- For the episode, see MST3K 305 - Stranded in Space.
Stranded in Space is a made-for-TV movie that was the pilot for a potential series called The Stranger created by Gerald Sanford. It was directed by Lee H. Katzin.
Plot[]
"People seemed to laugh a lot more in those days."
American astronaut Neil Stryker becomes lost on a mission in outer space and finds himself stranded on a mirror image Earth called "Terra" that is on the opposite side of the sun.
This planet is led by a single worldwide government that is menacing and oppressive. This government, called the "Perfect Order" maintains order through the use of strange radio broadcasts and "Ward E", a place where malcontents and other threats to the Perfect Order are lobotomized.
Stryker becomes a fugitive and must decide if he will attempt to return to Earth or help to liberate the people of Terra.
Cast[]
- Glenn Corbett as Neil Stryker
- Jerry Douglas as Steve (astronaut)
- Arch Whiting as Mike (astronaut)
- Tim O'Connor as Dr. Revere
- Cameron Mitchell as Benedict
- H.M. Wynant as Eric Stoner
- Sharon Acker as Dr. Bettina Cooke
- William Bryant as Truck Driver
- Steve Franken as Henry Maitland
- George Coulouris as the Bookseller
- Lew Ayres as Prof. Dylan MacAuley
- Dean Jagger as Carl Webster
- Virginia Gregg as Ward E Administrator
- Steven Marlo as Guard
- Ben Wright as space complex doctor
- Buck Young as Tom Nelson
Notes[]
- In this FVI release, the opening credits appear over scenes from the movie Prisoners of the Lost Universe, which became a RiffTrax presentation in 2012. The original opening credits are shown with Stryker's ship in outer space as a background, while the original closing credits are displayed over a still of Stryker on the beach at the end of the movie.
- Gamera vs Guiron (used in Experiment #312) also featured a twin planet called Terra orbiting 180° opposite the Earth. The premise is flawed since the Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle. Any twin planet would appear in the sky at times during the year, and would have been observed after sunset by ancient astronomers.
- Though not explicitly mentioned in the film, Outlaw is also set on a planet orbiting opposite the Earth, though that planet is named Gor.
- Actor Glenn Corbett is also known for having played the original Zefram Cochrane on Star Trek.
- The book shop proprietor is played by George Colouris, who played Mr. Thatcher in Citizen Kane. He is one of the few actors from that highly-regarded film to appear in a movie used by Mystery Science Theater 3000 (though Citizen Kane actor William Alland later produced several films used by MST3K). His nephew Keith Colouris appeared in Doctor Mordrid.
MST3K Connections[]
- Cameron Mitchell also portrayed Alex Jansen in Space Mutiny.
- Steve Franken also portrayed Danny McKee in The Time Travelers and Henry McDade in Avalanche.
- H.M. Wynant also portrayed the flight director in Hangar 18.
- William Bryant (truck driver) also portrayed Dr. Ralph Martin in King Dinosaur.
- Virginia Gregg also portrayed the nurse in The Bubble.
- Buck Young also portrayed Detective Aldridge in Mitchell.
- Alan Foster (unspecified role) also portrayed the jeweler in The Brute Man.
- Bob Harks (policeman) also portrayed a lab tech in Riding with Death.
- Composer Richard Markowitz was also composer for The Magic Sword.
- Makeup artist Jack H. Young was also makeup artist for War of the Colossal Beast.
- Costumer Oscar Rodriguez did wardrobe for The Magic Sword, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, and The Phantom Planet.