Salvage (1979)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Absolutely Fantastic

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This is a special memory for those of a certain age, who still believed that anything was possible, especially if it is explained in such a way as to be believable.Imagine a millionaire junk man putting together a spaceship in his junkyard, and with the help of a ex-astronaut and an attractive explosives expert, flies to the moon to salvage the remains of the Apollo missions !!!! Not that far-fetched really, at least after watching this intelligently-written, imaginative movie.Star Andy Griffith still shines true as the American 'everyman', a character he perfected after all his years in Mayberry, with a likable supporting cast backing him up.Joel Higgins is laid back just enough as astronaut Addison "Skip" Carmichael; who has perfected "The Trans-Linear Vector Principle", as a surefire way to get to the moon; and Trish Stewart is great, playing an intelligent, though beautiful woman; whose knowledge of explosives creates the 'super rocket fuel' necessary to bring the project together.All in all, a GREAT MOVIE that still holds up !!!!And by the way, IT IS ON HOME VIDEO !!!I have recently learned that a DVD set featuring the COMPLETE TV series is available, which includes this film, which was the official series pilot.I have only seen it available on eBay, and is going for top dollar, so check around.

I too remember seeing this movie as a kid, and at the time I thought it was pretty cool. Being the naive dumb kid I was, I thought the whole idea of using junkyard junk actually plausible. If I remember correctly, I think they used the big heavy cement truck cylinder as their rocket.I haven't seen this movie since the original airing date, so I imagine if I saw it now I'd realize how cheesy it is. However, back in the late 70's people seemed to have a much bigger fascination with space, in light of Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Project Bluebook, etcetera. I sure wouldn't mind seeing this show again just for fun.

*POSSIBLE SPOILER* I saw this originally as a child so my views are colored by that(entertainment value for a child is different(i.e., less discriminating) than for an adult.). I thought it was great!! The F/X were cheesy and cheap (even for then) but what made it great was the inspiring and anything is possible attitude of the film. If you try hard enough, even you can make to the moon (without the governments help)!!!! I still think that it would be great for viewers today (especially kids). The series that resulted from this was not nearly as good since they dropped the space aspect almost entirely (?!?!?). I do hope they release this on DVD!!!!