This Island Earth

This Island Earth
Theatrical release poster by Reynold Brown
Directed by	Joseph M. Newman Jack Arnold
Written by	Franklin Coen Edward G. O'Callaghan
Based on	This Island Earth 1952 novel by Raymond F. Jones
Produced by	William Alland
Starring	Jeff Morrow Faith Domergue Rex Reason
Cinematography	Clifford Stine
Edited by	Virgil Vogel
Music by	Joseph Gershenson (supervision) Uncredited: Henry Mancini Hans J. Salter Herman Stein
Production company	Universal-International
Distributed by	Universal-International
Release date	June 10, 1955 (1955-06-10) (New York City)[1]
Running time	86 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$800,000 (estimated)[2]

This Island Earth is a 1955 American science fiction film produced by William Alland, directed by Joseph M. Newman and Jack Arnold, and starring Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue and Rex Reason. It is based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Raymond F. Jones. The film, distributed by Universal-International, was released in 1955 on a double feature with Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy.

Upon initial release, the film was praised by critics, who cited the special effects, well-written script, and the eye-popping Technicolor as being its major assets.^[3][4] In 1996, it was edited down and lampooned in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie, a spin-off of the popular film-riffing television series Mystery Science Theater 3000.

The 1952 novel by Jones was originally serialized in the science fiction magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories as three related novelettes: "The Alien Machine" (June 1949), "The Shroud of Secrecy" (December 1949), and "The Greater Conflict" (February 1950). Jones had taken the novel title from a line in Robert Graves' poem "Darien" ("It is a poet’s privilege and fate/To fall enamoured of the one Muse/Who variously haunts this island earth").