geiger counter locates what looks like a body frozen in the ice nearby.
They excavate the tall body, preserving it in a large block of ice, and return to the research outpost just as a major storm moves in, making communication with Anchorage very difficult. Some scientists want to thaw out the creature immediately, but Hendry orders everyone to wait until he receives orders from Air Force authorities. Feeling uneasy guarding the body, Corporal Barnes (William Self
William Self (actor)
William Edwin Self was an American television and feature film producer who began his career as an actor.-Early life and education:...
) covers the ice block with a blanket, not realizing it is an electric blanket
Electric blanket
In the US the electric blanket is a blanket with an integrated electrical heating device usually placed above the top bed sheet. In the UK and Commonwealth, electric blanket commonly refers to an electric mattress pad, which is placed below the bottom bed sheet. Electric blankets usually have a...
, and the creature slowly thaws out, revives, and escapes to the outside sub-zero cold and snow storm.
The creature wards off an attack by twelve sled dog
Sled dog
Sled dogs, known also as sleigh man dogs, sledge dogs, or sleddogs, are highly trained types of dogs that are used to pull a dog sled, a wheel-less vehicle on runners also called a sled or sleigh, over snow or ice, by means of harnesses and lines.Sled dogs have become a popular winter recreation...
s, and the scientists recover an arm, bitten off by the dogs. As the arm warms up, it ingests the blood from one of the dogs and begins to come back to life. They learn that, while appearing humanoid, the creature is in fact an advanced form of plant life. Dr. Carrington is convinced that the creature can be reasoned with and has much to teach them, but Dr. Chapman (John Dierkes
John Dierkes
John Dierkes was an American character actor present in several classic films.-Life and career:Dierkes was born on February 10, 1905 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Brown University and subsequently went to work as an economist for the United States Department of State. In 1941 he joined the Red...
) and other colleagues disagree. The Air Force men are just as sure it may be quite dangerous.
Carrington soon realizes that the creature requires blood, any available blood to reproduce. He later discovers in the base's greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
the hidden body of a sled dog, still warm, unconscious. He has volunteers from his own team, Dr. Voorhees (Paul Frees
Paul Frees
Paul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
), Dr. Olsen and Dr. Auerbach, stand guard overnight, waiting for the creature's return.
Later, Carrington secretly uses human blood plasma
Blood plasma
Blood plasma is the straw-colored liquid component of blood in which the blood cells in whole blood are normally suspended. It makes up about 55% of the total blood volume. It is the intravascular fluid part of extracellular fluid...
from the infirmary to incubate and nourish seedlings taken from the severed arm, failing to advise his colleagues or Capt. Hendry of what he has done, or of having found the bodies of Olsen and Auerbach, drained of blood. Dr. Stern (Eduard Franz
Eduard Franz
Eduard Franz , born Eduard Franz Schmidt, was an American actor of theater, film, and television. Franz portrayed King Ahab in the 1953 biblical low-budget film Sins of Jezebel, Jethro in Cecil B...
) is almost killed but escapes to warn the others. Nikki reluctantly updates Pat when he asks about missing plasma supplies. Pat confronts Carrington in the greenhouse, where he sees that the creature's planted seed pods
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
have grown at an alarming rate. Dr. Wilson (Everett Glass) advises Carrington that he hasn't slept, but Carrington is unconcerned. The creature returns and the USAF crew, after gunfire has no effect, trap it in the greenhouse.
The creature escapes and breaks into another part of the camp. Following a suggestion from Nikki, Pat and his men set it alight with kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
, causing it to flee into the sub-zero night, burning out a whole room during the process.
Nikki notes that the temperature inside the station is beginning to drop quickly; a fuel line has been sabotaged by their alien visitor. The cold forces the scientists and the airmen to make a final stand near the generator room. They rig an electrical "fly trap", hoping to electrocute
Electrocution
Electrocution is a type of electric shock that, as determined by a stopped heart, can end life. Electrocution is frequently used to refer to any electric shock received but is technically incorrect; the choice of definition varies from dictionary to dictionary...
the Thing. As the creature advances on them, Carrington twice tries to save it, once by shutting off the power in the generator room, and then by trying to reason with the creature directly. It throws him aside and continues its advance, finally stepping on the trap placed in a dimly lit corridor; the Thing is finally reduced to a smoldering pile of ashes at Pat's orders. Its seedlings are later destroyed without a trace.
When the weather finally clears, Scotty is finally able to file his "story of a lifetime" by radio to a roomful of fellow reporters in Anchorage. During his report on the harrowing events at the top of the world, Scotty broadcasts a plea and warning to the reporters listening intently on the other end of his broadcast: "Tell the world. Tell this to everyone, wherever they are. Watch the skies everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies."
