Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Byron Haskin

Writers:

Daniel Defoe (novel)
John C. Higgins (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

June 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A Lone U.S. Astronaut Space-Ship Wrecked on Mars!

Plot:

Stranded on Mars with only a monkey as a companion, an astronaut must figure out how to find oxygen, water, and food on the lifeless planet.

Plot Keywords:

Monkey | Mars | Astronaut | Stranded | Alien

Cast

Paul Mantee	...	Cmdr. Christopher 'Kit' Draper
Victor Lundin	...	Friday
Adam West	...	Col. Dan McReady
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
The Wooley Monkey	...	Mona

Directed by
Byron Haskin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Daniel Defoe		novel "Robinson Crusoe"
John C. Higgins		writer
Ib Melchior		writer

Produced by
Aubrey Schenck	....	producer
Edwin F. Zabel	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Van Cleave

Cinematography by
Winton C. Hoch

Film Editing by
Terry O. Morse

Art Direction by
Arthur Lonergan
Albert Nozaki		(as Al Nozaki)
Hal Pereira

Makeup Department
Bud Bashaw Jr.	....	makeup artist
Wally Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Goodstein	....	assistant director
Arthur Jacobson	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Harold Lewis	....	sound
John Wilkinson	....	sound
Howard Beals	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Lawrence W. Butler	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	matte artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Farciot Edouart	....	process photographer
Murray Young	....	key grip (uncredited)

Music Department
Fred Steiner	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Edward V. Ashburn	....	technical advisor
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant

Production Companies

• Aubrey Schenck Productions (as Devonshire Productions)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1966) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Criterion Collection, The (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Company:

Aubrey Schenck Productions

Trivia:

The lobby card for this movie has an official-looking statement: "This film is Scientifically Authentic ... It is only one step ahead of present reality!"

Goofs:

Continuity: When Draper gets in and out of pond in long shots, he's totally naked but during time he's actually in water he's wearing brown trunks.

Quotes:

Draper: How Long have you had these things on?
Friday: Sixty-two years.
Draper: How old are you?
Friday: Seventy eight.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Is It Real?: Life on Mars" (2006)

Old School Sci-Fi at it's Best

I remember seeing this one (in syndication?) late at night on TV as a kid about 1967. It was not long after we got our first color TV. Mars was still a distant planet, the space race was on and Kennedy had just said we would be the 1st to the moon, Gemini was flying out of Cape Kennedy and there was little data on Mars as the *1st Mariner fly-by missions* were still a YEAR away, forget about landing there we had never been near the place. The movie holds up well considering that we were still ignorant about the "Red Planet". It compares to the Mission to Mars done recently and it is the Robinson Crusoe on Mars for 12-year-olds of this generation. (The fact we send robots to Mars does take some fun out of it now and I still hope we walk around there) It is as good as any of Pal's other movies and it is a shame it is out of print. Heck, it even has Batman!