The Thing from Another World (sometimes just called The Thing) is a 1951 science fiction horror film directed by Christian Nyby. The film stars Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, and James Arness. The film is an adaptation of John W. Campbell’s novella “Who Goes There?” (1938).
Director: Christian Nyby
Production Company: Winchester Pictures Corporation
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Cast: Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite, Douglas Spencer, James Arness
US Box Office: $4,875,000 ($88,000,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Black & White
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Release Date: April 5, 1951 (premiere); April 27, 1951 (general release)
Plot Summary: Captain Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) of the US Air Force is assigned to a scientific research outpost in the arctic led by Dr. Arthur Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite). Hendry’s former girlfriend Nikki Nicholson (Margaret Sheridan) is Carrington’s secretary. Hendry and his men find an alien “Thing” (James Arness) trapped in a block of ice. After the creature is unintentionally thawed, it goes on a murderous rampage at the outpost. Hendry knows that the “Thing” must be destroyed, but Dr. Carrington tries to protect the monster.
Production: In 1950 screenwriters Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer convinced American director and producer Howard Hawks to purchase the rights to John W. Campbell’s 1938 science fiction novella “Who Goes There?” Campbell’s novella was about a shapeshifting alien who hunts the crew of a scientific outpost in Antarctica. Hawks produced the film independently through his production company Winchester Pictures Corporation, which was associated with RKO Radio Pictures. Lederer wrote the script for the film, initially titled The Thing, with rewrites done by Hawks and Hecht. Hawks hired film editor Christian Nyby to direct The Thing. Nyby had previously edited To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), and Red River (1948) for Hawks. The Thing was the first film that Nyby directed. Late in production Hawks changed the film’s name from The Thing to The Thing from Another World. A popular novelty song called “The Thing” was released in 1950 and Hawks didn’t want his film to be confused or associated with the song.
Hawks cast Kenneth Tobey as Captain Patrick Hendry, the film’s main character. Tobey previously had a bit part in Hawks’ comedy film I Was a Male War Bride (1949). Hawks was impressed by Tobey’s performance and realized that the actor had potential, so he cast him in The Thing from Another World. Tobey later starred in It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) and had a supporting role in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953). Margaret Sheridan was cast as Nikki Nicholson, Hendry’s girlfriend. Hawks first met Sheridan in the late 1940s and believed that she showed promise as an actress. She was originally cast as the main female character in Hawks’ Red River, but she turned the part down because she was pregnant. The Thing from Another World was Sheridan’s first film. Sheridan mostly retired from acting in 1954, though she did later have a bit part in Hawks’ comedy film Man’s Favorite Sport? (1964).
James Arness was cast as the film’s monster, the titular “Thing.” Arness, who was 6’7″, was cast because of his height. The monster in “Who Goes There?” was a shapeshifter, but Hawks abandoned this aspect of the creature for budget reason. Hawks instead decided to make the creature tall and with a plant-based biology that made it immune to bullets. Lee Greenway designed the monster’s makeup and Hawks suggested that Greenway give the creature a flattop headpiece, like the monster in Frankenstein (1931). In 1952 Arness would later sign a contract with John Wayne’s Wayne/Fellows Productions and he appeared in a few films with Wayne including Big Jim McLain (1952) and Hondo (1953). On Wayne’s recommendation Arness was cast as the main character in the western television series Gunsmoke (1955-1975).
Production on The Thing from Another World began in October of 1950. Hawks initially wanted to film the exterior scenes in Alaska (due to its abundance of snow), but later settled on the much closer Montana. A few exterior scenes were shot on location at Glacier National Park near Cut Bank, Montana. Weather difficulties caused the films budget to increase from $980,000 to $1,100,000. Despite the increased budget, shooting in Montana was cut short by a week due to a lack of snowfall. The scene where Hendry’s men and the scientists discover the flying saucer was shot at the RKO Encino Ranch in Los Angeles. The crew used tempered masonite and salt to create snowy conditions on the ranch. The scenes where the characters can see their cold breath at the outpost were shot on a set built inside the Ice & Cold Storage Plant in Los Angeles. Other interior scenes were shot on set at RKO Studios.
