I'll admit, I'm a johnny-come-lately in receiving Classic Monsters of the Movies' Them!, but better late than never when it comes to a commemoration on one of the all-time greats.
The 1954, Warner Brothers, science-fiction/horror staple, directed by Gordon (In Like Flint/Way...Way Out) Douglas and written by George Worthing (The Amazing Colossal Man/Earth vs. the Spider) Yates, Ted (The Eddie Cantor Story) Sherdeman and Russell (The Yellow Mountain) Hughes, is a groundbreaker for its sophisticated approach to a concept that could have been exploited in a cheap, unconvincing manner. However, as authors/researchers Nige Burton and Jamie Jones prove, Them! became a big-budget, labor of love that added philosophical depth to the terrifying notion of ants turning colossal through radioactive residue.
Burton and Jones' attention to the movie's meticulous plotting will be most appreciated by fans, as well as their essaying of the story's development (with Them! having started off as a color/3D production), the construction of its impressive, giant insects and the respectful depiction of its police, military and scientific heroes.
Them!'s cast also adds to its revered status, featuring James (The Thing From Another World/Gunsmoke) Arness, James (Face of Fire/The Shawshank Redemption) Whitmore, Joan (Riding Shotgun) Weldon, Fess (Davy Crockett/Daniel Boone) Parker, Edmund (Miracle on 34th Street 1947/The Trouble with Harry) Gwenn, Richard (Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956/Leave It to Beaver) Deacon, Onslow (The Creeper) Stevens, Leonard (Star Trek/Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978) Nimoy, William (The Incredible Shrinking Man/The Patty Duke Show) Schallert, Dub (Creature of Black Lake/Bonnie and Clyde) Taylor, Christian (Sheena, Queen of the Jungle) Drake, Sean (Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome/Valley of the Dragons) McClury, Mary Alan (Strangers on a Train/Cult of the Cobra) Hokenson ... and as the shocked "Ellinson Girl," Sandy (Miracle on 34th Street 1955) Descher. Bios on these wonderful performers are found among Burton and Jones' essays, accompanied by flattering, publicity photos of the stars.
In truth, all the photos in Them!'s 36-page, celebratory issue are vivid and crisp, printed (as with any Classic Monsters issue) on high-stock paper. To accompany the visuals, Burton and Jones add their obligatory quotes and trivia segments, which make the main text all the more comprehensive and therefore, enjoyable.
Order Classic Monsters of the Movies' Them!, "deluxe, collector's item edition" (while supplies last) at
https://www.classic-monsters.com/shop/product/them-1954-ultimate-guide-magazine/
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