''The Astronaut'' is a 1972 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses Speculative fiction, speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as Extraterrestrial life in fiction, extraterrestria ...

directed by Robert Michael Lewis and starring

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor and director. He began his career performing in film as a child, and successfully transitioned to adult roles and directing in both film and television. At age nine, h ...

and

Monte Markham Monte Markham (born June 21, 1935) is an American actor. He has appeared in films, television series, and on Broadway. Early life Markham was born in Manatee County, Florida, one of four sons of Millie Content (née Willbur) and Jesse Edwar ...

. It follows a man who has been hired to impersonate an astronaut who died during the first crewed mission to

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

. The movie was made for

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

for its movie of the week franchise. Real-life astronaut

Wally Schirra Walter Marty Schirra Jr. ( ; March 12, 1923 – May 3, 2007) was an American naval aviator (United States), naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. In 1959, he became one of the Mercury Seven, original seven astronauts chosen for Pro ...

appears in a cameo role as himself.

Plot

Television coverage of Brice Randolph, the first astronaut on the surface of Mars, is interrupted, indicating that the signal has been lost. Shortly afterward, Eddie Reese is recruited and shown what happened after the TV signal was interrupted: Brice reported something penetrating his EVA suit and soon expired. The other astronaut lifted off alone.

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

, fearing their project will be canceled, needs to keep it a secret until they have answers about what exactly happened. Reese undergoes surgical alterations and begins learning his role as Brice. Upon the arrival of the spacecraft back on Earth, the splashdown site is altered so that the press is unaware of Reese being brought to join the returning space crew. Reese, maintaining the cover, is now tasked with playing his role with the dead man's wife, Gail. Uneasy about being intimate with another man's wife, Reese unwittingly betrays himself to her, raising her suspicions. Eventually, NASA determines what happened on Mars and is ready to let Reese out of the masquerade. However, Reese and Gail are willing to carry on as if he is Brice Randolph. Reese then hears from a boy, who asked for an autograph, that the Soviets have just launched their own mission to land on Mars. NASA does not warn the Soviets of the dangers that await them; however, Reese and Gail decide to reveal the truth.

Cast

Reception

AllMovies gave the move 2.5 out of 5 stars. ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (''SFE'') is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus and BSFA Award, British SF Awards. Two print editions appea ...

'' stated that this largely-forgotten film is a major curiosity. It was aired when the Apollo missions to the Moon were still under way. The movie presents a negative view of NASA. According to the encyclopedia, a strong case can be made that ''

Capricorn One ''Capricorn One'' is a 1977 thriller film in which a reporter discovers that a supposed Mars landing by a crewed mission to the planet has been faked via a conspiracy involving the government and—under duress—the crew themselves. It was wri ...

'' plagiarized this film's central situation.The Astronaut SciFi Encyclopedia https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/astronaut_the

References

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Astronaut, The 1972 films 1972 television films 1970s English-language films 1972 science fiction films American science fiction films Films produced by Harve Bennett Films with screenplays by Harve Bennett Mars in film Films about astronauts Films about NASA Films scored by Gil Mellé ABC Movie of the Week Films directed by Robert Michael Lewis 1970s American films English-language science fiction films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links