The Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 American science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold, based on Richard Matheson's 1956 novel, The Shrinking Man. The film stars Grant Williams as Scott and Randy Stuart as Scott's wife, Louise. While relaxing on a boat, Scott is enveloped by a strange fog. Months later, he discovers that he appears to be shrinking. By the time Scott has reached the height of a small boy, his condition becomes known to the public. When he learns there is no cure for his condition, he lashes out at his wife. As Scott shrinks to the point where he can fit into a dollhouse, he has a battle with his family cat, leaving him lost and alone in his basement, where he is now smaller than the average insect.
The film's storyline was expanded by Matheson after he had sold the story to Universal-International Pictures Co., Inc. He also completed the novel upon which the film is based while production was underway. Matheson's script was initially written in flashbacks, and Richard Alan Simmons rewrote it using a more conventional narrative structure. Director Jack Arnold initially wanted Dan O'Herlihy to play Scott, but O'Herlihy turned down the role, leading Universal to sign Williams as the lead. Filming began on May 31, 1956. Scenes involving special effects were shot throughout production, while others used the large sets of Universal's backlot. Production went over budget, and filming had to be extended; certain special effects shots required reshooting. Williams was constantly being injured on set.
Before the film's release in New York City on February 22, 1957, its ending first went to test audiences who felt the character's fate should be changed. The director's original ending remained in the film. The film grossed $1.43 million in the United States and Canada and was among the highest-grossing science fiction films of the 1950s. A sequel, The Fantastic Little Girl, originally penned by Matheson, never went into production. A remake was developed years later, eventually becoming the comedy The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981). Other remakes were planned in the early 2000s, one of which was to star Eddie Murphy in a more comedic variation on the film. A new adaptation was announced in 2013, with Matheson writing the screenplay with his son Richard Christian Matheson. In 2009, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
^ abcde"The Incredible Shrinking Man". American Film Institute. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
^ ab"Universal's 'Weirdies' Ain't Crazy". Variety. 3 April 1957. p. 3.
and 23 Related for: The Incredible Shrinking Man information
parody of the 1957 science-fiction film TheIncredibleShrinkingMan, it is credited as based on Richard Matheson's 1956 novel, TheShrinkingMan. The original...
called TheIncredibleShrinkingMan in 1957 and TheIncredibleShrinking Woman in 1981, both by Universal Pictures. The novel was retitled TheIncredible Shrinking...
(1928), about a man who was 10 miles high. Nicholson thought it could be adapted to cash in on the success of TheIncredibleShrinkingMan (released six...
been adapted as motion pictures: The ShrinkingMan (filmed as TheIncredibleShrinkingMan), Hell House (filmed as The Legend of Hell House), What Dreams...
Williams, in TheIncredibleShrinkingMan (1957). Stuart's parents, John and Gladys Shaubell, were itinerant musicians in the American South and the Middle...
edition of You Bet Your Life. Towards the end of his career, he was filmed for a part in TheIncredibleShrinkingMan as a circus giant, but his scenes were...
TheIncredible Melting Man is a 1977 American science fiction horror film directed and written by William Sachs. The plot concerns an astronaut whose body...
of TheIncredibleShrinkingMan, transforms into a cyborg in the midst of a metaphor of cold war politics in his home. As Robert continues to shrink, the...
(1957), its sequel War of the Colossal Beast (1958), and TheIncredibleShrinkingMan (1957); in this case, a woman is the protagonist. A television announcer...
until she is a 50-foot-tall giantess. TheIncredibleShrinking Woman, which parodies TheIncredibleShrinkingMan, ends with Lily Tomlin becoming a giantess...
fiction along with TheIncredibleShrinkingMan and inspired an animated television series of the same name. The United States and the Soviet Union have...
Collide (1951), The War of the Worlds (1953) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) won Academy Awards, while TheIncredibleShrinkingMan (1957) won a...
Studios: the science-fiction classic TheIncredibleShrinkingMan, Orson Welles' Touch of Evil, Douglas Sirk's Written on the Wind, and the camp exploitation...
Tiny History of Shrinking Humans in Movies". Slate. Retrieved June 7, 2018. Dixon, Hannah (December 13, 2017). "Downsizing: 6 shrinking movies that hit...
TheIncredibleShrinking Dickies is the debut studio album by the California punk band The Dickies. It peaked at #18 on the UK album charts. The album...
(uncredited) The Girl He Left Behind (1956) as General The Great American Pastime (1956) as George Carruthers TheIncredibleShrinkingMan (1957) as Doctor...
films: TheIncredibleShrinkingMan, Monster on the Campus, The Mole People, and Tarantula. In June 2019, Shout Factory released the film on Blu-ray. The disc...
seen in character parts or supporting roles in such films as TheIncredibleShrinkingMan (1957). He also was a voice actor on Lux Radio Theatre from 1942...
success of Universal-International's The Incredible ShrinkingMan, released the previous year in 1957. The doll manufacturing company Dolls Inc. is owned and...
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) This Island Earth (1955) To Catch a Thief (1955) Tarantula! (1955) TheIncredibleShrinkingMan (1957) The Deadly Mantis...