I Married a Monster from Outer Space
Encyclopedia
I Married a Monster from Outer Space is a 1958
science fiction film
, directed by Gene Fowler Jr.
and starring Tom Tryon
and Gloria Talbott
.
The story centers on freshly married Marge Farrell who finds her husband Bill strangely transformed soon after her marriage: He is losing his affection for his wife and other living beings and drops various earlier habits. Soon she finds out that Bill is not the only man in town changing into a completely different person.
described it as "an intelligent, atmospheric, subtly made sci-fi thriller", Tom Milne
of Time Out magazine found "good performances, strikingly moody camerawork, a genuinely exciting climax", and Leonard Maltin
called it a "pretty good little rehash of Invasion of the Body Snatchers" with "some nice, creepy moments".
The Aurum Film Encyclopedia concluded that "while the film was clearly fuelled by the Cold War
mentality of the fifties, in retrospect it is its sexual politics that are more interesting, and disturbing". The hint at a subtext of "sexual angst" by Tom Milne is emphasised by German critic Georg Seeßlen, linking I Married a Monster from Outer Space and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
(1958) to Film noir
: Their subjects in common, states Seeßlen, are the distrust between the sexes and the depiction of marriage as a trap where the death of one partner seems inevitable.
television network
produced and aired a remake of the film simply titled, I Married a Monster, with Richard Burgi
as the alien husband.
released a DVD
of the film which, other than the open matte
, full frame
(1.33:1) format of the 1998 VHS
release, cropped the image to modern 16:9
(1.78:1) TV
format. The Internet Movie Database
lists 1.85:1 widescreen
as the film's originally intended format.
The label L'Atelier 13 released a Spanish language DVD under the title Me casé con un monstruo del espacio exterior.
1958 in film
The year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946....
science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
, directed by Gene Fowler Jr.
Gene Fowler Jr.
Gene Fowler Jr. , the eldest son of Gene Fowler, Denver, was a prominent Hollywood film editor. His work included films of Fritz Lang and Samuel Fuller and movies like Stanley Kramer's It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World , John Cassavetes' A Child is Waiting and Hang 'Em High .He was also the director...
and starring Tom Tryon
Tom Tryon
Tom Tryon was an American film and television actor, best known for playing the title role in the film The Cardinal and the Walt Disney television character Texas John Slaughter...
and Gloria Talbott
Gloria Talbott
Gloria Talbott was an American film and television actress.-Early life and career:She grew up in Glendale, California...
.
The story centers on freshly married Marge Farrell who finds her husband Bill strangely transformed soon after her marriage: He is losing his affection for his wife and other living beings and drops various earlier habits. Soon she finds out that Bill is not the only man in town changing into a completely different person.
Plot summary
Soon after her marriage, young bride Marge Farrell notices her husband Bill is acting strangely. He doesn't show any affection towards his wife or other living beings, including pet dogs which he used to love. Marge also becomes concerned that she cannot get pregnant. She then notices that the husbands among her social connections are acting the same way. One night she follows Bill when he goes for a walk and finds that he's not the man she knew but an alien impostor: An extraterrestrial lifeform deserts his human body and enters a hidden spaceship. Bill eventually explains to her that all the females from his planet were killed and that he and his kind are taking over human males so that they can mate with women and save his race. Marge is horrified and tries to warn others of the plot, but too many men have already been taken over, including the Chief of Police. Finally she finds that her doctor believes her, who summons a posse to attack the aliens in their hideout. Although gun bullets can't hurt the invaders, they are defenceless against the pair of German shepherds that the men bring with them, and are finally killed. In the spaceship, the men find the human captives alive, including Bill. An army of spaceships lifts off around the world, seeking a new refuge.Cast
- Tom TryonTom TryonTom Tryon was an American film and television actor, best known for playing the title role in the film The Cardinal and the Walt Disney television character Texas John Slaughter...
as Bill Farrell - Gloria TalbottGloria TalbottGloria Talbott was an American film and television actress.-Early life and career:She grew up in Glendale, California...
as Marge Bradley Farrell - Peter BaldwinPeter Baldwin (director)Peter Baldwin is an American actor and director of film and television.Baldwin started his career as a contract player at Paramount Studios. He played the character Johnson in Stalag 17. He eventually became a television director with an extensive résumé. As well as directing all of the episode's...
as Officer Frank Swanson - Robert IversRobert IversRobert Ivers, AKA Bob Ivers, Robert Ivers, AKA Bob Ivers, Robert Ivers, AKA Bob Ivers, (December 11, 1934 - 13 February 2003 was an American actor who appeared in films and television in the 1950s and 1960s.-Background:...
