Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

Miles and Becky fear desperately being caught by the pod people and are hiding in this closet waiting for help in Walter Wanger's Invasion Of The Body Snatchers.

Allied Artists Pictures Corporation

(movie released February 5, 1956)

...there was nothing to hold onto - except each other.

                 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.

This is a trailer from Invasion of the Body Snatchers (from videodetective.com).
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is available on video at www.amazon.com (verified April 30, 2005)
The book, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, by Jack Finney is available at www.amazon.com (verified May 1, 2005)
This site for Invasion Of The Body Snatchers has comparison location pictures from the film, back then and then more current pictures.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers Then & Now website has some pictures and descriptions of the locations used in the film and some newer comparison pictures
Invasion of the Body Snatchers is one of Time's all time 100 movies
The official Kevin McCarthy site

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (movie released December 20, 1978 with Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Leonard Nimoy, Art Hindle, Kevin McCarthy, Don Siegel)
Body Snatchers (movie released January 28, 1994 with Terry Kinney, Meg Tilly, Forest Whitaker)
The Invasion (movie released August 17, 2007 with Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Veronica Cartwright)

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers last updated 12/21/08

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.