The Quatermass Xperiment – 1955

The Quatermass Experiment
A Hammer production released by Exclusive Films (UK) and United Artists (USA)
Copyright MCMLV by Exclusive Films Ltd.
“The Producers wish to thank the following for their co-operation – B.B.C. Television Service, The Air Ministry, Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company, The British Interplanetary Society, The Port of London Authority, General Radiological Limited”
Produced at Bray Studios
Black & White 82 minutes
Storyline
A rocket ship returns to earth with two of its crew missing, their space suits empty, and the third in a state of collapse, unable to tell anyone what has happened. He is rushed to the headquarters of Professor Quatermass, the leader of the space programme, where tests reveal he is undergoing some sort of change. As both Quatermass’s and the police investigations proceed, the astronaut escapes from hospital and his metamorphosis accelerates, transforming him into a rampaging alien life form which threatens to destroy all life on earth…
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 | J. Elder Wills | 55 | 26 Apr 1900 | 1970 | 69 | 22 | 22 | |
Assistant Director | Bill Shore | 5 | 2 | 7 | ||||
Based on the B.B.C. TV play | Nigel Kneale | 33 | 18 Apr 1922 | 29 Oct 2006 | 84 | 6 | 6 | |
Camera Operator | Len Harris | 39 | 19 May 1916 | 21 Feb 1995 | 78 | 52 | 1 | 53 |
Conductor | John Hollingsworth | 39 | 20 Mar 1916 | 29 Dec 1963 | 47 | 36 | 2 | 38 |
Continuity | Renee Glynne | 29 | 3 Aug 1926 | 6 Apr 2022 | 95 | 38 | 3 | 41 |
Director | Val Guest | 43 | 11 Dec 1911 | 10 May 2006 | 94 | 29 | 29 | |
Director of Photography | Walter Harvey BSc | 52 | 9 Feb 1903 | 1979 | 75 | 34 | 34 | |
Editor | James Needs | 36 | 17 Oct 1919 | 4 Feb 2003 | 83 | 110 | 1 | 111 |
Hairdresser | Monica Hustler | 29 | 1 Jan 1926 | 96 | 18 | 18 | ||
Make-up | Phil Leakey | 47 | 4 May 1908 | 26 Nov 1992 | 84 | 48 | 48 | |
Music Composer | James Bernard | 30 | 20 Sep 1925 | 12 Jul 2001 | 75 | 24 | 1 | 25 |
Producer | Anthony Hinds | 33 | 18 Sep 1922 | 30 Sep 2013 | 91 | 84 | 1 | 85 |
Production Manager | T.S. Lyndon-Haynes | 43 | 17 Oct 1912 | 1972 | 59 | 3 | 3 | |
Recordist | H.C. Pearson | 48 | 17 Aug 1907 | May 2002 | 94 | 3 | 3 | |
Screenplay | Richard Landau | 41 | 21 Feb 1914 | 18 Sep 1993 | 79 | 8 | 8 | |
Screenplay | Val Guest | 43 | 11 Dec 1911 | 10 May 2006 | 94 | 29 | 29 | |
Special Effects | Les Bowie | 42 | 10 Nov 1913 | 27 Jan 1979 | 65 | 32 | 11 | 43 |
Wardrobe | Molly Arbuthnot | 46 | 19 Dec 1908 | 31 Oct 2001 | 92 | 48 | 4 | 52 |
Uncredited | ||||||||
Accountant | Larry Edmonds | 1 | 1 | |||||
Assistant Editor | Henry Richardson | 19 | 13 Jan 1936 | 31 Jul 2017 | 81 | 4 | 7 | 11 |
Boom Operator | Percy Britten | 36 | 1 Oct 1919 | 1996 | 76 | 21 | 21 | |
Cashier | Ken Gordon | 1 | 7 | 8 | ||||
Chief Electrician | Jack Curtis | 3 | 23 | 26 | ||||
Clapper Boy | Tom Friswell | 25 | 1930 | 2002 | 72 | 18 | 18 | |
Construction Manager | Fred Ricketts | 42 | 1913 | 19 Jan 1968 | 55 | 4 | 4 | |
Dubbing Sound | Ken Cameron | 39 | 1 Dec 1915 | 8 Aug 2000 | 84 | 8 | 2 | 10 |
Electrician | Charles Stanbridge | 1 | 1 | |||||
Electrician | George Robinson | 2 | 2 | |||||
Electrician | Steve Birtles | 41 | 12 Nov 1914 | 2003 | 88 | 13 | 14 | 27 |
Focus Puller | Harry Oakes | 34 | 16 Jan 1921 | 11 Dec 2012 | 91 | 53 | 53 | |
