Main Cast: Don Knotts, Leslie Nielsen, Joan Freeman, Jesse White, Jeanette Nolan, Arthur O'Connell
Release Year: 1967
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
Plot
Roy Fleming (Don Knotts) is signed on to the space program at NASA by his father Buck (Arthur O'Connell), a gung-ho former World War I vet who is trying to make something out of his son. Roy becomes a janitor who is afraid of heights and mistaken for an astronaut through a series of comedic mishaps. (Jesse White) plays Roy's boss Donelli, with (Leslie Nielsen) as space hero Major Gifford. Knotts uses his patented brand of nervousness to perfection in this lighthearted situation comedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
Review
Whether one enjoys The Reluctant Astronaut will depend almost entirely on one's fondness for and appreciation of star Don Knotts. This is very clearly a vehicle, a low budget comedy on a then-topical subject (space travel); take away the star, and there's absolutely nothing there. In other words, don't come to Astronaut expecting a well-structured screenplay filled with witty dialogue and surprising turns of phrases, captivating plot twists and characters that engage due to the originality and imagination with which they are conceived and executed. Instead, be prepared for a steady barrage of gags, many of them sight-based and an alarming number of them based on the classic "fish out of water" premise. Some of the gags work very well, and Astronaut therefore has a fair share of laughs. It also includes a few moments involving the title character and his father that, while far from being great drama, are actually rather touching. Credit Knotts (along with "father" Arthur O'Connell) for playing those moments so well. Knotts certainly gives his all in the comedy moments as well, but there will be some viewers who simply don't take to his bug-eyed approach. For those in tune with the comedian, however, he's in very fine form, and gets solid support from O'Connell, Jesse White and Jeanette Nolan. Leslie Nielsen is fine if unremarkable, and much better than Joan Freeman, whose character comes off as less appealing than was intended. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Alexander Golitzen - Art Director, William D. de Cinces - Art Director, Rosemary Odell - Costume Designer, Edward J. Montagne Jr. - Director, Sam E. Waxman - Editor, Vic Mizzy - Composer (Music Score), Joseph E. Gershenson - Musical Direction/Supervision, Bud Westmore - Makeup, Hank Edds - Makeup, Rex Wimpy - Cinematographer, Edward J. Montagne Jr. - Producer, John P. Austin - Set Designer, John McCarthy - Set Designer, David Lee - Special Effects, George Brown - Special Effects, Jim Fritzell - Screenwriter, Everett Greenbaum - Screenwriter
The Reluctant Astronaut (1967) is a Universal Picturesfeature film starring Don Knotts in a story about a kiddie-ride operator who is hired as a janitor at the Manned Space Center in Houston and is eventually sent into space. The film was produced and directed by Edward J. Montagne, Jr..
Comedian Knotts won several Emmy Awards as small-town comic sheriff's deputy Barney Fife in the 1960-1968 television sitcomThe Andy Griffith Show but left the show as a regular at the end of its fifth season (1964-1965) to pursue a career in feature films with Universal Pictures. The Reluctant Astronaut followed Knotts' first film venture, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966). Actor Paul Hartman appears in the film and would later star in The Andy Griffith Show. The film's screenplay writers Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum had served as teleplay writers for the television series.
Knotts received a Golden Laurel nomination and the film's soundtrack was released. The Reluctant Astronaut has been broadcast on American television, and is available in both VHS and DVD formats.
Roy Fleming (Don Knotts) is fairground operator of a kiddie-spaceship ride. Despite being thirty-five years old, he still lives with his parents and suffers from extreme acrophobia (fear of heights). His father Arbuckle (Arthur O'Connell) wants better things for his son, so he sends an application to NASA. Roy later learns from his mother (Jeanette Nolan) that NASA has accepted him as a "WB-1074".
When Roy arrives at the Manned Space Center in Houston, supervisor Donelli (Jesse White) places him in training as a janitor. Roy accepts the disappointment and unsuccessfully tries to explain things to his family back home, who believe that he is an astronaut. Meanwhile, he is befriended by veteran astronaut Major Fred Gifford (Leslie Nielsen). One day, Roy is alarmed to discover that his father and his friends Plank (Frank McGrath) and Rush (Paul Hartman) are paying him a surprise visit at work. Anxious to please his domineering father, he dons a space suit and pretends to be an astronaut. After wreaking general havoc on the simulators and other hardware, Roy is exposed as a janitor by Donelli and summarily fired in the presence of his father.
When the Russians plan to trump NASA by sending a dentist into space, NASA moves quickly. Roy is found in a bar, rehired, and selected as the man least likely to venture into space and sent aloft. His father watches on TV, convinced the janitor story was a ploy for security reasons. During some eating experiments, Roy gets peanut butter into the guidance system and is in danger of being marooned in space. He remembers the retro rockets from his role as "Mr. Spaceman" on the amusement park ride and launches them, bringing the capsule safely home. Roy is hailed as a hero, and marries his sweetheart Ellie Jackson (Joan Freeman).
Knotts was nominated for the 1967 Golden Laurel Male Comedy Performance Award.
Legacy
The Reluctant Astronaut was a popular children's film during the Apollo space programme, and was frequently shown on weekend afternoons. According to Knotts' 1998 autobiography, the infamous Apollo 1 fire occurred and killed three astronauts shortly after the film's scenes at Kennedy Space Center were shot. Universal Pictures was skeptical about releasing a comedy on space travel so soon after the tragedy.
Soundtrack
The Reluctant Astronaut(Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
