The Reluctant Astronaut

The Reluctant Astronaut

Synopsis of Movie

“He's an ASTRO-KNOTT turned ASTRONAUT in the Maddest Mix-up in Space History!”

Don Knotts on terra firma was one thing. Don Knotts in space, especially when his character was profoundly scared of heights, that’s quite another, and that’s exactly what this 1967 comedy had in store. Two years prior, Knotts had put his patented comedy spin on “haunted house” horror movie conventions in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and he did the same to the Western in 1968 as The Shakiest Gun in the West. So a foray into world of sci-fi made perfect sense—Mr. Knotts, after all, was not a man to be kept out of a genre.

Roy Fleming operates a space-themed kids’ ride at the local amusement park, and that’s just fine for him. But Roy’s dad, an old-school military man named Buck, wants bigger and better things for his chip off the block…and so he signs young Roy up for a NASA-sponsored space program in Houston. Unfortunately, Roy soon finds out he’s the proud new owner of an assistant janitor’s position—not exactly the stuff of Neil Armstrong.

Roy works overtime to keep up the illusion that he’s indeed an astronaut-in-training, but he’s fired after donning a spacesuit and giving family and friends an official tour of the base—the base he’s really just supposed to be mopping up. It doesn't look good for Roy’s ever getting to the outer limits, until the honchos at NASA decide to send a layperson up into orbit—what better way to one-up the Russkies and prove the utter safety of their latest spacecraft model? With space hero Major Gifford looking on (and yes, that is Leslie Nielsen in the straight man's role), our favorite former janitor is selected for the gig—height phobia and all. Somehow, Roy's adventures in space, which include his chronically shaky nerves and an extremely trying “peanut butter in zero gravity” experience, end up making him a hero.

No sex, no bad language, no violence…just good clean bumbling around and perpetual Knotts-brand jumpiness. Neil’s got nothing on this guy.

Movie Release History

1967 - The Reluctant Astronaut

Movie Sub Categories

live-action
comedy

Movie Studio

Universal

Cast

Roy Fleming Don Knotts Major Fred Gifford Leslie Nielsen
Ellie Jackson Joan Freeman Donelli Jesse White
Mrs. Fleming Jeanette Nolan Plank Frank McGrath
Buck Fleming Arthur O'Connell Blonde in Bar Joan Shawlee
Bert Guy Raymond Aunt Zena Nydia Westman
Rush Paul Hartman Moran Robert Pickering
Bus Driver Paul Bryar Waitress Ceil Cabot
Secretary Fay DeWitt Bus Driver Fabian Dean

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