Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Jerry Lewis | ... | Peter Mattemore | |
Connie Stevens | ... | Eileen Forbes | |
Robert Morley | ... | Harold Quonset | |
Dennis Weaver | ... | Hoffman | |
Howard Morris | ... | Schmidlap | |
Brian Keith | ... | Gen. 'Howling Bull' Hallenby | |
Dick Shawn | ... | Igor Valkleinokov | |
Anita Ekberg | ... | Anna Soblova | |
William O'Connell | ... | Ponsonby | |
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Bobo Lewis | ... | Esther Davenport |
Sig Ruman | ... | Russian Delegate | |
Milton Frome | ... | American Delegate | |
Alexander D'Arcy | ... | Deuce Hawkins (as Alex D'Arcy) | |
Linda Harrison | ... | Peggy | |
James Brolin | ... | Ted Robertson |
In 1989, the Americans and the Russians each have a two-person base on the moon. The Americans have had to keep replacing their astronaut teams because they quickly go crazy; they have been using only male astronauts on the unspoken assumption that this would avoid any possibility of impropriety. The Russians, as godless Communists, are under no such constraints, and their male-female team has remained well-adjusted. At the start of the film, a male and female American astronaut team is sent up to replace the sex-starved all-male team. The government insists on them being married first to preserve morality. Most of the story revolves around the eventual consummation of this marriage of convenience, and around their relationship with their Russian neighbors, who keep casually dropping by. Written by Bob Kanefsky
"Austin Powers" spoofed spy films of the sixties and this film is somewhat in that vein except "Way... Way Out" was made from a sixties perspective, not a nineties perspective. Also, this film spoofed a sacred cow, the space program (Disney's "Moon Pilot" in 1962 covered much of this territory already and if you like one you'll probably like the other...though very few people have heard of either). Any fan of the sixties will recognize likeable Brian Keith (he also starred in "Moon Pilot"), sophisticated Robert Morley, leggy bombshell Anita Ekberg, frumpy character actor Milton Frome, studly James Brolin, wacky Howard Morris, even wackier Dick Shawn, and forever Chester, Dennis Weaver. Jerry Lewis of course is the star and delicious Connie Stevens (who Jerry introduced in the must superior "Rock-a-Bye Baby") is the eye candy. By today's standards one might consider the casting of the actresses for their physical attributes a bit sexist (like that doesn't happen today) but this is a physical comedy and placing Connie Stevens among a group of men (men always have sex on their mind don't you know) is not really all that sexist (at least not for the women). Connie Stevens success has been that she's a good comedian too. Some of the comedy is Benny Hill style (or "Austin Powers") but not crude like contemporary films "Something About Mary" or "Scary Movie."