Master `Plasterer | Arthur Banks | 18 | 29 | 47 | ||||
Production Secretary | Dora Thomas | 1 | 1 | |||||
Props | Tom Money | 38 | 1917 | 1974 | 56 | 2 | 20 | 22 |
Props Buyer | Jim Day | 2 | 2 | |||||
Receptionist | Pauline Harlow (Wise) | 17 | 1 Jan 1938 | 84 | 11 | 3 | 14 | |
Second Assistant Director | Aida Young | 35 | 11 Aug 1920 | 12 Aug 2007 | 87 | 8 | 6 | 14 |
Second Camera Operator | Richard Leatherbarrow | 1 | 1 | |||||
Sound Camera Operator | Don Alton | 41 | 1914 | 18 Jan 1987 | 73 | 9 | 9 | |
Sound Recordist | J. Woodiwiss | 46 | 14 Jun 1909 | 1987 | 77 | 1 | 1 | |
Special Effects Assistant | Vic Margutti | 42 | 1913 | 1980 | 66 | 6 | 6 | |
Special Effects Assistant | Ray Caple | 17 | 5 Jan 1938 | 1993 | 54 | 6 | 6 | |
Special Effects Assistant | Roy Field | 23 | 19 Aug 1932 | 23 May 2002 | 69 | 4 | 4 | |
Still Photographer | John Jay | 35 | 14 Nov 1920 | 29 Apr 2005 | 84 | 13 | 22 | 35 |
Stunts | Nosher Powell | 27 | 15 Aug 1928 | 20 Apr 2013 | 84 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
Third Assistant Director | John Pitcher | 1 | 1 | |||||
Unit Driver | Len Ingram | 1 | 1 | |||||
Visual Effects Assistant Camerman | Roy Field | 23 | 19 Aug 1932 | 23 May 2002 | 69 | 4 | 4 |
Cast
Character | Actor | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Productions | |||
Click a link for more info | Credited | Uncredited | Total | ||||||
Blake | Lionel Jeffries | 29 | 10 Jun 1926 | 19 Feb 2010 | 83 | 5 | 5 | ||
Briscoe | David King-Wood | 42 | 12 Sep 1913 | 3 Sep 2003 | 89 | 4 | 4 | ||
Christie | Harold Lang | 32 | 1 Jan 1923 | 16 Nov 1970 | 47 | 8 | 1 | 9 | |
Desk Sergeant | Sam Kydd | 40 | 15 Feb 1915 | 26 Mar 1982 | 67 | 7 | 7 | ||
Inspector Lomax | Jack Warner | 60 | 24 Oct 1895 | 24 May 1981 | 85 | 1 | 1 | ||
Judith | Margia Dean | 33 | 7 Apr 1922 | 101 | 1 | 1 | |||
Marsh | Maurice Kaufmann | 28 | 29 Jun 1927 | 21 Sep 1997 | 70 | 4 | 4 | ||
Professor Quatermass | Brian Donlevy | 54 | 9 Feb 1901 | 5 Apr 1972 | 71 | 2 | 2 | ||
Rosie | Thora Hird | 44 | 28 May 1911 | 15 Mar 2003 | 91 | 4 | 4 | ||
TV Producer | Gordon Jackson | 31 | 19 Dec 1923 | 15 Jan 1990 | 66 | 3 | 3 | ||
Victor | Richard Wordsworth | 40 | 19 Jan 1915 | 21 Nov 1993 | 78 | 4 | 4 | ||
Uncredited | |||||||||
Army Officer | Guy Standeven | Oct 1998 | 7 | 7 | |||||
BBC Announcer | Frank Phillips | 54 | 24 Aug 1901 | 17 Jan 1980 | 78 | 1 | 1 | ||
Bystander | Mabel Etherington | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Bystander | Paul Phillips | 44 | 1 Feb 1911 | 29 Oct 1976 | 65 | 2 | 2 | ||
Central Clinic Nurse | Betty Impey | 24 | 5 Dec 1930 | 92 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
Central Clinic Nurse | Marianne Stone | 33 | 23 Aug 1922 | 21 Dec 2009 | 87 | 9 | 2 | 11 | |
Charles Green | Gron Davies | 34 | 15 Feb 1921 | Oct 2001 | 80 | 1 | 1 | ||
Chemist | Toke Townley | 43 | 6 Nov 1912 | 28 Sep 1984 | 71 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Crash Site Fireman | Michael Godfrey | 37 | 20 Aug 1918 | 9 Sep 1977 | 59 | 2 | 2 | ||
Det Sgt Best | John Wynn | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||
Dr Ludwig Reichenheim | Stanley Van Beers | 44 | 4 May 1911 | 25 May 1961 | 50 | 1 | 1 | ||
Film Lab Technician | John Kerr | 1 | 1 | ||||||
George | Henry B. Longhurst | 64 | 7 Feb 1891 | 11 Apr 1970 | 79 | 1 | 1 | ||
Inspector | Fred Johnson | 56 | 6 Aug 1899 | 4 Dec 1971 | 72 | 6 | 2 | 8 | |
