E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writer:

Melissa Mathison (written by)

Release Date:

11 June 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

He is afraid. He is totally alone. He is 3 million light years from home.

Plot:

A group of Earth children help a stranded alien botanist return home.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Stranded | Friendship | Children | Period In Title

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 38 wins & 27 nominations

Cast

Henry Thomas	...	Elliott
Dee Wallace	...	Mary
Robert MacNaughton	...	Michael (as Robert Macnaughton)
Drew Barrymore	...	Gertie
Peter Coyote	...	Keys
K.C. Martel	...	Greg
Sean Frye	...	Steve
C. Thomas Howell	...	Tyler (as Tom Howell)
David M. O'Dell	...	Schoolboy (as David O'Dell)
Richard Swingler	...	Science Teacher
Frank Toth	...	Policeman
Robert Barton	...	Ultrasound Man
Michael Darrell	...	Van Man
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Berkson	...	Medic
Susan Cameron	...	Medic
David Carlberg	...	Medic
Erika Eleniak	...	Pretty Young Girl
Will Fowler Jr.	...	Medic
Barbara Hartnett	...	Medic
Milt Kogan	...	Big Medic (as Milt Kogan, M.D.)
Alexander Lampone	...	Medic
Diane Lampone	...	Medic (as Di Ann Lampone)
Rhoda Makoff	...	Medic
Robert Murphy	...	Medic
Richard Pesavento	...	Medic
Tom Sherry	...	Medic
Mary Stein	...	Medic
Mitch Suskin	...	Medic (as Mitchell Suskin)
Ted Grossman	...	Government Agent (uncredited)
Jean-Paul Hellendall	...	Student (uncredited)
Michael Lepre	...	Pizza Man (uncredited)
Anne Lockhart	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Pat Welsh	...	E.T. (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Steven Spielberg

Writing credits
Melissa Mathison		(written by)

Produced by
Kathleen Kennedy	....	producer
Melissa Mathison	....	associate producer
Steven Spielberg	....	producer

Original Music by
John Williams

Cinematography by
Allen Daviau		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Carol Littleton

Casting by
Jane Feinberg
Mike Fenton
Marci Liroff

Production Design by
James D. Bissell

Set Decoration by
Jackie Carr

Makeup Department
Lola 'Skip' McNalley	....	hair stylist
Robert Sidell	....	makeup supervisor
Jim Gillespie	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Frank Marshall	....	production supervisor
Wallace Worsley Jr.	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Daniel Attias	....	second assistant director
Katy Emde	....	first assistant director
John Flynn	....	dga trainee
Glenn Randall Jr.	....	second unit director (as Glenn H. Randall Jr.)
Jerram A. Swartz	....	first assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Leslie Butcher	....	greensman
Ernest Depew	....	construction manager
Michael Dunn	....	assistant propertyman
Russell Goble	....	property manager
Eero Hautanen	....	propmaker foreman
Jack Jennings	....	propmaker foreman
Ralph McQuarrie	....	scenic artist/spaceship designer
James Moss	....	paint foreman
Craig Reardon	....	special artistic consultant
Sandra Renfroe	....	set dressing leadwoman
Clark Shindel	....	labor foreman
William James Teegarden	....	set designer (as William Teegarden)
Ed Verreaux	....	unit illustrator
John Villarino	....	propmaker foreman
Ken Walker	....	assistant propertyman
Claudia Gilligan Ivanjack	....	stand-by painter (uncredited)
Drew Struzan	....	poster artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Raul A. Bruce	....	boom operator
Charles L. Campbell	....	supervising sound editor
Gene S. Cantamessa	....	sound mixer
Norval D. Crutcher III	....	sound editor: 2002 restoration
Samuel C. Crutcher	....	sound effects editor
Don Digirolamo	....	sound re-recording mixer
Louis L. Edemann	....	sound effects editor
Richard C. Franklin	....	sound effects editor
Robert Glass	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Knudson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Nicholas Vincent Korda	....	adr editor
Andy Koyama	....	2001 restoration sound re-recording mixer
Shawn Murphy	....	sound re-recording mixer (2001 restoration)
Chuck Neely	....	assistant sound editor
Charles Payne	....	sound technician
David Pettijohn	....	sound effects editor
John Roesch	....	foley artist
Joan Rowe	....	foley artist
Hank Salerno	....	adr editor
Norman B. Schwartz	....	post-production dialogue editor
Howard Stein	....	sound effects editor
Jonathan Wales	....	sound re-recording mixer: 20th anniversary edition
Joe DeAngelis	....	sound recordist: 2001 restoration (uncredited)
Lee Gilmore	....	2001 restoration apprentice sound editor (uncredited)
William Hooper	....	sound editor: 2001 restoration (uncredited)
Bill Meadows	....	2001 restoration sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Robert Avila	....	E.T. operator
Gary Crawford	....	special effects assistant
Eugene Crum	....	E.T. operator
Dale L. Martin	....	special effects coordinator
Andrew Miller	....	special effects assistant
Carlo Rambaldi	....	E.T. operator
Frank Schepler	....	E.T. operator
Bob Townsend	....	E.T. operator
Steven Willis	....	E.T. operator (as Steve Willis)
Robert E. Worthington	....	special effects assistant
Richard Zarro	....	E.T. operator
Ronald Zarro	....	E.T. operator

