Unidentified Flying Oddball (1979)

So much average

A different way of telling a story

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I suppose I was part of the target audience for "Unidentified Flying Oddball" since I graduated high school in 1979; and it's not a children's movie, then or today. Unlike "Mary Poppins" or other Disney classics of that ilk, the movie contains no children. And since it moves kind of slowly it probably won't interest kids today . . . after all, the "Oddball" (Dennis Dugan) proudly listens to "l-ps" and takes pictures with . . . a camera! For kids today it might as well be a silent picture. And it has a scantily-clad woman on the cover of a girlie mag cleverly called "Playtime" with lettering similar to a similarly titled mag. I missed this movie the year it came out, but catching it for the first time nearly 40 years later I can report . . . it's not as bad as I feared. Star Dennis Dugan was just coming off his own tv show, "Richie Brockelman, Private Eye" (though he probably is more famous today for playing the same character on "The Rockford Files"). He's just as winsome as he was on television. But he does play a nerdish character who wears big bow ties and loud sports jackets and smiles a lot. This was before Bill Murry and his ilk made jerks heroes. Dugan tries to be more a throwback to the days of Bob Hope and Danny Kaye, and I think Disney was trying for an ambiance like Kaye's "Court Jester." Disney was pretty much in the dumps at this time. But the Disney name was still able to attract big stars, and "Unidentified Flying Oddball" does not stint on the actors. The story is based (extraordinary loosely) on the Mark Twain novel A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT (so loosely, in fact, I don't know why they bothered with the attribution). King Arthur is played by a truly great actor, Kenneth More, in his big-screen swan song. Arthur's sidekick Gawain is John le Mesurier, a prolific actor whose comic expressions provide some of the movie's few giggles. Also giggle-worthy is Ron Moody (Fagin in "Oliver!") who tries to steal the picture with his expressions, voice modulations, and ridiculous haircut. For fans, the movie is worth watching once just to see Moody's performance. Mordred, the villain of the piece, is played by erstwhile "Carry On" performer Jim Dale (what, was Roddy McDowell unavailable?). While cunning actors More, Mesurier and Moody seem to realize the sort of flick they're in, Dale comes on with a fire-and-brimstone performance like he's in another movie entirely. Oh, and just as, in 1963, Disney cast in "Doctor Syn" one George Cole, legendary in England and unknown stateside, here legendary Brit Rodney Bewes plays the lowly (but helpful) Clarence. It's always good to see Bewes get work. I'm not up on the, science but I assume it's rubbish. I have (since graduating high school that year) studied medieval history extensively and I can say for certain the history is rubbish. Let's forget the nonexistence of King Arthur and accept him as given. The castle is six hundred years out of date, the jousting shown here even more so. The armor, weapons and the rest of it are as much out of place in the 500s AD as Clarence's "thees" and "thous." But why nitpick? It's just a silly romantic comedy and no worse, if perhaps more simple-minded, than some of the movies I took dates to in the late 1970s. Silly fun, and I mean . . . really silly. I mean . . . really, really, really silly. Don't go into this movie with any hopes you're going to see a rival to "Star Wars." I went in with low expectations and a bad head cold (with medication) and that helped a lot.

