[ Hissing, Clanking ]
[ Clanking ]
- Well, we're here, Nevsky. - I see, Colonel.
[ Clicks ] Rice to crew.
Transmit touchdown time and position to Mother Ship.
Let's have a look at the environment telemetry.
[ Clicks, Whirs ]
[ Man ] Only Child to US 1.
Touchdown at seven hours, two minutes, nine seconds sidereal time.
Latitude: 37 degrees, 8 minutes, 1O seconds.
What's it like out there, Stuart? The readings are coming now.
[ Man's Voice] UN 1 to Omy CHM on HF. How do you read?
Rice on UHF high. Do you read me?
Roger. Loud and clear. How was the landing?
We made it in one piece. Environment conditions are go, Colonel.
We're putting the survey team down.
Sergeant Martin is entering the escape hatch now. Here's Nevsky.
[ Nevsky Speaks In Russian ]
Set? Go, sir.
[ Russian Continues]
[Man On Rad/o ] Roger. Roger, Only Child. Your impact point' is right on.
Read you loud and clear. Secure escape hatch.
[Whirring ]
[Man On Rad/o ] How does it' look out of the window?
Decontaminate.
[ Hissing I
[ Man ] Elapsed time is 13 plus 10.
This is it, Rice- the big event.
Release outer lock.
[ Clicks 1
[Crowd Cheering ]
[ Chattering In Foreign Languages]
Sergeant Andrew Martin, the farm boy from Indiana,
touched by the finger of fate to be the first man to set foot on the moon-
[Crowd Cheering ]
[Speaking In Russian ]
[Speaking In Japanese]
Congratulations are pouring in already from every nation in the world.
Martin, Stuart.
Well, I didn't put it there.
Hey, Colonel, we found something. You'd better take a look.
And here's something else.
“Claimed for Her Majesty Queen Victoria...
in the year of our Lord 1899.”
How are we going to explain this?
The Kremlin- They'll never believe it.
It seems to be a summons of some kind.
Katherine Callender, whoever she is.
They will never believe it. Never!
“Dym church . ”
We'd better get it on the scanner back to Earth before it falls to pieces.
How am I going to tell them this? Queen Victoria.
For crying out loud, they'll think I'm nuts or something.
Rice to Mother Ship. Rice to Mother Ship.
Urgently request UN Space Agency Investigation Team...
proceed at once to Dymchurch, England.
[ Sirens Wailing ]
[ Man On Radio ] Sergeant Martin ls the first man t0 set foot on the moon.
We'll see there never was a Katherine Callender.
You coming, Dr. Tok? [Gasping ]
Don't forget England is the land of eccentrics.
[ Man On Radio] There's a man on the moon for the very first time.
Lhope. [Shoufing]
Excuse me. You're Dr. Tok from the UN Space Agency?
I'm from the Express. Could you tell me-
1899?
Well, that's almost a bit before my time, yeah.
Well, we keep the records over there, yeah.
Katherine Callender, you say.
Is it a birth or a wedding or a death?
We just wanted to know if a Katherine Callender once lived here.
Oh, yes, come this way. Thank you.
So some crackpot faked it. Why?
To take the frosting off the UN cake.
Mother Empire still waving the flag.
Well, we-We better start with the births, what? Yes.
Oh, bless my soul. These are the deaths.
Well, you know, it's weddings. Weddings.
They always affect me. They do.
Even now. Look at this stuff.
They never affected me, much to my regret.
Here we are. C-A-
Callaghan, Calder, yeah.
You did say Callender?
Yes, Callender, Katherine Callender.
Well, there's no record of any Katherine Callender among the births.
You see? She never existed. The address is Cherry Cottage.
Bedford, Bedford, Bed-Ah! I remember now. I married her.
From Boston, Massachusetts. So there is a Katherine Callender?
Was. She died some 1O years ago.
This Mr. Bedford? Is he still alive?
Yes. if he wasn't, he'd be in this good book.
Over here. Excuse me. Has this anything to do with the moon landing?
Hold it. You were saying something?
Mr. Bedford has been in a nursing home for a long time. No stamina.
Where is it? it's called the Limes, uh, outside Dymchurch.
It's along the Folkestone Road.
Who is this Mr. Bedford? No comment.
[Chattering ]
Uh, would you like me to let them know you're coming?
[Chattering ]
A picture then or something? Oh, come on.
I'm trying to find out myself. Follow us. The Folkestone Road. The Limes, the nursing home.
The UN Space Agency?
Yes, um, well, I hope you're not wasting your time.
We've had trouble before with Mr. Bedford's obsessions.
If you'll just follow me, I'll take you up to his room.
Obsessions, you say? Sending letters abroad to official bodies-
Russian Space Agency, National Aeronautic and Space Administration-
about the moon!
The moment I saw your credentials, I wondered.
What sort of letters? Warnings, absurd warnings.
Does he know of the expedition there? We don't let him watch TV.
It only excites him needlessly.
Now, must you see him? it is necessary. [ Russian ]
Just the UN party. [ Shouting ]
You newspapermen are not allowed through.
Mr. Bedford!
Uh, visitors.
Mr. Arnold Bedford?
I'm Richard Challis of the UN Space Agency.
This is Miss Margaret Hoy, Mr. Glushkov and Dr. Tok.
Please, sir, won't you sit down? Let me take this away.
I hope you don't mind us barging in like this.
I want to ask you one question. We can save time.
Have you ever seen these things before?
Uh, uh, uh, my-my glass.
Yes.
