Was NASA ready to go to the moon? The president and NASA knew they could do it. The United States had just started trying to put people in space. Kennedy was the president of the United States. ĭell Publishing issued a comic book of the film.Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins and Buzz Aldrin flew on the Apollo 11 mission. Producer Walter Shenson and director Lester next made The Beatles film A Hard Day's Night. Sellers recommended Lester, whom he knew from his direction of The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film, as director. The film was made on sets left over from Cornel Wilde's film Sword of Lancelot.
They return to Grand Fenwick during a memorial ceremony (they had been out of radio contact for weeks and presumed lost). The American and Soviet spacemen have to hitch a ride with Kokintz and Vincent. When the Americans and Soviets try to race home to salvage some sort of propaganda coup, they almost enter the wrong ships and then, when they attempt lift-off, both descend deep into the lunar dust. However, Vincent accidentally hits a switch, speeding up the vessel, and he and Kokintz become the first to set foot on the Moon. Humiliated, the Americans and Soviets decide to risk sending their own crewed rockets, timing it so they will land at the same time as (or a little before) Grand Fenwick's ship. Kokintz calculates it will take three weeks to reach the Moon. To everyone's surprise, the rocket leisurely takes off with Kokintz and Vincent aboard. Mountjoy invites the Americans, Soviets, and British to the launching. Maurice Spender (Terry-Thomas), a bumbling spy sent by the suspicious British, is given a tour of the ship, including the shower heads converted into attitude jets, and reports back to his bosses that it is all a hoax. Together, they secretly begin preparing the rocket for flight.
Professor Kokintz has pleasant news for Vincent: he has discovered that the wine makes excellent rocket fuel. Mountjoy is disappointed to find that Vincent has picked up the British sense of fair play and the ambition to be an astronaut. Meanwhile, Mountjoy's son Vincent (Bernard Cribbins) returns after being educated in England. Mountjoy asks resident scientist Professor Kokintz (David Kossoff) to arrange a small explosion during the "launch" of their lunar rocket to make it look like they have actually spent the money as intended. The Soviets, not wishing to be one-upped by their Cold War rivals, deliver an obsolete rocket. He is delighted when they send him double the amount as an outright gift. The devious politician knows that the Americans will not believe him, but will consider the half million dollars he is asking for to be cheap propaganda supporting their hollow call for international co-operation in space.
First man on the moon movie 1964 cast install#
Prime Minister Mountjoy (Ron Moody) decides to ask the United States for a loan, ostensibly to fund its entry in the race to the Moon, but actually to save the duchy (and install modern plumbing so he can have a hot bath). Financial disaster looms for Grand Fenwick when the current vintage of its only export, wine, starts exploding in would-be consumers' faces.