Project Moon Base

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.

Despite my hopes for suspense when the foreign baddies get a double agent aboard the rocket ship, there's hardly a touch of white-knuckles anywhere in the 63-minutes. Looks like director Talmadge specialized in stunts rather than dramatizing scripts, and it shows in the stretched out results with no edges. Then too, the much amended script doesn't help (IMDB). And get a load of Col. Briteis (bright eyes !), played by malt shop cutie Martell. So what if she leads the moonbase expedition in revealing beach party shorts and top. What the heck, It's like sending Gidget to Mars. At the same time, her eye-candy cuteness distracted me from most every serious scene. Talk about commercially inspired casting: it doesn't come any more obvious.

Sure, it's a cheap drive-in indie, so how much could be expected from the outset. Nonetheless, the special effects aren't that bad given budget constraints and outer space backdrops. Then too, production avoids Cold War stereotyping of bad guys into evil commie plotters in dark shadow. Instead, master-mind Roundtree is more robotic and brightly lit than evil. And how about that ridiculous moon base wedding imposed, I suspect, by the puritanical Production Code. Can't let two unmarrieds co-habit, even in a rocket ship. No wonder distinguished writer Heinlein disowned the results (IMDB). All in all, my advice is to let this sleepy 10-day production lie.

(In passing- Can't help noticing current US plans for an outer-space armada are titled 'Space Force', same as in the movie. And that's along with justifying rhetoric similar to the movie's. All in all, looks like the loony flick cast a forward shadow, after all. )

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.

In the far-flung future of the 1970's, turmoil on Earth has forced colonization of the Moon. A Space Station has been constructed in the Lunar orbit. Now, a mission to the station is a target for sabotage.

PROJECT MOON BASE features: #1- A General (Hayden Rorke) who threatens to put a Colonel (Donna Martell) "over his knee"! #2- Quite possibly cinema's most preposterous rocket launch, complete with screams, moans, idiotic facial expressions, and wobbly rockets! #3- Luckily, the mission crew are all wearing ultra-short shorts, and sporting teapot cozies on their heads! #4- A ludicrous, slow-motion fight sequence, replete with more gape-mouthed buffoonery! #5- Loads of crackpot camera angles! #6- Wonky Moon Music, including a theremin! #7- Ridiculous romance!

A rib-tickling riot from start to finish! Just add intoxicants...

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.