H-How did you-
How did you find-
You found them on the moon, didn't you?
Yes. Yes.
There's been an expedition. They didn't tell me.
It's there now. There now?
They mustn't. They're in great danger. Please. Steady, sir.
I know! Please, sir. Matron!
You really must go. They must know!
[Chattering ] it's very dangerous. They've got to know.
[ Coughing 1
Are you seriously telling us that you have been...
on the moon and returned?
1899.
Oh, it's so long.
Thank you.
I'd been-I'd been engaged in an unsuccessful business speculation.
To be frank, my creditors were pressing me hard.
You see, I'd always had the idea I could write a play.
Wonderful financial possibilities in a successful play.
So I looked around for somewhere secluded where I could write.
In the end, I rented a cottage out near Dymchurch.
I remember-I remember it was along an abandoned canal.
[ Bike Bell Dings ]
Ah!
Just one today, Mr. Bedford. Thank you very much.
[ Honks 1
Hi! Infernal contraption.
Hello!
Hello, darling. Kate!
Was it all right? With your relations in London, I mean.
No trouble at all. They think I'm at Worthing, rehearsing a play.
Oh, Cherry Cottage.
Oh, Arnold, it's lovely, and with a real cherry tree.
The moat to my castle. Come on.
Watch your step. All right?
Thank you. Oh, it's so beautiful.
Careful. it's like a picture postcard.
You're seeing it at the best time of the year.
How's the work going? Oh, fine, fine.
Good.
Oh, Arnold.
Oh, it's charming.
It's the perfect place to write your play.
Well, it's comfortable and quiet.
“Act 1, scene 1.”
Is that as much as you've written?
You know how difficult it is to start.
Yes, darling, I know.
You see, the basic idea is the important thing.
After that, it's just a question of slogging away.
I've got a producer in London who's clamoring for the manuscript.
This is probably something from him here. Excuse me, darling.
“Rent in arrears, £20.”
Oh, well, he'll just have to be patient.
Arnold, it's perfect. Just my idea of a little old English cottage.
It really belongs to you? Uh, yes. An old aunt of mine retired down here.
I was always a particular favorite of hers, and, well, she left it to me.
Then, Arnold, what's to stop us?
The two of us are here. We can get married now.
You've a London producer clamoring for your play.
Or is it that you're too set in your comfortable bachelor ways?
Oh, no, Kate, I mean, I'm as impatient as you are, but, Kate,
there's something you ought to know.
You see, all my money's in boots.
Yes, army surplus boots from the Boer War.
I know it'll pay off when I find the right customer.
Meanwhile, I'm very much afraid I shall have to sell Cherry Cottage to meet my creditors.
Oh, no, Arnold. We'll think of something, darling.
Right now I'd like to freshen up a bit.
The stairs are right here, dear.
Oh, I can manage quite well alone, darling.
Oh. Yes.
♪ La, la-la ♪
♪ La, la, la ♪
♪ La, la, la, la-la ♪
♪ La, la, la La, la, la- ♪
♪ La, la, la N'
That's strange.
That's very strange. Yeah.
Uh, excuse me. Excuse me.
I was on the way to the village, and I noticed the smoke.
I thought perhaps the place was empty, but I, um-
I'll explain. I'll explain. My name is Cavor, Joseph Cavor.
How do you do? Oh, let me help you. There.
Hello. Hello. I live in the house across the fields over there.
I'm Kate. Hello. How do you do?
I hope you don't mind my asking, but are you the owner of the cottage?
No, Mr. Bedford's gone to the village.
Mr. Bedford, right. Won't you come in?
That's very nice of you. Yes, I will. Thank you. He won't be long.
I hope I'm not being an intrusion. Not at all.
Good. it's a delightful little place. I've known it since I was a boy.
After you. Thank you.
Oh. Please sit down, Mr. Cavor.
Thank you. Thank you.
I'll bring some tea. That'll be nice. Thank you.
You see, I'm a research scientist.
I'm on the point of completing a most important scientific demonstration.
As a matter of fact, it's probably one of the most...
important scientific demonstrations of all time.
I'd like to say how pleased I am to have you and Mr. Bedford as neighbors.
Uh, the point is, I moved here for the isolation.
We won't trouble you. That's just what attracts Arnold-Mr. Bedford, I mean.
He needs peace and quiet to write his play.
I understand that.
Well, then what is it?
Well, I must tell you that there's a certain amount of risk,
even danger, connected with my experiments.
It might even damage your property.
Now, if Mr. Bedford would consider selling, I'd be willing to pay anything within reason.
You mean you want to buy Cherry Cottage?
Yes, I do. Yes. How much were you figuring?
I'm not very good at this sort of thing.
I thought perhaps a thousand pounds or perhaps a little more.
Why, that's $5,000. Yes.
The cottage has been in Mr. Bedford's family for a very long time.
He has a deep sentimental attachment for it.
I know, yes, well, you see, the trouble is, my experiments have cost me so much up to now.
Of course, I might be able to double it. I-But, I-Good Lord.
Good Lord. I forgot. The furnace! The furnace!
Gibbs! Gibbs!
Mr. Cavor? Gibbs! Oh, maybe it's out! Gibbs!
You forgot your bicycle.
Yes! Yes, I have a bicycle. That's quite right. Yes! Gibbs!
Arnold! Arnold, the most wonderful news.
Uh-huh. I've sold the cottage.
You've what? I've sold Cherry Cottage to Mr. Cavor.
What, that crackpot? Gibbs! Gibbs, the furnace!
