(Tuesday, September 18, 1951, 8:30 a.m. EDT; during the Cold War) — The Day the Earth Stood Still, an American science fiction film about an alien who demands that Earth’s leaders choose between peace and destruction, opened this morning at the Mayfair Theatre in Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City.

Video: 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' (5 clips)

Set in the Cold War during the early stages of the nuclear arms race, the film was directed by Robert Wise and based on Edmund H. North’s screenplay. It starred Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe, Billy Gray, Frances Bavier and Lock Martin.