Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)

Stranded on Mars with only a monkey as a companion, an astronaut must figure out how to find oxygen, water, and food on the lifeless planet.

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

Ib Melchior (screenplay), John C. Higgins (screenplay) (as John Higgins)

Stars:

Paul Mantee, Victor Lundin, Adam West

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Paul Mantee	...	Cmdr. Christopher 'Kit' Draper
Victor Lundin	...	Friday
Adam West	...	Col. Dan McReady
The Woolly Monkey	...	Mona

Storyline

During a flight to Mars in the spaceship Mars Gravity Probe 1, Commander Christopher 'Kit' Draper and Colonel Dan McReady are forced to deviate from an asteroid and they leave their spacecraft in pods. Draper lands on the surface of the Red Planet and survives. He learns how to produce oxygen and while exploring the planet, he finds McReady dead in his crashed pod. He finds also the monkey Mona and brings the animal to the cave where he is sheltered. He learns that he can breathe the Martian air for short periods but needs also oxygen. But Mona finds water and an edible plant in the underground. .After a long period alone, Draper feels the loneliness. One day, he sees a spacecraft landing on Mars and he believes it might be the rescue team to save him. But he finds aliens working on the planet and some of them are slaves. One of them flees and stumble with Draper and he names him Friday. Now he needs to find a way to be rescued and return to Earth.

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Plot Keywords:

stranded | mars the planet | monkey | life on mars | human alien team | 

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Taglines:

The incredible adventures of a LONE U.S. ASTRONAUT!

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Genres:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Robinson Crusoe en Marte

Filming Locations:

Castle Dome Peak, Yuma, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aubrey Schenck Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 96 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To get the black ashes from the exploding meteorite to stick to Victor Lundin's body, the make up man rubbed honey over his face, torso, arms, and legs. The black ashes were actually black polyethylene flacks.

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Goofs

Although the story allows Kit to breath the limited amount of oxygen on Mars, the atmosphere there is in fact almost 96% carbon dioxide. He would fare almost as well drawing from an automobile tailpipe.

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Quotes

Draper: How long have you had these things on?
Friday: Sixty-two years.
Draper: How old are you?
Friday: Seventy eight.

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Alternate Versions

The BBFC website for the original UK theatrical release lists a running time of just 80 minutes. This suggests the film was heavily cut on its original release as the full theatrical running time is 106 minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in Diagnosis Murder: Alienated (1998)

User Reviews

Strange New World

What vistas are left for man to explore? The first answer usually shot back quickly is space, and in the 1950's and 60's space was the place to be the subject of countless science fiction films. Many of these films were little else than pure hokum or a means to show exploitation, but Robinson Crusoe on Mars was not either of those. This little film(little in that it receives little recognition for its obvious merits) tells how one man and his monkey survive the rigours of life on the angry red planet. Paul Mantee plays the protagonist that crash lands on Mars with simian friend Mona. He must learn to live using the resources of the planet. His exploration and discoveries are very much like what Daniel Defoe's titular character Robinson Crusoe had to go through under very different circumstances on an island. I guess I am one of the few reviewers that actually likes the title, as I think is a wonderful and very apt allusion employed. Anyway, the methods of exploration and discovery used by Mantee are extremely creative and original(although have little scientific merit) and we the audience find ourselves caught up in his plight to survive. I had heard many things about this film before I got a chance to watch it, and I must say that I am most impressed with its scope and vision, its underlying theme about the inner strength of man's need and will to survive and create, and its almost claustrophobic atmosphere despite being filmed in wide open spaces.