Project Moon Base (1953)

A saboteur posing as a scientist strives to destroy the world's first space station.

Director:

Richard Talmadge

Writers:

Robert A. Heinlein (screenplay) (as Robert Heinlein), Jack Seaman (screenplay)

Stars:

Donna Martell, Hayden Rorke, Ross Ford

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Donna Martell	...	Colonel Briteis
Hayden Rorke	...	General Greene
Ross Ford	...	Major Moore
Larry Johns	...	Doctor Wernher
Herb Jacobs	...	Mr. Roundtree
Barbara Morrison	...	Polly Prattles
Ernestine Barrier	...	Madame President
James Craven	...	Commodore Carlson
John Hedloe	...	Adjutant
Peter Adams	...	Captain Carmody
Robert Karnes	...	Sam
John Straub	...	Chaplain
Charles Keane	...	Spacom Operator
John Tomecko	...	Blockhouse Operator
Robert Paltz	...	Bellboy

Storyline

In the not-too-distant future of 1970, the United States is considering building bases on the Moon, and send a female colonel and two men to investigate. One of the men turns out to be a foreign spy, and the entire operation--and the future of the free world--is in danger.

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Plot Keywords:

1970s | moon | space station | outer space | secret agent | 

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Taglines:

See man-piloted rocket launched from gigantic space ship!

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 September 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cat Woman on the Moon

Filming Locations:

Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Galaxy Pictures Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

63 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was initially intended as a pilot film for a TV series to be called "Ring Around the Moon". When science-fiction movies suddenly became popular, producer Jack Seaman added enough footage to the film to bring it up to feature length. This was done without the knowledge of writer Robert A. Heinlein, and he disowned the result.

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Goofs

When Bill is returning from setting up the relay, as he is crawling on the ground, the shadow of the spaceship leg changes position between close up and far away shots. In this same sequence, there are several shots of Col Briteis sitting frozen at the screen, evidenced by the clock second hand not moving.

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Quotes

Col. Briteis: [a saboteur has just caused the ship to make an unplanned landing on the Moon. The commander is being helped off her bunk by the second in command, a seasoned pilot who had trained thoroughly for the flight, only to have been replaced by her at the last minute. She has been making snarky, catty comments at and about him the whole trip, but now she looks up at him in alarm] Bill, I muffed it!
[pause]
Col. Briteis: What'll we do?
Maj. Bill Moore: [gently] Take it easy. Come on.
[Helps her off her couch]
Col. Briteis: But you don't understand! ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Cat-Women of the Moon (1953)

User Reviews

Not good, not bad but of historical interest

If you want a good Sci Fi movie to watch, this probably isn't it. It's old and low budget. In particular the costumes look quite goofy. The players are also unknowns or near unknowns. However it's such an early space movie that it's historically fascinating.

The noted Sci Fi writer Richard Heinlein wrote the script. (He's more famous for Starship Troopers.) The movie attempts to portray space in a realistic way. Of course the technology looks thoroughly ridiculous to us now but this was done 60 years ago.

Socially it was of interest because of the relative equality between women and men. Equality between the sexes was a theme in Heinlein, and amazingly it made it into this very early movie.