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:

Project Moonbase

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal 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

The film takes place in 1970.

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Goofs

The story takes place in 1972 where space travel is accepted, yet early in the movie the airplane used is propeller driven. With all of the other spacecraft special effects, it would seem reasonable to project commercial air travel into the future as well. [Disputed: Faulty reasoning. By 1953, all the forms of air travel in use today, 2014, had already been invented and were in use. We were still using propellor-driven aircraft in the 1970s. We still are today.]

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Quotes

Col. Briteis: [after panicking over their predicament] Sorry for going female on you, Major.

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Connections

Featured in The Canned Film Festival: Project Moonbase (1986)

User Reviews

Expanded TV show doesn't know what it really is. Are we laughing with it or at it?

Failed TV show becomes a wildly uneven feature film about a space station and misdirected space shot becoming the first moonbase. Weird mix of comedy, drama and science fiction with more than a dash of (unnamed) anti-communist propaganda doesn't seem sure what it wants to be. Worse you don't know whether you're supposed to laugh at or with the film. The mere fact that this was an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 in its early days gives you an idea about how odd the film is. Its regrettably not very good and there's a good chance you'll end up turning the film off before the ending. Robert Heinlein was unhappy with the finished product because the TV show he worked on was changed against his wishes. Looking at the film and guessing what he actually had a hand in, I'm pretty sure that the evil "red" plot is his, I think that the film would still be quite silly- especially in retrospect. For bad film lovers or Heinlein completeists only.