Project Moon Base (1953) User Reviews

Not good, not bad but of historical interest

[mike-ryan455 · 4/10 · 6 September 2012]

If you want a good Sci Fi movie to watch, this probably isn't it. It's old and low budget. In particular the costumes look quite goofy. The players are also unknowns or near unknowns. However it's such an early space movie that it's historically fascinating.

The noted Sci Fi writer Richard Heinlein wrote the script. (He's more famous for Starship Troopers.) The movie attempts to portray space in a realistic way. Of course the technology looks thoroughly ridiculous to us now but this was done 60 years ago.

Socially it was of interest because of the relative equality between women and men. Equality between the sexes was a theme in Heinlein, and amazingly it made it into this very early movie.

Donna Martel looks good in this movie

[ebiros2 · 3/10 · 14 April 2011]

In the early '50s when real space travel was yet another 8 years in the future, this was average view of space travel for most people. In that paradigm, movie like this was a pretty standard format as a space rocket based stories.

Story's premise sound's ridiculous now that a rocket goes off course and can land on moon as an alternate plan and become the first people to land on the moon, but movie like this was never intended to be a serious science fiction. Some things were predicted accurately such as giant screen TV monitor, and forward thinking concept such as woman president of the country.

But let's get to the bottom line here. The only thing that's worth watching in this movie in my opinion is the beautiful Donna Martel. She looks great as the female astronaut. This movie would not be worth a watch without her.

Movie is a bit of cheese, but I find decent entertainment, and not a terrible movie to watch. I like this movie better than many of the rocket movies from this era such as Cat Woman of the Moon.

So, I wouldn't give a high rating, but it's an okay movie for this category.

Boring and silly; also very overtly sexist

[yakikorosu · 2/10 · 31 March 2005]

Not the worst possible idea for a movie (the screenplay actually credits famed sci-fi author Robert Heinlein), but just a really really boring one, filled with LOOOOONG drawn out scenes of really awful special effects and mindless prattle about spaceship minutia. Why do we need to see a 4-5 minute long scene of the male character slowly walking towards a satellite, pulling out a bunch of nondescript boxes and walking back?! Honestly, the most memorable thing about this movie is how insanely sexist it is. It's rather odd, too, considering that this movie features a female commanding officer AND in the end a female president, but it's totally impossible to miss: the women in the film are whiny, emotional and totally and completely clueless without male guidance. Here's a short list, mostly revolving around said female commanding officer, Col. Briteis.

* General Green tells the Col. that she's acting "Too big for her britches." * General Green and then the co-pilot constantly mispronounce the Colonel's name as "Bright-eyes." * When she attempts to correct the General on the pronunciation of her name, he tells her to shut up. * When she protests further, the General actually threatens to SPANK her if she gives him "more guff" and points out that the room is soundproof so no one can hear her scream (my eyes almost popped out of my sockets when I heard that one). * The female reporter that is briefly in the movies is named "Polly Prattles" (oh lord), wears a sparkly bodysuit, and seems to know absolutely NOTHING about what's going on. * The Col. plays the 'stupid boss' role, refusing to consider that the scientist on board is a fake. * After they land on the moon, the Col. has no idea what to do and has to immediately ask the male co-pilot for help. * After having a minor emotional outburst in front of co-pilot, the Col. apologizes for "going female" on him. * When the Col. 'officially' asks for co-pilot's advice, he tells her to "powder your nose." * The Col. spends five hours trying to reach Earth with no success; ten seconds after man wakes up he fixes the problem (all she had to do was press a button). * General Green orders the Col. off the bridge to have "guy talk" with the co-pilot about whether or not he's "sweet on her." * When Earth comes up with the weird 'get married' plan, the Col. is never even informed of it. * Upon being sent away from the co-pilot for a total of about 3 minutes, the Col complains that she's "lonely."

This is all the more remarkable because I'm not a female-rights activist and don't recall ever noticing such an overt level of sexism in ANY film I've ever seen (and I've seen a LOT).

The MST3K version is pretty funny; otherwise avoid like the plague unless you want a weird look at how overtly sexist mainstream movies used to be.

This film will be of interest to some, but others beware.

[youroldpaljim · 19 January 2002]

This minor little early fifties space picture was compiled of episodes of an unsold TV series titled "Ring Around The Moon." This explains the films awkward bifurcated structure. The producers claim they thought these episodes look so great, that they decided to release it as feature film instead. While this may be true, I think its more likely the producers couldn't find a sponsor or a network that was interested. Which is a bit odd. For an early fifties T.V. show, this really doesn't look all that bad when compared to other early fifties shows like "Rocky Jones: Space Ranger" or "Tom Corbett Space Cadett." PROJECT MOON BASE (or "Ring Around the Moon.") seems to have slightly higher production values and more ambitious special effects than other TV shows from the period. From watching this film, its seems there was an attempt to make something more adult than other shows on TV at the time. However, these sets and special effects must of looked inadequate when seen on the big screen even in 1953.

