X the Unknown – 1956

A Hammer film production released by Exclusive films (UK)I and Warner Brothers (USA)

Opening credit: – “The Producers wish to acknowledge the co-operation received Irom the War Office during the production of this film

RCA Sound System
Produced at Bray Studios

Black & White 75 mins

Storyline

In the remote Scottish highlands, army exercises are disturbed by violent earth tremors and an explosion which kills one soldier and badly burns another. Scientists are called in to investigate the great chasm left by the explosion and soon discover that an enormous blob of radioactive slime lurks within it. But worse is to come – the slime is capable of movement and begins to venture out above ground in search of more radioactivity, threatening to destroy anything and anyone in its path!

Watch the official trailer on YouTube

Crew


Function	Credited	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Assistant Director	Christopher Sutton	25	1 Sep 1931	1.09.1931		91	7		7
Camera Operator	Len Harris	40	19 May 1916		21 Feb 1995	78	52	1	53
Continuity	June Randall	29	26 Jun 1927		18 Jan 2015	87	6		6
Director	Leslie Norman	45	25 Feb 1911		18 Feb 1993	81	1	1	2
Director of Photography	Gerald Gibbs	48	7 Nov 1907		23 Jan 1990	82	3		3
Editor	James Needs	37	17 Oct 1919		4 Feb 2003	83	110	1	111
Executive Producer	Michael Carreras	28	21 Dec 1927		19 Apr 1994	66	82	3	85
Make-up and Special Make-up Effects	Phil Leakey	48	4 May 1908		26 Nov 1992	84	48		48
Music Composer	James Bernard	31	20 Sep 1925		12 Jul 2001	75	24	1	25
Musical Director	John Hollingsworth	40	20 Mar 1916		29 Dec 1963	47	36	2	38
Producer	Anthony Hinds	34	18 Sep 1922		30 Sep 2013	91	84	1	85
Production Manager	Jimmy Sangster	28	2 Dec 1927		19 Aug 2011	83	65	2	67
Sound Editor	Alfred Cox	31	1925		2005	80	21	4	25
Sound Mixer	Jock May	51	1 Jan 1905		8 Jan 1991	86	30	1	31
Special Effects	Jack Curtis						3	23	26
Special Effects	Les Bowie	42	10 Nov 1913		27 Jan 1979	65	32	11	43
Story and Screenplay	Jimmy Sangster	28	2 Dec 1927		19 Aug 2011	83	65	2	67
Wardrobe	Molly Arbuthnot	47	19 Dec 1908		31 Oct 2001	92	48	4	52
Uncredited
Art Director	Edward Marshall							1	1
Associate Producer	Mickey Delamar	48	1908		1971	63	7	1	8
Boom Operator	Jim Perry							8	8
Casting	Joseph Losey	47	14 Jan 1909		22 Jun 1984	75	2	1	3
Clapper Loader	Mike Rutter	21	1935		6 Mar 2021	86		2	2
Draughtsman	Tom Wollard	24	3 Sep 1932	3.09.1932		90		1	1
Draughtsman	Don Mingaye	27	1 Jan 1929		8 Nov 2017	88	26	14	40
First Assistant Editor	William Bouvet							1	1
Focus Puller	Harry Oakes	35	16 Jan 1921		11 Dec 2012	91		53	53
Master Plasterer	Arthur Banks						18	29	47
Production Secretary	Margaret Quigley							1	1
Publicist	Bill Batchelor	57	3 May 1899		23 Sep 1990	91		3	3
Second Assistant Director	Roy Stevens	22	12 Mar 1934		29 Mar 2006	72		3	3
Second Assistant Editor	Henry Richardson	20	13 Jan 1936		31 Jul 2017	81	4	7	11
Second Camera Operator	John Reid							2	2
Sound Camera Operator	Michael Sale							8	8
Sound Maintenance	Charles Bouvet	50	27 Oct 1906		1978	71		6	6
Sound Recordist	Cliff Sandall	53	24 Apr 1903		1988	84	2	1	3
Special Effects	Vic Margutti	43	1913		1980	66		6	6
Special Effects Asst.	Ray Caple	18	5 Jan 1938		1993	54		6	6
Special Effects Asst.	Roy Field	24	19 Aug 1932		23 May 2002	69		4	4
Special Effects Asst.	Brian Johnson	17	29 Jun 1939	29.06.1939		84	3	7	10
Still Photographer	Tom Edwards				1999			26	26
Third Assistant Director	Hugh Harlow	17	17 Jun 1939	17.06.1939		84	3	28	31

