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The Astronaut
An elaborate deception emerges when an American astronaut is lost on a mission to Mars. Space agency officials fearful of losing public support and government funding decide to cover up the accident by employing an exact double for the lost astronaut. The ruse begins to unravel when the wife of the lost astronaut realizes she is living with a different man. Although angered by the deception, the woman has fallen in love with the replacement and plans to keep the secret. They both have a change of heart and decide to reveal the secret when they discover a new Mars mission is underway.
| Release : | 1972 |
| Rating : | 6.5 |
| Studio : | Universal Television, |
| Crew : | Art Direction, Cinematography, |
| Cast : | Jackie Cooper Monte Markham Richard Anderson Robert Lansing Susan Clark |
| Genre : | Drama Science Fiction TV Movie |
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Reviews
You won't be disappointed!
Touches You
A Disappointing Continuation
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Before "Capricorn One" appeared this taut little time filler starring Monte Markham in dual roles, ably supported by the under-rated Susan Clark as the wife of the first astronaut to land on Mars. Complications arise however and NASA (led principally by Jackie Cooper and Bob Lansing) create an elaborate ruse to ensure funding for future projects isn't jeopardised.Walter Brooke has a key supporting role as a reporter and friend to the shuttle commander, whilst there are small roles for James B.Sikking as the co-pilot and Richard Anderson as the NASA doctor and reluctant co-conspirator.It's remarkably tame considering the risks associated with the premise, and neither Cooper nor Lansing appear to have any sinister intentions, their plight driven by misguided loyalty and patriotism more than any villainous ambition. Economical movie of the week.
Either Monte Markham has good taste, or he was lucky in the TV movies in which he was cast. He's certainly made some gems: Visions of Death, Death Takes a Holiday, and The Astronaut. The Astronaut pairs him with Susan Clark, a major actress of the '70s.This film is based on the same idea as Capricorn One. In Capricorn One, the astronauts have to fake a space landing for the government. In The Astronaut, the astronaut doesn't make it back, so the government plants a look-alike and returns him to the man's wife (Clark).Because of the story and strong acting, this is another film that sticks in the minds of people who saw it, and another one I wouldn't mind seeing again.
This is the movie that made me a fan of Monte Markham. He positively shines! And I love how the movie is more concerned with the human factor rather than the hardware. Special effects are well and good, but that's all a lot of newer movies have. I taped this a couple of years after its first airing, and have never tired of watching it!
This was probably the first Susan Clark movie that I saw and I became a lifelong fan of hers. I saw it when I just a young kid. I have thought about it often and told friends what a good movie it was. I've always been more of plot fan of movies than of the actors in the movie. This movie was really good and the performance of Susan Clark and Monte Markham was well above average for a television movie. It's unfortunate that I entice my friends to see the movie and it's not available for viewing that I know of. Too bad Nick at Night doesn't show old television movies also.