Visual Effects by
Al Bailey	....	digital compositor (special edition)
Charles Bailey	....	chief model maker
Craig Barron	....	matte photography assistant
David Berry	....	optical printer operator
Jessie Boberg	....	model maker
Colin Brady	....	animation supervisor: ILM (2002 special edition)
Marty Brenneis	....	model electronics
Ronn Brown	....	digital matte artist: ILM: re-release 2002
Conrad Buff IV	....	effects editorial supervisor
Dave Childers	....	stage technician
Bob Chrisoulis	....	optical technician
Mike Cochrane	....	model maker
Harold Cole	....	stage technician
Samuel Comstock	....	animation supervisor
Ryan Cook	....	assistant technical director: ILM (2002 special edition)
Andrew Doucette	....	character animator: ILM (2002 special edition)
Dick Dova	....	stage technician
Don Dow	....	visual effects camera operator
Selwyn Eddy	....	visual effects camera assistant
John Ellis	....	optical printer engineer
Robert Elswit	....	visual effects camera operator
Christopher Evans	....	matte painting artist
Bob Finley III	....	stage technician
Pat Fitzsimmons	....	stage technician
Warren Franklin	....	visual effects production coordinator
Michael Fulmer	....	chief model maker
Tim Geideman	....	optical technician
Bill George	....	visual effects supervisor: ILM (2002 special edition)
Ralph Gordon	....	optical printer line-up
Michael J. Halsted	....	CG artist: ILM (re-release) (as Michael Halsted)
Karl Herrmann	....	visual effects camera assistant
Edward Hirsh	....	stage technician
Lars Jensvold	....	assistant visual effects editor (2002 special edition)
Russell Koonce	....	digital effects artist (20th Anniversary re-release 2002)
Neil Krepela	....	matte photography
Greg Kyle	....	animator: ILM (2002 special edition)
Gary Leo	....	model electronics
Scott Marshall	....	model maker
Kevin Martel	....	animator (2002 special edition)
Michael J. McAlister	....	visual effects camera operator: ILM
Glen McIntosh	....	character animator (2002 special edition)
John McLeod	....	special effects technician: ILM
Duncan Meyers	....	optical technician
Ted Moehnke	....	supervising stage technician
Thaine Morris	....	stage technician
Dennis Muren	....	visual effects supervisor
Jennifer Maryam Nona	....	digital artist (20th Anniversary re-release 2002)
Frank Ordaz	....	matte painting artist
Randy Ottenberg	....	model maker
Michael Owens	....	visual effects camera assistant
Ease Owyeung	....	model maker
Michael Pangrazio	....	visual effects matte painting supervisor
Suzanne Pastor	....	model maker
Lorne Peterson	....	model shop supervisor
Magali Rigaudias	....	digital character animator (2002 restoration)
Kenneth Smith	....	optical photography supervisor
Michael Smith	....	equipment maintenance
Thomas G. Smith	....	general manager: ILM (as Tom Smith)
Tom St. Amand	....	visual effects go-motion figures
Michael Steffe	....	model maker
Sam Stewart	....	digital restoration artist: ILM (re-release)
Peter Stolz	....	stage technician
Mitch Suskin	....	optical effects coordinator (as Mitchell Suskin)
Pat Sweeney	....	visual effects camera assistant
Catherine Tate	....	Sabre artist: ILM (2002 special edition)
Marc Toscano	....	CG artist: ILM (2002 re-release)
Alan Travis	....	2D paint artist
Alan Travis	....	rotoscoper
David Valentin	....	visual effects production coordinator (20th anniversary edition)
Michael Van Eps	....	roto/paint lead (2002 special addition)
Laurie Vermont	....	visual effects production coordinator
Eric Voegels	....	digital artist: ILM (20th anniversary release 2002)
Andy Wang	....	digital artist: ILM (2002 special edition)
Gene Whiteman	....	optical printer engineer
Julie Adrianson-Neary	....	digital artist (special edition) (uncredited)
Kris Brown	....	visual effects engineer: ILM (uncredited)
Carey Burens	....	visual effects assistant editor (uncredited)
Zachary Cole	....	technical support: ILM (uncredited)
Bill Gilman	....	digital compositor (2002 special edition) (uncredited)
Peter Mitchell Rubin	....	visual effects art director (uncredited) (2002 special edition)
Jeff Shank	....	digital effects: ILM (20th anniversary edition, 2002) (uncredited)
Hoyt Yeatman	....	motion control photographer (uncredited)

