Quatermass and the Pit – 1967

Alternative Title: Five Million Years to Earth

A Hammer Film production presented by Associated British Pathe Limited and released through Warner-Pathe Distributors Limited (UK) and Twentieth Century-Fox (USA)
Copyright MCMLXVlI Hammer Film Productions ltd, – All rights reserved
MPAA Approved Certificate No. 21860

The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any similarity to the name, character, or history of any person is entirely accidental and unintentional

RCA Sound System
Produced at M,G,M, British Studios, Boreham Wood, Herts
Technicolor 97 mins

Storyline

Work on the London Underground at Hobbs End is halted when a strange, dwarf-like skeleton is found. Scientists are called in, headed by Dr Roney, and further diggings reveal something metallic buried in the mud. Thinking it to be an unexploded wartime bomb, Roney informs the Ministry of Defence and Professor Quatermass and Colonel Breen inspect the object. Breen is convinced that the thing is a German secret weapon, but Quatermass suspects something far more sinister. Given the history of the area, where for centuries sightings of ‘demons’ have been reported, he believes that forces from another world have been at work – forces which could still wreak havoc!

Watch the trailer on YouTube

Crew


Function	Credited	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Art Director	Ken Ryan						1		1
Ast. Director	Bert Batt	37	25 Apr 1930		6 Nov 2011	81	13		13
Camera Operator	Moray Grant	49	13 Nov 1917		17 Sep 1977	59	29		29
Casting	Irene Lamb						9		9
Continuity	Doreen Dearnaley	38	20 Nov 1928		3 Feb 1992	63	13		13
Director	Roy Ward Baker	50	19 Dec 1916		5 Oct 2010	93	8		8
Director of Photog.	Arthur Grant BSc	52	1915		1972	56	30		30
Editor	Spencer Reeve	43	10 Dec 1923		15 Dec 1975	52	8	2	10
Hair Stylist	Pearl Tipaldi				24 Aug 1993		7		7
Make-up	Michael Morris	52	10 Jul 1915				3		3
Music Composer	Tristram Cary	42	14 May 1925		24 Apr 2008	82	2		2
Musical Supervisor	Philip Martell	60	6 Oct 1907		11 Aug 1993	85	104	1	105
Original Story and Screenplay	Nigel Kneale	45	18 Apr 1922		29 Oct 2006	84	6		6
Producer	Anthony Nelson-Keys	55	13 Nov 1911		19 Mar 1985	73	41		41
Production Manager	Ian Lewis	34	23 Nov 1932	23.11.1932		90	5		5
Sound Editor	Roy Hyde	47	15 Feb 1920		28 Jun 1985	65	30	1	31
Sound Recordist	Sash Fisher AMIEE	63	25 Dec 1903		Sep 1993	89	2		2
Special Effects	Les Bowie	53	10 Nov 1913		27 Jan 1979	65	32	11	43
Supervising Art Director	Bernard Robinson	55	28 Jul 1912		2 Mar 1970	57	46	3	49
Supervising Editor	James Needs	48	17 Oct 1919		4 Feb 2003	83	110	1	111
Wardrobe Mistress	Rosemary Burrows						36	5	41
Uncredited
Clapper Loader	Trevor Coop	22	16 Sep 1945	16.09.1945		77		2	2
Composer: Additional Music	Carlo Martelli	31	12 Dec 1935	12.12.1935		87	2	1	3
Construction Manager	Arthur Banks						18	29	47
First Ast. Editor	William Parnell	21	1946	01.01.1946		77		3	3
Focus Puller	Bob Jordan							16	16
Lighting Technician	Steve Birtles	52	12 Nov 1914		2003	88	13	14	27
Second Ast. Director	Christopher Neame	24	24 Dec 1942		12 Jun 2011	68	15	9	24
Special Effects	Sid Pearson						9	1	10
Special Effects Ast.	Bill Warrington	57	1 Jan 1910		11 Sep 1981	71	2	2	4
Special Effects Ast.	Kit West	31	2 Jun 1936		16 Apr 2016	79	1	6	7
Special Effects Ast.	Ian Scoones	27	20 Feb 1940		20 Jan 2010	69	13	9	22
Special Effects Ast.	Roy Field	35	19 Aug 1932		23 May 2002	69		4	4
Special Effects Ast.	Brian Johnson	28	29 Jun 1939	29.06.1939		84	3	7	10
Third Ast. Director	Bill Westley	28	1939	01.01.1939		84		5	5

