Those Fantastic Flying Fools (1967)

In Victorian England, an American showman uses a wealthy Frenchman's finances to build a German explosives expert's giant cannon designed to fire a people-filled projectile to the Moon but spies and saboteurs endanger the project.

Director:

Don Sharp

Writers:

Harry Alan Towers (original story) (as Peter Welbeck), Jules Verne (inspired by the writings of)

Stars:

Burl Ives, Jimmy Clitheroe, Terry-Thomas

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burl Ives	...	Phineas T. Barnum
Jimmy Clitheroe	...	General Tom Thumb
Terry-Thomas	...	Captain Sir Harry Washington Smythe
Graham Stark	...	Grundle
Gert Fröbe	...	Professor von Bulow (as Gert Frobe)
Lionel Jeffries	...	Sir Charles Dillworthy
Dennis Price	...	The Duke of Barset
Troy Donahue	...	Gaylord
Daliah Lavi	...	Madelaine
Edward de Souza	...	Henri (as Edward De Souza)
Hermione Gingold	...	Angelica
Judy Cornwell	...	Electra
Renate von Holt	...	Anna (as Renata Holt)
Joachim Teege	...	Bulgeroff
Stratford Johns	...	Warrant Officer

Storyline

Phineas T Barnum and friends finance the first flight to the moon but find the task a little above them. They attempt to blast their rocket into orbit from a massive gun barrel built into the side of a Welsh mountain, but money troubles, spies and saboteurs ensure that the plan is doomed before it starts.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | saboteur | welsh mountains | gun barrel | rocket | 

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Taglines:

Sky-High Laughs!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released in the UK as Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon

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Quotes

The Duke of Barset: A common device for swindling! In my day you'd be led to a room with a gun on the table. The door would be closed. A shot would ring out. A woman would scream.
Captain Sir Harry Washington Smythe: I say, I did so like the part about the woman screaming!

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Crazy Credits

Closing credits: and Queen Victoria JOAN STERNDALE BENNETT God Bless her !

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Connections

Spoofs Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 hours 11 minutes (1965)

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Soundtracks

We Must Always Trust the Stranger
Music and Lyrics by Ron Goodwin
Performed by Mike Clifford (uncredited)

User Reviews

Visually acceptable, but quite scattered storyline ......

There is nothing wrong with 'Blast Off", if you are willing to travel back to Victorian England, and enjoy the era. The era of scientific wonder and adventure, is depicted quite nicely. What is not depicted quite nicely is any kind of cohesive story. Vascillating between science fiction, farce, and romance, gradually scrambles the story to the point of bewilderment. While things start off with master showman P.T. Barnum and his miniature sidekick Tom Thumb trying to stage one of their spectacular "events", the movie eventually deteriorates into slapstick. "Blast Off" does have a few moments of dark comedy intertwined with all the nonsense. "Don't they usually give medals after the return trip?" - MERK

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Those Fantastic Flying Fools

Filming Locations:

Dublin, Ireland

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jules Verne Films Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1