Project Moonbase
Project Moonbase (a.k.a. Project Moon Base) is a 1953 independently made black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Jack Seaman, directed by Richard Talmadge, and starring Ross Ford, Donna Martell, Hayden Rorke. It co-stars Larry Johns, Herb Jacobs, Barbara Morrison, and Ernestine Barrier. The film was distributed by Lippert Pictures and is based on a story by Robert A. Heinlein, who shares the screenwriting credit with producer Jack Seaman.
| Project Moonbase | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Talmadge |
| Produced by | Jack Seaman |
| Screenplay by | Robert A. Heinlein Jack Seaman |
| Story by | Robert A. Heinlein Jack Seaman |
| Starring | Ross Ford Donna Martell Hayden Rorke Larry Johns Herb Jacobs Barbara Morrison Ernestine Barrier |
| Music by | Herschel Burke Gilbert |
| Cinematography | William C. Thompson |
| Edited by | Roland Gross |
Production company | Galaxy Pictures Inc. |
| Distributed by | Lippert Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 63 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Project Moonbase is unusual for its time in both attempting to portray space travel in a "realistic" manner and for depicting a future in which women hold positions of authority and responsibility equal to men; as an example, the President of the United States is a woman.[1]
Mystery Science Theater 3000 featured the film in January 1990 as an episode during its first season on The Comedy Channel. It had been originally broadcast in 1986 as a syndicated television episode of the Canned Film Festival.[2][3]
Movie was also featured in the prologue of Fargo (season 2) TV-series episode 4.
Plot
Set in a future 1970, the United States is considering building bases on the Moon. Colonel Briteis (whose first name is never stated, played by Donna Martell), Major Bill Moore (Ross Ford), and Doctor Wernher (Larry Johns) are sent to orbit the Moon to survey landing sites for future lunar missions. However, Dr. Wernher is an impostor whose mission is to destroy the US's Earth-orbiting space station, which he plans to do by colliding the rocket with the station on the way back from the Moon. Colonel Briteis (which is repeatedly pronounced "Bright Eyes") is arrogant, rash and distrusting of Major Moore. Moore, in turn had a romantic interest in Briteis when they began in the USSF, but was rejected in favor of her ambition to be the first person on the Moon.
Moore realizes that the man claiming to be Wernher (who taught in Brooklyn) is actually a spy for an unnamed country, because the imposter has no knowledge of Werhner's trade nor the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. In the ensuing struggle for the control of the rocket, Col. Briteis accidentally hits the boosters, which saves their lives, but leaves them stranded. She takes unfair blame which Moore assures her is not her fault. Briteis then realizes, she may not have all the answers and does need help on the mission from Moore. They have to make an emergency landing on the Moon. With them all marooned, Dr. Wernher redeems himself by helping establish communications with Earth, although an accident results in his untimely death. In response to the unexpected turn of events, the US authorities decide to make the immobilized spaceship the core of a new moon base. Later, the General, called Pappy, has a heart to heart with Moore on his feelings about Briteis. Moore is insecure in her feelings as he states "she has no need for me." Briteis, overhearing this, later proposes to Moore via Papi and cuts a deal with Madame President to make Moore Brigadier General of Project Moonbase to make up for her earlier actions towards Moore.
Cast
- Donna Martell as Colonel Briteis
- Hayden Rorke as Gen. 'Pappy' Greene
- Ross Ford as Maj. Bill Moore
- Larry Johns as Doctor Wernher
- Herb Jacobs as Mr. Roundtree
- Barbara Morrison as Polly Prattles
- Ernestine Barrier as Madame President
- James Craven as Commodore Carlson
- John Hedloe as Adjutant
- Peter Adams as Captain Carmody
Production and release
Both Project Moonbase and Cat-Women of the Moon (also 1953) were made using some of the same sets and costumes. The two films were released within one day of each other, though from different distributors.
Project Moonbase was shot during 10 days.
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Project Moonbase was featured in episode #109 of Mystery Science Theater 3000 along with Chapters 7 and 8 of Radar Men from the Moon, a Commando Cody serial. The episode debuted January 6, 1990, on the Comedy Channel.[4] Kevin Murphy, who worked on the show and would become a cast member the next season, wrote, "The best thing I can say about it is that it was very very short," calling the film "openly and condescendingly hostile toward women as a gender".[5]
As with most first-season episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000, Project Moonbase is not considered one of the series' better efforts; it did not make their Top 100 list, as voted upon by MST3K Season 11 Kickstarter backers.[6] Writer Jim Vogel ranked the episode #164 (out of 191 total MST3K episodes). Vogel said, "There's some glimmers of later-season MST3k goodness in there..."[7]
The MST3K version of Project Moonbase was included as part of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume XX DVD collection, released by Shout! Factory in March 2011. The other episodes in the four-disc set include Master Ninja I (episode #320), Master Ninja II (episode #324), and The Magic Voyage of Sinbad (episode #505).[8]
References
- Mansky, Jackie (25 July 2016). "The History of Women Presidents in Film". Smithsonian. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- Project Moon Base at IMDb
- Margulies, Lee. Los Angeles Times, "Canned Film Festival on TV Worst of the Big Screen is on its Way", June 10, 1986. Last accessed: January 27, 2011.
- Episode guide: 109- Project Moon Base (with shorts: Radar Men from the Moon, Chapter 7: ‘Camouflaged Destruction’ and Chapter 8: ‘The Enemy Planet’). Satellite News. Retrieved on 2018-06-20.
- Trace Beaulieu; et al. (1996). The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide (1st ed.). New York: Bantam Books. p. 13. ISBN 9780553377835.
- Bring Back Mystery Science Theater 3000 Update #41. Kickstarter. Retrieved on 2017-11-18
- Ranking Every MST3K Episode, From Worst to Best. Vorel, Jim. Paste Magazine. April 13, 2017. Retrieved on 2018-06-20
- MST3K: Volume XX Shout! Factory. Retrieved on 2018-06-20.
External links
- Project Moonbase at IMDb
- Project Moonbase at AllMovie
- Project Moonbase at the TCM Movie Database
- Project Moon Base film trailer on YouTube
- Project Moon Base film on YouTube