Cast
- Margaret SheridanMargaret SheridanMargaret Elizabeth Sheridan was an American actress of the early 1950s, and protégée of director Howard Hawks. The raven-haired beauty is best remembered for her role as Nikki Nickolson opposite Kenneth Tobey in the 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World.-Career:She was born in...
as Nikki Nicholson - Kenneth TobeyKenneth TobeyKenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
as Captain Patrick Hendry - Robert CornthwaiteRobert O. CornthwaiteRobert O. Cornthwaite was an American film and television character actor who began his acting career in 1937, appearing in a college production of Twelfth Night, while attending Reed College in Portland, Oregon....
as Dr. Arthur Carrington - Douglas SpencerDouglas SpencerDouglas Spencer was an American film actor. Starting in the mid 1930's and going through the 40's, he appeared in dozens of films as an extra, then cameo roles and uncredited roles. He worked as a Stand-In and in Production Departments...
as Ned 'Scotty' Scott - James Young as Lt. Eddie Dykes
- Dewey MartinDewey Martin (actor)-Career:Martin was born December 8, 1923 in Katemcy, Texas. His film debut was an uncredited part in Knock on Any Door . He also appeared in The Thing from Another World , co-starred with Kirk Douglas in The Big Sky , played younger brother of Humphrey Bogart in The Desperate Hours , and was...
as Crew Chief Bob - Robert NicholsRobert NicholsRobert Malise Bowyer Nichols was an English writer, known as a war poet of World War I, and a playwright....
as Lt. Ken 'Mac' MacPherson - William Self as Corporal Barnes
- Eduard FranzEduard FranzEduard Franz , born Eduard Franz Schmidt, was an American actor of theater, film, and television. Franz portrayed King Ahab in the 1953 biblical low-budget film Sins of Jezebel, Jethro in Cecil B...
as Dr. Stern - Sally Creighton as Mrs. Chapman
- James ArnessJames ArnessJames King Arness was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon in the television series Gunsmoke for 20 years...
as 'The Thing'
Production notes
The movie was loosely adapted by Charles LedererCharles Lederer
Charles Lederer was a prolific and well-connected American film writer and director of the 30s to the 60s, from a prominent theatrical family with close ties to the Hearst dynasty.-Early life:...
, with uncredited rewrites from Howard Hawks
Howard Hawks
Howard Winchester Hawks was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era...
and Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, and novelist. Called "the Shakespeare of Hollywood", he received screen credits, alone or in collaboration, for the stories or screenplays of some 70 films and as a prolific storyteller, authored 35 books and created some of...
, from the 1938 novella Who Goes There?
Who Goes There?
Who Goes There? is a science fiction novella by John W. Campbell, Jr. under the pen name Don A. Stuart, published August 1938 in Astounding Stories. In 1973, the story was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the finest science fiction novellas ever written, and published with...
by John W. Campbell, Jr. The novella was originally published in Astounding Science Fiction under the pseudonym Don A. Stuart.
There is debate as to whether the film was directed by Hawks, with Christian Nyby
Christian Nyby
Christian Nyby was an American television and film director.Born in Los Angeles, California, he started his career as a film editor in the 1940s. During this period, he worked on four films for famous director Howard Hawks, of which one led to an Academy Award nomination...
receiving the credit, or whether Nyby directed it with considerable input in both screenplay and advice in directing from producer Hawks for Hawks' Winchester Pictures, which released it through RKO Radio Pictures Inc.
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
The film took advantage of the national feelings of the time to help enhance the horror elements of the story. The film reflected a post-Hiroshima
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
skepticism about science and negative views of scientists who meddle with things better left alone. In the end, it is American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
servicemen and sensible scientists who win the day over the monster.
The screenplay changes the fundamental nature of the alien as presented in Campbell's novella: Lederer's "Thing" is a humanoid monster whose cellular structure is closer to vegetation
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
, although it must feed on blood to survive. One character describes it as an "intellectual carrot". The structure of the monster makes it impervious to bullets. In the original story, the "Thing" is a lifeform capable of assuming the physical and mental characteristics of anyone it chooses. This aspect was realized in the John Carpenter remake of the film in 1982 (see below).
One of the film's stars, William Self, later became President of 20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television is the television production division of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, and a production arm of the Fox Broadcasting Company...
. Appearing in a small role was George Fenneman
George Fenneman
George Watt Fenneman was an American radio and television announcer.Fenneman was born in Beijing, China, the only child of American parents in the import-export business. He was nine months old when his parents moved to San Francisco, California, United States, where he grew up...
, who at the time was gaining fame as Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
's announcer on You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life
You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in September...
.
Reception
The Thing from Another World was released in April 1951 and by the end of that year had accrued US$ 1,950,000 in distributors'Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
domestic (U.S. and Canada) rentals, making it the year's 46th biggest earner, beating all other science fiction films released that year, including The Day The Earth Stood Still
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 American science fiction film directed by Robert Wise and written by Edmund H. North based on the short story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates. The film stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Sam Jaffe, and Hugh Marlowe...
and When Worlds Collide
When Worlds Collide (film)
When Worlds Collide is a 1951 science fiction film based on the 1933 novel co-written by Philip Gordon Wylie and Edwin Balmer. The film was shot in Technicolor, directed by Rudolph Maté and was the winner of the 1951 Academy Award for special effects....
