For the films of the same name, see Them (2006 film) or Them (film). For the films of the same name see Them (film or Them!. Them (Ils is a French Horror film released

Them!
Original film poster
Directed by	Gordon Douglas
Produced by	David Weisbart
Written by	Ted Sherdeman Russell Hughes George Worthing Yates (story)
Starring	James Whitmore Edmund Gwenn Joan Weldon James Arness Onslow Stevens Sean McClory Chris Drake
Music by	Bronislau Kaper
Cinematography	Sidney Hickox
Editing by	Thomas Reilly
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	1954
Running time	94 min. Gordon Douglas (Gordon Douglas Brickner ( December 15, 1907 – September 29, 1993) was an American Film director, who David M Weisbart ( January 21, 1915 &ndash July 21, 1967) was an American Film editor and producer. George Worthing Yates was an American Screenwriter. He was born on 14 August 1901 in New York and died 6 June 1975 James Allen Whitmore Jr (born October 1, 1921) is an American two-time Academy Award -nominated Emmy - and Golden Globe Edmund Gwenn ( September 6 1875 - September 6, 1959) was an Academy Award -winning English Theatre and Joan Weldon (born Joan Louise Welton 5 August 1933, San Francisco California) is an American Television and Film James Arness (born as James Aurness on May 26 1923, Minneapolis Minnesota) is an Emmy -nominated American Actor Onslow Stevens ( March 29, 1902 &ndash January 5, 1977) born Onslow Ford Stevenson, was an American Sean McClory was an Irish actor whose career spanned six decades and included well over 100 films and television series Chris Drake (Christian Drake ( December 23, 1923 - July 9, 2006) was an American actor best known for his co-star role of the 1950s Bronisław Kaper ( February 5, 1902, Warsaw - April 26, 1983, Beverly Hills, California) was a Polish Sidney Hickox ( July 15, 1895 - May 16, 1982) was an American Film and Television Cinematographer. Thomas F Reilly ( February 14, 1942) was the 45th Massachusetts attorney general. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar)
Language	English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Them! is a 1954 black and white science fiction film about man's encounter with a nest of radiation-giganticized ants. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The year 1954 in film involved some significant events Events May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx Black-and-white is a number of Monochrome forms in Visual arts. Science fiction Film is a Film genre that uses speculative, Science -based depictions of imaginary phenomena such as extra-terrestrial Resizing (including size-changing miniaturization magnification shrinking and enlargement is a theme in fiction especially Science fiction. Ants are social Insects of the family Formicidae and along with the related families of Wasps and Bees belong to the order It is based on an original story treatment by George Worthing Yates, was developed into a screenplay by Ted Sherdeman and Russell Hughes for Warner Bros. Pictures Inc., which was produced by David Weisbart and directed by Gordon Douglas for the company. George Worthing Yates was an American Screenwriter. He was born on 14 August 1901 in New York and died 6 June 1975 See also Pre-production Screenwriting A screenplay or script is a written plan authored by a Screenwriter, for a Film or Television Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and David M Weisbart ( January 21, 1915 &ndash July 21, 1967) was an American Film editor and producer. Gordon Douglas (Gordon Douglas Brickner ( December 15, 1907 – September 29, 1993) was an American Film director, who It starred James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon and James Arness. James Allen Whitmore Jr (born October 1, 1921) is an American two-time Academy Award -nominated Emmy - and Golden Globe Edmund Gwenn ( September 6 1875 - September 6, 1959) was an Academy Award -winning English Theatre and Joan Weldon (born Joan Louise Welton 5 August 1933, San Francisco California) is an American Television and Film James Arness (born as James Aurness on May 26 1923, Minneapolis Minnesota) is an Emmy -nominated American Actor

One of the first of the "nuclear monster" movies, and the first "big bug" film, Them! was the biggest moneymaker for Warner's in the year of its release.

Plot

Lobby card for Them!

