Nude on the Moon (1961)

Expected more

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Leave it to the ever-daffy Doris Wishman to concoct one of the single most campy and inane soft-core nudist romps to blithely bounce its way onto celluloid. The ridiculous story alone promises one heck of a gut-busting good bad time: Brilliant scientist Dr. Jeff Huntley (hunky Lester Brown) and his friend Professor Nichols (a lively and engaging performance by William Mayer) go to the moon on a rocket ship they built themselves and discover that it's inhabited by shapely naked telepathic women. While this picture is loaded with wall to wall topless gals (buxom brunette Marietta in particular provides a yummy eyeful as the Moon Queen), said plentiful nudity gets presented in such a pleasant and unabashed way that it somehow comes across as sweet and harmless rather than crude and leering. Moreover, the dubious science (bet you didn't know that the moon has an abundance of verdant green foliage on it!), the laughably chintzy (far from) special effects, the incredibly shoddy bargain basement space suits, and the sheer jaw-dropping absurdity of the plot further enhance this honey's considerable kitschy charm. Raymond Phelan's vibrant color cinematography gives this picture a pleasing lush look. Daniel Hart's peppy jazz score and the groovy lounge theme song both hit the swinging spot. A complete dippy hoot and a half.

This is a remarkable look at what passed for racy in 1961. Though it promises sex, it actually delivers a healthy suntanned nudist colony travel flick set in South Florida. The amount of cheap is astounding! The rocket ship interior is actually an old DC-6 prop job probably left to rust at Opa Locka airport near Miami. The moon colony is Florida's wierdball Coral Castle (though the director did manage to not show the traffic passing on nearby US 1.) The space helmets and rockets are toys available in any toy store of those years (I played with some in the film as a kid.) and the spacesuits are paper mache. I doubt the producers paid any of the nudie cuties (some not so cute), probably harvested from an actual nature colony, several of which are still located in the area. Science is totally ignored as the moon has not only Earth gravity, but also blue skies and white fluffy clouds that look like, um, South Florida. And the supposedly unmarried star actor hasn't bothered to remove his wedding ring.The best thing about the film was the cool 1959 Pontiac convertible the stars drive to the spaceport, even if it does have a dent in the left side. Still, the film was good for a laugh, and a sense of awe of what could be passed off as a theatrical flick in those days. Get it from Netflix. What can you lose?

*Spoiler/plot- 1961, Nude on the Moon, When the NASA moon missions first landed August 1969 on the moon, they only found a dead rock. They should have gotten there back in the swinging' 1960s, when Doris Wishman, the film's director, did. The moon was filled with delightful nudists enjoying themselves! The amazing moon-ladies are just like earth-women, except for their extraordinary telepathic powers and cute head antennae, and their penchant for nudist life.*Special Stars- Marietta as the moon goddess. Doris Wishman directed this special kind of film genre of the time.*Theme- Moon people are not inhibited. Earth people are.*Based on- South Sea Island travelogues.*Trivia/location/goofs- The film was made at the tourist stop, Coral Castle in Florida. The USA astronauts moon suits are hilarious. They are made of studded canvas, ant sprayer bottles and toy helmets. Doris Wishman directed five films to advertise the benefits of being a 60's nudist. Interesting to see what was the normal nude body type in the society then, heavy than todays plastic surgery soaked society. When Dr. Huntley and the Professor are driving to the launch site, they pass the Variety Theater, which is showing Hideout in the Sun (1960). That film, which was Doris Wishman's first movie (Nude on the Moon was her second).*Emotion- Great camp and not the nudist kind, either.

This movie has a great premise! Astronauts undertake on a mission to the moon. When they reach their destination, it appears to be overrun by dishy females in the nude. Setups for dramas of life and death, of love and betrayal... but no payoffs! The great disappointments of this gem of the sixties is that it forgets its story upon reaching the moon. Instead we see lots and lots of barely dressed girls having a good time. This plot-turn would be quite understandable if they were in fact nude, but compared to modern times, we see no more that one might hope for at a public beach. However the dialogues are amusing, and the production-design is unforgettable. "Nude on the Moon" leaves one with the hope for a modern remake (true to the title) that dares to challenge modern day Hollywood from its current puritan "make war not love" attitude and show the american youth that it is no bigger shame to flash their butts and on celuloid. Unfortunately: they dont make them like this anymore!