Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (Allied Artists Pictures Corporation) (movie released February 5, 1956)
...there was nothing to hold onto - except each other.
Miles and Becky fear desperately being caught by the pod people and are hiding in this closet waiting for help.

Dr. Miles J. Bennell - Kevin McCarthy
Becky Driscoll - Dana Wynter
Dr. Dan Kauffman - Larry Gates
Jack Belicec - King Donovan
Teddy Belicec - Carolyn Jones
Sally Withers the nurse - Jean Willes
Nick Grivett the police chief - Ralph Dumke
Wilma Lentz - Virginia Christine
Uncle Ira Lentz - Tom Fadden
Stanley Driscoll - Kenneth Patterson
Sam Janzek the police officer - Guy Way
Anne Grimaldi - Eileen Stevens
Grandma Driscoll - Beatrice Maude
Eleda Lentz - Jean Andren
Jimmy Grimaldi - Bobby Clark
Dr. Ed Pursey - Everett Glass
Mac Lomax - Dabbs Greer
Baggage man - Pat O'Malley
Restaurant owner - Guy Rennie
Martha Lomax - Marie Selland
Charlie the meter reader - Sam Peckinpah
Man with pod in Dr. Bennell's office - Harry J. Vejar
Dr. Hill - Whit Bissell
Dr. Harvey Bassett - Richard Deacon

Screenplay by - Daniel Mainwaring
Based on Collier's Magazine serial by - Jack Finney
Produced in - Superscope
Music composed and conducted by - Carmen Dragon
Director of photography - Ellsworth Fredericks, A.S.C.
Production design - Edward Haworth
Production manager - Allen K. Wood
Assistant director - Richard Maybery
Assistant director - Bill Beaudine, Jr.
Film editor - Robert S. Eisen
Sound - Ralph Butler
Sound editor - Del Harris
Music editor - Jerry Irvin
Special effects - Milt Rice
Set decorator - Joseph Kish
Make-up - Emile LaVigne, S.M.A.
Hairdresser - Mary Westmoreland
Script supervisor - Irva Ross
Produced by - Walter Wanger Pictures, Inc.
Directed by - Don Siegel

The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers music was composed and conducted by Carmen Dragon. Carmen was the father of Daryl Dragon. Daryl's wife is singer Toni Tennille. Daryl spent 7 years as an arranger for the Beach Boys. Daryl and Toni had a TV series from 1976-77 on ABC called "The Captain and Tennille".

Near the end of the movie, Miles and Becky are in the cave, and hear some beautiful music (female voice, and ?aria?) that turns out to be coming from a truck radio? What is the name of this song? (and the female artist, but it is the song TITLE I am after!)

This question was posted July 7, 2006.

The Carmen Dragon website

Thanks very much to Kathy Dragon Henn for this answer. I posted it on this page February 16, 2007.

Hello Alcus,

I am the daughter of the Carmen Dragon/composer, Kathy Dragon Henn. That song was sung by my gifted mother, Eloise Dragon, and originally composed by my dad's dad, Frank Dragon, on his guitar. My dad thought it would be appropriate in the cave scene, and that is all I know. I am not even sure of the title of the song, because my dad was a composer for hire in that movie, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." Since I am the youngest child of five Dragons, and my dad never really elaborated much on his movies ( that is one of many that he composed the scores for) I am sorry I cannot give you more information on that particular song. I am so pleased that you like the movie....hoping that the current remake of it will be good - so many times they lose that unique quality that the original had. My dad did also comment on the fact that he believes he was the first composer to use the low bass notes on the piano to sound scary - remember that effect? It happens many times during the movie, and he always told me that other composers "copied" that effect after he did it in the Body Snatchers! Curious.....

Best wishes to you and thanks for the inquiry,

Kathy

Kevin McCarthy (born February 15, 1914, Seattle, Washington) as Dr. Miles Bennell

Dana Wynter (born June 8, 1931, Berlin, Germany) as Becky Driscoll

King Donovan (born January 25, 1918, New York City, New York) as Jack Belicec

Carolyn Jones (born April 28, 1929, Amarillo, Texas) (later starred in "The Addams Family") as Teddy Belicec

Virginia Christine (born March 5, 1920, Stanton, Iowa) (seen in the Folger's coffee commercials for several years) as Wilma Lentz

Sam Peckinpah (born February 21, 1925, Fresno, California) (had only a few lines: the gas man standing in the basement) Peckinpah went on to direct such famous films as: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) The Getaway (1972) Straw Dogs (1971) The Wild Bunch (1969).

The director of this film, Don Siegel (born October 26, 1912, Chicago, Illinois), played the cab driver in the 1978 remake of this movie.

Seed pods falling from outer space take root in a farmer's field, eventually taking over human bodies, as they sleep. The only problem is, the new replacements have no emotions, no need for love, no ambition and no desire. This is my favorite science fiction movie. The movie is set in the town of Santa Mira, California, (partially filmed in the town of Sierra Madre, near Los Angeles). I vacationed in that area, driving to the town where it was done. I pulled into a gas station, asking about the movie, only to be told it was filmed across the street! I looked and there was the town square, still standing, where the pods had been passed out in the movie decades ago. One incredible picture.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) trailer

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) DVD

The official Kevin McCarthy site

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers website has comparison location pictures from the film, back then and then more current pictures

Books

Invasion of the Body Snatchers [Paperback] Jack Finney

Invasion of the Body Snatchers: A Tribute [Paperback] Kevin McCarthy & Ed Gorman (editors) (Author)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (BFI Film Classics) [Paperback] Barry Keith Grant (Author)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers: The Making of a Classic [Paperback] Mark Thomas McGee (Author)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers Film Locations: Then & Now [Paperback] Jerry L. Schneider (Author)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers: Don Siegel, director (Rutgers Films in Print) [Paperback] Al LaValley (Editor)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Famous Movie Monsters) [Library Binding] Kerry Hinton (Author)

Movies

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 movie with Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Leonard Nimoy, Art Hindle, Kevin McCarthy, Don Siegel)

Body Snatchers (1993 movie with Terry Kinney, Meg Tilly, Forest Whitaker)

The Invasion (2007 movie with Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Veronica Cartwright)

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers last updated 1/7/13