Summary: How Giant Ants Taught Me About Nuclear Warfare

Alaja Frahm
Eng 1A
Mr. Carlander
12 May 2013
How Giant Ants Taught Me About Nuclear Warfare As a kid, sitting on the couch with my dad watching cheesy 1950s Sci-fi horror flicks, it never occurred to me that these movies could actually hold importance beyond their entertainment value. At a glance, it’s all just a bunch of bad acting and cheap tricks (compared to todays standards); however, behind all the stage make-up and “spooky” fiction creatures there is often an important message, i.e. social commentary. Many writers and directors use film as a way to entertain the masses while bringing their attention to important events (usually controversial matters) happening in our world, and what better way than to use giant radioactive bugs!
This is precisely what director Gordon Douglas does through the movie, Them!, a 1954 Sci-fi Horror film based in the desert of New Mexico. Douglas uses his giant mutated ants to shed light on the deadly effects of the earliest atomic bomb testing’s in the U.S. (something that many Americans were not aware of at the time), as well as government crookedness (in terms of what the public could and couldn’t know), and finally, female empowerment through the use of a strong female character (unorthodox for the time). In his movie, Douglas brings America’s attention to the deadly effects of nuclear bombs through exaggeration; obviously, in reality, giant man-eating ants were never the aftermath of a nuclear explosion, however, cancer was. At the time of the first nuclear bomb testing’s on American soil, many Americans were unaware of just how harmful fallout from the bombs could be. Fallout is the term used for the bits of radioactive matter that fall from the sky after a nuclear bomb has been detonated; it can spread for up to 100 or more miles, traveling in a dust-like form (Fallout min. 1:20-2:30). Extended exposure to fallout is likely to cause cancer, a fact that many Americans were completely unaware of as those living nearby test sites stood outside their homes and watched the bombs go off; to them, it was a form of entertainment. In fact, Jim Carrier, writer for the Denver Post Staff, states, “[People] would get up early, drive onto a great red monolith called Sugarloaf overlooking St. George, and watch over the mountains for the awesome flash 175 miles away. Then they would watch the cloud drift toward them” (Carrier par. 16). The government allowed this to happen and in some cases, encouraged it. So now, decades later they have paid for this tragedy… literally. Indeed, when it could no longer be ignored, “after decades of denial, the government conceded that people in St. George and 15 surrounding counties contracted bomb-caused cancer… 1,066 people have been paid $53 million [by the government]” (Carrier par. 7, 10). Those who lived near government test sites, and were affected by the high levels of radiation contained in fallout, are known as the Downwinders. Although it is not explicitly stated in Douglas’s film, it is inevitable that his intent was to inform his audience of those affected by government bomb testing’s, on grounds that the U.S. government would no doubt deny this affliction for years to come. Furthermore, throughout Them!, we see how Douglas makes the connection between the U.S Governments behavior in the movie and the U.S. Governments behavior in real life, where secrecy is a key factor. Similar to the events in the movie (minus the radioactive bugs) many Americans are kept in the dark; they would not find out for years to come about many government tests of nuclear bombs on American soil, nor the effects of these bombs on human health, the land, animals, and so on. In the film, it was clear that the police, as well as government officials, went through great lengths to ensure that aftermath of the nuclear bomb testing in the desert of New Mexico (i.e. giant mutated ants) stay top secret. It was only until the situation got out of hand, forcing them to bring troops into the L.A. area, that they then had to inform citizens of the danger. After some light contemplation, it becomes clear that Douglas’s adaption of the American governments role in Them!, isn’t too far from reality. For example, as stated by William J. Broad, author for the New York Times: Secrecy Depends on Size. According to Government officials, the new criterion for concealing a nuclear test is size, very small detonations being kept secret… ‘There was simply no reason to announce them all, '’ said [a government] official, who asked not to be named. ‘The size of some of the tests was such that they didn 't even create a ripple. Nobody could feel them off the test site. It takes a lot of work to announce each of those tests. And it was information that was not germane to the general public…’. (Broad par. 4,6)
This argument made by an anonymous government official may sound valid at first glance, however, no matter the size of the nuclear bomb, fallout will still occur; as we took note of previously, fallout is capable of spreading for up to 100 plus miles. In addition, we are also aware that fallout has the ability cause cancer when one is exposed for extended amounts of time. So, no matter how inconvenient it may be to notify the public of all tests (big or small), doesn’t it simply seem fair to do so for the sake of the health and well being of citizens living in range of government test sites? Perhaps if more citizens were cautioned, there would be a much lower cancer rate among Americans living in these areas.