There are some surprises here. The fact that the space commander is women is unusual for a film from the early fifties, although back in the early seventies when I first saw this film I didn't think that was so odd. What did surprise me was at the end when the president is shown to be a woman. One enlightened soul in this forum called this film "sexist" and "paranoid." I wouldn't call a film that features a women as space station commander and a woman as president "sexist", and I don't see what is so paranoid about this film. Then again, maybe I'm clueless. Then again the term "paranoid" has been used by so many pedantic critics to describe just about every 1950's sci fi/monster flick almost as if by rote.

Perhaps the most unusual thing about PROJECT MOON BASE is some of the names in the credits. The name almost always mentioned is the famed science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlan, who is credited as co-writer. It's a shame that this minor little film is one of the few times Heinlan ever worked on a film. The other name is Richard Talmadge who directed. Talmadge's career goes back to the silent period where he was one the silent periods great stunt men. He also was a star back then in his own right. Over the years Talmadge, acted, directed, produced, wrote and worked as a unit director on all kinds of films.

Over all, PROJECT MOON BASE is a rather tedious film. I recently watched it on video and sat through it with only minor interest. Unless your a fifties sci fi buff, or a fan of Heinlan, or interested in the career of Richard Talmadge, PROJECT MOON BASE will probably be rough going. It's a minor curiosity, and a footnote in the career of Robert Heinlan.

Major Nelson, what's going on up there now?

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 31 January 2014]

At face value there's no reason why you should notice "Project Moon Base". It's as old-school as any 1950s sci-fi flick can be, with a really corny plot. But it does catch my eye. The general is played by none other than Hayden Rorke, best known as Dr. Bellows on "I Dream of Jeannie". Yes, the man who spent eternity trying to figure out the unusual behavior of the small screen's most famous astronaut plays another character involved in sending people on space missions. And this time there's an impostor out to sabotage the mission. What's really confusing is how the movie contains a mixture of dated scenes (the last scene) and progressive ideas (a female president). What gives?

It's mostly a hokey movie. Nonetheless, that scene where the spaceship docks with the space station must've caused a lot of snickering when the movie first got released. As for Hayden Rorke, Barbara Eden noted that he was open about his homosexuality with the "I Dream of Jeannie" cast, and that they all got to meet his partner.

I understand that "Project Moon Base" got riffed on "Mystery Science Theater 3000", but I've never seen that episode.

"Anymore guff out of you and I'll turn you over my knee and spank you."

[bensonmum2 · 5/10 · 4 December 2008]

The plot of Project Moon Base is fairly simple – Colonel Briteis is selected to pilot a rocket on a lunar orbit in preparation of an upcoming lunar landing. It's simple enough until it is discovered that an enemy agent is on board with intentions of sabotaging the mission. So whether their superiors like it or not, Colonel Briteis and Major Moore aren't going to be able to complete their mission. They're going to have to try to land on the moon.

Many of the comments you'll see on Project Moon Base focus a lot of attention on the movie's treatment or portrayal of women. Is the movie sexist? Those who argue against it mention Colonel Briteis' (Briteis is a female) position on the space voyage or the fact that the President is a woman. Well so what? Project Moon Base is as sexist as they come. I pointed out some of the sexist comments in Rocketship X-M and that movie's got nothing on Project Moon Base. From the intentional mispronunciation of Colonel Briteis name (Bright Eyes – yeah, right) to General Greene's threat to give Briteis a spanking to Briteis' incapability of fixing the radio after several hours of trying when Major Moore is able to do it in mere seconds – it's about as sexist as I've seen. Sure, it was made in a different time, so don't take my comments as a slam. I'm just pointing out the facts as I see them.

Two things I'm glad to have discovered about Project Moon Base. First, the movie was originally meant to be a television serial. That goes a long way to explaining some of the disjointed scenes and fragmented story lines. Second, many of the props and costumes were also used in Cat Women of the Moon. I thought they seemed awfully familiar. Glad to know I'm not going crazy. Overall, Project Moon Base is a fairly dull programmer with little to hold the attention of the viewer. There aren't any real action scenes and any suspense or drama never materializes. Even by 1953 standards, the special effects had to feel weak and not awfully convincing. Finally, much of the plot is handled rather awkwardly. The notion of an enemy agent infiltration the space program might have been interesting, but here it comes off as just too stupid for words.

As is the case with many of the films I watch, there is another hand. So, on the other hand, Project Moon Base is too enjoyable despite the numerous flaws for me to rate it as a stinker. Donna Martell gives Colonel Briteis an infectious nature that's hard not to enjoy. She's a pleasure to watch. Some of the goofy sight gags are almost charming in their naïveté. Take the scenes on the space station where people walk on the ceiling or the chairs on the wall. Stupid, sure – but fun nonetheless. Finally, there's a real innocence to most everything in Project Moon Base that's often sorely missing from today's movies that I can appreciate. Take the ending of the film where Colonel Briteis is forced to marry Major Bill Moore so people won't talk. And, even though the attitudes of the filmmakers may have been chauvinistic, most of it is harmless enough. Maybe I'm living in the past, but I sort of enjoyed Project Moon Base.

