Recently, while discussing film with a couple of friends, the subject of old monster movies came up. During this conversation, they were surprised to learn that I’m much less a fan of classic horror than I am of  ’50s science fiction. With all due respect to Dracula and Frankenstein, I’d much prefer watching giant-sized bugs or flying saucers.  Of course, as with any genre, some are better quality than others but I’m sure most of my fellow enthusiasts will agree that Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) is somewhere at the top of their list of favorites. I do love both this version as well as its 1978 reimagining, but there’s something about the original that has me rewatching it more often. In my latest viewing, I watched the Olive Signature Blu-ray which boasts priceless commentary from its two main stars, Kevin McCarthy and Dana (pronounced Donna) Wynter. It was marvelous listening to the memories of these two late actors while gaining new insights into an old favorite. For example, I was surprised to discover that while many believe the overall story of an alien lifeform disguised as family and friends to be a metaphor for Communism, it was actually about the rise of advertising and enticing would-be consumers to be “more like their neighbors.”  

During one of my weekly trips to the thrift store, I was fortunate to land an old copy of its original source material, the 1955 novel, “The Body Snatchers” by Jack Finney. When I read the first few chapters, I was impressed by how close the film adaptation was to the novel. However, after delving a bit further, things dramatically changed. Many are aware that both the beginning and end of the 1956 movie were filmed and added about six months after the film initially wrapped.  When test audiences found the original (Kevin McCarthy running down the highway yelling “You’re next!”) too abysmal, the studio decided to give it a more hopeful ending. But if you thought this version ended on a high note, it pales next to the one in the book.

Please be advised that there will be SPOILERS for both the book and the film moving forward. This post is designed for anyone who loves the movie but has no intention of reading the book. I think it provides some really interesting insights that even surprised this old viewer who has enjoyed the film for over forty years. So let’s dive in…

The Setting – Although the movie takes place in the fictional town of Santa Mira, California (near Los Angeles), the novel is set in the very real city of Mill Valley located about fourteen miles north of San Francisco. Note: filming took place near Pasadena in the town of Sierra Madre.

Pod People are terrible at cooking and cleaning – As the people of Mill Valley are slowly assimilated, visiting patrons at a local truck stop can’t help but comment about how terrible the food (and especially the coffee) has become and how unkept the place is. Apparently, unemotional pod people don’t care about good food/drink, nor the need for cleanliness.

The Mad Gasser of Mattoon – In one of the most fascinating parts of the book, Miles’ psychiatrist friend, Dr. Dan Kauffman, compares what’s happening in Mill Valley to a very real situation in Mattoon, Illinois. In 1944, the small, rural town (located about two and a half hours south of where I live) had thirty-three people claiming in the span of twelve days that they were smelling nauseous fumes and that a mysterious man was pumping gas into their homes. After a thorough investigation, no strange chemicals nor evidence of a prowler was revealed despite several people stating they saw him “running from their yards.” Today it is classified as a prime example of mass hysteria.

The pods make the newspaper – Miles learns that a farmer named Mr. Parnell had reported seeing the pods in his field and that he believed they “came down from the sky.” In the article, the possibility of “seeds from space” is further backed by a local and respected professor. Miles rushes to the library to retrieve a copy of this article only to discover that it has been cut out. He immediately berates the librarian, Miss Wagen, for being responsible for this blatant censorship which she all but proves by simply shrugging her shoulders.

 They initially get away – After Miles, Becky, and their friends Jack and Theodora Belichek  (given the nickname “Teddy” in the film version) discover their duplicates, they run off to stay at a hotel outside of town. The next day, Jack tells Miles he can’t just leave his life behind and returns to Mill City with his obedient, albeit terrified, wife. Miles and Becky reluctantly return as well.

The ’50s weren’t as innocent as you might think – Both couples have their own rooms at the aforementioned hotel where Miles considers initiating a sexual encounter with Becky. He finally decides against it after reaching the obvious conclusion that “although it’s the right place, it’s definitely not the right time.”

The Police Chief  –  When Becky and Miles return to his house, they discover that the Police Chief has parked his car inside his garage so they won’t know he’s there. Miles knocks him out before they, once again, go on the run.

The Professor – Miles tracks down the professor who’d been quoted in the newspaper article. The professor tells them that he bases his belief on an old theory that ALL life on Earth drifted in from somewhere else. “After all,” he tells Miles, “if the planet started out as molten rock where else would life have come from if not from somewhere else?”  However, the professor is not inclined to believe that these invaders are imitating other life forms. Miles, embarrassed for even bringing it up, makes a quick exit.

Jack and Theodora in a high-speed chase – As Jack and Becky leave the professor, they see their friends engaged in a car chase with the police who are firing shots at them (their fate will be revealed at the end of the story).

How pod people know other pod people – While watching crowds of people from the window of his medical office, Miles notices that certain people wear special buttons and that the ones who aren’t wearing them are quickly seized by the police.

The lifespan of a pod person – After being caught by his psychiatric/friend/now duplicate, Dr. Dan Kauffman, Miles is told that pod people do not have sex nor reproduce. Their job is merely to “duplicate” every lifeform before seeking out new planets. Duplicates only live 3-5 years before dying of natural causes, essentially bringing about global extinction to whatever planet they infest. Since they have no emotions, they aren’t troubled at all by their short lifespans.

How Miles and Becky escape his medical office – Miles and Becky convince Dan to let them stay together in his office privately before they are duplicated so they can have “one last night to be human together” (presumably have sex). Instead, Miles takes his authentic male/female human skeletons from his office closet (a med school graduation gift from his father who had also been a physician) and smears their blood on them. This causes the nearby pods to mistakenly duplicate the skeletons instead of them (???). When Dan enters, thinking the duplication process is complete, he gets jabbed with a syringe before the two make their escape.

The final battle – While being chased by a crowd of pod people, Miles and Becky discover a field of pods which they somehow deduce are the only ones left. They then proceed to torch the field courtesy of gasoline drums and irrigation ditches. The crowd reaches them but suddenly stops when they see the field aflame and the remaining pods drifting back up to space – apparently deciding Earth is now an “inhospitable planet.” Instead of getting angry and seeking revenge, the unemotional crowd turns around in defeat and casually walks back to their homes.

The Happy ending – Miles and Becky go to the Belicheks and discover that they, too, managed to stay awake (and evade the cops) and have also survived the night.  The two couples continue to live harmoniously in Mill Valley with the remaining pod people who eventually die off from natural causes within the next five years. Only the four of them know what happened that night in Mill Valley and why the town has such an unusually high mortality rate. 

 Dave~