Here. You better take this to him. He forgot it.
[ Engine Starts]
Arnold?
Mr. Cavor, I've come about the cottage. Now, first of all-
Left the bicycle again, has he? Where's Cavor? I want to talk to him.
Inside. Door's open.
[ Fire Roaring ]
Someone to see you.
[ Fire Roaring ]
My name's Bedford. There's a gentleman here.
Ah, stand by, Gibbs. Any moment!
Now! Get it quickly! Fix that! The weight's come off the end!
Cavor! I've come about the house. Just a minute. Fix that.
I've got to get this straight. Gibbs, get the doors quick!
You must realize- Just have a little patience.
You must realize what I-For heaven sakes, man! Please. Getting on, see.
I'm trying to tell you! Cavor! You must listen to what I'm saying.
Just a minute. Just a minute.
Mr. Cavor, my fiancée is in no position to-Open the door!
Get out of the way, man. It's hot. it's hot.
Cavor. Go on. Get. Go on. Get out. Get out.
Mr. Cavor, I simply must get this straight.
[ Bubbling ]
I'm not in a position to- it's too high.
Uh, you see, Kate-
Uh, Kate- [ Mumbling ]
Couldn't possibly sell you Cherry Cottage because-
What is this stuff? [ Mutters] What?
What is this stuff?
That's cavorite. it's cavorite. [ Grunts ]
You see, uh-Oh, nicely on temperature, nicely on temperature.
Mr. Cavor? Mm-hmm.
If you would- Mmm?
Kindly tell me exactly what it is you're trying to do...
in a simple language, if you don't mind, because, you see, I'm not a scientist.
That is, of course, if it isn't a secret.
It is a secret. It is a secret.
Would you, um- Would you tell me?
Yes, I will tell you. I will tell you.
I'll explain. I'll explain.
Now, you know that you can use screens,
like this, to cut off light and heat.
By the same token, you can cut off Marconi's wireless rays with sheets of lead.
But nothing up till now will cut off the force of gravity.
Oh, gravity, yes, of course. The pull of the Earth, what holds us on the ground.
Yes, that's right. That's right.
Now, what I'm experimenting with is a sort of coating...
or rather a metallic paste,
which will, in point of fact, cut off the force of gravity.
Paste. Paste, yes.
You mean you paint it on things?
Yes, in a way, yes. Like this chair, for example.
- You could use that chair. Yes, you could. - May I?
Bring it here. I'll show you. I'll show you.
Takes effect when it hardens.
That's all? That's all.
I see.
- Mr. Cavor? - Yes?
Are you-
Are you seriously telling me that this chair will lose its weight?
Yes, it will. As a matter of fact, we'll have a job to stop it from rising.
- Really? - Yes.
In that case, I'd better sit in it. I'd be careful if I was you.
- Now, about the cottage- - it really will go.
As I was saying, Kate was in no position-
[ Shouting ] Gibbs! The ladder!
This is fantastic. Cavor, it's the most incredible thing I've ever seen.
Can't you see what this is going to do to the world?
It will revolutionize shipping, locomotion, building, everything.
Think of the ways you can exploit this.
Gibbs! I'll get you down. I'll get you down.
We're onto the chance of a thousand years. We can be rich.
Gibbs! Rich beyond anything.
Just think of it. The cartels, the trusts.
- Cavorite should rule the world. - I'll get you down. Gibbs!
Your invention, my brains, my methods. Gibbs!
Is there anything wrong? it's got nothing to do with you. Give me that ladder.
- Never mind the ladder! - What? Oh!
Gibbs, you're an idiot.
[ Mutters ] I did warn you. Cavor, never mind.
Listen to me. What?
About the cottage. The cottage, yes.
It's yours provided you allow me to invest the money in your invention.
What do you say? Do you really think you should?
Of course I should. I'm a businessman.
I can handle patents, process secrets, all that.
It's settled. Come on. Help me down.
Oh, by the way- Yes?
How have you thought of using cavorite?
Well, nothing very practical, I'm afraid.
Something like a trip to the moon.
Yes, well, of course-
My dear sir!
Now, if you'll sign there, that's the deed assigning Cherry Cottage to you.
But why bring me into it? Darling, I've explained.
I'm selling the cottage, and it's got to be done in the proper way.
Cavor's solicitors need papers and documents.
I daren't put my signature to them.
If my creditors get wind of the fact that I've come into money, it's the last I'll see of it.
You're sure there's nothing dishonest about it?
No, no, no, it's just a legal device.
Now, this is the agreement with Cavor. Sign there.
On the proceeds of cavorite, I'll be able to pay off my debts a thousand times.
Arnold, with this money we'll be able to get married now-right away.
Oh, yes, we could, if I wasn't putting it into the experiments.
What?
$10,000 with that madman?
But it'll make our future, I'm sure.
What about your play, the London producer? The play's an absolute gamble.
But-You must trust me. I'm doing this all for you.
Any day now the experiments will be completed.
If you fritter your money away on those lunatic experiments, the wedding is off.
I'm packing up and going home to Boston.
Gibbs. [ Gibbs ] Your move.
No relation. I've got him now. Gibbs.
You must keep an eye on that furnace. Yes, yes.
It's all right.
Ah, Bedford, old man. Come in. Come in. Cavor.
You got the deeds. Go in the kitchen.
Gibbs, watch that temperature. Any drop could be disastrous.
Talk about disaster. What's he want to interfere for?
Set them up again. Here. Take over for me, will ya?
Let him do it. I'm having me tea.
