Celebrate the Saturday Morning Matinee with Classic Hollywood Utopia! MICHAEL RENNIE is Klaatu, a humanoid from another planet, traveling with his companion Gort and learning about Earth from PATRICIA NEAL as Helen Benson in the sci fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). The Day the Earth Stood Still is a science fiction film directed by Robert Wise. It was written by Edmund H. North, based on the 1940 short story Farewell to the Master by Harry Bates. A humanoid alien visitor comes to Earth, accompanied by a powerful robot, to deliver an important message to humanity. TRIVIA: The role of Klaatu was originally intended for Claude Rains. The phrase Klaatu barada nikto has become a popular phrase among sci-fi fans over the years and has been featured in other movies; see also Army of Darkness (1993). The role of Gort was played by Lock Martin, the doorman from Graumans Chinese, because he was extremely tall, but was unable to pick up Helen because he was so weak and had to be aided by wires. (In shots from the back where hes carrying her, its actually a lightweight dummy in his arms.) He also had difficulty with the heavy Gort suit and could only stay in it for about half an hour at a time. Check out the trailer here: youtube/watch?v=6W4_mUBWxwU
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 15:30:00 +0000