An Old Sci-Fi Movie from Back in the Day

[Uriah43 · 4/10 · 14 June 2017]

After the United States builds a space station in outer space to protect itself against hostile missiles, America's enemies make it a high priority to get one of their agents on board the station in an attempt to destroy it. They soon come up with a plan to replace an esteemed scientist named "Dr. Wernher" (Larry Johns) with an exact duplicate and give him orders to hasten the station's destruction immediately. On a separate note, due to political considerations, an ambitious female pilot by the name of "Colonel Briteis" (Donna Martell) is given a high priority assignment of flying a rocket ship to the dark side of the moon which creates a great deal of animosity between her and the original pilot named "Major Bill Moore" (Ross Ford). To further add to the tension, Dr. Wernher's duplicate is also on board the same flight and seems to have developed an unusual interest in the rocket's navigation. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this campy sci-fi film probably won't rate too highly with modern viewers today based in large part to the lack of action and CGI. Additionally, the plot was predictable and the acting clearly second rate. Having said all of that, however, while it certainly won't measure up to today's standards, the special effects weren't all that bad considering the era in which this film was produced. Of course, the fact that this was one of the movies I used to enjoy as a kid also has some bearing on my feelings as well. Yet, as generous as I would like to be, I honestly cannot ignore the obvious flaws mentioned earlier and for that reason I have rated this film accordingly. Slightly below average.

Expanded TV show doesn't know what it really is. Are we laughing with it or at it?

[dbborroughs · 2/10 · 25 July 2008]

Failed TV show becomes a wildly uneven feature film about a space station and misdirected space shot becoming the first moonbase. Weird mix of comedy, drama and science fiction with more than a dash of (unnamed) anti-communist propaganda doesn't seem sure what it wants to be. Worse you don't know whether you're supposed to laugh at or with the film. The mere fact that this was an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 in its early days gives you an idea about how odd the film is. Its regrettably not very good and there's a good chance you'll end up turning the film off before the ending. Robert Heinlein was unhappy with the finished product because the TV show he worked on was changed against his wishes. Looking at the film and guessing what he actually had a hand in, I'm pretty sure that the evil "red" plot is his, I think that the film would still be quite silly- especially in retrospect. For bad film lovers or Heinlein completeists only.

I really wanted to like the movie more than I did

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 7 July 2006]

This is a very odd sci-fi movie from the 1950s because those involved really tried very hard to make the movie plausible and set it in the near future. Instead of bug-eyed aliens, this film concerns the American space program and our attempt to go to the moon. Interestingly enough, in some ways the film wasn't too far off--indicating we'd have a working space station and were almost ready to attempt a moon landing in 1970 (whereas we were on the moon in 1969 and put a space station up just a few years later). Time and again, details were important and the film, at times, looked more like a government training film.

However, when it came to plot, the movie really fell apart. First, while they were never called "Communists", the space program was attacked and infiltrated by "enemies" bent on destroying it. This was pretty topical for the time, but was executed very crudely and made little sense. The whole side story involving the professor who was replaced with an enemy agent was stupidly executed and made no sense--particularly later in the film once they were stranded on the moon--his behaviors made absolutely no sense at all. Second, while the film at times tried to be very egalitarian when it came to gender (such as making the President and the first pilot of the moon shot women), the film was so sexist and stupid when it came to the lead female character, Colonel Briteis (pronounced "Bright Eyes"). While described as competent and efficient, most of the time throughout the film she seemed to be a dip-stick with a bad case of PMS! Plus, she seemed to be picked for the film just because she looked good in shorts and a t-shirt (the standard garb for astronauts in the film). My wife just cringed at her character and I found it to be unintentionally funny. Plus, the Major, who you KNEW was destined to marry her, was an annoying sexist who only seemed happy when he was not serving under her (forgive the crude humor) but was her superior in rank! Uggh. The film just died when it came to the human interactions and became tedious and silly.

So, although I love the sci-fi genre of the 1950s, I must admit this film is fatally flawed. Under no circumstances should it be viewed by a rabid feminist, as it might result in an apoplectic fit at the sexism and stupidity of the characters. Otherwise, watch at your own risk.

The absolute worst of the Cold War Sci-fi movies!!!!

[BadWebDiver · 2/10 · 20 November 2006]

Even by the standards of classically cheesy 50s cold war sci-fi propaganda movies; this one totally takes the cake for being the worst of the bunch.

The portrayal of the bad guys is both bland and hammy at the same time (which is a remarkable feat in itself). The models look like cheap constructor-kit toys. And don't let me get started on the MARRIAGE scene. I seriously wanted to hurl at that bit.

