Man in the Moon (1960)

William Blood (Kenneth More) is a carefree – and exceptionally healthy – playboy who earns his living as a human guinea pig at the Common Cold Research Centre. He claims that his apparent immunity from illness is because he is single.

At the centre, he meets Polly (Shirley Anne Field), a strip-tease dancer from London. She proves to be one of the few girls to make a positive impression on him.

Blood’s A1 fitness makes him the ideal candidate to become Britain’s first astronaut, and during his training for a trip to the moon, he meets fellow trainees and starts to learn the real reason why he was chosen.

He soon finds himself launched from Woomera in Australia in a rocket, only to realise too late that he is, in fact, in love with Polly.

While the scientists – led by Dr Davidson (Michael Hordern)- believe that William has landed on the moon, things are not quite what they seem. He actually touches down in the Australian wilds – and is thus able to return to his old job at the Cold Research Centre, marry Polly and raise a family.

Unfortunately, this British spoof on the NASA space programme never really leaves the launch pad.

Seemingly stuck for ideas, writers Michael Relph and Bryan Forbes fall back on that old plot standby, the rival with his nose out of joint, to enliven the scenes of More’s training with a few acts of unfunny sabotage while the ultimate destination proves to be anything but the final frontier.

William Blood
Kenneth More
Polly
Shirley Anne Field
Herbert
Norman Bird
Dr Davidson
Michael Hordern
Dr Wilmot
John Glyn-Jones
Professor Stephens
John Phillips
Leo
Charles Gray
Rex
Bernard Horsfall
Dr H.R. Hollis
Newton Blick
Roy
Bruce Boa
Storekeeper
Ed Devereaux

Director
Basil Dearden