# Who narrated John Carpenter's The Thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 1, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610 "2017-05-01T00:27:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/1 "2017-05-01T00:27:10Z")
TV version inserted narrated character descriptions. The voice is very familiar. My first thought is Dick O'Neill who I remember from The Taking of Pelham 123, though he was in tons of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/2 "2017-05-01T00:42:54Z")
> **[The Thing (1982) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast)** > > The Thing (1982) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. The above is the full credits for the movie, doesn’t seem to be a credit for the narrator. ---
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/3 "2017-05-01T01:16:32Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > The above is the full credits for the movie, doesn’t seem to be a credit for the narrator. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/4 "2017-05-01T02:54:16Z")
But it _does_ sound like O’Neill; good ears. “Aside from that, everything’s ginger peachy.” ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/5 "2017-05-01T03:15:33Z")
For completeness’s sake, I found some site that claims the narration was by Donald Moffat (plays Garry “Tied to this fucking couch.”) Could be. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/6 "2017-05-01T03:54:20Z")
Isn’t it Kurt Russell? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/7 "2017-05-01T14:48:38Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Isn’t it Kurt Russell? That was my thought as well. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/8 "2017-05-01T15:09:21Z")
Definitely not Kurt Russell. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/9 "2017-05-01T15:16:36Z")
Slightly off-topic, but if you get a chance check out the DVD commentary with Carpenter and Russell. They’re obviously long-time friends and have a blast watching the movie together. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/10 "2017-05-01T15:30:52Z")
Same for EFNY. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/11 "2017-05-01T16:07:32Z")
James Arness ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/12 "2017-05-01T17:26:00Z")
That’s really some pretty awful narration. Why any TV wonk would think that made for a stronger film is beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-narrated-john-carpenters-the-thing/785610/13 "2017-05-01T17:55:13Z")
After they took out the language, the violence and the gory SFX, they probably had a 65 minute movie. Gotta pad, gotta pad. Similarly, when “The Dead Zone” first made the TV rounds, the film started as Johnny was waking up from his coma and they snuck in some short flashbacks during dialog scenes. Jarring, to say the least.