The Astronaut (1972)

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

During the first manned landing on Mars, something happens and the video feed back to Earth is disrupted. What the folks at home DON'T know is that a disaster occurred and one of the astronauts was killed when his space suit failed. The NASA folks, however, are concerned with not just public relations BUT are worried about further funding so they put into effect a diabolical plan...to hire someone to pretend to be the dead man! Eddie is similar looking to Bryce....and with a bit of plastic surgery and training he can become Bryce! So, during the time they are waiting for the ship's return, Eddie is coached to become the dead man! When he lands, everything works like a charm....except for one thing. Bryce's wife (Susan Clark) realizes something is amiss...and she confronts 'Bryce' and asks him directly is he is really her husband! What's next? See the picture.Monte Markham does a nice job playing both roles in the film. While he's not a familiar name, he was a very familiar face and he was fine in the role. I also appreciate how the film is far less sci- fi--and more a story about people. In many ways, it's like the later film "Dave" and is filled with some terrific scenes. One of the better installments of "The ABC Movie of the Week".By the way, this was produced by Harve Bennett....a guy who was made famous for producing many of the Star Trek movies and shows.

At 71 minutes, you can't tell much of a story. That was one of the problems with the weekly TV flicks ABC showed for 6 or 7 years back in the early 70s. Movie makers had to cut to the chase and play up the easily understood, the quickly digestible, the cliché. There just wasn't the ability to go long and deep, to add layers of understanding and detail to a story.With that said, danged if I didn't like 1972's The Astronaut, a complicated-relationship story wrapped up in an attempt by government baddies to cover up the death of an astronaut on Mars by pulling the old plastic surgery gag.Monte Markham is the poor, sympathetic schlub who looks like the dead guy. Markham, a veteran TV actor is actually believable as a ne'er-do-well who says yes to the plot in order to get rid of his past life. Susan Clark, an elegant actress who always struck me as being somewhat broken in her roles, starts off all hysterical and pregnant-brained, but when she begins to suspect the nice man who has come home from space is, well, nice--and that doesn't sound like her brittle, driven husband--she begins to show some real toughness, and eventually, tenderness. Jackie Cooper, as the head of "Voyager" program, is smooth, slimy, and, thank goodness, a moral man who finally says no to the Nixonian types who have been whispering in his ear. The Astronaut has so many character actors I grew up with that I can't list them all. You'd recognize them if you were my age. What I didn't recognize at first was how satisfying the relationship between Markham and Clark becomes. For a cheapo TV-movie, this emotional depth was unexpected. I liked the movie because I liked the characters and the moral dilemmas that are presented.Unlike--I swear--half the ABC Movies of the Week, this isn't a pilot for a cheesy cop show or a idiot-level comedy. The Astronaut stands alone, and it's a quality act.

Before "Capricorn One" appeared this taut little time filler starring Monte Markham in dual roles, ably supported by the under-rated Susan Clark as the wife of the first astronaut to land on Mars. Complications arise however and NASA (led principally by Jackie Cooper and Bob Lansing) create an elaborate ruse to ensure funding for future projects isn't jeopardised.Walter Brooke has a key supporting role as a reporter and friend to the shuttle commander, whilst there are small roles for James B.Sikking as the co-pilot and Richard Anderson as the NASA doctor and reluctant co-conspirator.It's remarkably tame considering the risks associated with the premise, and neither Cooper nor Lansing appear to have any sinister intentions, their plight driven by misguided loyalty and patriotism more than any villainous ambition. Economical movie of the week.

Either Monte Markham has good taste, or he was lucky in the TV movies in which he was cast. He's certainly made some gems: Visions of Death, Death Takes a Holiday, and The Astronaut. The Astronaut pairs him with Susan Clark, a major actress of the '70s.This film is based on the same idea as Capricorn One. In Capricorn One, the astronauts have to fake a space landing for the government. In The Astronaut, the astronaut doesn't make it back, so the government plants a look-alike and returns him to the man's wife (Clark).Because of the story and strong acting, this is another film that sticks in the minds of people who saw it, and another one I wouldn't mind seeing again.