The film begins with New Mexico State Police Sergeant Ben Peterson investigating the disappearance of a vacationing FBI agent and his wife, the Ellisons, after discovery of their little girl wandering the desert near Alamogordo, New Mexico, mute and in a state of shock. The New Mexico State Police is the State police agency for New Mexico, which has Jurisdiction anywhere in the state Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world Alamogordo is a city in Otero County, New Mexico, United States of America. The FBI sends in Ellison's fellow agent Robert Graham to assist. The Ellison trailer is found pulled asunder by some great force, with strange tracks all around the wreckage. When the FBI is unable to identify the tracks, they attract the attention of Doctors Harold and Pat Medford, a father/daughter team of entomologists from the Department of Agriculture. Entomology (from Greek grc ἔντομος entomos, "that which is cut in pieces or engraved/segmented" hence "insect" and grc -λογία The elder Doctor Medford arrives on the scene with a theory, but will not disclose it until he tries an experiment on the Ellison girl, having her smell the contents of a vial of formic acid, which frees her from her state of near-catatonic withdrawal, screaming "Them! Them!" Returning to the destroyed trailer with Peterson, Graham and his daughter, Medford has his theory dramatically given its final proof when the group encounters a patrol of foraging ants, mutated by atomic radiation to the size of automobiles. Formic acid (systematically called methanoic acid) is the simplest Carboxylic acid. The lawmen kill one of the ants with their firearms.

A company of the US Army is brought in, led by General O'Brien (Stevens), which locates the ants' nest and exterminates the inhabitants with poison gas, but not before two young queens hatch and fly away to establish new nests. Trying to avoid a general panic, the government covertly monitors and investigates any reports of unusual activities as sightings of "flying saucers". One of the queens ends up in the hold of an ocean-going freighter, which is then overrun by the ants and sunk by a US Navy cruiser. A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of Ship or vessel that carries Cargo, goods and materials from one port to another The other queen is finally tracked to the Los Angeles storm sewer system, forcing the Army to openly declare martial law and launch a major assault. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect when the military takes control of the normal administration of justice Peterson rescues two young boys trapped by the ants in a sewer tunnel, at the cost of his own life. The nest's queen and egg chamber are destroyed with flamethrowers, but the senior Dr. A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of Fire. Medford issues a grim warning that the atomic genie has been let out of the bottle, and further horrors may await mankind.

Cast

Other actors who appear in small parts include John Beradino, Willis Bouchey, Booth Colman, Richard Deacon, Lawrence Dobkin, Ann Doran, Douglas Spencer, Dub Taylor, and Harry Wilson. Fess Elisha Parker Jr (born August 16, 1924) is an American film and television Actor best known for his 1950s portrayals of Davy Olin Howland ( 10 February, 1886 &ndash 20 September, 1959) was an American film actor Leonard Simon Nimoy (born March 26, 1931) is an American Actor, Film director, Poet, Musician and John Beradino, born Giovanni Berardino ( May 1, 1917, – May 19, 1996) was an American Infielder in Major Willis Ben Bouchey (1907&ndash1977 was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films and television shows Booth Colman (born March 8, 1923) is a film television and stage actor Richard Deacon ( May 14, 1921 – August 8, 1984) born in Philadelphia, was an American television and motion picture actor Lawrence Dobkin ( 16 September 1919, New York City – 28 October 2002, Los Angeles California) was an American Ann Doran ( July 28, 1911 &ndash September 19, 2000) was an American character actress Douglas Spencer ( February 10, 1910 – October 6, 1960) was a Film actor. Dub Taylor ( February 26, 1907 - October 3, 1994) was a prolific American Actor who worked extensively in Westerns Harry Wilson ( November 22, 1897 - September 6, 1978) was an American Character actor who appeared in over 200 films from 1928

When casting his planned Davy Crockett episode of the Disneyland television show, Walt Disney viewed the film to see James Arness who had been recommended for the role. Colonel David Stern Crockett ( August 17, 1786 March 6, 1836) was a celebrated 19th-century American Folk hero, James Arness (born as James Aurness on May 26 1923, Minneapolis Minnesota) is an Emmy -nominated American Actor However, Disney was impressed by a brief scene of Fess Parker insisting that he saw the giant flying ants despite being held in an institution. Fess Elisha Parker Jr (born August 16, 1924) is an American film and television Actor best known for his 1950s portrayals of Davy Disney realized he had found his Crockett. ^[1]

Production

Opening color title from Them!. Note that the background is b/w, only the letters and punctuation have color.