And the final proof of badness? Hayden TRoarke looked more credible playing the psychiatrist in I DREAM OF JEANNIE (a sitcom) than he did playing this serious drama story! Nuff said.

Please, Do Not Walk On The Walls

[junk-monkey · 2/10 · 3 April 2008]

An enemy agent sneaks himself on board the first circum-Luna space flight and, when he is discovered, forces the rest of the crew (all two of them) to make the first landing on the moon. Shortly thereafter he gets himself conveniently killed and the other two members have to get married because apart from anything else they are 250,000 miles from earth - without a chaperon! (Did I mention they were a man and a woman with a history who hated each other on sight? Well they were and they did.) For a movie with almost no plot and even less in the way of characters it is remarkably well thought-out in the technical department. Phones in the near future of 1953 were still huge clunking great black Bakelite things with dials on the front, but they had dinky little aerials on hand set and receiver which meant characters could walk about the room talking without a string getting in the way. Like yeah! I mean how likely is that?? There's all sorts of stuff that technically is far above most of the other SF dross of the period: the ship that takes our crew from Earth up to the space station is streamlined but the one that makes the trip to the moon looks like a pile of tin cans taped together. This was 1953, sixteen years before 2001 introduced the concept that spaceships didn't have to look like a torpedo with wings to a wider audience. And in the space station, where everyone was weightless and walked about using magnetic boots,I loved the notice that said: 'Please, Do Not Walk On The Walls' (it was painted upside-down on the other side of the corridor for the benefit of people walking on the ceiling).

This movie also contained the best non special effect I have seen for ages. Towards the end, our hero (on the Moon) is in conference with his boss, The General, (on Earth) via the huge wall to wall Enterprise-like TV screen. Our hero paces back and forth his control room. The General on Earth sits behind his desk and talks to him man to man. Every time our hero walks past the screen, his shadow falls across the General's desk revealing the fact that the actor playing the General is merely sat the other side of a big hole in the set's wall, delivering his half of the conversation to an imaginary camera somewhere in the middle distance, while doing a heroic job of ignoring the other actor in the room with him.

A very long 63 minutes; most of which was spent waiting for the heroine's rather peachy, hot-pant clad bum to appear again.

A charmingly cornball 50's sci-fi camp cheapie hoot

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 17 October 2007]

In the near future of 1970 the US government decides to colonize the moon. They send three folks -- Gung-ho Major Bill Moore (amiable Ross Ford), bratty eager beaver Colonel Briteis (the adorably spunky Donna Martell), and enigmatic Dr. Wernher (solid Larry Johns) -- out into the area to take pictures of the lunar surface. But one of them is a saboteur who's determined to foil the mission. Director Richard Talmadge, working from a silly script co-written by noted science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein, treats the goofy premise with utmost seriousness, thereby giving this amusingly chintzy hoot the necessary clunky sincerity to acquire a certain irresistibly campy charm. The often dopey dialogue (sample line: "Major, I think you're space happy"), plodding pace, the primitive (far from) special effects (the spaceship looks just like some kid's toy rocket -- and probably was exactly that), tight 63 minute running time, plenty of unintentional laughs (the blast off sequence is hilarious!), Harschel Burke Gilbert's rousing "spacey" score, a startling plethora of gross rampant sexism, and William Thompson's static cinematography further enhance the substantial unintentional amusement to be relished in this enjoyable quickie.

One for all us Talmadge fans!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 1 October 2016]

The detractors of this movie have obviously taken it far too seriously. It's supposed to be just a bit of fun. And it's interesting for connoisseurs because it's one of the very few movies directed by the famed 2nd unit man, Richard Talmadge. I will admit that this otherwise very agreeable, dime store science fiction hokum, is a bit slow to get under way, but with the entrance of the delightful, bright-eyed Donna Martell – a fetching player, if ever there was one – and the attractive walking-on-the-walls sequence in the space station, it probes an unexpected, if minor delight. It was a mistake, however, to kill off the villains three quarters of the way through, in order to make room for a romantic cliché, but the Saturday matinée kids and I would have preferred an old-fashioned derring-do climax. Still, the special effects are quite well done, and that's something in the movie's favor as well.

Once in a blue moon, you might get to see a good Sci-Fi movie from the 1950's. This is not one of them. This 'lunatic' Sci-Fi movie was awful!

