''Earthbound'' is a 1981 American

science fiction comedy Science fiction comedy (sci-fi comedy) or comic science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that exploits the science fiction genre's conventions for comedic effect. The genre often mocks or satirizes standard science fic ...

film directed by James L. Conway. It received limited theatrical release after being rejected as a

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...

Plot summary

When a family of benevolent humanoid aliens is stranded in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

after their spaceship crashes, a kind innkeeper (Burl Ives) and his grandson (Todd Porter) take them in. Once word gets out that aliens have landed, Sheriff De Rita (John Schuck) and Deputy Sweeney (Stuart Pankin) prove unable to handle the crowds. A government agent (Joseph Campanella) arrives, who wants to assure that the aliens cannot intermingle with humankind.

Cast

Production

Parts of the film were shot in

Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. Most of the city is within Summit County, Utah, Summit County, with some portions extending into Wasatch County, Utah, Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is sou ...

. The movie was developed as a TV pilot, and released theatrically when the networks showed no interest. John Schuck stated that while the area where the movie was shot was beautiful, the two-week production of the film was rushed and the script was lacking. He also felt the 16-mm filming did not lend itself to a theatrical release.

Reception

In Creature Feature, the movie received 2 out of 5 stars, finding the direction lacking. The show was cited as one that had potential, but was not picked up as a series in ''

Starlog ''Starlog'' was an American monthly science fiction magazine that was created in 1976 and focused primarily on ''Star Trek'' at its inception. Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs were its creators and it was published by Starlog Group, Inc. in Aug ...

''.Goldberg, L. (December 1991 ) Starlog #173 The Sci Fi TV You Didn't See.

References

Citations

Sources

External links

* * {{James L. Conway 1981 films 1981 comedy films 1981 independent films 1980s English-language films 1980s science fiction comedy films American independent films American science fiction comedy films Films directed by James L. Conway Films shot in Utah Taft Entertainment Pictures films Television pilots not picked up as a series 1980s American films English-language science fiction comedy films 1981 science fiction films English-language independent films