I'm a metalworker, not a stoker.
Since when's a gardener's job stokin' a furnace?
Come on, matey. it'll be just like working with your petunias.
I'm fed up with this lark.
Let's settle it over a pint at the Fox and Duck. Now you're talkin'.
Don't know why he wants it so bloomin' hot in here anyhow.
Let them see it for themselves, use it.
For instance, cavorite trays... and boots.
Boots! Yes, of course.
Simply enamel the soles and a man would just-like that.
Hey? Cavor?
That's right. Oh, good, good.
Yes, I thought of boots last night, army surplus boots.
It's one of those basic ideas. It's the only way to do it really.
Well, perhaps not the only way, but for a start.
Hmm. Don't see why we shouldn't do it together.
Room enough in the sphere for two people.
Now wait a minute.
You're not serious about that idea of going to the moon, are you?
It was a joke, wasn't it?
We'd just be firing ourselves off the globe for nothing, absolutely nothing.
I mean, if there was anything on the moon worth discovering-
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
It's exceptionally high in minerals.
Minerals? Minerals.
Uh, including gold? Including gold.
Mind you, there is a theory that the minerals on the surface of the moon...
are not in a molten magma,
but dotted about- in nuggets.
Rather like raisins in a fruitcake. [Laughs]
That's better than weightless boots, isn't it?
Come on. I got something to show you.
I got something to show you.
How far would it be?
What, to the moon? Yes.
About a quarter of a million miles.
About a quarter of a million- Come on!
You'll have to forgive all this confusion, untidiness.
I really will get it cleared up one day. Come on!
Oh, my goodness. That's much too high.
It's to carry the hot gases from the furnace. I'll explain later. Come on.
I'll explain.
[Air Hissing ]
[Squawking ]
It's all right. He's a friend! He's a friend!
My guards-much better than dogs. They're quite harmless really.
There's Gwendoline, Aristotle. Come on! it's hot in here.
123 degrees! No!
Yes! Come on!
Out of the-Out of the way. Out of the way.
[ Coughing 1
[Geese Squawking ]
The sphere. You've actually built it.
Yes. Yes.
[Laughs] it's taken time, mind you.
Years, years. Well, here it is-the sphere.
It's double walled, you see. Now, there's a shell inside. That's complete.
But then there's this outer frame that's covered with roller blinds...
and these old railway buffers.
The blinds will be covered with cavorite.
Yes, and when they're extended, they'll cut off the force of gravity.
You see, that's right. That's very good. That's right.
You open and shut the blinds to cut off the force of gravity...
from, say, the Earth or the moon or any other bodies in space.
Space. You really mean it.
I'll tell you something.
If the last batch of cavorite is successful,
we start coating the sphere tonight.
It's in the furnace now.
It's all rather exciting, isn't it? [Laughs]
[ Laughing ] I really must say I'm-
[ Laughing I
[ Laughs, Sighs]
- Opening all right? - Yes, perfectly.
Good! [Laughs] Good.
[Laughs] My little kingdom.
Arnold!
[Squawking ]
Oh!
Oh! What happened?
I don't know!
The furnace. Gibbs! Gibbs!
Well, come on, Bedford, old man. Hurry up!
Oh, Bedford, hurry!
Gibbs! Gibbs!
Gibbs!
Whoa. I'll be back. I'll be back. I'll be back!
Arnold!
Arnold?
Oh, darling, you're all right.
I thought something had happened to you. Something happened all right.
I told Gibbs to keep an eye on that furnace!
They're sacked-the lot of them. From now on, you stoke it.
- But it exploded! - No, it worked! It worked!
It really worked. I'll say it did.
Now we know we've got enough power to lift the sphere.
What's he talking about? What does he mean?
Those diving suits-
You're not thinking of deep-sea diving?
Madam, I'll explain. You see, what keeps water out keeps air in, you see?
That might be fun.
Walking around in a complete vacuum. Cavor!
As far as we know, there is no atmosphere on the moon. Don't-
I've got a book on it. I'll go check. Excuse me.
Excuse me. I got a book.
The moon?
Uh, you see, Kate, urn, we were planning, uh,
a little expedition to test the effects of cavorite.
On the moon?
You're raving mad, both of you.
It's throwing your lives away. The moon?
Yes, darling, you see, I was just waiting for an opportunity to tell you.
You never breathed a word, and you were planning to go on this lunatic expedition.
Oh, darling-Yes, lunatic is just the word!
Well, go ahead. Blow yourself to bits.
I don't care if I ever see you again.
Oh, Kate, you- Oh, Cavor!
Kate!
Well done, Bedford! Pour on more coal. Keep up the steam.
Well done. Get out of the way! Out of the way!
Well done, Bedford, old man. Keep it up! Keep it up!
Bald-headed old-
[ Bubbling ]
[Squawking ]
♪ La, la-la ♪
[ Engine Idling ]
♪ La, la, la, la ♪
[ Engine Idling ]
[Squawking ]
ILa ♪
♪ La, la, la, la ♪
[Squawking ]
[Squawking Continues]
Madam! Madam!
You must remember to keep those doors closed.
Otherwise, you'll ruin the whole experiment.
I mean, look! It's down to 110 degrees.
What on earth have you got there?
I've brought a few useful things for Arnold, though I wouldn't want him to know it.
Just his gin and bitters and some personal things.
Gin and bitters, a few personal things, like an elephant gun!
It's a sensible precaution. You don't know what you'll meet.
What about these animals?
I brought some fresh food too.
