''Nude on the Moon'' is a 1961
science-fantasy
Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scient ...
nudist film
In film, nudity may be either graphic or suggestive, such as when a person appears to be naked but is covered by a sheet. Since the birth of film, depictions of any form of sexuality have been controversial, and in the case of most nude scenes ...
co-written and co-directed by
Doris Wishman
Doris Wishman (June 1, 1912 August 10, 2002) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. She is credited with having directed and produced at least 30 feature films during a career spanning over four decades, most notably in the ...
and Raymond Phelan under the shared pseudonyms "O. O. Miller" and "Anthony Brooks". The film was produced in 1960 and theatrically released in 1961.
''Nude on the Moon'' is the second of eight
nudist films produced and directed by Wishman. While most nudist films of the time were set within a conventional
nudist camp
A naturist resort or nudist resort is an establishment that provides accommodation (or at least camping space) and other amenities for guests in a context where they are invited to practise naturism – that is, a lifestyle of non-sexual socia ...
, apparently as a promotional
gimmick
A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...
Wishman decided to set the story in a
nudist
Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...
civilization on the Moon.
Plot
Scientist Dr. Jeff Huntley inherits a fortune of US$3 million (equivalent to $ million in ) from his uncle and invests it in the development of a rocket ship, built with the assistance of his mentor, Dr. Nichols.
After landing on the Moon, the pair discover a civilization of
topless
Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is barechestedness, also commonly called shirtlessness.
Expose ...
extraterrestrials
Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...
led by a Moon Queen with
telepathic
Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...
powers.
Enamored of Dr. Huntley, the Moon Queen allows the men to take photos of the
nudists
Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...
during their everyday activities.
Their oxygen running low, the two are forced to return to Earth, realizing in the process that they've left their camera behind and have no proof of the aliens' existence.
Jeff is dispirited to learn that nobody believes their trip succeeded, but his spirits are lifted when he sees the resemblance between Dr. Nichols's secretary, Cathy, and the Moon Queen.
The movie ends as the two embrace, signaling the beginning of a new romance.
Soundtrack
''Nude on the Moon'' features the original song "I'm Mooning Over You (My Little Moon Doll)" sung by
Ralph Young (who also plays a principal role in Wishman's ''
Blaze Starr Goes Nudist
''Blaze Starr Goes Nudist'' is a 1962 nudist film, produced and directed by Doris Wishman. The film stars legendary burlesque queen Blaze Starr and crooner Ralph Young (as "Russ Martine").
The film was also released under the bowdlerized titl ...
'' under the pseudonym "Russ Martine"). Young would soon meet Belgian singer
Tony Sandler
Tony Sandler (born Lucien Joseph Santelé, 18 August 1933) is a Belgian singer who was half the vocal duo Sandler and Young, which was popular from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Europe 1954–1963
Sandler began performing as a boy with the Belgian cho ...
and form
Sandler and Young
Sandler and Young were an American musical duo from the 1960s through the 1980s, composed of Belgian singer Tony Sandler and native New Yorker Ralph Young.
First success
Sandler and Young appeared with Polly Bergen in her show at the Las Vegas ...
, a successful easy-listening duo, with him. The lyrics and melody were written by Wishman's niece, Judith Kushner. According to Wishman, future ''
Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 2010� ...
'' bandleader
Doc Severinsen
Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''.
Early life
Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) ...
arranged the orchestration but is not credited.
Production
The Moon sequences in the film were shot at
Coral Castle
Coral Castle is an oolite limestone structure created by the Latvian-American eccentric Edward Leedskalnin (1887–1951). It is located in unincorporated territory of Miami-Dade County, Florida, between the cities of Homestead and Leisure C ...
in
Homestead, Florida
Homestead is a city within Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida, between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. The population was 80,737 as of the 2020 census. Homestead is primarily a Miami s ...
.
Reception
In a review for
AllMovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne.
History
AllMovie was founded by popular-cul ...
, Fred Beldin wrote:
Legacy
''Nude on the Moon'' is considered a
cult film
A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...
.
References to the film in
pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' ...
include:
* ''
Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology'', a two-disc
CD anthology of music by
The B-52's
The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...
, was released on
Rhino Records
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...
. Lead singer
Fred Schneider
Frederick William Schneider III (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, and musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band The B-52's, of which he is a founding member.
Schneider is well known for his ''sprechge ...
was a friend of Wishman's in her later years.
* "Nude on the Moon" (1996), a single by
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to ...
duo
Tipsy, also appears on the album ''Trip Tease''. One of the remixes is called the "naked volleyball mix".
See also
*
List of American films of 1961
A list of American films released in 1961.
__TOC__
Top-grossing films (U.S.)
A–B
C–I
J–R
S–Z
See also
* 1961 in the United States
External links
1961 filmsat the Internet Movie Database
* List of 1961 box office number-one fi ...
*