Last but not least, amongst all the nuclear warfare controversy, Douglas manages to skillfully weave in the subject of female empowerment. Although, film critic Nigel Honeybone would disagree with my claim that Them! is truly about more than just nuclear warfare, as he blatantly states, “Apart from mentioning the atomic tests, Them! doesn’t seem to possess any of the darker connotations hinted at by other movies of the period” (Honeybone par. 9). However, as subtle as it may seem, it is clear that Douglas has worked in feminist undertones simply by utilizing a strong female character. He does this through the use of Pat Medford, Doctor Medford’s young, attractive, and extremely independent daughter, who happens to be a doctor herself. Indeed, Pat is a very strong character, always insisting on being treated as a coequal to the men working the case, regardless of the fact that she is a woman. Moreover, throughout the entirety of the film there is an underlying power struggle amongst the men Pat encounters and their minds as they attempt to come to terms with her role. No doubt, it was not extremely common for men of this era to encounter, let alone work along side, a presumptuous female doctor; essentially, a women’s place was at home or, at most, as a teacher, secretary, or nurse. For instance, “only about half of the women born in the 1930s worked” (Glazer par. 82). Certainly a woman born in the 1930’s would likely be of age to marry and begin having children by the 1950s/60s. So, if only half of these women (give or take a few) were employed and mainly confined to the option of being a teacher, nurse, or secretary (as was commonly expected by the male influence of the household) it would be quite a statement to feature a strong, female doctor in a film that addresses the already controversial topic of nuclear warfare. What is more, Douglas puts the cherry on top of this decadent sundae when he includes typical housewives seen throughout the film as supporting characters; each one strengthens Pats strong feminist role as they provide a strong point for contrast between submissive and assertive female personalities.
In closing, as I watch these essentially cheesy Sci-fi Horror flicks now, I am able to see past the smoke and mirrors of entertainment and really take notice of the social issues that so many directors (including Gordon Douglas) have interlaced into these classic movies.
Never before would I have guessed that a giant mutated ant could be symbolic of a much bigger issue, such as the atomic age and nuclear warfare. Certainly, this goes to show that one cannot simply accept all things at face value as there is, more often than not, some message lurking beyond the surface waiting for the attentive viewer to catch it in the webs of their mind.

Works Cited
Broad, William J. "Some Atomic Tests being Kept Secret by Administration." New York Times: A.1. Jan 29 1984. ProQuest. Web. 6 May 2013.
Carrier, Jim. Denver Post, Staff Writer. "Atomic Legacy Fallout Downwinders." Denver Post (pre-1997 Fulltext): 0. May 18 1995. ProQuest. Web. 6 May 2013.
Fallout - 1950s Atomic Weapons and Hydrogen Bomb Safety Education Documentary. Prod. United States Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization. YouTube. YouTube, 04 June 2012. Web. 04 May 2013.
Glazer, Sarah. "Future of Feminism." CQ Researcher 14 Apr. 2006: 313-36. Web. 14 May 2013.
Honeybone, Nigel. "Film Review: Them! (1954)." HorrorNewsnet. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2013
Them! Dir. Gordon Douglas. Perf. James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, and Joan Weldon. Warner Bros. Pictures Inc., 1954.
DVD.