Complete credited cast: | |||
Charles Drake | ... | Dr. Ralph Harrison | |
Karin Booth | ... | Janice Roberts | |
Billy Chapin | ... | Brian Roberts | |
Taylor Holmes | ... | Prof. Arnold Nordstrom | |
Steven Geray | ... | Man with Rimless Glasses | |
Henry Kulky | ... | Paul | |
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Franz Roehn | ... | Karl |
Hal Baylor | ... | Max |
As projected here, a thinly-disguised NASA, working with nuclear rockets, is ready for manned flights in the mid-fifties...but Dr. Ralph Harrison doesn't think so, and resigns in protest. Colleague Prof. Nordstrom promptly enlists his aid in developing an alternative robot Spaceman! Naturally, foreign spies are keenly interested... Uses documentary footage of early space research. Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
First, let me say that I am very, very sorry if this movie is not up to some reviewers' standards for 50-year-old movies. I don't really think we need to compare this to "Bicentennial Man" (what a hunk of junk and an embarrassment for Robin Williams!) or "The Iron Giant" (an animated film made 45 years later with the aid of computer graphics).
Second, let me say that I'm also sorry that this film may occasionally give the impression that there might be some negative or dangerous aspects to space travel or the space program. Other than three Apollo crew members perishing in a fire on the pad, and the near-tragedy of Apollo 13, and two space shuttle crews...but I digress.
This movie is about a robot and some bad guys. There's a kid, too. The bad guys lose and the kid and robot win. Plus, the robot has a neat name.
The end.
(BTW, this movie has what is by far my favorite "robot driving a jeep" scene of all time. This is not quite as impressive as a mad snowman driving a car, but it's pretty darn close.) Enjoy it!