Women In The Moon

MISSLE TO THE MOON-1958-This crazy nonsense is actually a remake of the earlier CATWOMEN ON THE MOON!

A grouchy looking scientist named Dirk Green (Michael Whalen) builds a rocket ship and plans to take it to the moon. The government won’t let him work independently and plan to take over his project in the morning. He decides to go up that night. He recruits two escaped convicts to aid him. Gene (Tommy Cook from TEENAGE CRIME WAVE) is the troublemaker and Lon (Gary Clarke, the teenage werewolf in HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER) is the nice one. Somehow Green’s partner Dayton (Richard Travis, also in MESA OF LOST WOMEN)) and Dayton’s fiancée June (Cathy Downs, also in THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN around this time) get trapped in the rocket with them. Everything goes ok in outer space until Gene decides to put the moves on June (unsuccessfully).

After they hit a meteor shower, Green has a heart attack and dies after spouting some mysterious mumbo jumbo about “my lido”. Eventually they do land on the moon, put on cumbersome spacesuits and meet the local welcoming committee: a bunch of slow moving rock men. The group easily out runs them and hides in a cave. Fortunately for them the caves contain oxygen!

Soon after they meet The Lido (the conveniently blind leader who wears what looks like a candelabra on her head) and her colony of moon maidens (who wear roman type outfits). Lon takes time to fall in love with one of them (Marjorie Helen) but Gene is only interested in their diamonds. To add to their predicament, The Lido plans to marry Dayton off to Alpha (Nina Bara who laughably overacts), the kind of second in command. Ya see, Green was actually from the moon and was returning to help the ladies escape before the planet self-destructs. Of course Dayton won’t comply so Alpha kills The Lido and takes over, hypnotizing Dayton to her will in the process. It’s pretty funny when he talks in the trance. June almost gets sacrificed to a dilapidated spider but the crew escapes after all the pretty maidens (and the ugly ones too) die in a earthquake. Gene gets caught between the rock men and the sun’s deadly rays. He won’t drop the bags diamonds he horded and the sun burns him up. The others return to the ship.





Are you still with me?

MTTM is bad but entertaining. A lot happens in a short time. Bad SFX and acting rule the day. The opening scene sets it all up as the local sheriff stops in the desert to talk on his radio. It’s clear to see he’s standing in front of a painting! You can even see creases in it at the top!

It was directed by Richard E. Cunha , a TV cinematographer and director who decided to form his own company and produce horror films. His other efforts like GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN, SHE DEMONS and FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER are in the same vein but MISSLE is the most laughable. Still Cunha always manages to add a little sleaze or gore to his story.

Whalen and Downs were both in THE PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES. KT Stevens who portrays The Lido was once a child actress named Baby Gloria. “International Beauty Contest Winners” played many of the moon maids or so it says in the credits….



Thanks for reading!