The Day the Earth Stood Still - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[marc]

Klaatu adopts the name "Carpenter" while hiding from the authorities. Robert Wise in a none-too-subtle nod to the film's intentional Christ allegory.

[charlie]

In 1951, 20th Century Fox theatrically distributed this with the short film The Guest (1951).

[richard]

The phrase "Klaatu barada nikto" has become a popular phrase among sci-fi fans over the years and has been featured in other movies, such as Army of Darkness (1992). The line was also used in an episode of "The Rockford Files". Jim Rockford says it to a huge henchman of the episode's "bad guy".

[brent]

In the original story, "Farewell to the Master", the robot's name was Gnut, not Gort.

[duane]

When Bobby and Klaatu visit the saucer together, the black silhouettes of soldiers standing behind Gort are mannequins. You can see a mannequin at 32:35 up close near the edge of the left frame.

[ken]

The crowds were made up of local government employees, including some from the FBI offices, who were asked to participate in the film. No releases were required of employees.

[bryan]

The film was shot on the 20th Century-Fox back lot, which is now an upscale office complex known as Century City.

[ava]

To depict the seamless closing of the ship and its ramp, they just reversed the film of the shot of the ship's ramp and door appearing.

[bessie]

One of the original picks for Klaatu was the 5'6", 62 year old Claude Rains. Luckily they wound up casting 6'3", 42 year old Michael Rennie. This was a better pick for Hollywood, but ultimately the aliens would probably have chosen Claude to blend in seamlessly with humanity.

[mathew]

One of the more distinctive, and subliminally eerie, effects in the film is a musical organ chord, held on two different notes, mixed in with the engine and wind sound effects of Klaatu's saucer as it flies over the D.C. area at the beginning of the story.

[carla]

In the scene where Gort is seen carrying Klaatu's body (inside the ship), Michael Rennie was actually sitting on a dolly that is unseen by the camera, since Lock Martin (Gort) was unable to support Rennie's weight himself.

[wesley]

The spaceship lands on "The Ellipse", a large open space to the south of the White House and north of the Washington Monument, despite the shouting of an hysterical citizen that "They landed! Over on the Mall!" The Mall is east of the Monument.