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Forum » Retro T.V. & Movies » Journey to the Moon - 1955
eddstarr
If you are a fan of all things Disney, here's a bit of history you have to watch.

Walt Disney's, "Man in Space" series from 1955 is still being hailed today as groundbreaking television. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin  and teleproducer Rod Serling both called Walt Disney a "master showman" of science fiction. 

The "Man in Space" series may have been the boost needed to gain public acceptance in funding America's race to the moon.It certainly inspired many involved in NASA's planning to land the first man on the moon. 

"Disneyland" was Walt's first television series from the 1950's. It is quite different from Disney's, "Wonderful World of Color", from the 1960's. This episode from Man in Space is called, "Man and the Moon".


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shakin steak
Hiya eddstarr! Long time no see! I have been wondering what you're up to.

Thanks for sharing this. When I first saw the thread title I thought it was about George Melies' A Trip To The Moon . Now I've had some time to look at it, I see it's something completely different.

Here is what has struck me about this film so far.
#1 Walt Disney is the only futurist I respect. Others are simply annoying when they do it (i.e., Ray Kurzweil, Bill Gates) but Disney somehow manages to keep it good. He was also operating earlier than those guys, but they are the only other ones I know who participated in this sort of plotless, messageless speculation.

#2 Mr Disney and Ward Kimball have a speaking manner that I quite like. At first it reminded me of the Mid-Atlantic accent, but while it's old-fashioned, it isn't really that at all. Of course, they were on the west coast so it's something else entirely.

It's late and I'm tired so I can't finish watching this now, but I will make time for it later. Meanwhile, again I want to say it's good to see you again eddstarr.
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eddstarr
Thank you SnS, it's cool to be back!

The impact of Disney's "Man in Space" series captured the imaginations of an entire generation. Nothing on this scale had ever been broadcast on television before. The careful planning and excellent presentation really sets Disney apart from his contemporaries.
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shakin steak
This is great.

Jay Ward never worked for Disney, but some of the animation looks like his style. I guess it was prevalent at the time.

It's funny when Kimball says "astronomers tell us... the universe contains billions upon billions of stars and other worlds." I thought Carl Sagan had the monopoly on "billions and billions" but he had just got his bachelor's degree when this was made! Once again, the guy I thought was a leading figure, was just part of the trend.

The details of the layout of the space station are really fascinating. Mrs steak said they would never show us this kind of thing now (for security reasons). I'm not sure that I agree. But Disney made some shorts for the military, and I'm sure this was also commissioned by the government. It's really propaganda. It's a message to get everybody in line with the program. 

Now how about that 7-armed space suit? Holy cow! That's wild. That looks like something right out of The Outlaws of Mars (1933).



It's also interesting that the idea was to build a space station first, and get to the moon from there. Not the way it worked out at all. That's too bad. I think things could have gone better that way.

The scenes inside the ship have a clear throughline to the live action sci-fi I grew up seeing on the Disney Sunday Night Movie. Stuff like The Cat From Outer Space or The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.

Thanks for sharing this eddstarr!

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eddstarr
That's the real magic behind Walt Disney. He loved being around "idea" people from all walks of life. Disney could chat with artists, scientists, military brass, politicians and children; integrating what he learned into visible proposals. The perfect "pitchman" for planning moon landings and selling the idea to the public.

Some of my favorite authors have mentioned that the sci-fi sweet-spot was the early 20th century where magazines like, "Cosmopolitan", would run series exploring the moon and nearby planets.



This artwork is called, "The Things That Live On Mars", by William R. Leigh in 1908. 
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