The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1984
Running Times: 102 mins
Length: 9125 ft
Format: colour
Ratio:
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: New World Pictures / Cinema Group Venture in association with New Pictures Corp.
Executive Producer: John Carpenter
Producers: Joel B. Michaels, Douglas Curtis
Associate Producer: Pegi Brotman
Production Manager: Billy Ray Smith
Production Coordinator: Coni Lancaster

SCRIPT
Script: William Gray, Michael Janover
Story: Wallace Bennett, Don Jakoby
Book: William I. Moore, Charles Berlitz

DIRECTION
Director: Stewart Raffill
2nd Unit Director: Max W. Anderson
Assistant Directors: Patrick Kehoe, Jeffrey Chernov, Gail Joyce Fortmuller

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Dick Bush
2nd Unit Director of Photography: Jonathan Seay
Camera Operator: Robert Hayes
Gaffer: Roger Olkowski
24 Frame Video Services: Inter Video
Lab: CFI / Eastman Colour
Prints: CFI

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editors: Neil Travis, William Hoy
Assistant Editor: Terry Kelley

MUSIC
Music: Kenneth Wannberg
Music Performed By: The National Philharmonic Orchestra
Songs: Joe Garland (In the Mood); Andy Razaf, Eubie Blake (Memories of You); Ruth Lowe (I'll Never Smile Again); Ian Thomas (The Runner)
Songs Performed By: Manfred Mann (The Runner)
Music Recordist: Eric Tomlinson
Music Re-Recordist: Joel Fein
Music Editor: John Harris

SOUND
Sound Designer: David Lewis Yewdall
Sound Recordist: Bob Gravenor
Supervising Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Gary Alexander
Supervising Sound Editor: John K. Adams
Dialogue Re-Recordist: Gary Alexander
Dialogue Editor: Steve Rice
ADR Editors: Devon Heffley, Barbara Boguski
ADR Loop Group: Corey Burton
Effects Re-Recordist: Larry Stensvold
Sound Effects: Dick Le Grand, Chuck Smith
Foley Artists: John Post, Duane Hensel

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Annie Maniscalco
Hair: Joe Giannone
Costumer: Joanna Palace

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Special Effects Unlimited Inc
Special Effects Coordinator: Larry Cavanaugh
Special Effects Technicians: Bob Willard, Steven Lombardi, Bruce Steinheimer, Casey Cavanaugh

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Supervisor: Julia Gibson
Visual Effects Producer: Paula A. Lumbard
Visual Effects: Max W. Anderson, Cinemotion Pictures Inc
Visual Effects Photography: Steve Caldwell, Chris Dierdorff
Time Lapse Photography: Time Lapse Company
Visual Effects Camera Operator: Joshua Cushner
Visual Effects Animators: Katherine Kean, Deborah Gaydos, Holly Hudson
Visual Effects Production Assistant: Sharon Johnston
Animation Camera: Juniko Moody
Model Maker: Scott H. Campbell
Visual Consultant: W. Stewart Campbell
Title Designer: Douy Swofford
Optical Supervisor: Beth Block
Opticals: Movie Magic
Line Up: Sara Pasanen
Printer Operator: Betzy Bromberg, Ed Harker
Computer Graphics: Job/Love Kay
Motion Control Assistant Director: Jon Lee
Additional Optical Composites: Lookout Mountain

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Chris Campbell
Set Decorator: Diane Campbell

MISCELLANEOUS
Production Assistants: Eric Johnson, Brent Bowman, Bob Blongiewicz, Randy Stricklin, Phil Strauss
Charleston Production Assistants: Catherine Davis, Randall Crocker
Wendover, Salt Lake City Production Assistant: Gerald North
Technical Adviser: Dr Thomas R. McDonough
Helicopter Pilots: John D. Sarviss, Lawrence Doll
Caterer: Jim Gerwig

LOCATIONS
Locations: Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Denver, Colorado, USA; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Santa Paula, California, USA; Wendover, Utah, USA
Location Managers: Joseph Raffill, Joe Luizzi
Location Manager (Charleston): Steve Rhea
Location Manager (Wendover, Salt Lake City): Reggie Jackson

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: Fernando Celis
Stunts: Joe Epstein, Monty Cox, Glory Fioramonti, Ted Gincig, Lee Praggastie

CASTING
Casting: Linda Francis
Utah Casting: Cate Praggastis

CAST
Michael Paré (David Herdeg)
Nancy Allen (Allison Hayes)
Eric Christmas (Dr James Longstreet)
Bobby Di Cicco (Jim Parker)
Louise Latham (Pamela)
Kene Holliday (Major Clark)
Joe Dorsey (Sheriff Bates)
Michael Currie (Magnussen)
Stephen Tobolowsky (Barney)
Gary Brockette (Adjutant Andrews)
Debra Troyer (young Pamela)
Miles McNamara (young Longstreet)
Ralph Manza (older Jim)
James Edgcomb (Officer Boyer)
Glenn Morshower (mechanic)
Rodney Saulsberry (doctor)
Vivian Brown (Ma Willis)
Stephanie Faulkner (TV newscaster #1)
Ed Bakey (Pa Willis)
Michael Villani (TV newscaster #2)
Vaughn Armstrong (cowboy)
Bill Smillie (evangelist)
Lawrence Lott (technician)
Stephan O'Reilly (punk rocker)
Clayton Wilcox (transvestite)
Pat Dasko (Dry Wells newscaster)
Pamela Brull (Doris)
Richard Jewkes (technician)
Robin Krieder (x-ray technician)
Pamela Doucette (nurse)
Michael Ruud (truck driver)
Deborah E. Dixon (nurse)
Mary Lois Grantham (Mrs Waite)
Rick Schrand (Mandell)
Patrick DeSantis (Jim Jr)
Charles Hall (Commander)
David Allen Michaels (prison guard)
Raymond Kowalski (radio technician)
Andrew McCartney (technician)
Anthony R. Nuzzo (generator technician)
Joe Moore (Commander's buddy)
Don Dolan (driver)
Brent S. Laing (radar technician)
Jeffrey S. Smith (sailor)
Tony Farrell (bandleader)
Andrew Bracken (dazed sailor)
Rudy Daniels (policeman #1)
Jay Bernard (engineer)
Steve Sachs (1st sailor)
Bo Parham (radio operator)
Harry Beer (2nd sailor)
Kerry Lee Maher (radio operator)

PLOT SUMMARY

During World War II, the US Navy experiments with an anti-radar device that renders the USS Philadelphia momentarily invisible. When it returns, most of the crew are dead – but two have been thrown into the future and have to find a way to cope with life in 1984.

AVAILABILITY

Australia
Video Distributors: Roadshow Home Video

Greece
Television Distributors: Aquarius TV

Spain
DVD Distributors: Manga Films S.L.

Sweden
Theatrical Distributors: Succéfilm AB

UK
Theatrical Distributors: Columbia-EMI-Warner
Laserdisc Distributors: Thorn EMI (TLY 90 2782 1)

USA
Theatrical Distributors: New World Pictures
Video Distributors: Anchor Bay Entertainment; Thorn EMI
Laserdisc Distributors: Lumivision (LVD 9522); Image Entertainment (ID 8089 RG)
DVD Distributors: Anchor Bay Entertainment (DV 11234)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Finland
Rating: K-12

Norway
Rating: 15

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: PG

USA
Rating: PG

West Germany
Rating: 12

AWARDS

1985
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, USA (Saturn Awards)
Best Actress (Nancy Allen) - nominated

Fantafestival
Best Film (Stewart Raffill) - winner

TIMELINE

1984
August
3: USA – theatrical release

October
5: Sweden – theatrical release

1985
January
11: West Germany – theatrical release
18: Finland – theatrical release

1992
May
8: USA - laserdisc release (Image Entertainment (ID 8089 RG))

2000
September
19: USA - DVD release (Anchor Bay (DV 11234))

POSTER TAGS

An adventure beyond time. The experiment that should never have happened 41 years ago... Is still going on.

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Eksperyment filadelfijski - Polish title
Experiment Philadelphia - Swedish title
El experimento Filadelfia - Spanish title
Philadelphia Experiment - French title
Das Philadelphia Experiment - West German title
Tuhon kuilu - Finnish title

LINKS

SEQUEL
Philadelphia Experiment II (1993)

INCLUDES FOOTAGE FROM
Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Spawn of the Slithis (1978)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.51 no.610 (November 1984) pp.339-340 (UK)
illustrated credits, synopsis, review (by Kim Newman) - read the full review in the Kim Newman Archive

Première January 1985 p.18 (France)
review (by Stella Molitor)

KEYWORDS

battleships, book into film, car chases, experiments, helicopters, lightning, military, scientists, storms, time travel

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009