Unidentified Flying Oddball
| Unidentified Flying Oddball | |
|---|---|
 dvd cover |
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| Directed by | Russ Mayberry |
| Produced by | Hugh Attwooll Ron W. Miller |
| Written by | Mark Twain (novel) Don Tait (screen story) |
| Studio | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution Co. Inc. |
| Release date(s) | USA: July 26, 1979 |
| Language | English |
Unidentified Flying Oddball, also known as The Spaceman and King Arthur, (1979) is Disney’s film adaptation of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It was directed by Russ Mayberry. Subsequently re-released in the United States under the titles The Spaceman and King Arthur and A Spaceman in King Arthur’s Court, and directed by Russ Mayberry, the film starred Dennis Dugan as astronaut Tom Trimble who unintentionally travels back in time with his look-alike android Hermes. Trimble’s NASA spacecraft travels faster than the speed of light, landing him and the android near King Arthur’s Camelot, where – with the aid of their 20th century technology – they must defeat a plot by the evil Sir Mordred and Merlin to oust King Arthur from the throne.
Like Twain's original novel (as well as the 1949 movie adaptation starring Bing Crosby) Merlin is presented as an evil character intent on dethroning Arthur.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- Dennis Dugan*...Tom Trimble/Hermes
- Jim Dale...Sir Mordred
- Ron Moody...Merlin
- Kenneth More...King Arthur
- John Le Mesurier...Sir Gawain
- Rodney Bewes...Clarence
- Sheila White...Alisande
- Robert Beatty...Senator Milburn
- Cyril Shaps...Dr. Zimmerman
- Kevin Brennan...Winston
- Ewen Solon...Watkins
- Pat Roach...Oaf
- Reg Lye...Prisoner
* Credited on-screen only as Tom Trimble.
[edit] Props
The spacecraft that was featured in this movie is on display at the Blackgang chine theme park in the Isle of Wight.
[edit] 1995 adaptation
Disney’s A Kid in King Arthur’s Court (1995), likewise based on the aforementioned novel, follows the same premise: a male (in this case, an adoloscent) from the 20th century travels back in time to King Arthur’s Camelot and impresses the inhabitants with technology from the distant future. Moody again plays Merlin in the film, on this occasion as a more sympathetic character.
[edit] External links
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