The Quatermass Xperiment – 1955

Alternative titles: The Creeping Unknown;
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	1.04.1922		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	5.12.1930		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