There is some debate over who actually directed The Thing from Another World. Christian Nyby received credit, but some sources have claimed that Hawks actually directed the film (as it contains many of his directorial trademarks) but let Nyby have the credit so he could attain a Director’s Guild membership. Tobey claimed that Hawks directed most of the film, while Cornthwaite and other cast members have stated that Nyby directed but he would defer to Hawks if the later had a better idea. In 1982 Nyby stated that he directed the film (and tried to emulate Hawks’ style) but gladly accepted any help and assistance that Hawks offered throughout shooting.
Fun Facts and Trivia: The names of the main cast members of The Thing from Another World are not included in the opening credits, their names are only shown during the end credits. This was very rare for films of the time. Although Dr. Carrington appears to be in his fifties or sixties, actor Robert Cornthwaite was only 33 years old during filming. William Self (Corporal Barnes) worked with Howard Hawks on three other films: Red River (1948), I Was a Male War Bride (1949), and The Big Sky (1952). Self became a television producer in the late-1950s and he later became the President of 20th Century Fox Television. Douglas Spencer (Scotty) mostly had supporting roles and bit parts in his acting career, though he played an another important role in classic science fiction film, This Island Earth (1955). Spencer and John Dierkas (Dr. Chapman) both appeared in the Western Shane (1953).
Reception: The Thing from Another World premiered on April 5, 1951 and it went into general release later that month. The film was distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. James Arness was so embarrassed by his makeup and performance as “The Thing” that he chose to not attend the premiere. The Thing from Another World was the highest grossing science fiction film of the year, notably outperforming 20th Century Fox’s The Day the Earth Stood Still and Paramount’s When Worlds Collide. The Thing from Another World‘s suspense and horror elements likely contributed to its box office success.
The Thing from Another World received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics when it was first released. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times gave the film a strongly positive review. Crowther praised the film’s dialogue, as well as its suspense and thrills. Harold Whitehead of The Montreal Gazette praised the dialogue and noted that The Thing from Another World featured far better acting and direction than most science fiction films. William C. Glackin of The Sacramento Bee and Cyrus Durgin of The Boston Globe also praised the film for its natural dialogue. Harry McArthur of The Washington Star and George Burke of the Miami Herald praised the film for its suspense. Conversely, Gene Arneel of Variety gave The Thing from Another World a negative review. Arneel thought that Nyby did a poor job with the developing the plot, and that the actors weren’t very convincing in their roles. The critics at Time magazine, Motion Picture Herald, and Motion Picture Daily also gave the film negative reviews.
In modern times, The Thing from Another World is regarded as a science fiction classic. Matt Brunson of Film Frenzy praised the characters and the dialogue. The staff at TV Guide praised the film’s cinematography and Dimitri Tiomkin’s score. Jeffrey M. Anderson of Combustible Celluloid and Steven Crum of Video-reviewmaster.com gave The Thing from Another World perfect four and five star reviews respectively. In 2001, the American Film Institute ranked The Thing from Anther World as the 87th best American thriller film. David Nusair of Reel Film Reviews conversely gave the film a negative review and described it as “a distressingly disappointing misfire.” In 1982, John Carpenter directed another adaptation of “Who Goes There” titled The Thing. That film was closer to the original novella, but featured excessive graphic violence.
Why You Should See It: The Thing from Another World is a good science fiction horror film. Russell Harlan’s cinematography is impressive. His lighting is good and gives the film a mysterious quality. The exterior and plane shots also look great. Dmitri Tiomkin’s music is fantastic and it also helps to create a mysterious atmosphere for The Thing from Another World. The “Thing” manages to be intimating, even with the intentionally small amount of screen time it received. Like the early Universal Monsters films, The Thing from Another World is very short (only 87 minutes), and in my opinion it could have been a stronger film if it was longer.