[ironhorse_iv · 3/10 · 23 January 2016]

Originally intended as a pilot film for a TV series to be called "Ring Around the Moon". This pilot project shot in just ten days, was suddenly turn into a feature length movie by producer Jack Seaman, when films like Sci-Fi films became uber popular. In the end, all this was done without the knowledge of fame writer Robert A. Heinlein whom wrote the classic short story 'Destination Moon', in which this movie is based on. To avoid a lawsuit, the studio gave Heinlein credit, in which, Heinlein quickly disowned, because how much he loathed the final project. The result of his choice, would affect his work for years to come. The plot set in a futuristic version of the 1970, has a group of astronauts, leaded by the beautiful, Colonel Briteis (Donna Martell) and her dashing co-pilot, Major Bill Moore (Ross Ford), being infiltrated by an enemy spy, posing as Dr. Wernher (Larry Johns), who inadvertently causes the team to become stranded on the Moon during a photographing space mission. Can the astronauts find their way back to their main base or will the three men crew, perish in the great beyond? Watch the movie to find out, if you want to! Without spoiling the movie, too much; this movie is full of visual flaws. The uniforms for the astronauts is hilarious bad with their short shorts, tight-fitting tee-shirt, and swimming caps. Seeing how cold, it is, in space and it's the conservative 1950s. It's weird to see, how much skin, is shown in this film. The toy models effects like the Frisbee space station are laughable to look at. Then there is the fact, that this movie and 1953's Cat-Women of the Moon use mostly the same sets and costumes, and then released within one day of each other. It's a glorious mess, but since the movie started out as a failed television pilot with a lower budget, it does somewhat explain, why the sets, special effects, and costumes look so cheap and disjointed. Regardless, director Richard Talmadge does his best to pull off this futuristic survivor thriller movie, with nifty interior shot of the space station and splices the film to make it seem as if crew members are walking on the ceiling with magnetic boots. However, these sequence are also hard to watch, due to severe 90 degree Dutch angles. Another alright effect was the somewhat realistic looking, launch that shows the crews gritting their teeth and screaming as G-force crush in on them. Like the other shot, it can come across, as the astronauts looking like they're about to crap, their pants. Then, there is the concept of the odd mix of scientific authenticity and Cold War paranoia, but like the others, it's can be a bit jarring. A good example is how the movie talks about having to weight, less than 90 pounds to be, in the space mission, yet most of the actors, looks like it weight more than that. Also, how exactly, were they going to photograph the dark side of the moon? Another thing, the villain's true identity is uncovered, because he didn't know what the Brooklyn Dodgers are. I guess, if you're not a sport fan; you have to be a communism spy! Well, regardless of all, those flaws, it was still, an entertaining mess. It's when the 3rd act comes, where the most of this movie's fun moments, comes undone. It's here, when the sub-plot idea of marriage comes into view, and overtakes the survivor plot. It's there, this movie really lost, its direction. It really comes out of nowhere and add nothing to the plot. I really don't understand why, Moore's commander, Jovial "Pappy" Green (Hayden Rorke) would virtually order, these two to fall in love and get marry, when the two astronauts rarely show any interest with each other. I guess, it's because the public won't accept to rescue them, if the two, were unmarried, but that's really a stretch. It's really stupid. If anything, its ruin the movie's feminist tone. Despite all, the threats, she got from her fellow officers like getting spankings because her bratty attitude, until this point, the Colonel mostly kept mostly cool and collective. It's here, that she turn into a young naive schoolgirl whom gladly gets married, despite the fact, that this plot was hatched without her knowledge, and she barely know, anything about Moore. I really don't get, what this movie is going for, with its tone. Is this movie was trying to be, misogyny against women or a film for feminists? It's confusing. One minute, the film is talking about how females are equal to men in the military. Then the next minute, the Colonel requests Moore be promoted to general so he'll be superior to her, because Moore felt inferior. To make it, even more baffling, she does this in front of the female president of the United States, and her new husband, says, he didn't give her, anything, but a kiss. Before we can watch the couple finish their kiss, a hasty "The End" card was spastically hacked into the print. How does that make a well-solid film!? This 63 minutes movie is full of stupid snappy editing like that. Not only that, but despite being cast in the part of a strong woman, Donna Martell fails to project any confident or assured presence. Ross Ford's performance felt like wasted, and Hayden Rorke can't act, worth beans. At one point, you can clearly make out that he was reading his lines from cue cards, complete with awkward pauses as he has to pick up where he left off. It's boondoggle. Despite that, the b/w picture looking fine, with little scratches, and has decent sound for its age. Overall: I have to say, it's so bad, it's good. Project Moon Base is a gem of ridiculousness, and deserves to be cherished for its moments of unintentional hysterics. A must-watch.

What this 1953 movie can tell us.

[TxMike · 5 December 2022]

I came across this 1953 movie on Free TV streaming. It is barely over 60 minutes long so isn't too much different from a one hour TV show.

I find it interesting that almost 70 years ago this work of fiction so accurately foreshadowed some of the things going on today, in 2022. There is a space station in orbit around the Earth and they accurately explain why a person feel weightless on it. They use magnetic shoes inside the space station and there are signs "please do not walk on the walls."

Also there is a proposal to build a station on the Moon, another thing our current Artemis program is headed towards. In this story a team of three are to orbit the Moon to photograph the back side. For some reason not completely explained they end up having to land there in a crater and then get inventive to establish radio contact with Earth.

