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PUBLICITY
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HILARIOUS DON KNOTTS COMEDY,
"RELUCTANT ASTRONAUT," TO OPEN
Don Knotts' talents are given full play and the result is Universal's hilarious comedy in Technicolor, "The Reluctant Astronaut," which comes ....... to the .......Theatre. And while it is the star's antics that do most to tickle the funny-bone in the title role, he gets outstanding support performances from his co-stars, Leslie Nielsen, Joan Freeman, Jeanette Nolan and Arthur O'Connell.
In "The Reluctant Astronaut," Knotts is a timid soul so afraid of heights and flying that he has to muster all his meager courage to retain a job as operator of a space ride at a children's amusement park. Without his knowledge he is volunteered by his doting father, portrayed by O'Connell, for training as an astronaut in Uncle Sam's space program. Through a bizarre set of rib-tickling circumstances he finds himself chosen to man a fully automated capsule rocketed into orbit. His numerous hairbreadth escapes from disaster are presented in Knotts’ celluloid style of the galloping jitters, with even greater entertainment than in his former Universal picture, "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken."
Leslie Nielsen is the world-famous astronaut who befriends the little man several times. His sweetheart, played by Joan Freeman, has an important part in unwittingly sending Don into orbit. O'Connell's wife, and Knotts' mother, is portrayed by Jeanette Nolan, who has been O'Connell's wife on the screen several times, most recently in the video special, "The Menace of Old Age."
Edward J. Montagne, who manages to be unique in an industry in which the unique often is commonplace, produced and directed "The Reluctant Astronaut." He is one of but a handful of film producers who are second generation picture makers, and on the same lot where his late father started his tenure at the studio some four decades ago. Montagne has a distinct flair for comedy fare, having warmed up with McHale's Navy, both as video and feature productions, and the Phil Silvers (Sgt. Bilko) show, for which he earned an Emmy. He also produced and directed Knotts' former well-received Universal picture, "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken."
The writing team that did that film created the very funny original screenplay for "The Reluctant Astronaut." They are James Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum.
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