20 facts you might not know about 'Alien'

Screenwriter Dan O’Bannon got his career off to a quick start. In fact, when he was still a student at USC he helped John Carpenter make “Dark Star.” It was a bare-bones affair with an alien that didn’t make O’Bannon terribly happy. He decided he wanted to make a film where the alien could look “real,” and also settled on making it into a horror film.

O’Bannon (and Ronald Shusett, who got “story by” credit) got to work turning what was originally called “Star Beast” into the movie we know as “Alien.” There are plenty of inspirations that can be found in the movie, as fresh as it feels. O’Bannon happily declared, “I didn’t steal ‘Alien’ from anybody. I stole it from everybody!”

Have you ever heard of a movie referred to as “’Die Hard’ in” or “’Die Hard’ on?” You know, “Speed” is “’Die Hard’ on a bus.” “Air Force One” is “’Die Hard’ on a plane.” Well, that concept didn’t start with “Die Hard.” When pitching their script for “Alien,” O’Bannon and Shusett summarized it as “’Jaws’ in space.”

We know Scott as a famed, successful filmmaker now. However “Alien” was his breakout film. Prior to this movie he had only directed one feature-length film, 1977’s “The Duellists.” As such, the producers went through a few director options – including Walter Hill and Peter Yates – before offering the role to Scott, who was happy to accept.

The look of “Alien” is part of what makes the movie stand out so much. Scott played a role in that, of course, but he wasn’t the driving force behind it. Much of the movie was designed by the artist H.R. Giger. Both O’Bannon and Scott found Giger’s artwork grotesque and disturbing, but that’s exactly what they wanted. Giger is responsible for the face-hugger, the chestburster, the Xenomorph, you name it.

Skerritt, who plays Dallas, the captain of the Nostromo, was approached for the role early in the process. At the time, though, it was a low-budget affair with no director attached, so he declined. Then, Scott got the job and the budget was increased. The production was still interested in Skerritt, and this time he was happy to sign on.

The rest of the “Alien” cast was in place when Weaver was still auditioning to play Ripley, the most important role of the movie. Granted, the film doesn’t want you to know that, which is why an unknown was wanted. Weaver definitely qualified at the time. She had previously only had a small role in “Annie Hall” and appeared in one episode of a TV show.

Oftentimes, horror movies are packed with young actors, usually ones the producers and casting agents find attractive. What some, including Roger Ebert, have pointed out in praising the film is that the actors are largely older than your average horror movie. Weaver, at 29, was the youngest member of the Nostromo crew. Skerritt was 46, Harry Dean Stanton was 53, and so on. As Ebert would point out, it helped make the crew seem like believable blue-collar workers.

With all due respect to Weaver, the true star of “Alien” is the Xenomorph. While you never see him, Bolaji Badejo played a vital role in that. Badejo is the man who was inside the Xenomorph costume. He was not an actor, but a 26-year-old design student from Nigeria that a member of the casting department saw in a bar. Badejo was a thin 6’10’’, and that was just what Scott and Giger were looking for.

Perhaps the quintessential scene from “Alien” is when the chestburster tears through poor John Hurt’s chest. They even parodied it in “Spaceballs.” While the cast did know that the alien puppet would be bursting through Hurt’s “chest,” they were not told the whole truth. All the spurting blood was a surprise to the cast, so that blood that sprays onto actress Veronica Cartwright and her subsequent freakout were legitimate.

If you have seen “Aliens” you know that the name of the company that owns the Nostromo is called Weylan-Yutani. However, the name is not actually said in “Alien.” That’s not to say Weylan-Yutani doesn’t exist. You can see its logo on things on the ship, but it’s used as a subtle set design in the film.

The Nostromo is not an original ship name. Its name is borrowed from a 1904 novel by Joseph Conrad also called “Nostromo.” The year 1979 was big for Conrad. His novel “Heart of Darkness” is the inspiration for Francis Ford Coppolla’s “Apocalypse Now.”

Sometimes phrases or one-liners because separated from the source over time. For example, have you ever heard somebody say, “In space, no one can hear you scream?” That’s the tagline from “Alien,” making it one of the most successful taglines ever.

Before its wide release, “Alien” was screened twice. The first screening was for 20th Century Fox representatives and it did not go well due to poor sound quality. However, a screening for a general audience in Dallas went much better. According to Terry Rawlings, the editor of the movie, filmgoers screamed and ran from the theater.

“Alien” was nominated for two Oscars. It lost for Best Art Direction, but it won for Best Visual Effects, which went to Giger and a few other members of the crew. The movie was also quite successful at the sci-fi-focused Saturn Awards.

“Metroid” is one of Nintendo’s most successful video game franchises. The first game came out in 1986, and it carried with it a lot of influences from “Alien.” In fact, in a little tip of the hat to “Alien” the villains in the first “Metroid” game are named “Ridley” and “Mother Brain.” The former is the director, of course, while the latter is named after Nostromo’s computer.

Kenner struck it huge with toys based on “Star Wars.” This led to studios wanting to use their films to generate profit from toys, and also got Kenner excited about more toy tie-ins. Somehow, this led to Kenner and Fox thinking it was a good idea to make “Alien” toys. Bear in mind, “Alien” is a gross, violent R-rated movie that was edited down to even earn an R rating. And yet, they still released those Kenner toys, including a Xenomorph action figure and a board game. Unsurprisingly, the toys proved unsuccessful.

Not every high school is just doing Shakespeare or “Guys and Dolls” for their plays. North Bergen High School in New Jersey gained some internet acclaim for their stage adaptation of “Alien.” It went so well and garnered so much attention, they even did an encore performance with none other than Weaver in attendance.

Sometimes you only need a handful of moments from a character to get a lasting impact. The Xenomorph is on screen for all of four minutes in “Alien.” You can see a lot more of the Xenomorphs in movies like “Alien vs. Predator.” If you want to, that is.

These days, Weaver is a huge star. Ripley is probably her indelible role. It almost didn’t happen. Early in the filming, Weaver was dealing with allergies and feared she was allergic to the cat playing Jones and was worried she would be recast. It turned out that the source of the problem was the glycerin spray that was being used to make Weaver seem like she was sweating. They stopped using the spray on her and Weaver was able to stick in the role that made her a sci-fi legend.