As the title might suggest, this is an adaptation of the Mark Twain novel 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'. To make things more interesting Disney flipped the idea on its head and made it a spaceman going back in time, thusly adding much more scope for visual fun and games.NASA are trying to send a manned crew to out nearest star Alpha Centauri with the use of a new flashy super fast shuttle. This shuttle will fly faster than the speed of light by collecting atoms and ionising them, all through magnetic fields fitted to the wings. No idea how this is suppose to work but its heavy foreshadowing that's for sure. By mistake Trimble and his android replica get blasted into space and on this perilous journey, but they don't get too far before ending up crashing back on Earth in the Middle Ages. Once discovered Trimble must convince the locals he's not an alien or monster, get to grips with medieval life and eventually try to stop Merlin and Mordred from overthrowing Arthur.Right so this is a Disney movie, an old Disney movie, so you know to expect slushy crapola just like all old live action Disney movies. I mean straight away, this professor dude at NASA rings up the main character Trimble and tells him to make a humanoid android for the shuttle project...and he does! He just says 'yes sir' and gets right to it, creating the perfect human looking android with perfect senses, reactions and even emotions, just like that. If people in this universe have those kinda of skills why are humans still stuck on Earth? Anyway this isn't about scientific authenticity, its a pure fantasy aimed at kids to enjoy, and back in the day I did enjoy this thoroughly.The lead character played by Dennis Dugan is terribly wet and preppy that's for damn sure, but I'd imagine he is appealing to the younger generations with his quirky, jaunty self. Other cast members are a who's who of classic British talents. Jim Dale of the famous British 'Carry On' movie franchise plays the baddie knight Mordred and gives quite a surprisingly solid performance to be honest. Ron Moody is Merlin and looks like your typical evil wizard mixed with Fu Manchu, couldn't help but think it was Fagin in the Middle Ages though. John Le Mesurier plays Sir Gawain adding some nice light- hearted humour to the role, whilst Kenneth More completes a little double act with Mesurier as King Arthur. This duo really played off each other well, like a little bickering old couple, its quite cute and charming, very childish, but adorable. Good old Pat Roach is in here too as Merlin's main henchman and muscle, what else would he be.The cast was pretty epic looking back, like many of old movies, but for kids at the time it was all about the adventure really, and this had all the right ingredients. Medieval knights, jousting, large scale battles and space technology. The movie was shot in and around a real castle in Northumberland, UK which really added to the realism and excitement when you were a kid. Everything looked like a giant adventure playground with lots of wondrous (yet dangerous) toys, the weaving dimly lit castle corridors, secret passages, the space shuttle in the courtyard, swords, crossbows, various futuristic gadgets, a moon buggy etc...Everything in the film does look pretty good too, considering the films age it still holds up well today. All the sets and costumes look terrific too, very accurate for a Disney kids flick, it does appear that this movie had a reasonable budget and plenty of tender loving care lavished upon it.Yet despite the fact this was indeed a kids flick, it didn't shy away from tiny moments of edgy material. For starters they actually have a full scale, full view burning of Trimble at one point. Even though everyone knows its not real they don't actually cut away from it! you actually see the stunt guy in there burning! or at least close to the flames with clever use of forced perspective...I think! Put it this way it looks pretty realistic for a Disney movie sheesh! Then you have the jousting contest where we see Trimble's android getting taken apart piece by piece until his head is speared off, and yes there are no cuts, you see it fly off. Lastly there are actually references to Playboy magazine here, its actually shown, front cover en all! Of course you don't see anything but the fact its in there, presumably as product placement, is quite bizarre frankly.Yes this fantasy adaptation has something in it for everyone, lots for the boys of course, romance with a maiden for the girls, and the legendary actors hamming it up something rotten for the adults. There is plenty of silly hokey stuff naturally, yet some quite clever stuff also, and what's more the special effects and props all add to the atmosphere perfectly. The big battle finale set in and around the castle at the end is the coup de grace, chock full of fun little moments. To be honest this whole thing feels a bit like a pantomime for kids, you half expect to hear hissing when the villains walk in shot. Its all so horrendously good-natured and delightful, its sickening...but in an acceptable way, nice score too.7/10

Disney was in a pathway of making films with an educational twist.My previous review of "2000 leagues under the sea" is likewise to this as its aim also was to educate as well as entertain."Unidentified Fying Oddball" is a film educating its audience (mainly targeting children) of science. Scenes include "Making Robots" & "Maganetisim".This film itself has a whole ray of cast.We are presented with Jim Dale, "British Actor" whom worked in numerous Carry On's such as "Screaming" & "Don't lose your head".Kenneth More is also present which is more known as playing the German King "Kaiser Wilhelm" in "Oh what a lovely War"The film itself though entails the time travel of an Astronaut into King Arthur's time,landing in Cornwall.The film has various good scenes and do provide a good laugh.The additional adding of cutlery to Sir Mordred sword by Clarence or the Magnatising of the troops to Tom's spaceship.The film does however fall flat in several occasions,and it does drag a bit.Kids might enjoy it but certainly myself couldn't see myself picking this over other Disney classics,but it is a good film to watch and be educated.

This is one of those films that starts with a bad title and only gets worse.If I recall, I saw this at my friend Kirk's tenth birthday party and it was the first time I used the word 'dreck' in a sentence.'Unidentified Flying Oddball' has all the appearance of having been written and filmed over a long weekend. Edited in someone's basement one night over a keg of beer.One thing sticks in my memory like an oak splinter: the way Spaceman Tom never called King Arthur 'your majesty' or 'sire,' but instead just plain ol' good ol' 'King.' As in 'hey, King, get yer hands offa my girl, see.' If you like that sort of talk, and your brain development arrested in grade three, then the team behind 'Unidentified Flying Oddball' wants you.The science was excellent, however. I know now that if I ever need to defend myself from a deathly laser beam, I need only wear the shiniest armour I can find ('Say, King, gimme yer armor! Now don't get all persnickety on me, see? I'll give it back all nice and proper-like, and polished up with good ol' American spit shine').Disney produced this matted ass-hair sandwich in the days before they became the media Godzilla they are now. Their stock was leaning into the toilet in those days and, hey, so will you after seeing this film.Incoherent plot, humourless gags, crummy special effects, poor sets. It's not a good kid's film. Not a good film, even though based on a Mark Twain story. But I may change my tune. Perhaps someday I'll see this movie the way I presume it was meant to be seen. On crack.