Stunts
Richard E. Butler	....	stunts
Bennie E. Dobbins	....	stunts
Ted Grossman	....	stunts
Keith Harvey	....	stunts
Fred Lerner	....	stunts
Bobby Porter	....	stunts
Glenn Randall Jr.	....	stunt coordinator (as Glenn H. Randall Jr.)
Glenn Randall Jr.	....	stunts
Felix Silla	....	stunts
Chuck Waters	....	stunts
Al Wyatt Jr.	....	stunts (as Alan Wyatt Jr.)
Bob Haro	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kevin Jessup	....	stunts (uncredited)
Michael R. Long	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Paul	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Joseph Capshaw	....	lighting best boy
Terry Chostner	....	still photographer
John J. Connor	....	camera operator
Rick Fee	....	second assistant camera (as Richard Fee)
John Fleckenstein	....	camera operator
Donald L. Hartley	....	dolly grip
Gene Kearney	....	key grip
Bruce McBroom	....	still photographer
Bob Munoz	....	best boy grip
James Plannette	....	gaffer
Steven Shaw	....	first assistant camera
Ernest Holzman	....	film loader (uncredited)

Animation Department
Miguel A. Fuertes	....	animator
Jack Mongovan	....	animator
Peggy Tonkonogy	....	animator
Gary Waller	....	animator (as Garry Waller)
Terry Windell	....	animator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dan Moore	....	assistant costumer
Deborah Lynn Scott	....	costumer
Phyllis Corcoran-Woods	....	costume assistant (uncredited)
Katherine Dover	....	additional costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Dennis Brookins	....	negative cutter
Bruce Cannon	....	second assistant editor
Dana E. Glauberman	....	assistant editor
Kathleen Korth	....	first assistant editor
Robert Raring	....	color timer

Music Department
Kenneth Hall	....	music editor
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator
Don McVay	....	musician (uncredited)
Angela Morley	....	additional orchestrator (uncredited)
Angela Morley	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
David Newman	....	musician: violin (uncredited)
Jim Self	....	musician: tuba (uncredited)

Transportation Department
John Feinblatt	....	transportation captain
Eugene Schwartz	....	transportation manager

Other crew
'Little Pat' Bilon	....	special e.t. movement (as Pat Bilon)
Laura Buff	....	production accountant (as Laura Kaysen)
Michael J. Burmeister	....	production associate
Corey Burton	....	adr loop group
Ben Burtt	....	e.t.'s voice design
Richard L. Calkins	....	harvey's owner/trainer
David Carlberg	....	medical unit consultant
Matthew De Meritt	....	special e.t. movement
Tamara De Treaux	....	special e.t. movement
Denise Durham	....	assistant: Ms. Kennedy
Sue Dwiggins	....	production coordinator
Henry Feinberg	....	communicator design
Lyla Foggia	....	unit publicist
Jane Goe	....	assistant accountant
Dennis Grisco	....	animal talent
Beverley Hoffman	....	e.t. eyes design
Jerry Jeffress	....	electronic systems design
Adria Later	....	teacher
Phyllis Levin	....	first aid
Nancy MacLean	....	special e.t. movement
Roberto McGrath	....	still lab technician
Kerry Nordquist	....	still lab technician
Ramon Pahoyo	....	craft service
Tina Palmer	....	special e.t. movement
Janice Pober	....	assistant: Mr. Spielberg
Bonne Radford	....	unit accountant
Pattee Roedig	....	representative: Cine Guarantors (as Patricia Roedig)
Caprice Rothe	....	e.t. movement coordinator
Patty Rumph	....	assistant: Mr. Marshall
Robert W. Scholler	....	medical unit consultant
Robert Short	....	additional E.T. effects
Steve Townsend	....	special e.t. effects manager
Richard Vane	....	location services
Esther Vivante	....	script supervisor
Pam Ybarra	....	special e.t. movement
Lance Young	....	production associate
Howie Hammerman	....	voice: ET belch (uncredited)
Ken Mura	....	voice: drunk ET vocalizations (uncredited)
Debra Winger	....	voice: partially-retained E.T. temp track (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures
• Amblin Entertainment (uncredited)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1982) (UK) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2002) (Argentina) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Argentina Video Home (2002) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2002) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-edited)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1982) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2002) (Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2002) (Italy) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2002) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1991) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar (video)
• East West (Russia)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• MCA/Universal Pictures
• Prem'er Video Fil'm (Russia) (VHS)
• Universal Home Video (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (Brazil) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD) (remastered)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2002) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (special edition)

Special Effects

• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (special visual effects)

Other Companies

• Affinity Artists Agency  talent agency
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• Judi's Casting Service  extras casting
• Location Security Service  location security
• MCA Records  soundtrack released by
• Pacific Title  titles
• Post Logic Studios  digital film mastering
• Producer's Location Vehicle  location production vehicle
• UMG Soundtracks  soundtrack released by

Also Known As:

A Boy's Life (USA) (working title)
E.T. (USA) (short title)
E.T. and Me (USA) (working title)
E.T. the Extra- Terrestrial: The 20th Anniversary (USA) (longer version)
Night Skies (USA) (working title)
E.T., el extraterrestre (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
хМНОКЮМЕРЪМХМ (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
E.T. (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
E.T. - Der Außerirdische (West Germany) [de]
E.T. - O Extra-Terrestre (Portugal) [pt]
E.T. - O Extraterrestre (Brazil) [pt]
E.T. - gjesten fra verdensrommet (Norway) [no]
E.T. l'extra-terrestre (Italy) [it]
E.T. l'extraterrestre (Canada: French title) [fr]
E.T. l'extraterrestre (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
E.T. mimozemstan (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]
E.T. o exogiinos (Greece) [el]
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Finland) [fi]
E.T., l'extra-terrestre (France) [fr]

MPAA:

Rated PG for language and mild thematic elements. (2002 edited version)

Runtime:

115 min | USA:120 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby Digital EX (re-release) | Dolby (35 mm prints) (original release) | SDDS (re-release) | DTS-ES (re-release)

Certification:

