The Reluctant Astronaut (1967) Online
Don Knotts is Roy Fleming, 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 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 lay person into space to prove the worthiness of a new automated spacecraft, Roy gets the chance to confront his fears.
| Complete credited cast: | |||
 | Don Knotts | - | Roy Fleming |
 | Leslie Nielsen | - | Major Fred Gifford |
 | Joan Freeman | - | Ellie Jackson |
 | Jesse White | - | Donelli |
 | Jeanette Nolan | - | Mrs. Fleming |
 | Frank McGrath | - | Plank |
 | Arthur O'Connell | - | Buck Fleming |
 | Joan Shawlee | - | Blonde in Bar |
 | Guy Raymond | - | Bert |
 | Nydia Westman | - | Aunt Zana |
 | Paul Hartman | - | Rush |
 | Robert F. Simon | - | Cervantes (as Robert Simon) |
 | Robert Pickering | - | Moran |
According to Don Knotts's autobiography, the idea of the film originated during the writing of The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966). Knotts and screenwriter James Fritzell were in a tall building writing the script, but Fritzell's partner, Everett Greenbaum wouldn't join them because of his fear of heights. Knotts and Fritzell then began joking about the worst job to have if one was scared of heights. Being an astronaut was the top choice.
The film was set for release shortly after the Apollo 1 fire which took the lives of 3 astronauts, which raised questions about the appropriateness of releasing a space themed comedy film so close to the tragedy.
Film debut of Melissa Gilbert.
Partially filmed at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
There actually is an unincorporated town in Missouri called Sweetwater.
While the film makes a big deal about the United States launching the first person into space with no military experience, the feat had already been done, in real life, by the Russians. Not only was she the first woman in space, but Valentina Tereshkova was the first person with no military experience, and only person until the 1980s.
The house the Flemings live in is the same set in which James Stewart and his aunts lived in "Harvey" (1950).
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