''Unidentified Flying Oddball'' is a 1979

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

. It is based on

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

's 1889 novel '' A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'', directed by Russ Mayberry and produced by Walt Disney Productions. Released in the United Kingdom as ''The Spaceman and King Arthur'', then subsequently re-released in the United States as ''A Spaceman in King Arthur's Court'', the film stars

Dennis Dugan Dennis Barton Dugan (; born September 5, 1946) is an American film director, actor, and comedian. He is known for directing the films ''Problem Child (film), Problem Child'', ''Brain Donors'', ''Beverly Hills Ninja'' and ''National Security (20 ...

as NASA employee Tom Trimble who unintentionally travels back in time with his look-alike android Hermes.

Plot

After Trimble's

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 ...

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle that is designed spaceflight, to fly and operate in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including Telecommunications, communications, Earth observation satellite, Earth observation, Weather s ...

travels faster than the

speed of light The speed of light in vacuum, commonly denoted , is a universal physical constant exactly equal to ). It is exact because, by international agreement, a metre is defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time i ...

, it takes him and his android back to

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

's Camelot in the year 508 AD. They then use their 20th-century technology to help defeat a plot by the evil Sir Mordred and

Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

to oust King Arthur from his throne.

Cast

as Tom Trimble/Hermes * Jim Dale as Sir Mordred * Ron Moody as

Kenneth More Kenneth Gilbert More (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English actor. Initially achieving fame in the comedy ''Genevieve (film), Genevieve'' (1953), he appeared in many roles as a carefree, happy-go-lucky gent. Films from this period ...

* John Le Mesurier as Sir Gawain * Rodney Bewes as Clarence * Sheila White as Alisande ("Sandy") * Robert Beatty as Senator Milburn *

Cyril Shaps Cyril Leonard Shaps (13 October 1923 – 1 January 2003) was an English actor of radio, television and film, with a career spanning over seven decades. Early radio Shaps was born in the East End of London to Polish-Jewish parents; his father ...

as Dr. Zimmerman * Kevin Brennan as Winston *

Ewen Solon Peter Ewen Solon (7 September 1917 – 7 July 1985) was a New Zealand-born actor, who worked extensively in both the United Kingdom and Australia. At the outbreak of World War II, Solon became a member of the First Echelon, 2nd NZEF that saw ser ...

as Watkins * Pat Roach as Oaf * Reg Lye as Prisoner

Production

The spacecraft featured in this movie was on display at the Blackgang Chine theme park in the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

Filming

The film was shot on location and at Pinewood Studios London. Shooting locations included Alnwick Castle in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

Release

The film had its premiere at the Odeon, St. Martin's Lane, London on July 19, 1979 attended by

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. ...

. It was later released through VHS on July 26, 1986.

Reception

'' Variety'' wrote, "Pic has some good slapstick touches and offers a generous serving of visual tricks and space hardware, though on a par with ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' in that department it ain't." Linda Gross of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' stated, "The film will provide mildly amusing summer fun for those having their first encounter with castles and kings. However, '' A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'', ''

Knights of the Round Table The Knights of the Round Table (, , ) are the legendary knights of the fellowship of King Arthur that first appeared in the Matter of Britain literature in the mid-12th century. The Knights are a chivalric order dedicated to ensuring the peace ...

'' and '' Camelot'' all captured the vigor of medieval England with more passion." Carla Hall of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' wrote: "The plot—obviously derived from 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'—has the customary quantum of Disney cuteness as the story unravels predictably. But it takes advantage of the situation for some funny lines." Martyn Auty of ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' stated: "Quintessentially Arthurian locations and resplendent colour quality (that owes more to the processing lab than to Northumberland) put this updated version of Mark Twain's ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' a cut above its predecessors in the current Disney craze for space-visitor yarns." The film earned

theatrical rental A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is frequ ...

s of $4.475 million in the United States and Canada.

References

External links

* {{Films based on Arthurian legends Arthurian films 1979 films 1979 children's films 1970s fantasy comedy films American fantasy adventure films American science fantasy films 1970s films about time travel Films about androids Films about astronauts Walt Disney Pictures films Films based on fantasy novels Films based on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Films set in the 6th century American science fiction comedy films Films shot at Pinewood Studios 1970s science fiction comedy films Films based on American novels American fantasy comedy films Films scored by Ron Goodwin Films produced by Ron W. Miller 1979 comedy films Films directed by Russ Mayberry 1970s English-language films 1970s American films 1970s British films 1979 science fiction films English-language science fantasy films English-language science fiction comedy films English-language fantasy comedy films