How a 1954 giant ant movie accidentally shaped the future of American television
In short: The 1954 science fiction classic Them! is remembered for its giant irradiated ants, but its production legacy is stranger. The film served as a casting ground for future icons, inspired a legendary rock band, and even featured a technical malfunction that inadvertently defined its iconic visual style.
Directed by Gordon Douglas, Them! emerged in 1954 as a pioneer of the nuclear monster genre. The plot follows the discovery of mutated ants in the New Mexico desert, a consequence of the first atomic bomb test near Alamogordo. As the insects spread, they threaten to displace humanity as the dominant species, leading to a desperate military operation in the storm drains of Los Angeles. Critics at the time praised its taut, matter-of-fact style, and it remains widely regarded as one of the finest science fiction films of the 1950s.
The film's production was marked by significant pivots. Originally conceived in 3D and color, the project was forced into black-and-white widescreen after the camera rig malfunctioned during pre-production. Despite this, the film retained a unique visual flair, including a dramatic, color-spliced title sequence. Behind the scenes, the film acted as a career catalyst. Walt Disney discovered Fess Parker for his Davy Crockett series while watching the film, and John Wayne recommended James Arness for the role of Marshal Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke, a character Arness played for two decades.
Beyond its influence on actors, the film left a lasting cultural footprint. Its sound design utilized recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to create the ants' unsettling stridulation, and it famously incorporated the Wilhelm scream. Scholars have even analyzed the film as a subtle anti-communist allegory, noting the ants' organized, underground nature and their march toward Los Angeles. Its legacy persists in modern media, from the naming of Van Morrison's band to homages in video games like Fallout 3 and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Them!
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