Cast


Character	Actor	Age at Release	Birth		Death	Age	Hammer Productions
	Click a link for more info						Credited	Uncredited	Total
Burned Soldier	Edwin Richfield	35	11 Sep 1921		2 Aug 1990	68	10		10
Dr Royston	Dean Jagger	52	7 Nov 1903		5 Feb 1991	87	1		1
Elliott	Edward Chapman	55	13 Oct 1901		9 Aug 1977	75	1		1
Haggis	Ian McNaughton	30	30 Dec 1925		10 Dec 2002	76	1		1
Ian Osborne	Frazer Hines	12	22 Sep 1944	22.09.1944		78	1		1
Inspector McGill	Leo McKern	36	16 Mar 1920		23 Jul 2002	82	2		2
Jack Harding	Jameson Clark	49	1 Jan 1907		4 Jan 1984	77	1		1
Lancing	Kenneth Cope	25	14 Apr 1931	14.04.1931		91	2		2
Lt Bannerman	Peter Hammond	32	15 Nov 1923		12 Oct 2011	87	1		1
Major Cartwright	John Harvey	45	27 Sep 1911		19 Jul 1982	70	12	1	13
Old Tom	Norman MacOwan	79	2 Jan 1877		31 Dec 1961	84	2		2
Peter	William Lucas	31	14 Apr 1925		8 Jul 2016	91	3		3
Private Webb	Anthony Newley	25	24 Sep 1931		14 Apr 1999	67	1		1
Sergeant Grimsdyke	Michael Ripper	43	27 Jan 1913		28 Jun 2000	87	34	2	36
Unwin	Neil Hallett	32	30 Jun 1924		5 Dec 2004	80	1		1
Vi Harding	Jane Aird	46	12 Jul 1910		26 May 1979	68	2	1	3
Willie Harding	Michael Brook	14	1 Jan 1942		8 Jun 2014	72	1		1
Zena, the Nurse	Marianne Brauns	38	1 Jan 1918				1		1
Uncredited
1st Soldier	Brian Peck	26	24 Oct 1930		3 Apr 2021	90	1	1	2
2nd Soldier	Edward Judd	24	4 Oct 1932		24 Feb 2009	76	1	1	2
Dr Kelly	Robert Bruce	38	1 Jan 1918		Sep 1967	49		1	1
Gateman	Anthony Sagar	36	19 Jun 1920		24 Jan 1973	52	1	1	2
Gerard	Lawrence James	29	7 Apr 1927		21 Feb 1986	58		1	1
Hospital Director	Max Brimmell	29	27 Apr 1927		15 Feb 1993	65	1	1	2
Hospital Porter	Patrick Halpin	55	4 Mar 1901		21 May 1971	70		5	5
Jeep Driver	Arthur Howell	36	5 Jan 1920		Aug 2003	83		5	5
Jerry	John Stone	32	26 May 1924		2007	82		1	1
Police Car Driver	John Stirling							2	2
Police Radio Operator	Shaw Taylor	32	26 Oct 1924		17 Mar 2017	92		1	1
Police Sergeant	Jack Lambert	56	29 Dec 1899		13 Mar 1976	76	1	1	2
Reporter	John Stevenson-Lang	50	28 Feb 1906		1961	54		1	1
Russell	Neil Wilson	40	24 Jun 1916		24 Jan 1975	58	2	2	4
Security Man	Philip Levene	30	9 Jun 1926		25 Mar 1973	46		1	1
Sgt Yeardye	Archie Duncan	42	26 May 1914		24 Jul 1979	65	1	1	2
Soldier in Trench	Barry Steele	35	3 Mar 1921		30 Sep 1982	61		2	2
Vicar	Brown Derby	42	5 May 1914		17 Jul 2000	86		1	1
Willie's Room Nurse	Stella Kemball	30	28 Apr 1926		24 Nov 2001	75	1	1	2
With	Angela Crow	20	13 Dec 1935		3 Mar 2022	86		2	2
With	Raymond Dudley	12	1944	01.01.1944		79		1	1

Production


UK RELEASE	5 November 1956
STUDIO	Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England
LOCATION	Gerrard's Cross, Buckinghamshire, England
	Beaconsfield Gravel Pits, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England

Footnotes

A very young Frazer Hines appears in this film. He later played Jamie alongside Patrick Troughton in BBC TV’s “Doctor Who”, as well as Joe Sugden in the Yorkshire TV soap opera Emmerdale Farm”.

Director Leslie Norman is the father of film critic Barry Norman.

Uncredited Shaw Taylor is best known for presenting the long-running five-minute crime programme Police 5.

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