The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

They couldn't believe their eyes! They couldn't escape the terror! AND NEITHER WILL YOU!


Plot Synopsis:As a result of an arctic nuclear test, a carnivorous dinosaur thaws out and starts making its way down the east coast of North America. Professor Tom Nesbitt, only witness to the beast's existence, is not believed, even when he identifies it as a "rhedosaurus" to paleontologist Thurgood Elson. All doubts disappear, however, when Elson is swallowed whole during an oceanic bathysphere excursion to search for the creature. Soon thereafter the rhedosaurus emerges from the sea and lays waste to Manhattan Island until Nesbitt comes up with a plan to try to stop the seemingly indestructible beast.

Director: Eugène Lourié
Screenwriter: Ray Bradbury and Fred Freiberger
Date Released: June 13, 1953
Company: Jack Dietz Productions

Color: BW and BW (Sepiatone)
Language: English
Places used in filming: Brooklyn Bridge, New York City

Original Movie Poster The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms - Original Movie Poster
Cast
Actors
Paul Hubschmid
Paula Raymond
Cecil Kellaway
Kenneth Tobey
Donald Woods
Lee Van Cleef
Steve Brodie
Ross Elliott
Jack Pennick
Ray Hyke
Paula Hill
Michael Fox
Alvin Greenman
Frank Ferguson
King Donovan
Characters
Professor Tom Nesbitt
Lee Hunter
Prof. Thurgood Elson
Col. Jack Evans
Capt. Phil Jackson
Cpl. Stone
Sgt. Loomis
George Ritchie
Jacob Bowman
Sgt. Willistead
Miss Nelson
ER Doctor
1st Radar Man
Dr. Morton
Dr. Ingersoll
Other Images From the Film
Fun Facts
While visiting his friend Ray Harryhausen on the set, Ray Bradbury was given a copy of the script (which was going under the working title "Monster From the Sea") and was asked if he could possibly do some rewriting on it. After reading the script, Bradbury remarked about a scene in the story (which featured the monster destroying a lighthouse) that seemed very similar to a short story that he had published in "The Saturday Evening Post" several years earlier called "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms". Bradbury's story was about a dinosaur that destroys a lighthouse. The next day Bradbury received a telegram offering to buy the film rights to the story. After the sale, the films title was changed to "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms". Years later when Bradbury had his story reprinted he changed the title to "The Fog Horn".