When Them began production in early 1954, it was originally conceived to be in 3-D and WarnerColor. See also [[stereoscopy]] In film the term 3-D (or 3D) is used to describe any visual presentation system that attempts to maintain or recreate moving images During pre-production, tests were to be shot in color and 3-D. A color tests were shot, but when it was time to shoot the other test, WB's "All Media" 3-D camera rig malfunctioned and no tests were shot. The next day, a memo was sent out that the color and 3-D aspects of the film were to be scrapped, and that black and white and widescreen would be the preferred format. Because of the preparation of certain shots, however, many of the camera set-ups for 3-D still remain, such as the opening titles and flame-throwers that are shot at the camera.

Although WB was dissatisfied with the color results, the opening titles, however, were printed in color against a black and white background to give the opening of the film a "punch. " This effect was achieved by an Eastman Color section spliced into each print. The VHS release in 1985, the subsequent laserdisc, and the current DVD release have the lettering of the main title colorized on the otherwise black-and-white background.

Cultural Legacy

Joe Dante's 1993 movie Matinee, starring John Goodman, parodies both Them! and the lifestyle of horror movie director William Castle. Joseph Domenick "Joe" Dante (born November 28, 1946) is an American Film director and producer of films generally with Matinee is a 1993 period Comedy film directed by Joe Dante. It is an ensemble piece about the Home front in John Stephen Goodman (born June 20 1952 is a Golden Globe - and Emmy -winning American Actor. William Castle ( April 24, 1914 &ndash May 31, 1977) was an American Film director, producer, and Elaborate and deliberately hokey special effects are shown. Another parody is an unfinished episode of Invader Zim called "Those!". Invader Zim, Branded as Invader ZIM, is an American Animated television series that was produced by and subsequently

The film's distinctive, shrill giant ant sound effect would be used in the 2006 film The Ant Bully. The Ant Bully (ISBN 0590395912 is a 1999 Children's book drawn and written by John Nickle

The film inspired a Misfits song of the same name which appeared on their Famous Monsters album. The Misfits are an American Famous Monsters is a 1999 album by the Misfits. It is the second in the "post- Danzig era" of the band it's also the last album of new

In Cloverfield, there is a still frame inserted from Them! along with others from King Kong and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Cloverfield is a 2008 monster / Horror film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J King Kong is a landmark Black-and-white Adventure film about a gigantic Gorilla named " Kong " and how he is captured from The Beast from 20000 Fathoms is a 1953 Science fiction film directed by Eugène Lourié and stars Paul Christian, Paula Raymond ^[2]

Them! has also been referrenced to in a number of games:

• The easter egg "Ant Missions" in Counterstrike, the expansion to the game Command & Conquer: Red Alert. A virtual Easter egg is an intentional Hidden message or feature in an object such as a movie, Book Command & Conquer Red Alert is a Real-time strategy Computer game of the Command & Conquer franchise, produced by Westwood Studios When starting the first Ant Mission, a small animation shows an ant crawling up a hole, with the words: "They Came From Red Alert!"
• A classic computer game called It Came From the Desert. It Came from the Desert is a 1989 computer game by Cinemaware.
• In the video game Zombies Ate My Neighbors, the characters battle giant ants. Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a 1993 Run and gun 'horror' Video game for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis and Super NES platforms
• It is also mentioned by the character Para-Medic in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater during a radio transmission. (commonly abbreviated to MGS3) is a stealth action Video game directed by Hideo Kojima.

References

1. ^ "Uncle John's 4-ply Bathroom Reader. " New York: St. Martin's Press, 2003.
2. ^ http://cloverfieldclues.blogspot.com/2008/04/dvd-easter-eggs-monsters.html

External links

• How To Steal A Scene, by James Whitmore
• The Thunder Child Them! Sourcebook
• Suite of the film score re-recorded on "Monstrous Movie Music" label
• Google Video