One of the crew members was a female officer, a novelty for the early 1950s as relates to sending people in space. However, as with almost all pre-space movies the crew boards a few minutes before launch, and all are wearing short shorts and snug-fitting tee shirts, even the men. They just strap themselves onto cots and go.

The drama in this story involves a rogue group out to destroy the space station, they find a look-a-like to substitute for one of the scientists in the initial trip to the space station.

Judged by 21st century standards this is not a very good movie and the special effects are not realistic at all. Still I found it to be a worthwhile glimpse into a time when space exploration was still just a dream, and how fiction writers and movie producers envisioned how it might be.

SPACOM! **SPOILERS**

[icehole4 · 3/10 · 18 February 2003]

The trouble with predicting the future is that sometimes, you get it wrong. That sure was the case for Project: Moonbase. According to the movie, in the year 1970, the first man and woman land on the moon when treachery from a third man causes the capsule they were in to make a forced landing. Donna Martell was definitely chosen for her good looks and not her acting ability. Some sexist overtones in the film don't help either. At the end of the film, when Colonel Breiteis and Major Moore marry, you're supposed to feel good about it, but I ended up not caring. Skewered on MST3K for it inaccuracies and somewhat bad acting, it's just a so-so film that didn't stand up to the test of time.

Lots of smoking.

[13Funbags · 3/10 · 30 March 2020]

The most interesting thing about this movie is that while they are on Earth, there is always somebody smoking. The story is weak, the acting is mediocre and there are lots of plot holes.Yet somehow they still managed to cram an unnecessary love story into this 63 minute mess. This is for hardcore sci-fans only.

A Moon Shot with Blanks

[pv71989-1 · 2/10 · 6 July 2014]

One of the worst mistakes Hollywood keeps committing is taking a strong premise or idea and executing it with all the finesse of a hatchet job. And in the 1950's, this was the norm.

Before I start, let me clarify the script credits. Credit is given to Robert Heinlein and Jack Seaman. Seaman wrote the script but Heinlein was given credit as well because it was based on his classic short story. However, according to Heinlein's wife, the copyright had lapsed on the story and it was snatched up in the public domain. But, to avoid a lawsuit, the studio gave Heinlein credit (alas, this was an oft-used way for Hollywood to avoid paying royalties).

Heinlein loathed the final product and rightly so. This film was a piece of that horrible 1950's theme -- strong female characters who bow out to men when the going gets rough (such as in "The Thing From Another World," "It Came From Beneath the Sea," "Tarantula" and "Them!").

The plot, based on the short story, involves a short space mission to photograph the dark side of the Moon so that a base can be established. Though the movie is set in the 1970's, it was filmed in the 1950's, meaning the base will be a military installation filled with nuclear weapons to help maintain freedom and peace on Earth.

Leading the mission is Col. Briteis (played by Donna Martell, a beautiful but second-tier actress). Her co-pilot is Major Bill Moore (Ross Ford), which provides internal conflict as both officers hate each other. Briteis became world famous for being the first human to orbit the planet but it is soon made clear that she only got the mission because she weighed 90 pounds (the upper limit of the orbiter because of all the equipment aboard), not because she was qualified.

Commanding the overall mission is Gen. Pappy Green (Hayden Rorke, long before he became Col. Bellows on "I Dream of Jeanie"). Also aboard is an enemy spy (in 1970, he is "enemy," which is a stand-in for "Communist") and he seeks to destroy the Space Station from which the mission to the Moon is to be launched.

Purportedly, this movie started out as a failed television pilot in the mode of "Tom Corbett: Space Cadet." That may explain why the movie looks so cheap and disjointed as science fiction TV in the 50's had even lower budgets than an Ed Wood project. Whatever the case, the movie hits a stumbling block right out of the gate by spending the first several minutes showing our "enemy" agents plotting to destroy the station and then finally switching out a real scientist for their fake guy.

The entire movie played out as a hokey TV episode that makes "Tom Corbett" seem like classic drama. Director Richard Talmadge does his best to pull off a futuristic space atmosphere but is undone by not being creative enough. He comes up with a nifty interior shot of the space station and splices the film to make it seem as if crew members are walking on the ceiling with magnetic boots.

Yet, the uniform for the astronauts looks like leftovers from Buck Rogers -- shorts, a tight-fitting tee-shirt and a head covering straight out of a Crash Corrigan serial. This is also the uniform for takeoff, a launch that shows the crews gritting their teeth and screaming as G-force crush in on them. Even in 1953, it was generally known that astronauts would need protective suits to protect them from G-forces during launch, so one must chalk this up to no money for the effect.

What I need to talk about is the cast and how they are portrayed.

Though the mission commander is a female, when she learns she's going to get Maj. Moore (whom she loathes) as second-in-command, she whines and says she won't accept it. Gen. Green's response is to tell her he has half a mind to put her over his knee and spank her!