All those tin supplies- it's not healthy.
Madam, you have thought about feeding them, I suppose.
There's a sack of chicken feed in the automobile. No!
Mrs. Bedford, I'm sorry. There's no room. You'll have to leave the lot.
You'll just have to-The temperature. The temperature!
Oh, my goodness! The temperature! Mr. Cavor!
Chickens, gin and bitters, guns. I don't know.
Mr. Cavor? Should you run out like that when you're so overheated?
You'll catch cold.
Will you close those blasted doors! [ Mutters]
Oh!
Bedford, give me that.
The greenhouse temperature is down by 15 degrees. it's not possible.
That woman of yours-She keeps mooning around. She will not leave those doors alone.
Kate still here? Still here? Of course she's still here.
Tell her to go home. Just tell her to go home.
And, Bedford, don't be too long.
We're leaving within an hour.
I thought you'd gone.
I've brought you a few things for your journey.
Thanks.
Oh, Arnold, why did you have to get mixed up in this?
Kate. Oh, don't go.
Change your mind. It's not too late. Please.
But it's only for a few weeks, Kate.
I mean, it's not as if it were forever.
If you go, it may as well be forever.
And I won't be here when you get back.
I mean it this time.
So make a decision here and now, Arnold. It's Cavor or me.
When you decide, I'll be at the cottage.
Oh, come on, Bedford. I've banked the fires. We haven't much time.
Come on.
Those doors! That woman will be the death of me.
Thank the Lord I never got married!
My mother warned me. She was right.
My goodness, she was right.
Oh, Arnold! I'm so glad-
Good evening. [ Clears Throat]
Uh, Katherine Callender? Yes?
[Clearing Throat] “I give formal notice that this summons is served...
on behalf of the landlord of Cherry Cottage.” Summons?
Just a minute, please. [ Clears Throat]
“L believe there has been an illegal attempt...
to transfer the title deed to a third party.”
And your signature is on this paper, madam.
But Mr. Bedford inherited the cottage from his aunt.
“Cherry Cottage is the sole property of our clients,
Bascombe G. Osgood.”
We will see you in court, madam. [ Clears Throat]
Good night.
Come along, Bassie.
Lies. Lies from beginning to end.
Well, that's everything, I think. No, it's not everything.
What? No, I'd forgotten something. I don't know what it is.
Uh, oxygen cylinders? No, no, no, no.
Glasses? No, I've got those.
You left the gas running? I haven't left the gas running.
I've got it! it's very important! What?
Just a minute.
[Geese Squawking ]
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a solemn moment. Liberty is at hand.
Good-bye, Gwendoline. Bye, Victoria. Bye. Thank you.
I shall always be grateful for everything you've clone.
Come on, man. Time's running short. Come on!
Liberty, my friends! Liberty!
Be back as soon as I can. My goodness.
Come on, Cavor. Hurry!
[ Groans ]
All right, Cavor? Yes, yes. Thank you.
Oh!
Ah, well, we're nicely on temperature.
[ Sighs ] Oh, Bedford, old man,
this is a solemn moment in the history of mankind.
Man into space for the first time.
Future generations will long remember us.
As long as we're not blown to smithereens.
Bedford, please, please.
Now, put your hands and your arms through the nets like this,
because there might be a violent shock coming.
Arnold Bedford, you come out of there! You can't go off leaving this!
Any moment now, any moment now. I can feel it. We're off!
- Open up! Open up! Mr. Bedford, open up! - What's that?
- It's Kate! - That woman, she's impossible! She'll be blasted to death!
- Open up! - Bedford, get her inside. Get her inside!
[Screaming ] Hurry!
- Cavor! - [ Shouting ]
[Squawking ]
Oh, I'm stuck. I can't move!
You'll be all right, Mrs. Bedford. We'll stop accelerating at any moment now.
Where are we? What's happening?
Just as I predicted-shot into space with the speed of a bullet!
- I'll put magnets in your shoes. - Space?
I think I'm gonna be sick.
Well, hold on to the hand grips, woman!
You had no right to take me. I only came to have it out with Mr. Bedford.
We had no choice, did we, Mrs. Bedford?
- Please stop calling me Mrs. Bedford. - We're not married.
Not likely to be... ever!
Not married? Kindly leave the room.
[ Chuckling ]
“Kindly leave the room.”
[All Laughing ]
For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful.
Amen!
Oh! There's the pole star. We're nicely on trajectory.
Can you see, Kate?
- Close that blind! - I was only trying to see out.
- Can't you steady this thing? - Ruined!
All my calculations ruined! I'm sorry.
Sorry? Madam, we are heading straight for the sun!
[ Groans ] Poor darling, he must be exhausted.
This is the first time he's closed his eyes since we left.
Who knows how long that's been? No days, no nights up here.
I don't need a chronometer to tell me what time it is. it's breakfast time.
And I'm sick of sardines! Shh!
[Clucking ]
Chickens!
Oh, that means fresh eggs. Katie.
Katie, you're an angel. Not that you deserve it.
Oh, Katie, darling, I- Don't you Katie me.
Leaving me in the lurch with a summons. The nerve!
I never dreamt they'd be onto it so soon, and I'll pay the man back.
Anyway, who else do you know that would go all the way to the moon for you, hmm?
You're impossible. [ Clucking ]
[Clucking Continues]
What was that?
[ Imitating Chicken Clucking ] Nothing.
- You feeling all right? - Yes, just doing a few barnyard impersonations.
I was reared on a farm, you know?
Really?
