Movie

The Reluctant Astronaut

★ 6/10 · 46 votes 1967 1h 41m Released

ComedyFamilyScience Fiction

Roy Fleming is a small-town kiddie-ride operator who is deathly afraid of heights. After learning that his father has signed him up for the space program, Roy reluctantly heads for Houston, only to find out upon arriving that his job is as a janitor, not an astronaut. Anxious to live up to the expectations of his domineering father, Roy manages to keep up a facade of being an astronaut to his family and friends. When NASA decides to launch a layperson into space to prove the worthiness of a new automated spacecraft, Roy gets the chance to confront his fears.

Cast

Don Knotts Roy Fleming Leslie Nielsen Major Fred Gifford Joan Freeman Ellie Jackson Jesse White Donelli Jeanette Nolan Mrs. Fleming Frank McGrath Plank