The Thing

From the July-August 1982 issue of Cinefantastique, comes this extensive article on the original 1951 movie "The Thing." One of the great early sci-fi films, "The Thing" was actor James Arness' first genre role, only glimpsed fleetingly as the menacing alien. Another sci-fi role followed three years later in "Them!" This time he played the hero, his face not obscured in heavy makeup. The snappy overlapping dialog, a trademark of Director Hawks, helped make a film with a way-out premise seem more realistic and down-to-earth.This article is full of facts and behind the scene photos, so enjoy!

(Click on images to enlarge.)

Below, some of the (thankfully) unused makeup tests range from the hilariously thumb-like Thing (which shows they were once considering taking the "intellectual carrot" premise more literally) to a couple that seem to have inspired the look of the drag queen "Divine," without being quite as unappealing.