as Harry Phillips - Chuck Wassil as Ted Hanks
- Ty HardinTy HardinTy Hardin, born Orison Whipple Hungerford, Jr., is a former American actor best known as the star of the 1950s ABC western television series Bronco.-Early life:...
as Mac Brody (as Ty Hungerford) - Ken LynchKen LynchKen Lynch was an American film and TV actor best known for his starring role as 'the Lieutenant' on the 1949-1954 Dumont detective series The Plainclothesman, on which his face was never seen, and for his co-starring role as Sergeant Grover on McCloud.-Career:Lynch appeared in numerous TV series...
as Dr. Wayne - John EldredgeJohn EldredgeJohn Eldredge is an author, counselor, and lecturer of Christianity.-Life and work:While living in Los Angeles Eldredge was looking for a "worldview." After exploring other religions, Eastern mysticism, Lao-Tzu, and New Age spirituality, he discovered the writings of Francis Schaeffer, whom he...
as Police Captain H.B. Collins - Alan Dexter as Sam Benson
- James AndersonJames K AndersonJames Anderson , sometimes billed as Kyle James, was an American television and film actor of the 1950s and 1960s. He is probably best known for his role as Robert E. Lee 'Bob' Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird .He made over 120 appearances mostly in TV and several films between 1941 and 1970...
as Weldon - Jean CarsonJean CarsonJean Carson was an American stage, film and television actress best known for her work on the classic 1960s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show as one of the "fun girls".-Biography:Born to Alexander W...
as Helen Alexander Benson - Jack Orrison as Officer Schultz
- Steve LondonSteve LondonSteve London is an American television and film actor and attorney, best known for his role as Federal Agent Jack Rossman on the ABC Television series, The Untouchables from 1959–1963, which starred Robert Stack as Eliot Ness.In the series, Rossman was The Untouchables' wire tap specialist.In one...
as Charles Mason - Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom as Max Grady (bartender)
Reviews
Due to its exploitative title, I Married a Monster from Outer Space has long been ignored by critics and film historians, though it received respectable reviews in later years. Danny PearyDanny Peary
Danny Peary is an American film critic and sports writer. He has written many books on cinema and sports-related topics.-Biography:...
described it as "an intelligent, atmospheric, subtly made sci-fi thriller", Tom Milne
Tom Milne
Tom Milne was a British film critic.After war service, he studied English and French at Aberdeen University and later at the Sorbonne...
of Time Out magazine found "good performances, strikingly moody camerawork, a genuinely exciting climax", and Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
called it a "pretty good little rehash of Invasion of the Body Snatchers" with "some nice, creepy moments".
The Aurum Film Encyclopedia concluded that "while the film was clearly fuelled by the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
mentality of the fifties, in retrospect it is its sexual politics that are more interesting, and disturbing". The hint at a subtext of "sexual angst" by Tom Milne is emphasised by German critic Georg Seeßlen, linking I Married a Monster from Outer Space and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is a 1958 American science fiction feature film produced by Bernard Woolner for Allied Artists Pictures. It was directed by Nathan H. Juran from a screenplay by Mark Hanna, and starred Allison Hayes, William Hudson and Yvette Vickers. The original music score was...
(1958) to Film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
: Their subjects in common, states Seeßlen, are the distrust between the sexes and the depiction of marriage as a trap where the death of one partner seems inevitable.
Remake
In 1998, the now defunct UPNUPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
produced and aired a remake of the film simply titled, I Married a Monster, with Richard Burgi
Richard Burgi
Richard William Burgi is an American film and television actor. He's best known for the roles of Det. Jim Ellinson on The Sentinel and as Karl Mayer on Desperate Housewives.-Personal life:...
as the alien husband.
DVD release
In 2004 ParamountParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
released a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of the film which, other than the open matte
Open matte
Open matte is a filming technique that involves matting out the top and bottom of the film frame in the movie projector for the widescreen theatrical release and then scanning the film without a matte for a full screen home video release.Usually, non-anamorphic 4-perf films are filmed directly on...
, full frame
Full frame
In cinematography, full frame refers to the use of the full film gate at maximum width and height for 35 mm film cameras. It is sometimes also referred to as silent aperture, full gate, or a number of other similar word combinations. It is the original gate size pioneered by William Dickson and...
(1.33:1) format of the 1998 VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
release, cropped the image to modern 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
(1.78:1) TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
format. The Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
lists 1.85:1 widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
as the film's originally intended format.
The label L'Atelier 13 released a Spanish language DVD under the title Me casé con un monstruo del espacio exterior.