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	...	Commander Christopher Draper
Victor Lundin	...	Friday
Adam West	...	Colonel 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:

A Lone U.S. Astronaut Space-Ship Wrecked on Mars!

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Genres:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cave sets were reused in other productions for both film and television, notably several episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series (1966).

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Goofs

The same footage of the Martian ships arriving, attacking, then leaving, not to mention the explosions from the laser fire on the rocks, is used repeatedly.

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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

Version of Robinson Gruesome (1959)

User Reviews

Good flick!!!

I've got to say this movie was ahead of its time. The story is solid, and the acting first rate. Paul Mantee portrays the isolation on Mars perfectly. The back drops and special effects are superb and don't overtake the acting. I've seen it a million times, but whenever it's on AMC or Turner I have to catch some if not all of it!!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Robinson Crusoe on Mars

Filming Locations:

Castle Dome Peak, Yuma, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures Corporation, Aubrey Schenck Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 96 min (cut) 80 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1