From the Earth to the Moon

One of several films trying to cash in on the Jules Verne name, in the wake of the very successful 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (54). This one might be the biggest failure. It takes place just after the American Civil War and concerns two protagonists, played by Joseph Cotten and George Sanders. They are rivals but end up together on a spaceship to the moon due to their respective inventions - Cotten invented a new explosive dubbed "Power X" while Sanders has manufactured a new metal. Also along for the ride are a younger couple, played by Debra Paget and Don Dubbins.

Science is not a friend to this film - shooting people to the moon with a big cannon - and it's also deadly dull: it takes a while for the new ship to get going to the moon and after a short but still very dull trip in space, there's a pretty grim conclusion:

Spoiler:

BoG's Score: 3 out of 10


From the Earth to Trivia:
over a decade later, actor Cotten guest-starred on an episode of The Virginian, A Time of Terror (broadcast in Feb. 1970), as a judge named Will McMasters; at one point, the regular character of Clay Grainger (John McIntire) states that Will McMasters couldn't take a bribe anymore than he could fly to the moon; maybe the judge did take a bribe...