Introduction
Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared my thoughts on the film Dial M for Murder. This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film Them!.
On March 8, the TCM TV channel played Them! during the daytime as part of their TCM Weekend Movies lineup.
Enjoy!
Them!
Them! is a 1954 black-and-white science fiction giant monster film starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon and James Arness. Produced by David Weisbart, the film was directed by Gordon Douglas, based on an original story by George Worthing Yates that was developed into a screenplay by Ted Sherdeman, with adaptation by Russell Hughes.
Them! is one of the first of the 1950s "nuclear monster" movies, and the first with big bugs as the threat. A nest of gigantic irradiated ants is discovered in the New Mexico desert; they quickly become a national threat when it is discovered that two young queens and their consorts have escaped to establish new nests. the national search that follows culminates in a battle with the last surviving colony in the concrete spillways and storm drain system of Los Angeles.
Plot: While investigating a series of mysterious deaths, Sergeant Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) finds a young girl (Sandy Descher) who is unable to speak. As Peterson joins forces with FBI agent Robert Graham (James Arness) and scientist Dr. Harold Medford (Edmund Gwenn), he discovers that all the incidents are due to giant ants that have been mutated by atomic radiation. Peterson and Graham, with the aid of the military, attempt to find the queen ants and destroy the nests before the danger spreads.
Acting: To be honest, I don't have much to say about the acting. I believed the actors were the characters, but there was nothing outstanding to talk about, in my opinion. Nothing stood out to me.
James Whitmore played Sgt. Ben Peterson. Some of the other movies he's known for include: The Shawshank Redemption, Battleground, The Asphalt Jungle, and Give 'em Hell, Harry!.
Edmund Gwenn played Harold Medford. Gwenn has been in many films that I've seen. He was a prominent actor in his time. He was perhaps most famous for his portrayal of Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street. That's also the movie I remember him most fondly from. Other movies he's known for include: The Trouble with Harry, Pride and Prejudice and Apartment for Peggy.
Joan Weldon played Pat Medford. Them! was Weldon's most prominent film. Her film career only spanned form 1953-1958. She was more interested in furthering her singing career. The other films she was known for include: Day of the Badman, Gunsight Ridge, and The Stranger Wore a Gun.
James Arness played FBI Agent Robert Graham. Arness is most well-known for his role as Matt Dillon in the Gunsmoke TV series and various movies... which I've never seen. However, I have seen The Thing from Another World, which my regular readers may remember from earlier columns. In that movie, he actually played The Thing (the alien monster thing). I didn't recognize him funnily enough. It's a wonder what they could do, and continue to do, with makeup.
Technical Aspects: When Them! began production in the fall of 1953, it was originally conceived to be in 3D and Warner Color. During pre-production, test shots in color were also made, but when it was time to shoot the 3D test, Warner Bros.' "All Media" 3D camera rig malfunctioned and no footage could be filmed.
Warner Bros. hoped to emulate the "effective shock treatment" effect of its previous science fiction thriller The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (a movie I've also seen); ultimately, however, the film was never made in widescreen. Because of the preparation of certain scenes, many of the camera setups for 3D remain in the film, like throwers shots aimed directly at the camera.
At the time I was watching, I didn't realize those scenes were filmed with the intention of 3D. Even though they didn't make the 3D cut they're still awesome scenes in the movie. I particularly like the flamethrower sequences.
The Wilhelm scream, created three years earlier for the film Distant Drums, is used during the action sequences: when a sailor aboard the freighter is grabbed by an ant, when James Whitmore's character is caught in an ant's mandibles, and when an overhead wooden beam falls on a soldier in the Los Angeles storm drain sequence.
I could write a whole column on the Wilhelm Scream, but I won't. I'll try to stick to the basics. I first learned about it in college. The Wilhelm Scream is a big part of the film history. It's a stock sound effect that's been used in over 400 films, as of 2023, starting in 1951 with Distant Drums. At first the sound effect was just reused in Warner Bros. films as a costing cutting measure. However, when sound designer Ben Burtt rediscovered the sound effect, he went on to use it in every film he worked on, most notably the Star Wars films. Now, 74 years later it's basically a film tradition to include the Wilhelm Scream into your filmography. Whenever I hear the famous Wilhelm Scream, I have to point it out to myself (and sometimes others) because I just love it so much.
The giant ants, painted a purplish-green color, were constructed and operated by unseen technicians supervised by Ralph Ayers. During the climactic battle sequence in the Los Angeles sewers, there is a brief shot of one ant moving in the foreground with its side removed, revealing its mechanical interior.
I didn't see this particular error in my viewing, but it wouldn't surprise me. I can't say it enough, I love, love, LOVE practical effects! They are so much better than CGI! My mind can never be changed!
The stridulations (the sounds the giant ants emit on the soundtrack) were the calls of bird-voiced tree frogs mixed together with the calls of a wood thrush, hooded warbler, and red-bellied woodpecker. These were recorded at Indian Island, Georgia, on April 11, 1947, by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
I was curious as to what they used for sounds to create the ants' language. Another thing I learned in college is that in sound design, more often than not, more than one sound/effect is used to create a unique sound for film. And even some of the most unique or fantastical sounds in films can be put together with ordinary man-made sounds. It's very interesting! Another thing I could probably write a whole column on.
Themes: the prominent theme behind this movie was the consequence of war, more specifically, nuclear warfare. The giant ants in the film were born from the radiation caused by the first atomic bomb test in 1945 in New Mexico.
Final Thoughts: I had no doubts that I would like this movie, and guess what? I did! Old monster movies are my jam! I love seeing how these types of movies were made then vs. now. I still prefer the old ones to modern ones, but that's just me.
Where to watch it: Them! is available to watch on the streaming service Tubi (according to Google), or you can purchase of rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.
That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