Just a minute.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
You didn't dare. You didn't dare!
Geese, I adore. Chickens, I detest.
I've a good mind to make you fly home, all of you.
[Yelling 1
My calculations! How I hate chickens!
We seem to be getting some of our weight back. Yes, about a sixth.
It's the pull of the moon. Now, we've got to control it.
It mustn't be too fast.
Mare lmbrium. Ideal for landing.
Nicely on target. Yes.
Now, we use the Earth...
to slow down our rate of descent.
Anything I can do? Everything needs lashing down. Take that and that.
Right.
Kate, put that away.
Oh, all right.
Landing positions.
Hold on tight.
[ Kate Screaming ] Arnold!
Arnold?
What? Oh.
Are you all right, Kate?
Oh, I think so.
Where's Cavor?
[ Mumbling 1
I think I've gone blind in one eye.
Thank you. Oh, what a relief.
I'll get a new pair when I get back.
Oh, that was a nasty moment. Just a broken glass.
It's incredible. Yes.
We're down. We're down. We did it!
We did it! We did it! I never thought we would.
Neither did l. At least, I wasn't absolutely sure.
- Well, what now? - I suppose explore.
Explore!
Here, your suit. Here's your suit.
Boot Here's your other boot.
Now wait a minute.
There's no pressure outside, which means the moment the hatch is opened,
the entire sphere is a vacuum,
which would be fatal for Kate because we've only got two suits.
No, no, that's it. Nobody goes outside.
She'll be quite safe in the airtight compartment.
In there? No, no, it's out of the question. I'll be all right, Arnold.
You sure? Don't worry about me.
All right, let's make some room.
Here.
Uh, just a minute. Would you bring those things here, please?
Madam, the chances of bagging an elephant on the moon are remote.
We won't need this. Told you before.
Now, give me the flag. Our claim.
Yes, definitely, we've got to stake a claim.
Take a letter. Sit down, take a letter.
You'll find some paper in my coat pocket.
Claimed for Her Royal-
No, not royal, not royal. No, not royal.
Claimed for Her Majesty Queen Victoria in the year of our Lord-
What is the year of our Lord?
[ Bedford ] 1899. 1899.
Now, I'm leaving the oxygen full on.
All right, Kate, get in.
Now, you can open the hatch from the inside. Only wait for my signal, all right?
- All right. - Here's your helmet.
Now don't forget, when we get outside,
if you want to speak, touch helmets, otherwise we won't hear each other clearly.
Do you understand?
What's wrong with the blessed thing?
It worked perfectly all right in England.
I asked for seven and three-eighths. They said it was.
Six and a quarter. I'll have to put it down to shrinkage, that's all.
Ah, good.
[Air Gusting ]
Hello, moon!
[ Laughing, Sighing ]
[ Laughing ] Whoo!
[ Fiviriooping, Laughing ]
[ Laughing I
My goodness! Oh, amazing sensation.
Cavor! Light as a feather. [ Laughing ]
Look, Bedford, old man, top of that rock.
Watch! Top of that rock. Cavor-
Yahoo!
[ Grunting ]
You all right? No, no discipline.
This moon, we'll be smashed to pieces.
Oh! Oh! Bedford, old man.
Isn't it magnificent? It's imperial.
An empire Caesar never dreamed of. Yes!
We'll be in all the newspapers. “Cavorland,” “Bedfordshire.”
That's for you! That's for you!
We'll be famous, knighted by the queen. The queen! Give me that!
I claim the moon in the name of our sovereign lady, Queen Victoria.
You're getting too much oxygen. You're actually drunk.
Let me look at your air gauge. Oh, it's wonderful! I feel like an eagle!
Geronimo!
Cavor, come down!
Help! H SOs! elm
SOs! [ Grunting ]
SOs!
Help! Oh, oh, thank you. [ Grunting ]
You need a lead, old chap. Yes, I think I probably do.
Om [ Rurmmng 1
Cavor, you hear that?
[ Rumbling Continues]
Cavor! Cavor!
- [Screaming ] - Cavor!
Hold on, Cavor! I'll get you down!
Bedford, Bedford, your helmet, your helmet!
But it must have-But I-l can breathe. There's air down here.
What? Take this off. Take this off.
Oh, that's better. [ Panting ]
There's a subterranean atmosphere here. Listen.
[Gusting ]
We've got to get to Kate. Without your helmet, you wouldn't get 2O feet.
We'll just have to find it.
There's a way down. What?
Now, keep it tight. All right.
All right? Yes.
Go on. I've got it. Go on. You're all right. Go on, go on, go!
That's it.
Throw me your helmet.
Careful.
All right.
Bedford, look at that prism assembly.
The only thing I want to look at is that helmet.
Cavor!
I know we should've brought that gun.
[ Bubbling ]
Cavor, it's fantastic.
What is it? it's a moon creature, a Selenite.
- But the size. - Yes, it's the low gravity.
[ Chittering ]
Please! No! No!
Bedford, leave them!
[ Grunting ] Cavor, help me, Cavor!
No, please, leave them! Bedford, leave them!
Leave them. Please, leave them.
Well, you've certainly given them a taste of human violence.
They'll be here in thousands. The news will be running from gallery to gallery.
We're not improving our chances by standing here.
I should've come on my own. I knew I should've come on my own.
Are you staying here, or are you coming with me?
If only we could've communicated with them.
It was-Just talked a bit. Such a marvelous opportunity. The meeting of two worlds.
Cavor, come on!
I knew I should've come on my own.