Little Girl | Jane Asher | 9 | 5 Apr 1946 | 76 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
Local Policeman | George Roderick | 42 | 9 Oct 1913 | 10 Mar 1976 | 62 | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
Maggie | Margaret Anderson | 30 | 27 Aug 1925 | 6 Jun 2016 | 90 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Maggie's Boyfriend | Eric Corrie | 31 | 6 Aug 1924 | 1999 | 74 | 2 | 2 | ||
Major at Crash Site | John Stirling | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Mother at Zoo | Molly Glessing | 64 | 28 Jun 1891 | 30 Apr 1970 | 78 | 1 | 1 | ||
Mrs Lomax | Jane Aird | 45 | 12 Jul 1910 | 26 May 1979 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Night Porter | Harry Brunning | 66 | 25 Aug 1889 | 12 Mar 1973 | 83 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
PC Evans | Frank Maher | 26 | 18 Jun 1929 | 13 Jul 2007 | 78 | 1 | 1 | ||
Police Driver | Ken Buckle | 37 | 10 May 1918 | 21 Nov 1994 | 76 | 1 | 1 | ||
Police Officer | Lindsay Hooper | 9 | 9 | ||||||
Policeman | Charles Price | 9 May 2004 | 2 | 2 | |||||
Policeman | Joe Phelps | 7 | 7 | ||||||
Policeman escorting Rosie | Edward Dentith | 38 | 22 Sep 1917 | 1999 | 81 | 1 | 1 | ||
Power Supply Tehnician | Philip Johns | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Reporter | John Timberlake | 50 | 5 Dec 1904 | 8 Nov 1993 | 88 | 3 | 3 | ||
Sgt Bromley | Arthur Lovegrove | 42 | 15 Jul 1913 | 7 Nov 1981 | 68 | 3 | 6 | 9 | |
Sir Lionel Dean | Basil Dignam | 50 | 24 Oct 1905 | 31 Jan 1979 | 73 | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
Sound Engineer | James Drake | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Station Policeman | Edward Dane | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Tucker | Barry Lowe | 30 | 1 Jan 1925 | 12 Dec 2011 | 86 | 6 | 2 | 8 | |
TV Announcer | Donald Gray | 41 | 3 Mar 1914 | 7 Apr 1978 | 64 | 1 | 1 | ||
TV Floor Director | Arthur Gross | 1 | 1 | ||||||
Zoo Superintendent | Mayne Lynton | 70 | 4 May 1885 | 20 May 1965 | 80 | 1 | 1 | ||
Zookeeper | Bartlett Mullins | 51 | 13 Aug 1904 | 15 May 1992 | 87 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Jack Warner by arrangement with J.Arthur Rank Organisation
Production
FILMING BEGAN | 14 October 1954 | |
UK RELEASE | 20 November 1955 | |
STUDIO | Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England | |
LOCATION | Chessington Zoo, Chessington, Surrey, England | |
Maidenhead, Berkshire, England | ||
Deptford, London, England | ||
Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, England | ||
Windsor, Berkshire, England | ||
Bray, Berkshire, England |
Footnotes
With this taut sci-fi thriller, Hammer at last found the direction which would lead them to their eminent place in cinema history. Two more of the team which would help them get there play a prominent role in the production of this film – Les Bowie, special effects wizard, and James Bernard, whose distinctive music would accompany so many of Hammer’s great moments of suspense and terror.
In a scenario reminiscent of a Hammer horror film, Jack Warner’s character George Dixon, who was shot and killed in Ealing’s “The Blue Lamp” (1949), was resurrected from the dead and haunted television screens for many years in the BBC TV series “Dixon of Dock Green”.
Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection