The Swarm
Movie
Year: 1978
Director: Irwin Allen
US Premiere: 14 July 1978
Copyright 1978 Warner Bros. Inc.
On this page
Plot Summary
A strain of killer bees is rapidly making its way north from South America. A world-renown entomologist, played by Michael Caine, is called upon to find a solution before it's too late.
Cast
Michael Caine - Dr. Bradford Crane
Katharine Ross - Captain Helena Anderson
Richard Widmark - General Thad Slater Jr.
Richard Chamberlain - Dr. Hubbard
Olivia De Havilland - Maureen Schuster
Ben Johnson - Felix Austin
Lee Grant - Anne MacGregor
Jose Ferrer - Dr. Andrews
Patty Duke Astin - Rita Bard
Slim Pickens - Jud Hawkins
Bradford Dillman - Major Baker
Fred MacMurray - Clarence Tuttle
Henry Fonda - Dr. Walter Krim
Cameron Mitchell - General Thompson, Chief of Staff at the Pentagon
Christian Juttner - Paul Durant
Morgan Paull - Dr. Newman, a geneticist
Alejandro Rey - Dr. Tomas Martinez
Don "Red" Barry - Pete Harris
Elizabeth Rogers - Female Scientist
Doria Cook - Mrs. Mary Durant
Robert Varney - Mr. Durant
Ernie Orsatti - Captain, Duty Officer
Patrick Culliton - Sheriff Chuck Morrison
John Furlong - Cameraman
Chris Petersen - Hal
Jerry Toomey - Eddie
Barbara Costello - Receptionist/Nurse
Jenifer Taurins - Nurse
David Himes - Communications Sergeant at Picnic Site
Mara Cook - Miss Cook, Secretary at School
Joey Eisnach - Bee Boy
Stephen Powers - Radarman
Chris Capen - Radarman #1
Tony Haig - Officer #2
Bill Snider - Radarman #2
George Simmons - Nurse
Arell Blanton - Sergeant
Trent Dolan - Radio Sergeant
John Williams - Launching Officer
Steve Marlo - Pilot #1
Phil Montgomery - Mechanic
Jim Galante - Doctor in Houston
Ken Clayton - Dr Moore
Frank Blair - Himself
Marcia Nicholson - Captain
Arthur Space - Ned, Train Driver Engineer
Chuck Hayward - Jimmy, Standby Train Driver Engineer
Glenn Charles Lewis - Chemical Warfare Guard
Art Balinger - Television Announcer
Michael Sheehan - Airman #1
Howard Culver - Airman #2
Marneen Fields - Train Passenger
Jack Krupnick - Train Passenger
Ken Allen - Military Officer
at Pentagon
George Holmes - Military Officer at Pentagon
Norman Palmer - Military Officer at Pentagon
Larry Moran - Colonel's Son
John Otrin - Wild Lines
Gary Bohn - Officer at Missile Complex
Ron Howard - Officer at Missile Complex (real name is Ron Howard and isn't his acting name)
Gary Wright -
Officer at Missile Complex
Buzz Barbee -
Briefing Attendee
Dusty Cadis -
Briefing Attendee
Gayle Frank - Briefing Attendee
Monty O'Grady - Briefing Attendee
Leoda Richards - Briefing Attendee
Norman Stevans - Briefing Attendee
Nico Stevens - Briefing Attendee
Brent Dunsford - National Guard Soldier at Slater's Houston base
Stunts
Greg Anderson
Rick Baker (aka Richard Diamond)
Mickey Caruso
Marneen Fields
Chuck Hayward
Larry Holt
Loren Janes
Mike Johnson
Mags Kavanaugh
Hubie Kerns Jr.
John Moio
John Nowak
Ernie F. Orsatti
Paul Stader
Production Crew
Editor - Harold F. Kress A.C.E.
Music - Jerry Goldsmith
Production Designer - Stan Jolley
Director of Photography - Fred J. Koenekamp A.S.C.
Original Novel - Arthur Herzog
Screenplay - Stirling Silliphant
Producer - Irwin Allen
Director - Irwin Allen
Production Executives - Sidney Marshall and Al Gail
Production Manager - Norman A. Cook
Assistant Director - Mike Salamunovich
2nd Assistant Director - Glenn 'Skip' Surguine
Post Production Supervisor - George E. Swink
Special Photographic Effects - L. B. Abbott A.S.C.
Costumer Designer - Paul Zastupnevich C.D.G.
Executive Assistant to Producer - Art Volpert
Casting - Jack Baur
Sound Editor - Allan R. Potter
Music Editor - Donald Harris
Stunt Coordinator - Paul Stader
Script Supervisor - Julie Pitkanen
Publicity - Tony Habeeb
Production Illustrators - Tom Cranham, Joseph Musso
Cost Controller - George Leslie
Dialogue Coach - Steven Marlo
Production Mixer - Herman Lewis
Re-Recording Mixers - Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Michael Minkler
Music Scoring Mixer - Danny Wallin
Orchestrations - Arthur Morton
Assistant Film Editor - Tom Board
Video Supervisor - Hal Landaker
Production Secretary - Nancy Claycomb
Assistant Art Director - William O'Brien
Set Decorator - Stuart Reiss
Set Designers - Harold Fuhrman, Alfred M. Kemper
Camera Operator - Mike Benson, Ralph Gerling
Process Photography - Harold E. Wellman A.S.C.
Assistant Cameraman - Ed Morey III
Assistant Camera Operators -
Robert W. 'Bobby' Apger,
Richard 'Dickie' Barth,
Lance Williams,
Gordon M. Paschal, Victor Nikaido
Still Photographer - John Monte
Property Master - Ralph Aubert
Electronics Foreman - Bill Ryan
Location Manager - Sheridan Reid
Gaffer - Gene Stout
Makeup Artist - Tony Lloyd
Hair Stylist - Ruby Ford
Special Effects - Howard Jensen
Bee Technical Advisors - Fred Hesper, Ken Harris
Air Force Coordinator - Major Ron Gruchy
2nd Assistant Director, Trainee - Herb Adelman
Opticals - Van Der Veer Photo Effects
Titles - Pacific Title
Negative Cutting - Donah Bassett
Assistant Cameraman Second Unit - Serge Poupis
Drapery - Irwin 'Eppy' Epstein
Sound Mixer - Robert Gravenor
ADR Editor (Automated Dialogue Replacement) - Jerry Jacobson
Key Grip - John 'Johnny' Murray
Grip - Bill Young
Filmed at The Burbank Studios, Burbank California
Trivia
- Cinematographer Harold E. Wellman worked with Irwin Allen on two of his 1950's movies, Dangerous Mission and The Animal World as well as Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and When Time Ran Out.
- The script shows that Walter Cronkite was originally intended to be the television announcer rather than Frank Blair after the bee attack on Marysville.
- Arthur Space (train driver) appeared in the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea episode "Destroy Seaview!".
- Guess what is showing at the local Marysville cinema?
Awards and Nominations
Academy Award Nominations 1979
Best Costume Design - Paul Zastupnevich
Script Changes
The second draft script dated April 1977 has Major Baker fly in to the missile assembly building with General Slater but in the movie, Baker is the leader of the chemical warfare (CW) group who find the bodies at the missile building.
Alternative Titles
France: L'Inévitable catastrophe
Germany: Der Tödliche Schwarm
Japan: スウォーム
Portugal: O Enxame
Spain: El Enjambre
Gallery
Julien's Auctions
JULIEN'S AUCTIONS, THE IRWIN ALLEN STORYBOARDS
An auction takes place on Saturday 15 June 2024 at Julien's Auctions, dedicated to The Irwin Allen Storyboards. These are all original illustrated art pieces including several lots featuring storyboards from The Swarm.
The Irwin Allen Swarm Storyboard Lots (courtesy of Julien's Auctions)
Heritage Auctions
HERITAGE AUCTIONS - ORIGINAL SWARM POSTER ART
The 29th July 2023 Hollywood/Entertainment Signature® Auction #7351 includes an original Swarm poster art painting by C. Winston Taylor.
Original Swarm Poster Lot at Heritage Auctions
Collectibles
The Swarm Blu-Ray
Irwin Allen's The Swarm has been released in Blu-Ray high definition format in the US (#ad).
The Swarm DVD
The Swarm DVD at Amazon US (#ad)
The Swarm Online Streaming
The Swarm at Amazon US Prime Video (#ad)
Events
Tributes
CHRISTIAN JUTTNER
Christian Juttner (Paul Durant in The Swarm) has died of natural causes at the age of 60 on 29 November 2024. Christian appeared in several well-known television shows and movies during his ten year acting career which began at the age of 7. His list of credits includes Bewitched, Ironside, The Bionic Woman, and Wonder Woman.
OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND
Olivia de Havilland, legendary star of Irwin Allen’s The Swarm passed away at the age of 104 on 26 July 2020 in Paris, France. She was probably best known for her starring role in the classic movie Gone with the Wind and was the sister of another Irwin Allen star, Joan Fontaine who appeared in the movie version of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
This website is a tribute to Irwin Allen, the performers, the production crews, and the studios who made the television shows and movies a reality. It is also a tribute to all the people who help to keep these productions alive for future generations.