Cast


Character	Actor	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Abbey Librarian	Noel Howlett	64	22 Dec 1902		26 Oct 1984	81	3		3
Barbara Judd	Barbara Shelley	35	13 Feb 1932		3 Jan 2021	88	8		8
Blonde	June Ellis	41	1 Jan 1926		26 Jun 2011	85	2		2
Captain Potter	Bryan Marshall	29	19 May 1938		25 Jun 2019	81	2	2	4
Colonel Breen	Julian Glover	32	27 Mar 1935	27.03.1935		88	1		1
Corporal Gibson	James Culliford	40	8 Sep 1927		23 Mar 2002	74	1		1
Dr Roney	James Donald	50	18 May 1917		3 Aug 1993	76	1		1
Elderly Journalist	Hugh Morton	64	28 Jun 1903		11 Jul 1984	81	4		4
Electrician	Roger Avon	52	23 Nov 1914		21 Dec 1998	84	2	1	3
Howell	Peter Copley	52	20 May 1915		7 Oct 2008	93	3		3
Inspector	John Graham	36	1 Jan 1931		5 Mar 2015	84	2		2
Johnson	Keith Marsh	41	1 Jan 1926		28 Jan 2013	87	3		3
Journalist	Sheala Steafel	32	26 May 1935		23 Aug 2019	84	1		1
Minister	Edwin Richfield	46	11 Sep 1921		2 Aug 1990	68	10		10
Miss Dobson	Bee Duffell	53	17 Apr 1914		21 Dec 1974	60	1		1
Newsvendor	Charles Lamb	66	20 Nov 1900		19 Mar 1989	88	4		4
Police Sergeant Ellis	Grant Taylor	49	6 Dec 1917		1971	53	1		1
Professor Quatermass	Andrew Keir	41	3 Apr 1926		5 Oct 1997	71	7		7
Pub Customer	Hugh Manning	47	19 Aug 1920		18 Aug 2004	83	1		1
Sapper West	Hugh Futcher	30	29 Oct 1937	29.10.1937		85	1		1
Sergeant Cleghorn	Maurice Good	35	8 Jun 1932		10 May 2013	80	1		1
Sladden	Duncan Lamont	49	17 Jun 1918		19 Dec 1978	60	7		7
Technical Officer	Brian Peck	37	24 Oct 1930		3 Apr 2021	90	1	1	2
Vicar	Thomas Heathcote	60	9 Sep 1907		5 Jan 1986	78	4		4
Watson	Robert Morris	27	31 Aug 1940	31.08.1940		82	2		2
Uncredited
Army Officer	David Savile							1	1
Barman	George Hilsdon	60	25 Apr 1907		28 May 1982	75		7	7
Black Workman	Elroy Josephs	28	20 Feb 1939		8 Feb 1997	57		1	1
Commuter	Ann Barrass	37	9 Jul 1930		Nov 2017	87		2	2
Commuter	Harold Sanderson	50	1917			105		3	3
Commuter	Bill Sawyer	42	18 Jul 1924		1996	72	2	3	5
Commuter	Cyril Kent							2	2
Commuter	Dickey Luck							4	4
Commuter	George Oliver							1	1
Fleeing Man	Fred Haggerty	46	26 Sep 1921		26 Jul 2002	80		4	4
Institute Attendant	David Crane							1	1
Institute Doorkeeper	Alastair Hunter	54	20 Mar 1913		1996	82	1	3	4
Journalist	Eddie Powell	40	9 Mar 1927		11 Aug 2000	73	2	11	13
Journalist	Leslie Southwick	25	1942	01.01.1942		81		1	1
Journalist	William Ellis	24	4 Jan 1943	04.01.1943		80	1	1	2
Journalist	Brian Walton							1	1
Loader	Albert Shepherd	31	1 Jan 1936		10 Jul 2019	83	1	1	2
London Transport Official	Peter Bennett	50	17 Sep 1917		23 Dec 1989	72		1	1
Man in Bar	George Fisher							1	1
Man Running from Station	James Payne							5	5
Messenger	Walter Horsburgh	63	15 Apr 1904		22 Oct 1973	69		1	1
Older Workman	Michael Poole							1	1
Orderly Officer	Simon Brent	30	17 Jun 1937		20 Oct 2008	71		1	1
Other Workman	Garath Thomas	22	12 Feb 1945		13 Apr 2016	71		1	1
Possessed Man	Mickey Varey	36	7 Jan 1931		Feb 1986	55		2	2
Possessed Man	Mike Reid	27	19 Jan 1940		29 Jul 2007	67		1	1
Possessed Man	Harry Fielder	27	26 Apr 1940		6 Feb 2021	80		10	10
Pub Customer	Joseph Greig	45	14 Mar 1922		14 Jan 2014	91		1	1
Sapper	Eric Kent	30	16 Jul 1937		5 Dec 2012	75		6	6
Second Electrician	Bette Bourne	28	22 Sep 1939	22.09.1939		83		1	1
Second London Transport Official	John Rutland	51	31 Aug 1916		1 Jun 2013	96		1	1
Second Technician	Mark Elwes	36	13 Apr 1931		23 Sep 2021	90		1	1
Student archaeologist	Roy Beck (2)	15	1 Apr 1952	01.04.1952		71		1	1
TV Announcer	Ian White							1	1
TV Interviewer	John Brown	33	1 Jul 1934		5 Nov 2017	83	2	2	4

Production


FILMING BEGAN	27 February 1967
UK RELEASE	7 November 1967
STUDIO	MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England
LOCATION	St Nicholas Church, Chiswick, London, England

Footnotes

This was Roy Ward Baker’s first film for Hammer, the others are “The Anniversary” (1968), “Moon Zero Two” (1969), “The Vampire Lovers” (1970), “Scars of Dracula” (1970), “Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde” (1971) and “The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires” (1974). For rivals Amicus, he directed “Asylum” (1972), “…and now the Screaming Starts” (1973) and “The Vault of Horror” (1973). His other work includes “The Monster Club” (1980, with Vincent Price and John Carradine).

English comedian and actor Mike Reid played Frank Butcher in the BBC TV soap opera Eastenders.

Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection