The Wrong Stuff: Bad Space Movies You Must See!
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- SPOILERS!!! Although honestly you may not really care about my blowing the plots of these gems out of orbit... A short list of films that are worth watching because of their unique use of NASA facilities, often with the complete co-operation of the agency. Enjoy!
0:00 - Intro
0:56 - Have Rocket, Will Travel
2:47 - The Reluctant Astronaut
4:50 - Marooned
6:43 - Stowaway To The Moon
12:45 - Futureworld
13:45 - Moonwalk One
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Thankyou Fran for giving me more ideas to add to the DVD library.
So many old B grade movies from the cold war period have wonderful views of technology now virtually forgotten by society, but sometimes fondly remembered by those who had it touch their early careers.
Reluctant Astronaut and Ghost And Mr Chicken are two of my favourite movies ever!
Sadly, I've seen 66.66666% of them.
My old man knew Don Knotts, so we had to watch all of his films!
When I was working on Shuttle, one of the Apollo graybeards told me about his movie stardom. He was one of the guys on console in the control center in the Reluctant Astronaut. Thanks for posting this, I just saw him. Goodnight Gene wherever you are!
The classic Trek episode "Assignment: Earth" contains a lot of Saturn V and Cape Kennedy footage.
Yes it does with some quick shots of an F-104 top.
... when my 10 year old self got a crush on Terri Garr.
I loved the Nasa footage!
Had Titan IIIC as well, IIRC
"Stowaway to the moon." I never saw it, but knowing now that it exists shows me how my brain has become dull and grey, where once it wanted to believe.
We need to rediscover how to inspire and motivate because that is the basis of future strength and capability.
I remember 'Stowaway to the Moon'. mainly because I wanted to watch it, and the Old Man, was bound and determined to teach my brother and I, how to play bridge.
I'm surprised you didn't mention 'Capricorn One', a pathetic movie that fuels Moon Landing Deniers to this day
Ah 1975, I remember it well. Fifth grade, energy crisis, Gerald Ford. Don't remember Stowaway to the Moon, but I'll definitely seek it out. Thanks Fran!
I've seen all these except for the stowaway to the moon one. I've never heard of that one. I'm definitely going to have to check that out! The premise reminds me of that Space Camp movie where kids accidently go on a shuttle launch and have to make it home.
Great movies Fran. My all time favorite out of your picks was the Reluctant Astronaut with Don Knots. I agree that the real footage is priceless. I actually saw this as a child in the movie theater.
I must suggest one that you missed: The Glass Bottom Boat! This one has Doris Day and also features space hardware of the time the movie was filmed.
Yup saw the Reluctant Astronaut at the theater too. Fan-F-in-tastic! Finally got to Kennedy ON MY HONEYMOON.
These film makers didn't know they would become archivists! It's so cool to see this old equipment in action.
Futureworld is also the first feature movie to feature CGI. Of course, you don't really have to watch the entire movie for that, because the clip can actually be seen here at 13:18. But despite its overall goofiness, the whole film is worth a watch, certainly if you have seen the first Westworld movie as well.
I've noticed a lot of rocket ship movies from the 50s used a bunch of footage of the V2 rockets.
And all the ones falling over into a ball of flame. Such fond memories.
Werner von Braun rockets too.
Fran, I vaguely remember seeing Stowaway to the Moon. I saw it as a kid. The Reluctant Astronaut is a classic as he takes the bus instead of flying but is an astronaut. I'll have to watch the others. Thanks for sharing!
MST3K did a good send up of Marooned. It was named "Space Travelers" in that episode.
It also won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, making it the only Oscar-winning film they ever did.
I was just thinking that the cartoon caricature of Fran, if reversed, would make a great addition to the silhouetted reviewers of MST3K when viewed from behind.
Growing up in SA during the late 60's there was a tradition at my junior school, to treat the kids to a 16mm movie in our school hall.
Inveriably there was a 3 Stooges short followed by Tarzan of the Apes feature etc. I can remember this Stooges space movie and found it incredibly funny.
'Marooned' had it's Jo'burg premier in a new swanky 1000 seat cinema, with a wrap-around screen, which initially left audiences slightly dazed and deafened, due to the huge sound and screen.
James Franciscus, featured in Marooned became well known to us, due to his role in the TV series 'Longstreet.'
TV only arrived in SA, in 1975 (test transmissions) and 1976 TV proper, but closing at midnight.
And the complete opposite from this worthy list, Ernest Borgnine in "The Black Hole" from 1979.
Just WOW. And I actually saw it in the theater - on a first date. Also last date.
I especially like the crew holding the walls OUT during an astroid pummeling.
RIP Ernie.
I had a couple of big ice cream buckets that I painted eyes on and labeled them "V.I.N.C.E.N.T." and "Old Bob". I suspended them from a couple of dowel rods on string so they could "levitate" around my bedroom.
Amazing movie!!! One of my favorites when I was growing up!!
I just re-watchef that film a couple weeks ago lol. Very different from what I remembered when I first saw it 40yrs ago.
The premise of "Stowaway" reminds me of the 1955 Tintin adventure comic "Explorers on the Moon" , where the four men (and a dog) of the first moon landing mission discover three extra stowaways.
There was also a made-for-tv movie featuring Lee Mayors, Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land, shot in 1983. It is a hilarious ode to the Space Shuttle.
The MST3K episode on Marooned is brilliant. "To two of you, good luck. To one of you, goodbye."
Stowaway to the Moon was a favorite when it came out. It left a lasting impression, though I haven't seen it since. The only thing I really remember was being grossed out at the vomiting astronaut.
In Marooned, the rescue craft concept should be in place by Now, for anytime we have crews in orbit, that has stuck with me since seeing this movie as a kid.
I remember watching Stowaway To The Moon in the 1970s. It must have been broadcast on one of the UK TV channels of the time. I wrote a review of it as a school essay for my English teacher -- he called the film "ersatz" and I learned a new word!
Reminds me of a '60's sci-fi film I saw on TV. it was low-budget, filmed in France, dialogue in French, with English subtitles. Something about an asteroid aiming to hit our planet, and all the countries shoot off all their ICBM's to impact and break up the asteroid. The cool thing was like ten minutes of stock footage of various blast-offs. Then the movie ends. Can't recall the title.
Boy, did you bring back some childhood memories. I have seen all these movies and I just watched Marooned a few days ago. Thanks Fran.
I'm almost 60, and I'll still watch these movies.They're better than a lot of the CGI Sci Fi nowadays.
I remember stowaway to the moon.
The one astronaut blows chunks and the kid helps to vacuum it. I remember thinking to myself how gross. How would never clean someone else’s mess.
Of course years later , as a father of two, what haven’t I cleaned up.
I did like that movie as a kid.
I watched the original release of the Reluctant Astronaut on the big screen when it first came out.
I've seen several of these! I was five years old when Stowaway to the Moon aired. It's probably the first science fiction film I ever saw, just before my parents took me to see Escape to Witch Mountain (1975), my first live-action film theater experience.
Marooned, if I recall correctly, is credited with inspiring the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project: Wikipedia states "During the preliminary discussions for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the film was discussed as a means of alleviating Soviet suspicion."
I think I saw The Reluctant Astronaut in 16mm, at some church youth function or other: the Louisville Free Public Library would lend 16mm films, and the projector to go with them, for free, a great resource, sadly no longer available.
Marooned was the first movie I ever saw, when I was eight. I remember leaving the theater thinking "movies are great!"
I worshipped Marooned when I saw it age 11. But in recent years, I have come to, and realized the fallacy of its premise. … Stowaway featured an astronaut throwing up, a rare bit of candor.
Hay Fran! You should check out the old TV show Salvage 1” Andy Griffith builds a space ship out of an old cement truck to salvage the NASA “junk” left on the moon. They jump the shark on the first episode. So no need to watch beyond episode 1.
I remember that show. It was funny. Another one like that was Quark with Richard Benjamin.
I remember both of these when I was a kid, both great in their own ways. I still need to see some of the last Salvage 1 episodes, as they were not broadcast. The Orville carries on the whole "parody of Star Trek" thing that Quark went for. And there are aspects of both shows that forsee how things have become now.
Oh, and I loved both of their theme songs.
Marooned is a quality drama for its time period.
The Reluctant Astronaut! I remember this one from my childhood. I'm only 26, mind you. But I have fond memories of this on VHS.
This stowaway kid is like a cabbage in my refrigerator. It's a fairly large, colourful thing locked in a very tight space... and yet I cannot find it! It must be there, but it always escapes any attempt to find it.
Sometimes it's just a movie not a documentary. How did I live the last 50 years and never see Moonwalk One? Thank you.
I came here to say just that.
I'm in the same boat at 55 😮
Thanks for the shoutouts. I'm definitely gonna have a look at Moonwalk One and Stowaway To The Moon. Before seeing this, I only remember seeing an episode of the original StarTrek series that included an actual NASA rocket launch and I think there was a Man From Uncle episode with a similar story too, oh and that awful movie about the alien cat had footage as well. Theres probably quite a lot of lost footage to be found from movies over those thirty years from 1950-1980.
I have the remastered version of "Moonwalk One." A very interesting movie. I've also got "In The Shadow of the Moon" which is a "Ron Howard Presents" project that covers the history of Apollo.
If you haven't come across them I would also recommend a pair of books by Francis French and Colin Burgess called "Into that Silent Sea" and "In the Shadow of the Moon" (No relation!). They cover manned space flight from 1961 to 1969, and feature the lives of astronauts, cosmonauts and other people involved in both the USA and USSR. The authors got to interview most of those they write about, and they read exhaustively. They are worth having just for the bibliography! The chapters on the Soviet flights and the cosmonauts are fascinating. Also one of the chapters is called "The Two Wally's" and tells the parallel histories of Wally Shirra and Wally Funk.
Two other books I can recommend are by Amy Shira Teitel. "Breaking the Chains of Gravity" is subtitled "The Story of Space Flight Before NASA", and "Fighting for Space" isa bout Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb, and the attempt to get women involved in Mercury. Amy is a terrific researcher, and one of the things she discovered is how much influence LBJ had with Congress and with NASA decision making.
13:16 C-START module as spotted by Matt in Fran's High Voltage Data Indicator video
Forbbiden Planet. -- the classic
These Futureworld shots had a very strong Kraftwerk vibe! Sadly, most of these movies never aired not are available in Brazil...
Marooned had good source material, though. Martin Caiden (Six Million Dollar Man nee Cyborg) wrote the book and he was very good with the hardware. Caiden also had a cameo in the movie-he was the obnoxious reporter badgering Gregory Peck as he was coming down the stairs.
this is great, you're sifting through meh films for important historical footage that would otherwise be lost to time. I am literally doing a similar thing with Japanese movies from the 60s and 70s, hunting down scenes of old Japanese arcade machines to document those bits of lost technology.
I saw "stowaway" as a kid, and I was surprised that it showed an astronaut vomiting in his suit...
Reluctant Astronaut was a silly movie, but the part where Don Knotts loses his nerve and tries to get out of the capsule is hilarious.
Moonwalk One is an all time fav of mine :)
I remember watching Stowaway as a kid but I never could recall the title.
I've seen most of the features Profiled in your video But my favorite is "The reluctant astronaut" I remember seeing this as a double feature along with "the ghost and Mr. Chicken" And every time it makes an appearance on television I try to watch it...."Way to go Luther!"
Way to go !
Attaboy Luther!
@@FranLab Right! I can't believe I forgot.. Apparently it was an homage to Gus Grissom
@@FranLab Right! I can't believe I forgot.. Apparently it was an homage to Gus Grissom
There's a movie named "Good Bye Lenin" which features very rare footage form the first wedding in space at the end of it. It took place during the Soyuz 31 mission. It was censored as it was between a character from German children's TV and USSR children's TV and they were afraid of the reaction. I do have a few more seconds of that footage somewhere on a disk.
Thanks! Hadn't heard of these; will watch!
Wow, very cool I'm not old enough to have seen it when it was new. Thanks for sharing.
That footage of "MOONWALK ONE" appears to be stretched horizontally!
Thanks, Fran. I saw most of these and they were fun experiences when I was young.
You bring up the subject of where NASA provided hardware and facilities to do these movies, which I didn't give it much thought even though I've seen these before. Quite interesting they were able to set up cinema quality cameras with Don Knotts walking with a Saturn V in the background. But hey we get Leslie Nielsen playing serious role when a little more than 10 years later he is propelled to superstardom as comedic roles. Reluctant Astronaut didn't appeal to me when it first came out (I didn't think it was released just prior to Apollo 1 fire). But definitely fun to watch these days. Maybe back in 1960s there really was the Blastoff Bar.
I remember reading when Marooned came out in the theatres the big complaint is that there are thousands of ways to ignite the service module engine. Then Apollo 13 happened so they gave some things a second look.
OK, did I hear all that really good AO footage of Apollo was from Moonwalk One? If anything at least they provided the means to get a launch with 70 mm film. While everyone else was either NTSC video, 8mm, or 16mm.
Again, quite insightful another view of history
I have seen all of these, though not recently. ...I saw " The Reluctant Astronaut" at the theater when I was 5...
KET ( PBS) aired " Moonwalk One" in the mid '70s...I think it was them, anyway. That would be a good movie to see at a theater.
My favorite " so bad it's good" movies from the '60s is " The Green Slime "...I saw it when I was 6, and thought the monster was funny. Nothing NASA related at all....just a good, goofy movie.
This is a great video, with an interesting take on these old movies...
Stowaway to the Moon: Since I'm 64 going on 7, I might like it!
Oh and you forgot the TV Show from 1979 - SALVAGE 1
The didn't run that one in Philly so far as I know...
Very interesting Fran. Maybe I'll be able to find them on some form of youtube. Thanks again.
I love b-movies and massive scifi fan, I would love to see any of these films,
'Have Rocket, Will Travel' the title i would say was to pay homage to a book called 'Have spacesuit will travel' by Robert A. Heinlein,
I've seen Futureworld I liked that movie more than Westworld
Although not a bad space movie at all, NASA provided technical support for the film Capricorn One. In this film NASA was really portrayed as villains, willing to save face by any means.
Thanks for the cool movies to check out Fran !!! I really enjoy seeing movies that have really cool things that are in the movie even if the movie doesn't do well or isn't a huge box office smash !! Thanks again 🖖🏽🖖🏽🖖🏽
I knew Marooned would be included before I even clicked on this video! Great minds think alike, Fran!
The sci-fi films that get me are the ones in which a lone person with a laptop in a room manages to save the world, or beat a horde of aliens or . . . . well, I'm sure you get the idea.
And then there's the teenager who has been separated from the family but who is a gifted techy who again saves the world and is reunited with . . . got the idea again?
Sometimes you have MORE THAN ONE laptop in a room which looks vaguely like a warehouse with grey walls and then . . . . do I need to say more?
The Asylum seem to specialise in those scenarios.
I've never seen Moonwalk One, and that footage looks incredible! I'm going to have to find it, immediately, so thank you. To the internet!
Did you catch the DSKY in the background at 9:03 in your video?
Thank you !
"Space Demetia" A. K. A. "Space Rapture" in *Lost in Space* parlance! :)
Or "Space Madness" in Ren&Stimpy fashion.
That was interesting, thanks.
I've never seen "Marooned." It looks good. Have you ever seen "The Martian Chronicles?"
The Incredible Mr. Limpet! 😆
This was great. We don't have such things over here in Europe.
One really bad movie is 'kill dozer' I love my wrong movies 😁
I remember seeing Stowaway to the Moon.I was a whopping 8 years old and I got shit from my mom for staying up so late
It doesn't entirely focus on space, burn f you haven't seen it Capricorn One (1977) has a very entertaining plot and contains more realistic detail about a launch than you're ever going to see in a more modern film.
There appear to be two available releases of Moonwalk One.
A UK 2-disc (DVD) set that's probably Region 2 -- not an issue if you have a computer and VLC player!!! -- and an American one which I presume is the original cut of the movie. The UK release is branded "the director's cut."
The American version is cheaper -- under $13.
It's also unfortunately a DVD-R release which means "disc dead in way less 10 years!"
The UK version runs around $24-$30.
My rule of thumb -- get the highest quality video version available (Blu ray or 4K if possible), or at least a pressed DVD. I try to stay as far away from DVD-R as possible!
Thanks Fran, you have a truly fascinating and insightful take on the US space program.
I think I've heard of Stowaway to the Moon, these look like they'd be fun to binge watch some weekend :D
You are right, Fran. For us who were children back then, and followed the Apollo era, these movies were/are garbage. I witnessed the success of the Apollo Program, and the "successful failure", of Apollo 13!
We’re so much alike. Musicians traveling through space.
Awesome Fran! I've only seen a couple of these, and have never heard of some of them.
Looks like a great weekend project!
I’m like ‘wow, Leslie Nielsen looks so young’ and ‘Don Knotts looks so young’ and ‘Lloyd Bridges looks so young’ and ‘Gene Hackman looks… like Gene Hackman’
I remember going to see Marooned with my dad never forgot it, was the ship called Iron Man 1?
"To the moon, Alice."
I _loved_ The Reluctant Astronaut!
Though I had no idea it ran up against the Apollo 1 tragedy. Wow.
Stowaway to the moon, YES! To this day I still think of the zero g vomit scene. 🤢
I like both the three stooges space move and the Don Knotts film. Marooned is the only one I haven't seen yet
The Stooges: " What do we do now?". "Push buttons!" 🚀
I love Marooned!
Lol, I genuinely thought Don Knotts was Steve Buscemi, from the thumbnail
Fun footage
Off to find Stowaway To The Moon...!
Seen most of these when i was a kid . some how things seemed more real back then . dont know why lol
compare frames @ 11:20 vs 11:30, Fran are you sure that wasn't you as a child acting as the boy in that movie- there's quite the resemblance? lols, great vid Ms Fran, love your work.
I went to Edward H. White high school, the first American to walk in space.
I do a great Don Knotts impression.
Stowaway To The Moon is as old as myself, 48 yo 😅👍
Why the crew is all suited up with helmets and the kid just have a jacket and a cap is beyond me.
He stowed away!
dishonorable mention: "Space Ship Sappy" another post-Shemp Stooges SciFi thriller
can you review 'taming of the fire' a soviet film about the origins of their space program
Love this movie. Donn Knotts is one of the best actors that was. These type films were just for fun entertainment. The craziest one he did was the Love God.
13:05 Is that a real vacuum chamber??
Yep. They put Hubble in it.
I would add the the 1974 made for tv drama, ABC's "Houston, We've Got A Problem". A truly terrible film.