The Reluctant Astronaut

1967 film by Edward Montagne

The Reluctant Astronaut is a 1967 American comedy film produced and directed by Edward Montagne and starring Don Knotts in a story about a carnival ride operator who is hired as a janitor at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston and is eventually sent into space. Comedian Knotts had won several Emmy Awards as small town comic sheriff's deputy Barney Fife in the 1960–1968 television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show but left the show as a regular at the end of its fifth season (1964–1965) to pursue a career in feature films with Universal Pictures. The Reluctant Astronaut followed Knotts' first Universal film venture, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966). Actor Paul Hartman appears in the film and would later star in The Andy Griffith Show. The film's screenplay writers Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum had served as teleplay writers for the television series.

In the mid 1960s, Roy Fleming is fairground operator of a kiddie spaceship ride in Sweetwater, Missouri. Despite being 35 years old, he still lives with his parents and suffers from extreme acrophobia (fear of heights). His father, Arbuckle "Buck" Fleming, a World War I veteran, wants better things for his son, so he sends an application to NASA. Roy later learns from his mother that NASA has accepted him as a "WB 1074," which, unbeknownst to the Flemings, is a janitorial job. When Roy arrives at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Roy accepts the disappointment of his job and unsuccessfully tries to explain things to his family back home, who believe that he is an astronaut. Meanwhile, he is befriended by veteran astronaut Major Fred Gifford. When Buck and his pals make a surprise visit to Houston, Roy dons Gifford's space suit in an effort to fool his domineering father. The ruse fails after Roy wreaks havoc on NASA's equipment, ultimately resulting in his termination after an unauthorized rocket sled ride. Buck returns to Missouri embarrassed and disappointed. To tout the reliability of their automated spacecraft, the Russians plan to send an untrained civilian into space within 48 hours. NASA moves quickly to beat the Russian timeline with its own counterpart. Gifford suggests Roy and finds him in a local bar. Roy's acrophobia makes him a reluctant participant, but the launch is successful. National newscasts inform Roy's family and his girlfriend, Ellie, of his mission. Buck believes Roy's janitorial job was a cover for security purposes. During some eating experiments, Roy inadvertently gets peanut butter into the guidance system and is in danger of being marooned in space. He remembers the retro rockets speech from his role as "Mr. Spaceman" on the amusement park ride and launches them, bringing the capsule safely home. Roy is hailed as a hero, and marries Ellie. As the plane carrying Roy and Ellie to their honeymoon destination takes off from Sweetwater, Roy is seen hiding in bushes, afraid to board the plane, and hoping Ellie has a good time.

The Reluctant Astronaut had its premiere on January 25, 1967 at Houston, Texas, just two days before the Apollo 1 tragedy that killed three astronauts at the LC 34 pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). According to Knotts' 1998 autobiography, the tragic Apollo 1 fire led to Universal Pictures being skeptical about releasing a comedy on space travel so soon after the tragedy. Not as popular as his first film ventures, The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964) and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), due to its connection to the Apollo program, The Reluctant Astronaut still was a popular children's film and was frequently shown on weekend afternoons.

Knotts was nominated for the 1967 Golden Laurel Male Comedy Performance Award for his role in The Reluctant Astronaut. For the benefits in publicity for their programs, NASA also named Knotts, an "Honorary Recruiter". The "Reluctant Astro Nut" ice cream was introduced by Baskin Robbins to promote the film.