Updated: July 25, 2024

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Alien Klaatu lands on Earth with his mighty robot, Gort, just after the end of World War II. They have an important message for Earth's inhabitants that Klaatu wishes to present to the representatives of all nations. Unfortunately, however, communication between the alien and humans becomes difficult. So, after learning more about the people of Earth, Klaatu decides on an alternative.

Box Office: Budget = $1,200,000 Gross Revenue = $1,850,000

Fun Movie Facts:

The role of Gort was given to a doorman from Grauman's Chinese Theater - because he was extremely tall. However, he was not very strong and had to be aided by wires in scenes where Gort is shown carrying Helen and Klaatu. He also had issues with the heavy Gort suit and could only stand upright in it for about 1/2 hour at a time.

To give the appearance of seamlessness to the space ship, the crack around the door was filled with putty, then painted over. When the door opened the putty was torn apart, making the door seem to simply appear. The spaceship from the movie was made of wood, wire and plaster of Paris.

There were two different Gort suits - one that laced up in the back for frontal camera shots and a second that laced up the front for back-side camera shots.

Harry Bates was paid only $500 by 20th Century-Fox for the rights to his short story "Farewell to the Master".

In the original story - Gort was the master and Klaatu was merely one of a series of doubles, or maybe clones, that died after a short time.

This section will include artwork from the many fans that love this classic sci-fi film!