The Day the Earth Stood Still - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of The Day the Earth Stood Still or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to The Day the Earth Stood Still

[kylie]

Anne Baxter was originally cast in the role of Helen Benson.

[wallace]

One of the reasons that Michael Rennie was cast as Klaatu was because he was generally unknown to American audiences, and would be more readily accepted as an "alien" than a more recognizable actor. Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck had shown the script to Spencer Tracy, who was eager to play the role. Producer Julian Blaustein objected, saying that the audience would have numerous expectations about the character upon seeing an actor of such repute emerging from the flying saucer. Blausteinknew that Zanuck had the ultimate control, and if he insisted, Blaustein would either have to resign, or make the movie in an unsatisfactory way. Fortunately, Zanuck agreed, and Rennie was cast instead.

[nora]

During the early phases of pre-production for The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), 20th Century-Fox studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck suggested Jack Palance for the role of the robot Gort. The role was eventually filled by a much taller non-actor.

[nina]

In the scenes of Gort carrying both Helen Benson and Klaatu up the ramp and into the ship, lightweight look-alike dummies were used because of Lock Martin's inability to actually carry either actor himself.

[ella]

In the opening title montage of astro-photographs representing Klaatu's trip to Earth, the last object seen before Earth and Moon come into view is the Eagle Nebula, Messier 16 in the constellation Serpens, and is centered on "The Pillars of Creation", an object that was later captured by the Hubble Space Telescope in an iconic image that became synonymous with the resolving power of this telescope.

[liam]

In the boarding house scenes, Mrs. Barley is played by Frances Bavier and Mr. Krull is played by Olan Soule. The two actors would team up again about ten years later on The Andy Griffith Show (1960): Bavier as Andy's Aunt Bee and Soule as John Masters, the Mayberry choir director.

[richard]

Originally broadcast on network television during the first season of NBC Saturday Night at the Movies on March 3,1962, the first prime time network movie series which debuted in the fall of 1961.

[chris]

Writer Edmund H. North was a former army officer who wrote the script in response to the proliferation of nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

[carla]

As an homage to this film, George Lucas named three of Jabba the Hutt's alien henchman in his Star Wars Return of the Jedi, "Klaatu", "Barada" and " Nikto".

[sandra]

Because the stationary Gort statue - which was several inches taller than Martin - could not stand on the angled ramp, Lock Martin had to wear the Gort suit in the background during the final sequence. Martin, who was frail, had to wear the suit for so long that he began having spasms in his arms. During Klaatu's final speech, Gort's arms can be seen moving slightly.

[gabriel]

At seven minutes a radio DJ can be seen broadcasting from a mic labeled WMAL. WMAL is a radio station in Washington D.C. in continuous service since 1925.

[sandra]

Three years after this was made, it was adapted for the "Lux Radio Theatre". Michael Rennie and Billy Gray reprised their roles. Jean Peters played the role of Helen.

[bessie]

Some reference works state that Adventures of Superman (1952) star George Reeves appeared as a television news reporter with eyeglasses in one sequence. This is not true. The actor playing the role bears no resemblance to Reeves, and in a 1995 interview with Reeves biographer Jim Beaver, director Robert Wise stated unequivocally that it is not Reeves in the role. It appears that someone jumped to conclusions based on the image of a reporter wearing glasses and thus resembling roughly the image of Superman alter-ego Clark Kent. Reeves had nothing to do with the film in any capacity.

[fred]

Bernard Herrmann's music for the film is scored for two theremins, pianos, harps, different electrical organs, percussion, amplified solo strings and a large brass section including four tubas.

[jamie]

The drawbridge shown in the up position when the electricity has been neutralized is a photo of the 1929-1980's Greenpoint Avenue Bridge between Brooklyn and Queens, NY.

[harry]

To give the appearance of seamlessness to the space ship, the crack around the door was filled with putty, then painted over. When the door opened the putty was torn apart, making the door seem to simply appear.

[chad]

To increase the sense of reality, some of the most famous broadcast journalists of the time were hired to do cameos as themselves. These included Gabriel Heatter, H.V. Kaltenborn, Drew Pearson and Elmer Davis.

[scarlett]

Klaatu was born in 1873.

[bessie]

The DVD commentary is done by director Robert Wise and is joined by fellow director Nicholas Meyer. Wise directed Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and Meyer directed the sequel, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), as well as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991).