Also, by the end of the movie, she gladly gets married (a plot hatched without her knowledge) and requests Moore be promoted to general so he'll be superior to her.

Also, a female reporter is named "Polly Prattles," is overweight and complains more about her weight than getting information on the space station.

So much for feminism and equality in the future.

Overall, the acting was okay. Rorke was his usual professional self. Ford was serviceable, as was Martell. But, the best actor in the cast was Larry Johns as both the real and fake Dr. Wernher. Alas, all except Johns acted down to the script.

Talmadge makes a game attempt here. From his start as a stuntman back in the days of silent film, he pretty much did everything -- direct, produce, write, edit, etc. It was a useful thing in the world of low-budget science fiction.

I can't even recommend this for a late-night stuck-in-the-house-because-of-thunderstorms kind of viewing. Stick with "Riders to the Stars."

Disposable Sci-Fi

[gavin6942 · 3/10 · 28 April 2018]

A saboteur posing as a scientist strives to destroy the world's first space station.

The film is based on a story by Robert A. Heinlein, who shares screenwriting credit with producer Jack Seaman. Apparently the film was made without Heinlein's consent and he disowned it as his work. The film was directed by the mysterious Richard Talmadge.

The film is unusual for its time in both attempting to portray space travel in a "realistic" manner (which it does quite well considering it was pre-Apollo), and for depicting a future in which women hold positions of authority and responsibility equal to men; in the film the President of the United States is a woman. Being set in 1970, they were not far off on the space travel, but a bit too optimistic on the presidency.

This movie and "Cat-Women of the Moon" (1953) were made using some of the same sets and costumes. The two films were then released within one day of each other. While both are a bit cheesy, they both have their merits.

Spies On The Moon

[bkoganbing · 2/10 · 29 April 2012]

This low budget science fiction film with story by Robert Heinlein of all people was given to the American movie-going public by Lippert Pictures. Certainly a writer of Heinlein's reputation in the science fiction genre deserved better than a film by Lippert.

We're into the future, 1970 to be precise and the Cold War is still going on and it's race to the moon to see who can establish a base there and point missiles at Earth. There's a US constructed and operated space station out there already and the Communists want to see it destroyed and our progress in space halted and maybe even reversed.

What to do but plant a spy on board a mission to the moon who will take over the ship and destroy the space station. The spy is Larry Johns who is discovered by that tried and true device so popular during World War II, knowledge of baseball. I mean anybody who's never heard of the Brooklyn Dodgers has to be an enemy agent. And here the Dodgers never went west.

As if problems with Russian spies isn't enough, pilot Donna Martell and co-pilot Ross Ford are feuding. She was jumped over him in rank and given the first orbital space flight due to her sex and Ford doesn't like it. He kind of likes her though and they do get kind of close.

Even seen from a Cold War perspective I have to believe that Heinlein's story was a great deal more complex. The sets are Lippert style cheap and the story is to ridiculous to describe further.

Even the Man in the Moon winced.

Bravely tries to overcome its budgetary restraints

[glenaobrien · 4/10 · 21 January 2024]

A planned orbit of the moon is highjacked by a foreign saboteur which forces the first moon landing (in 1970) and an Adam and Eve scenario for the establishing of the first moon base. From a screen play by sci-fi great Robert Heinlein, it strives for scientific realism (including the effect of g-force) and some of the set designs and models of spaceships are quite well rendered.

Donna Martel plays the leader of the expedition, Commander Briteis (pronounced 'bright eyes'), but in that weird way 1950s science fiction works, the apparent progressiveness (there is also a woman POTUS), is soon pushed back into sexist stereotypes that restore the patriarchal balance of the world.

For no reason that makes any sense whatsoever, this movie was rereleased under the title Cat-woman of the Moon. Nothing even remotely suggests the appropriateness of that title, though some of the same costumes and sets were used in Cat-women of the Moon released the same year. An odd little film, it tries bravely to transcend its obvious budgetary limitations with limited success.

If this looked that bad on my small screen, I can't imagine this on a big screen!

[mark.waltz · 2/10 · 29 May 2018]

I got to see this in a double bill with "Destination Moon" which at least had the benefit of gorgeous color and a Woody Woodpecker cartoon to make it rise above its dullness. All this has is a bunch of people running around in silly caps trying to get to the moon and suspecting somebody of being a saboteur.

It is a silly compilation of a TV series that never made it on the air that looks as cheap on my TV screen as many of the early TV series that had amateurish photography, plain sets and uninteresting characters. In fact, it made "Plan 9 From Outer Space" look like an epic in comparison. Of the cast, the only name I recognized was Hayden Rourke ("I Dream of Jeanie" which was ironically about astronauts), and the rest of the cast is basically forgettable. There's not much action considering the supposed shell of a plotline, and at just over an hour, it ends up being a huge waste of time.