[ Cavor Coughing I
[ Bedford ] The sphere's gone!
Cavor!
Well, there's the flag, exactly where we put it.
The controls- She must've touched the controls.
Selenites-thousands of them. They've dragged it.
[Gusting ]
This time, Cavor!
Now, Cavor!
Block it, Cavor! Block it!
[ Groans ]
All this clutter.
The place is an absolute honeycomb.
Can you see a trail, Cavor?
[ Chittering ]
Leave me alone! Stay away from me, or I'll shoot! I will!
Get away from there! I said, stay away, or I'll shoot!
Down there!
[Growling 1
What is it?
I don't know. Probably a harmless vegetarian.
Bred for food, rather like a cow.
If that's a cow, I wouldn't like to meet a bull.
[ Roaring ]
Come on, Cavor!
[ Roaring ]
- Harmless vegetarian, eh? - Well, I thought-
- Cavor, give me your hand! - [ Roaring Continues]
[ Screaming, Grunting ]
Cavor, run!
Oh, oh!
[ Cavor Groaning ]
[ Roaring ] Run, Cavor, run!
Run!
[ Roaring Continues]
[ Chittering ]
What do you want? What do you want me to do?
No, please, no, don't. Please. What do you want me to do?
[ Roaring Continues]
[Crackling ]
[ Chittering ]
[ Kate] Oh, let me out of here. Can you hear me?
Let me alone, can't you?
Staring at me like an animal in the zoo.
You, you there with my shoe!
Give it back to me, or I'll let you have the other one.
[ Kateis Voice] You, you there with my shoe!
Give it back to me, or I'll let you have the other one.
You, you there with my shoe! Give /t back to me, or I'll let you have the other one.
Oh, imitating me now? You think it's funny, do you? Very funny.
[ Kate's Voice] Very funny. You think it's funny, do you?
Very funny. [ Recorded Voice Garbling]
[ Rumbling 1
Kate. Miss Callender.
Just a minute. Just a minute.
Oh, Mr. Cavor, I'm so glad to see you. Where's Arnold? Is he safe?
Yes, he's safe. We got separated. Give me my shoe!
Very funny!
They're trying to communicate with us, analyzing what we say.
I wish they'd stay off the words with E's in them.
Man. Man.
We come from Earth, many hundreds of thousands of miles away.
No, no, it doesn't mean a thing, nothing at all.
Man.
Yes! Man! Did you hear that?
They're trying to communicate with us. Why, that's imperial.
It's absolutely imp-Man, man! From hundreds of thousands of miles away!
Man... from... Earth.
Kate, you see, they understand, but they're not repeating what I say.
That's splendid! It's splendid!
It's absolutely imperial.
Yes, my dear fellow, it is. It's absolutely imperial!
[ Chittering ]
Well, it's obviously some sort of apparatus for generating oxygen on a vast scale.
That's why we're able to breathe down here.
That's fantastic. It's fantastic.
I'd say it was perpetual motion if it wasn't impossible.
Why, it makes all other forms of power obsolete.
Look.
That's where they're getting their power-from sunlight.
Yes!
Kate. Kate, come, come, come quickly, quick.
- They're taking the sphere apart. - We must stop them.
Quickly, hold my hand. Come on, carefully.
You've no right to do this. Leave it alone.
It doesn't belong to you.
Now we'll never get home.
[ Pulsating Tone]
[ Bubbling ]
It's cavorite. We have...
tried to duplicate...
the substance coated on your sphere,
but unable-
Well, it's called cavorite.
Cavorite? it's a compound of elements. [ Stammering ]
Well, it's based on the use of helium. Ought you to tell them?
- Helium? - Yes, it's a light, inert gas...
found in the atmosphere on Earth.
Well, you must know helium.
- No more questions for now. - For now?
For now? What do you mean, “for now”?
What's happening?
Chemical workers...
put to sleep until needed again.
You will return to the examination chamber.
Well, it's a unique way of dealing with unemployment.
Entirely reasonable, I suppose.
They'll treat us the same way if they find they have no further use for us.
What a ghastly thought. Whew, ghastly thought.
[Whirring ]
[Whirring Slows ]
Is he dead? No, no, he's not dead. He's asleep.
It's a sort of suspended animation.
This is rather interesting.
According to my almanac, there's a lunar eclipse on the 12th. An eclipse?
Yes, you know-when the Earth passes directly between the sun and moon.
Now, that's obviously a resting time for the Selenites.
Mmm. Yes.
Time you rested too. it's a long time since we landed. Come on.
An eternity.
Oh, Mr. Cavor, I'm so worried about Arnold. Yes, Arnold.
Do you think we'll ever see our world again? Of course we will.
I'd even welcome a London fog. Would you now?
[ Laughing ] Come on. You really must try and get some sleep. Lie down.
I wish I could, and wake up to find it's all been a bad dream.
You quite comfortable? Sure?
Thank you. Right.
[ Rustling ]
[Gasping ] Put that away. You don't need a gun.
I haven't got your boundless confidence in these insects. You don't understand them.
They're a different society-We're wasting time. I've got to find Kate.
Kate? She's all right. I've just left her.
You know where she is? Yes.
Tell me, so I can fix the sphere, we can get going. Not yet.
What do you mean, not yet? I want time.
I want to know where Kate is. Tell me where she is. I want time to stay.
No, Bedford, don't spoil it. I want to communicate with them. Where's Kate?
Give me time!
[ Chittering ]
You'd better get away. You'd better get away.
[ Chittering ]
Kate!
Arnold!
