Michael's Movie Grade:B+
Year Released: 1962
History
Moon Pilot was the first Disney feature film directed by James Neilson. He later directed Bon Voyage, Summer Magic, The Moon Spinners and The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin. He had previously directed episodes of Disney's Zorro TV series. Maurice Tombragel the writer for this movie had previously written episodes of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. He would write only one more feature film for the Disney studio, Monkey's Go Home!. This was the first film Walt's son in law Ron Miller (later to be head of the studio) was a producer on.
An episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color called The Spy in the Sky was made in order to promote this film.
The star of this movie was Tom Tryon. Tom Tyron had previously played Texas John Slaughter for various serialized episodes of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. However this was his first and only appearance in a Disney feature. This movie advertised itself as introducing actress Dany Saval. This however wasn't quite true. This was her first American movie, but she had been making films in France for three years at this time. This film also features some of Disney's regular live action actors as well, including Brain Keith and Tommy Kirk. One thing that might interest today's film fan is that this movie is the film debut of Sally Field. She has a very small role here as a beatnick.
Critics were amazed at the amount and quality of the political satire used in this film. The reviews were very positive. Moon Pilot wasn't as popular at the box office, but due to the low budget used to make this movie, it did turn in a profit.
Review
An excellent film.
This film mixes slapstick and satire very well. The slapstick is the basic type you have come to expect from Disney comedies of this era (a chimp poking a our hero with a fork). However the satire is hugely political (something you would not associate with Disney comedies of this era). This political satire is very smart but also quite good natured. Swipes are taken at everybody, but there is no mean spiritedness behind any of these. These jokes are though still very funny. On top of this the slapstick humor and the satire work together perfectly and never get in each others way. Beyond the humor, the story and characters in this film are very likable.
On the downside, the stories setup seems to take too long. This can feel like a long slow setup to what the rest of the movie will be at times (though there are some funny moments here and there during the setup). This does not however change, just how good this movie is when it gets going, and it is excellent.
Overall a great movie that deserves more attention.
Film Credits
Director: James Neilson
Writer: Maurice Tombragel
Based on a story by Robert Buckner
Cast: Tom Tryon (Capt. Richmond Talbot), Brain Keith (Maj. Gen. John M. Vanneman), Edmond O'Brien (McClosky), Dany Saval (Lyrae), Bob Sweeny (Sen. Henry McGuire), Kent Smith (Secretary of the Air Force), Tommy Kirk (Walter Talbot), Simon Scott (Medical Officer), Bert Remsen (Agent Brown), Sarah Selby (Cecilia Talbot), Dick Whittinghill (Col. Briggs), Robert Brubaker (Technician), Douglas Evans (Colonel), Sally Field (Beatnik), Michael Garrett (Control Board Technician), Bob Hastings (Motorist), Jonathan Hole (Hotel Clerk), John Holland (Joe McCord), William Hudson (Technician), Kenner G. Kemp (Conventioneer), Nancy Kulp (Nutritionist), Muriel Landers (Woman), Harp McGuire (Federal Security Driver), Karen Norris (Bridge Player), Nelson Olmsted (Dennis), Jeffery Sayre (Conventioneer), Bert Stevens (Conventioneer), Arthur Tovey (Conventioneer), Guy Wilkerson (Conventioneer), Chet Stratton (Captain), John Zaremba (Officer)
Producers: Walt Disney, Ron Miller, Bill Anderson
Music: Paul Smith, Evelyn Kennedy, Joseph Oroop
Songwriters: Richard Sherman, Robert Sherman
Cinematographer: William E. Snyder
Editor: Cotton Warburton
Art Directors: Carroll Clark, Marvin Aubrey Davis
Set Decorators: Emile Kuri, William Stevens
Costume Designer: Bill Thomas
Makeup Artist: Pat McNally
Hair Stylist: Ruth Sandifer
Assistant Director: Joseph L. McEveety
Sound Artists: Robert O. Cook, Harry Lindgren
Effects Artist: Eustace Lycett
Costumers: Gertrude Casey, Chuck Keehne
Resources Used
The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin
http://www.thedisneyfilms.com/search/label/Moon%20Pilot
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056249/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
-Michael J. Ruhland
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