Science fiction has been a mainstay of the movies ever since Frenchman Georges Melies created A Trip to the Moon in 1902. However, science fiction films probably reached their peak in the 1950s when the genre was used to create anti-Communism parables; to express concerns about the newly-born Atomic Age; and/or to contemplate mankind’s place in the universe.
The Creation of the Movie Them
When screenwriters George Worthing Yates, Russell Hughes, and Ted Sherdeman came up with the story idea for Them!, they created the pattern for many science fiction movies that would follow in the 1950s -- stories of mankind pitted against normally small creatures who have mutated into giant beasts. In this case, the transformed creatures are ants.
The Story of the Movie Them
Details of the movie
- Cast: James Whitmore, James Arness, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon
- Director: Gordon Douglas
- Company: Warner Brothers
- Time: 94 min.
- Color: B & W
New Mexico highway patrolman Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) and his partner find a young girl (Sandy Descher) wandering alone in the desert in a catatonic-like state. They soon discover that her family’s vacation trailer has been torn to pieces and her parents have disappeared. Shortly afterwards a general store owner is brutally killed, as is Peterson’s partner, in unseen attacks.
Since the girl’s father was a Federal agent, FBI man Robert Graham (James Arness) is brought in to help in the investigation. Also, making an appearance are two scientists, Dr. Harold Medford (nicely played by Edmund Gwenn) and his young daughter, Patricia (Joan Weldon). Their services are called upon after large amounts of formic acid, a product associated with ants, is found in the storekeeper’s body.
It is soon determined that nearby atomic testing has resulted in the creation of a nest of giant ants. Although the nest is destroyed by Whitmore, Arness, and Gwenn, it is discovered that at least two queens have escaped. The second half of the movie then takes on a near documentary style as the search for two new nests ends in a final confrontation in the Los Angeles sewers.
Analysis: Them! Is Simply One of the Best Science Fiction Movies of the 1950s
Although the special effects, mainly the depiction of the ants themselves, are typical for that time period, they are probably the weakest part of the movie. In fact the opening scenes in the desert when the ants are heard, but not seen, are more frightening than the actual revealing of the creatures. But, that doesn’t really matter since the strength of the movie is in its story and its strong cinematography.
The script is well-written and intelligent, and although its major theme is a warning against atomic testing, it is a subtle one and remains in the background. Also, a subplot featuring a possible romance between Arness and Weldon is only hinted at and never overpowers the basic story.
The major characters are well developed and many of the supporting characters are memorable, particularly Fess Parker as a mental patient. The dialogue, for the most part, is taut, natural and rarely overly dramatic.
The aggressive performances of the lead actors are first rate. Edmund Gwenn was nearing the end of a distinguished acting career that included a best actor Oscar for Miracle on 34th Street (1948). The late James Whitmore had already been nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar in Battleground (1950) and would later be nominated a second time for Give 'em Hell, Harry (1976). In addition he would be the recipient of several television and stage awards.
A few years after Them!, James Arness went on to star in one of television’s longest running series, Gunsmoke. Joan Weldon would only have a brief Hollywood career, but her performance as an intelligent, independent woman scientist, rarely seen in the science fiction movies of that period, is very good.
Trivia from the Movie Them
- Arness’ early roles also included that of the alien in the original version of The Thing.
- A young Leonard Nimoy appears briefly as an airman operating a teletype machine.
- Them! also included having one of the heroes die during the climatic battle. To have a "good guy" die was almost unheard of in previous sci-fi movies.
The Movie Them DVD
This classic science fiction movie is available on DVD from several sources. Care should be taken not to confuse it with a 2007 movie of the same name.
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