The War of the Worlds

Year:

1953

Duration:

85 min

Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

IMDB rate:

7.1

Director:

Byron Haskin

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations

Details

Country: USA

Release Date: 1953-08-26

Filming Locations: Westminster Presbyterian Church - 1757 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Earnings

Budget: $2,000,000

Gross: $4,360,000 (USA) Rentals $2,000,000 (USA)

Cast

Actor

Character

Nancy Hale

Gene Barry

Dr. Clayton Forrester

Ann Robinson

Sylvia Van Buren

Les Tremayne

Maj. Gen. Mann

Robert Cornthwaite

Dr. Pryor

Sandro Giglio

Dr. Bilderbeck

Lewis Martin

Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins

Houseley Stevenson Jr.

Gen. Mann's Aide

Paul Frees

Second Radio Reporter

William Phipps

Wash Perry

Vernon Rich

Col. Ralph Heffner

Henry Brandon

Cop at Crash Site

Jack Kruschen

Salvatore

Cedric Hardwicke

Commentary

Cliff Clark

Australian Policeman (scenes deleted)

Rudy Lee

Boy (scenes deleted)

Peter Adams

Pine Summit Fire Watcher (uncredited)

Eric Alden

Man (uncredited)

Hugh Allen

Brigadier General (uncredited)

Edward Astran

Military Officer (uncredited)

Ruth Barnell

Mother (uncredited)

Edgar Barrier

Prof. McPherson (uncredited)

Russ Bender

Dr. Carmichael (uncredited)

Paul Birch

Alonzo Hogue (uncredited)

Nick Borgani

Man in Church (uncredited)

Hazel Boyne

Screaming Woman (uncredited)

Chet Brandenburg

Man in Church (uncredited)

Tony Butala

Boy in Final Church (uncredited)

Mushy Callahan

Burning Soldier at Pit (uncredited)

Ann Codee

Dr. Duprey (uncredited)

Edward Colmans

Spanish Priest

James Conaty

Man at Pacific Institute of Science and Technology (uncredited)

Russ Conway

Rev. Bethany (uncredited)

Martin Coulter

Marine Sergeant (uncredited)

Vittorio Cramer

First Radio Reporter (uncredited)

Pierre Cressoy

Man (uncredited)

Jim Davies

Marine Commanding Officer (uncredited)

Helen Dickson

Woman in Church (uncredited)

Ralph Dumke

Buck Monahan (uncredited)

Jimmie Dundee

Civil Defense Official (uncredited)

Al Ferguson

Police Chief (uncredited)

Dick Fortune

Marine Captain (uncredited)

Alex Frazer

Dr. James (uncredited)

Frank Freeman Jr.

Bum #2 Listening to Radio (uncredited)

Charles Gemora

Martian (uncredited)

Ned Glass

Well-Dressed Looter (uncredited)

Jack Gordon

Man in Church (uncredited)

Fred Graham

Looter (uncredited)

Joe Gray

Looter (uncredited)

Herman Hack

Worker Listening to Radio (uncredited)

Virginia Hall

Girl (uncredited)

Ted Hecht

KGEB Reporter (uncredited)

Douglas Henderson

Staff Sergeant (uncredited)

Gertrude Hoffman

Elderly News Vendor (uncredited)

Tex Holden

Man in Church (uncredited)

Jimmie Horan

Party Guest (uncredited)

Patricia Iannone

Girl (uncredited)

Jerry James

Reporter (uncredited)

Michael Jeffers

Woker Listening to Radio (uncredited)

Dick Johnstone

Man in Church (uncredited)

Carolyn Jones

Blonde Party Guest (uncredited)

Don Kohler

Colonel (uncredited)

Frank Kreig

Fiddler Hawkins (uncredited)

Ivan Lebedeff

Dr. Gratzman (uncredited)

Freeman Lusk

Secretary of Defense (uncredited)

Herbert Lytton

Chief of Staff (uncredited)

George Magrill

Traffic Cop (uncredited)

Mike Mahoney

Young Man (uncredited)

John Mansfield

Man (uncredited)

Joel Marston

MP in Jeep (uncredited)

Sydney Mason

Fire Chief, Crew #3 (uncredited)

John Maxwell

Doctor (uncredited)

Mathew McCue

Man in Church (uncredited)

David McMahon

Minister, First Church (uncredited)

William Meader

P.E. Official (uncredited)

Lee Miller

Reporter (uncredited)

Ralph Montgomery

Los Angeles Red Cross Official (uncredited)

Alvy Moore

Zippy (uncredited)

Bob Morgan

Injured Civil Defense Worker (uncredited)

Charles Morton

Worker Listening to Radio (uncredited)

Stanley Orr

Marine Major (uncredited)

George Pal

Bum #1 Listening to Radio (uncredited)

Walter Richards

Reporter (uncredited)

Robert Rockwell

Forest Ranger at Crash Site (uncredited)

Walter Sande

Sheriff Bogany (uncredited)

James Seay

Air Force Bomber Pilot (uncredited)

Cora Shannon

Old Woman (uncredited)

David Sharpe

Looter (uncredited)

Teru Shimada

Japanese Diplomat (uncredited)

Reginald Lal Singh

Military Officer (uncredited)

Bobby Somers

Deputy at Crash Site (uncredited)

Bert Stevens

Man in Church (uncredited)

Charles Stewart

Marine Captain (uncredited)

Jack Stoney

Looter (uncredited)

Gus Taillon

Elderly Man (uncredited)

Morton C. Thompson

Reporter (uncredited)

Arthur Tovey

Party Guest (uncredited)

Dale Van Sickel

Looter (uncredited)

Dorothy Vernon

Elderly Woman (uncredited)

Edward Wahrman

Cameraman (uncredited)

Anthony Warde

Military Police Driver (uncredited)

Chalky Williams

Worker Listening to Radio (uncredited)

Waldon Williams

Boy (uncredited)

Bud Wolfe

Rescuing Civil Defense Worker (uncredited)

Fred Zendar

Marine Lieutenant (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

Albert Nozaki based his designs of the Martian machines on the shape and movements of manta rays, cobras, and swans.

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Cecil B. DeMille was due to direct the film when the rights were originally purchased in 1925, and Alfred Hitchcock was to direct a proposed version in the 1930s.

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The name of the protagonist in The War of the Worlds, Dr. Clayton Forrester, was borrowed by the popular series Mystery Science Theater 3000 to be the name of their villainous scientist.

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Goofs

Just before the atomic bomb explodes one of the extras on the left hand side of the screen does not have any goggles to put on so he makes a pair with his hands.

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In the farmhouse breakfast scene there is a plate with four slices of toast on the table as she is cooking the eggs. When they sit down it has disappeared.

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When wild horses are running down a steep embankment, in the final seconds of the scene you can see men on horseback following the wild horses, raising their arms and causing the horses to stampede.

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Quotes

Col. Ralph Heffner: Everybody out of here, everybody out! The Air Force will take care of these babies now. Doctor Forrester, get out of here! Everybody out of here! Everybody ou -...

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Pastor Dr. Matthew Collins: I think we should try to make them understand we mean them no harm. They are living creatures out there.

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Marine Commanding Officer: Hey, you, better get out of here.

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Faq

Q

Where (according to the movie) did the Martians first land?

A

Corona, California, about 50 miles south-southeast of Los Angeles proper. Corona is in Riverside County near where Interstate 15 and route 91 now interesect. Neither highway was there at the time: just the old US 395. Corona was mainly ranches, farms, and woods at the time. It is now a relatively modern, bustling city near where two major Southern California highways and two large California counties (Orange and Riverside) meet.

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