The Thing from Another World (often referred to as The Thing before its 1982 remake), is a 1951 science fiction film that 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, difficult to recognize in costume and makeup. No players are named during the opening credits; the only cast credit is at the movie’s end.

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

Trivia:

• It is generally believed that Howard Hawks took over direction during production, and it has always been acknowledged by director Christian Nyby that Hawks was the guiding hand. However, in an interview James Arness said that while Hawks spent a lot of time on the set, it was Nyby who actually directed the picture, not Hawks.
• Partly filmed in Glacier National Park and at a Los Angeles ice storage plant.
• This film was based on the short story “Who Goes There?” by Don A. Stuart. The credits on this film list the author by his real name, the science fiction editor/writer John W. Campbell Jr.
• Midget actor Billy Curtis played the smaller version of “The Thing” during the creature’s final scene.
• James Arness complained that his “Thing” costume made him look like a giant carrot.

Thing from Another World with James Arness

• Howard Hawks asked the US Air Force for assistance in making the film. He was refused because the top brass felt that such cooperation would compromise the U.S. government’s official stance that UFOs didn’t exist.
• It is believed that Ben Hecht and William Faulkner, both good friends of producer Howard Hawks, contributed to the script. However, long-standing rumors that Orson Welles contributed to the dialog are believed to be untrue.
• Two months prior to principal photography, James Arness was brought in during the design and development of the makeup.
• Close-ups of “The Thing” were removed. It was felt that the make-up could not hold up to close scrutiny. However, the lack of close-ups gave the creature a more mysterious quality.
• James Arness reportedly regarded his role as so embarrassing that he didn’t attend the premiere.
• It took makeup artist Lee Greenway five months and 18 sculptures of the creature before he came up with a design that satisfied producer Howard Hawks.
• When producer Howard Hawks attempted to get insurance for the creature, five insurance companies turned him down because “The Thing” was to be frozen in a block of ice, hacked by axes, attacked by dogs, lit on fire, and electrocuted.
• The famous scene when the crew formed a ring around the flying saucer frozen in the ice, was actually filmed at the RKO Ranch in the San Fernando Valley in 100-degree weather.
• This was the first of only two films made by Howard Hawks’ own production company, Winchester Pictures Corporation. Winchester was Hawks’ middle name.
• The scene in which The Thing is doused with kerosene and set ablaze is believed to be the first full body burn accomplished by a stunt man.
• Veteran stunt man Tom Steele replaced James Arness in the fire scene. Steele wore an asbestos suit with a special fiberglass helmet with an oxygen supply underneath. He use a 100% oxygen supply which was highly combustible. It was pure luck he didn’t burn his lungs whilst breathing in the mixture.
• According to make up artist Lee Greenway, he took James Arness in his car to the home of producer Howard Hawks to show off the make up for the Thing. After months of frustration, Hawkes told Greenway to put a Frankenstein (1931) type of head piece on Arness.
• Scotty mentions being at the execution of Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray. This is a real case. The couple were tried for and convicted of the murder of Snyder’s husband in 1927 and were executed in New York by the electric chair.

Read more about “The Thing” Prequel Here!  coming soon!!

Children of the Corn (also known as Stephen King’s Children of the Corn) is a 1984 horror film based upon the 1978 short story of the same name by Stephen King. Directed by Fritz Kiersch, the film stars Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton. Set in the fictional rural town of Gatlin, Nebraska, the film tells the story of a demonic entity referred to as “He Who Walks Behind The Rows” which entices the children of the town to ritualistically murder all the adults to ensure a successful corn harvest. Stephen King wrote the original draft of the screenplay, which focused more on the characters of Burt and Vicky and depicted more backstory on the uprising of the children in Gatlin. This script was disregarded in favor of George Goldsmith’s screenplay, which featured more violence and a more conventional narrative structure. To date the film has spawned six sequels with a television remake.

Taglines:

• And a child shall lead them…
• An Adult Nightmare.
• The Children Rise…..

Trivia:

• On the dashboard of Burt and Vicki’s car is a copy of Night Shift, the Stephen King short story collection in which Children of the Corn originally appeared.
• In the original theatrical trailer, Stephen King’s name is misspelled as “Steven”.
• In the original ending of the story Linda Hamilton’s character Vicki was killed by the children. She joined “the blue man” on a cross and had her eyes cut out.
• Though real corn was used for most of filming, polyurethane corn had to be used for the more difficult action sequences.
• R.G. Armstrong filmed his scenes in one day.
• Michael and Corey Frizzell, the nephews of legendary country music stars Lefty & David Frizzell and Sons of Country Gospel great Allen Frizzell (once married to country star Shelly West), played extras at the age of 8 and 9. Michael was also Robby Kiger (Job) stunt double. Corey who is now an artist to country music stars was also a stand in actor for Robby Kiger (Job).
• In the original story, Isaac and Malachai’s names were William Renfrew and Craig Boardman, respectively.
• The tagline “And a child shall lead them” comes from Isaiah 11:6 in the Old Testament, which reads, “And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”