Enjoyable obscure 50's sci fi

[chris_gaskin123 · 8/10 · 21 January 2005]

Project Moonbase was a pilot for a planned TV series but that never happened. It is a rather obscure movie but at least it has been released on VHS and DVD in the States. A mate of mine did me a copy of his DVD.

The United States is considering building is considering building bases on the Moon and an expedition consisting of a man and women plus a scientist, unaware he is actually a Russian spy is sent there to look at possible sites. After being found out, they land on the Moon and he is made to help to put up a radio mast, but is killed towards the end. The man and woman then get married while on the Moon by one of the controllers back on Earth and their new base becomes known as Moonbase 1. The President then speaks to them, who is female.

The movie's score is rather eerie and the cast is mostly made up of unknowns, led by Hayden Rorke and Donna Martell. Their uniforms are certainly unusual: tee shirt and shorts and funny hats!

This movie is worth looking at if you get the chance. A good way of spending an hour one evening.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.

Worthy of some interest.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 15 August 2021]

In the "future" year of 1970, the Space Force is determined to establish a base of operations on and above the moon, but the first order of business is to survey the moon. So an orbital flight is planned, which will be commanded by striking, comely female officer Briteis (the sexy, buxom Donna Martell, "Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff"). Joining her are studly co-pilot Major Moore (Ross Ford, "Challenge to Lassie"), and a scientist (Larry Johns, "Dakota Lil") who turns out to be an enemy agent who wants to sabotage the project.

The first half is mostly about set up and dialogue, with things getting a little more interesting and exciting in the second half. While "Project Moon Base" is admittedly hampered by budgetary limitations, the involvement of noted sci-fi author Robert A. Heinlein ("Starship Troopers", "The Puppet Masters") gives it some value. Heinlein clearly wanted to make this thing at least reasonably realistic, but he would disown the film after it was lengthened and sent to theaters (it was originally planned as the pilot episode of a TV series). It's ahead of its time in some ways: the spacecraft that is forced to make a landing is similar to the real one that landed on the moon years later. Briteis (or "Bright Eyes", if you will) and Moore are on fairly even footing instead of her being subservient to him. There's even a female U. S. President (Ernestine Barrier, "The Bottom of the Bottle") who turns up at the end. For what this little film must have cost, visuals and special effects aren't exactly bad (for the most part).

Not bad entertainment for fans of 50s sci-fi, this co-stars Hayden Rorke ('I Dream of Jeannie') as the affable General Greene, and was directed by Richard Talmadge, a man who worked as a stuntman for many years and whose career dated back to the silent era. He only directed a handful of features; also among them are "I Killed Wild Bill Hickok" and "Border Outlaws".

Six out of 10.

This film switches it more than a couple of times

[Aaron1375 · 3/10 · 13 December 2016]

This film is about espionage! No wait, this film is about space travel! No, back to espionage! No, now it is about survival! Um, maybe it is a bout romance? Yes, this film that was featured on the show Mystery Science Theater was all over the place and it was only like a 62 minute movie! An early film about space travel featuring space stations, super secret bad guy organizations and two astronauts who dislike each other and then learn to fall in love with each other. Yes, the film is like part Bond film, part space adventure and part romantic comedy. It kind of makes a very strange mix up of a movie, but at the same time it is impressive that they managed to merge all three genres in such a short film.

The story has an evil organization to start out with. Their plan is to find a scientist that will be sent to this space station and replace him with a look alike that can sabotage said station and take it down! Sounds right out of a Bond film doesn't it? Well, it predates every James Bond film so the people who made this one did not copy from the films, anyways. Well, a mission is going to be launched where a couple of astronauts are to fly around the moon and someone else is supposed to photo for some type of surveying mission as they want to place a base on the moon. The evil organization has its man and gets him into the mission; meanwhile, the pilot and copilot of this mission have grudges against each other, but chances are they secretly love each other as one is a female everyone calls Bright Eyes. They are on the station and you get to see lame effects before they end up stranded on the moon and this movie really moves by quick.

This was a first season episode of MST3K and I generally find that the first season episodes are the weakest, but this one is okay. Once they get past the not one, but two Commander Cody shorts that precede this film. I was so getting tired of those things by the end of that season as so many of the first episodes featured them. The portion of the film that centered on the actual movie were pretty good as it was one of the fastest moving first season episodes ever! I think it had something to do with the nature of the film, it changed up so much that it felt fresh the entire time with very few repeated jokes.

So, not a great film, but at least it moved at a very quick pace. Still cannot ignore the fact that after the one dude dies that the secret organization that seemed so important to the plot literally vanishes without a trace; however, that may be due to the fact that this was going to be a television series so perhaps they would have made their return. Then again, the thing almost seemed like a romantic comedy during the last portion so who knows what the direction they were going to go in if this thing had progressed further. I will say it did have a good plot for an adult film. Add another woman on the ship and perhaps some moon women and it would have been a wild time! I mean they were literally flying the ship from beds!