Here. Here, lift.
Kate, get right back.
Come on, Kate.
Hum! -
[ Coughing 1
[Coughing Continues]
First of earthmen, welcome on the moon.
I am here before you.
Oh.
Your Earth is the center of our orbit.
Tell us of its life, how it differs from ours.
Well, I-[ Stammering ] I don't know where to begin.
Um, I-I-I don't know whether you can understand me, whether you can hear me.
Um, well, I'll try. Um-
Man-Man lives on the surface of Earth...
in protective structures.
No, not protective, that's the wrong word.
Uh, buildings! Uh, uh, houses, cottages.
We call them cities, towns. [ Stammering ]
It's rather like your tunnels, but on the outside.
That would explain the dark areas we have observed.
Does not the sun blind you, living on the surface?
Oh, no, no! No.
You see, we have an iris, which protects the eyes.
Come closer. I wish to see.
Yes, sir, certainly.
There, you see?
Please, the light-That- That's hurting. Please.
[Grunts] Kate, drop the cylinder and help me.
Hand me that wrench.
[ Panting ]
Is there much left back there? Only the oxygen cylinders.
I just hope Cavor can keep the Selenites occupied a little longer.
You say men cling to different tongues and beliefs.
Is there no one ruler? No, no.
Every century, some despot tries, but up to now, no one's succeeded.
People like Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Napoleon.
Does this not lead to confusion?
Yes, it does... and worse-
starvation, hostility, even war.
Tell me of war.
Tell you of war?
Oh, my goodness.
Well, it usually starts with a whacking great explosion.
Now try the one over the porthole.
[Whirring ]
It's still not working.
Well, I bolted it back like the others.
There's nothing else to do. I'll have to get Cavor. I'll go with you.
No, stay here and pack the rest of the things.
I know exactly where to find him. I shan't be long.
And yet to fight in a war is considered an honor.
It's difficult to explain, but men who are killed in battle are heroes.
It's odd, isn't it?
Men enjoy to make war?
No, no, they detest it.
Then if they make war, they are defective.
Well, well, we're not perfect.
Mankind is still developing. We're not-
We're not perfect. There are men of peace.
My concern is with the men of violence, the men who kill.
Soon, others will be coming from Earth.
Our galleries will be strewn with dead.
There needn't be any others. There needn't be any others!
I'm the only one who holds the secret of cavorite.
Then you and your secret will remain here on the moon.
Cavor!
Cavor, this is not an audience! You're on trial! No, Bedford, no!
Can't you see? No!
You've just been convicted!
To the sphere!
This way. Where?
Through there. All right. [Coughing ]
Why couldn't you have left me? Don't flatter yourself.
I didn't risk my neck to save you.
Go on.
Kate! Kate!
Kate!
The sphere-you've put it together. But the blinds won't work.
Huh. “The blinds won't work”?
Good Lord, you've destroyed everything I set out to accomplish.
Now you turn to me for help. Who else can we turn to?
Please, please, Mr. Cavor.
What?
All right. I've no right to keep you here, I suppose.
All right, come on. Give me your hand. Come on.
Come on. The cylinders.
[ Coughing 1
[ Chittering ]
Take the other end, Kate.
Bedford, it's working, old man. It's working.
Come on. Hurry.
Come on, come on. I got it working. Come on, come on.
Kate, get inside, quick.
Go on, Kate, go on. Come on, Bedford.
Right, up you go. Quickly, quickly. Quickly.
- [Coughing ] - Cavor, the cylinder!
Hurry, Cavor! Yes.
[ Chittering ]
Cavor, your hand! Give me your hand!
You know how to man the controls. You don't need me.
Cavor, don't be a fool! Come back!
You see, I'm staying, Bedford, old man. There's a lot to learn.
Mr. Cavor! Cavor, come back!
Cavor! I'll explain! One day I'll explain!
We were hurled into space.
Well, one way or another, I managed to guide the sphere back to Earth.
And we-we plunged into the sea...
off the coast of Zanzibar, yeah.
The sphere disappeared without a trace,
but Kate and I managed to swim ashore.
Of course, no one ever believed our story.
I mean, there was no evidence, nothing. Until now.
I still can't believe it.
Our own Mr. Bedford a real astronaut.
The first astronaut. Dear Mr. Bedford, I must tell the others.
[Chattering ] There he is!
Okay, it's gone through to them.
Red alert for lens pits or any other access to the interior...
and for Selenites.
Those creatures, maybe they're not dangerous after all. He got away.
They've had years to get ready for us. Newspapermen, get out of here!
Please, ma'am. [Screaming ]
[ Man On TV] They've gone down! They've broken through the lens pit!
And here they are, deep below the surface of the moon.
They're lighting flares to see their way.
That's where we were.
More evidence of civilization. I! appears to be a lunar city.
But who built it and why?
It's starting to crumble, collapsing before our very eyes.
The astronauts will have to come to the surface before they're trapped.
They're being hauled up on nylon ropes.
It's like an abandoned mine, caving in on top of them.
They're through into the open!
And it's crumbling right beneath them!
Corrosion and decay- everywhere the same story.
There seems every evidence of some kind of contamination.
- Some simple germ brought from Earth. - To creatures without immunity.
Under those conditions, microorganisms could run wild,
multiply, kill a whole population.
[ Man On TV] Did they take off for another planet,
or were they wiped out by some all-conquering virus?
Poor Cavor. As deadly as a plague,
or as infectious as an ordinary common cold in the head.
And what happened?
He did have such a terrible cold.