Canada:F (Ontario) (video rating) (1996) (2002) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:G (British Columbia) (2002) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2002) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Alberta) (2002) | Iceland:LH | Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/6 | Spain:T | Mexico:A | South Korea:All | West Germany:6 (f) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Australia:PG (20th anniversary edition) | Brazil:Livre | Chile:TE | Finland:K-7 (20th anniversary special edition) | France:U | Hong Kong:I | Netherlands:AL | Norway:12 | Norway:7 (20th anniversary special edition) | Peru:14 | Philippines:G | Singapore:G (20th anniversary edition) | Singapore:PG (original rating) | Sweden:11 | Sweden:7 (2001) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) (20th anniversary edition) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) (20th anniversary edition) | Switzerland:8 (canton of the Grisons) (20th anniversary edition) | UK:U | USA:PG (certificate #26717) (original rating) | USA:PG (certificate #38656) (20th anniversary edition)

Filming Locations:

7121 Lonzo Street, Tujunga, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

E.T.'s voice was provided by Pat Welsh, an elderly woman who lived in Marin County, California. Welsh smoked two packets of cigarettes a day, which gave her voice a quality that sound effects creator Ben Burtt liked. She spent nine-and-a-half hours recording her part, and was paid $380 by Burtt for her services. Burtt also recorded 16 other people and various animals to create E.T.'s "voice". These included Spielberg; Debra Winger; Burtt's sleeping wife, who had a cold; a burp from his USC film professor; as well as raccoons, sea otters and horses.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Mary reads "Peter Pan" to Gertie, there's a view of her silhouette on the closet door slats. Her lips don't match the narration.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Steve: [reading dice] Five.
Michael: Oh, great.
Steve: So you got an arrow right in your chest.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Papa Oom Mow Mow

Still Blows Me Away to this Day

E.T. is one of my all time favorite movies. This movie blew me out of my seat as a kid, and still kills me every time I watch it. Only four or five movies have made me cry, much less sob uncontrollably. When I returned from seeing E.T. for the first time, I couldn't talk for the rest of the day. I laid in my bed and cried for about five hours.

The movie still makes tears well up in my eyes and gives me a lump in my throat. I still find it profoundly moving. It's heart-breakingly sad, yet phenomenally uplifting at the same time. I had no idea a movie could be so powerful when I saw this in the movies for the first time when I was eleven.

There are a few movies that actually changed the course of my life. THE GODFATHER PART I and II, TOMMY, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and ERASERHEAD all pushed me in the direction of becoming a filmmaker, but it was E.T., at that impressionable age, that made me want to create. Man, if I could some day make something that extraordinary, I would be complete.

What I think makes E.T. so powerful for me know, is the heart-wrenching way it has of making me long to be a kid again. I refuse to ever completely grow up, and my memories are my own, but man does this movie make me wish I was eleven again, when riding my bike was a pleasure, Matchbox cars were the greatest thing in the world, Halloween was a night of mystery and creepy fun I looked forward to all year, going to the movies was an adventure, and looking up at the stars could be a mind-blowing experience.

E.T. keeps those feeling alive for me. So do a lot of other things, but E.T. is the champ. As much as my cynical adult side may want to slap Steven Spielberg around sometimes, I would happily give him a hug for his timeless gift to the world, E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL.

If you can find it check out the now out of print DVD. Just DON'T watch the "restored" version, unless you want the movie to be ruined. Those technical rapists known as CGI artists have mauled the movie with completely unnecessary special effects and completely destroyed the illusion that E.T. is alive, ironically, by trying to make him look more realistic. They fail miserably.

Apparently, Spielberg and company thought E.T. looked better with a phony cartoon face and exaggerated facial expressions. The scene at the beginning when E.T. flees in terror from the UFO investigators is also ruined. In the original version, E.T. glides along the ground in an eerily otherworldy manner, and it looked great. Now, he actually runs as though he's leaping over little hurtles, and it looks absurd.

Oh, well. They can do what they want. I feel that some things are sacred. STAR WARS, for example. But E.T. was perfect...PERFECT... the way it was. Why can't people leave well enough alone?

Regardless, I love E.T. I love Spielberg for making it. So much so, that I even forgive him for ruining it.