- For the episode, see MST3K 524 - 12 to the Moon.
| “ | Ironic, isn't it, that for all his brilliance, Vernauer could have been such a Nazi beast. | ” |
| - Dr. David Ruskin |
12 to the Moon is a 1960 space exploration film directed by David Bradley.
Plot[]
In the year 1980, the Secretary General of the International Space Order announces a program to launch a rocket to the moon, which will be proclaimed as international territory. Rocket Ship Lunar Eagle 1 will be crewed by twelve crew members from around the world. Many animals are brought aboard as well, including a dog, a pair of cats, a pair of monkeys, and a cage of birds. After launch, the crew and animals react to the G-forces of acceleration.
As the voyage continues, tensions develop between some the crew members that involve the aftermath of World War II and the Cold War. The ship encounters several meteor clusters before landing. Captain John Anderson notifies Earth Control that they've landed safely on the moon while the crew prepares to disembark. The engineer Dr. Martel will stay behind to look after the ship.
The crew plants a flag on the surface and begin their scientific exploration. They set up a magnetic perimeter in a valley and explore for rock specimens. Doctors Bomark and Hamid find a cave with a breathable atmosphere and cactus-like plants with mushroom-shaped growths on them. Hamid picks one and hands it to Bomark. It explodes into flames in her hands, which indicates to the scientists that there is oxygen in the atmosphere of the cave.
The other nine crew conduct a survey of rocks and find some with unusual properties. Hamid and Bomark continue to explore the cave. They take their helmets off and the two embrace and kiss. They pass through a portal and it closes behind them as a wall of ice. The remaining nine crew members decide to use explosives to mine for more samples. A rock face is blown up and a liquid pours out. Dr. Orloff places his hands in the liquid and is severely burned.
By this time, the crew's air supply is running low. Dr. Murata takes Orloff back to the ship and the others search for Bomark and Hamid. They search the cave and find their helmets and the wall of ice. They are unable to chip away the wall and decide to return later. Rochester gets stuck in quicksand and is pulled under.
The survivors return to the ship as the lunar night begins and the outside temperature drops, with three crew members either dead or missing. Anderson reports that all communication with Earth has failed. All lights in the ship dim and an unusual humming sound is detected. A message appears on their equipment in an unknown language. The characters are vaguely Japanese in appearance and Hideko is able to read it. The message is from the inhabitants of the moon, telling the crew to leave. They acknowledge that Bomark and Hamid are with them. Shocked, Dr. Heinrich suffers a heart attack.
The moon people then request that the two cats be left behind, and the crew complies. The ship departs the surface of the moon and manages to avoid another meteor shower. As the ship approaches Earth, the crew notice that the temperature inside the ship has dropped to 55 degrees and on Earth the North American continent is freezing. Heinrich proposes dropping a bomb into a volcano, thus reversing the freezing effect. He warns that it will probably be a suicide mission.
Martel completes the bomb under Orloff's supervision. When Orloff leaves, Martel sabotages the bomb but is caught. He wants the North American continent to freeze so the Soviet Union can become the world's dominant superpower. Orloff disagrees with Martel, and they struggle. Anderson breaks up the fight. They draw lots to select the crew for the bombing mission. The two chosen are Dr. Ruskin and Dr. Heinrich, whose family histories are intertwined. Ruskin, the mission's historian, leaves a final log entry explaining what he and Heinrich will attempt. Heinrich and Ruskin manage to break through the atmosphere and drop their bomb into the volcano, but are unable to pull out and are killed in the explosion.
The ship is now caught in the freeze, and the cabin begins to freeze over. Then a message from the moon people tells the crew that the people of Earth have been placed in suspended animation and have not been harmed. The message states that when humans return to the moon, they will be welcome. Communication with Earth is restored, and Anderson and the crew prepare for landing.
Cast[]
- Ken Clark as Captain John Anderson
- Michi Kobi as Dr. Hideko Murata
- Tom Conway as Dr. Feodor Orloff
- Anthony Dexter as Dr. Luis Vargas
- Robert Montgomery Jr. as Rod Murdock
- Francis X. Bushman as the Secretary General
- John Wengraf as Dr. Erich Heinrich
- Muzaffer Tema as Dr. Selim Hamid
- Anna-Lisa as Dr. Sigrid Bomark
- Roger Til as Dr. Etienne Martel
- Phillip Baird as Sir William Rochester
- Cory Devlin as Dr. Asmara Markonen
- Richard Weber as Dr. David Ruskin
Notes[]
- Young mathematician Rod Murdock was played by Robert Montgomery Jr., younger brother of Elizabeth Montgomery (star of the TV show Bewitched). He is credited as "Bob Montgomery".
- Similarly, Anthony Dexter is credited as "Tony Dexter", and Muzaffer Tema is credited as "Tema Bey".
- When the crew is ready to explore the moon's surface, the door of the ship is thrown open, revealing an astronaut already on the moon. The shot is taken from a few scenes later in the film, in which Hamid and Bomark explore the moon's surface for oxygen; it appears to be Hamid, carrying a box of equipment.
- This is the only film credit of Cory Devlin (Dr. Asmara Markonen).
MST3K Connections[]
- Writer and producer Fred Gebhardt was also writer and producer for The Phantom Planet.
- Ken Clark also portrayed Steve Benton in Attack of the Giant Leeches.
- Tom Conway also portrayed Timothy Chappel in The She-Creature.
- Anthony Dexter also portrayed Luther Blair in Fire Maidens of Outer Space and Herron in The Phantom Planet.
- Richard Weber also portrayed Lt. Ray Makonnen in The Phantom Planet.
- Francis X. Bushman also portrayed Sessom in The Phantom Planet.
- Set decorator John Burton was also set decorator for The Girl in Lovers Lane and High School Big Shot.
- Stock music composer Trevor Duncan also composed stock music used in Fire Maidens of Outer Space, The Sinister Urge, The Giant Spider Invasion, and Blood Waters of Dr. Z.
Critical Response[]
- Michael Weldon in The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film wrote: "An international expedition to the Moon finds Moon men who threaten to freeze Earth with a ray. Most of the movie is devoted to examining the astronauts and their petty, boring personal problems.... Anthony [Dexter] and Francis X. [Bushman] both returned in [The] Phantom Planet."