.
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
observed, “Taking a fantastic notion (or is it, really?), Mr. Hawks has developed a movie that is generous with thrills and chills…Adults and children can have a lot of old-fashioned movie fun at The Thing, but parents should understand their children and think twice before letting them see this film if their emotions are not properly conditioned" "Gene" in Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
complained that the film "lacks genuine entertainment values.” Lester del Rey
Lester del Rey
Lester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey was the author of many of the Winston Science Fiction juvenile SF series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books, along with his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.-Birth...
compared the film unfavorably to the source material, John W. Campbell
John W. Campbell
John Wood Campbell, Jr. was an influential figure in American science fiction. As editor of Astounding Science Fiction , from late 1937 until his death, he is generally credited with shaping the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction.Isaac Asimov called Campbell "the most powerful force in...
's "Who Goes There?
Who Goes There?
Who Goes There? is a science fiction novella by John W. Campbell, Jr. under the pen name Don A. Stuart, published August 1938 in Astounding Stories. In 1973, the story was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the finest science fiction novellas ever written, and published with...
", calling it "just another monster epic, totally lacking in the force and tension of the original story."
The Thing is now considered by many to be one of the best films of 1951. The film holds an 89% "Fresh" rating on the review aggregate
Review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services . This system stores the reviews and then uses them for purposes such as: creating a website for users to view the reviews, selling information to third parties about consumer tendencies and creating databases for...
website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, with the consensus that the film "is better than most flying saucer movies, thanks to well-drawn characters and concise, tense plotting". In 2001, the United States Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
deemed the film "culturally significant" and it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
. Also in 2001, the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
placed the film at #87 on 100 Years... 100 Thrills
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills
Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Thrills is a list of the top 100 heart-pounding movies in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute on June 12, 2001, during a CBS special hosted by Harrison Ford....
, a list of America's most heart-pounding movies. It was also on the ballot for several other AFI 100 Series
AFI 100 Years... series
The AFI's 100 Years… series is a series of CBS television specials featuring the American Film Institute celebrating 100 years of the greatest films in America.The specials are:* 1998: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies* 1999: AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars...
lists, including AFI's 10 Top 10
AFI's 10 Top 10
AFI's 10 Top 10 honors the ten greatest American films in ten classic film genres. Presented by the American Film Institute , the lists were unveiled on a television special broadcast by CBS on June 17, 2008....
, under the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
category, the tenth anniversary edition of the 100 Movies list, 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes
Part of the AFI 100 Years... series, AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes is a list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema. The American Film Institute revealed the list on June 21, 2005, in a three-hour television program on CBS...
for the line "Watch the skies, everywhere, keep looking! Keep watching the skies!", and 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains is a list of the 100 greatest screen characters chosen by American Film Institute in June 2003. It is part of the AFI 100 Years… series. The series was first presented in a CBS special hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger...
, for the Thing in the villains category. Additionally, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine named The Thing from Another World the greatest 1950s sci-fi movie.
Remake
In 1982, John CarpenterJohn Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
made a more faithful version of the novella Who Goes There? under the title The Thing. It was already well-known that Carpenter was a fan of the original film, as he included considerable footage from it in his own Halloween
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
.
Certain elements of Carpenter's film were heavily suggested by this film, including the "burning letters" opening titles.
Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. is a Dutch filmmaker, writer and producer best known for his work on Red Rain, The Thing prequel and Army of the Dead.-Biography:Matthijs van Heijningen Jr...
made a prequel to Carpenter's 1982 version with the identical title of The Thing
The Thing (2011 film)
The Thing is a 2011 science fiction horror film directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., and written by Eric Heisserer. It is a prequel to the 1982 film of the same name by John Carpenter, the plot taking place immediately prior to the events of that film...
. The film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is an American actress. She is best known for her scream queen roles in the horror films Final Destination 3, Black Christmas, Death Proof, and The Thing...
as protagonist Kate Lloyd.
In popular culture
- The last line of the film, "Watch the skies", was the working title of the film that would become Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
. A sequel to that film was then considered that would have been titled Watch the SkiesNight SkiesNight Skies was a sci-fi horror film that was in development in the late 1970s, but never actually made. Steven Spielberg conceived the idea after Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Instead, material developed at the time was used in Poltergeist and E.T...
, except this time with malevolent aliens terrorizing a farm family. That film project eventually became the movie E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
. - Keep Watching the Skies! is the title of Bill WarrenBill WarrenWilliam Bond Warren , better known as Bill Warren, is an American film historian and critic generally regarded as one of the leading authorities on science fiction, horror and fantasy films....
's two volume survey of science fiction films, from the period 1950 to 1962. - The first two episodes of the Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
story The Seeds of DoomThe Seeds of DoomThe Seeds of Doom is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 31 January to 6 March 1976...
borrows some of the elements from the plot of this film.