Oolite Bulletins

I've been trying to remember the name of an early film about a moon landing that I saw as a child.. then I thought - why don't I ask the sci-fi experts?!

It was in black and white and was, I believe, British made. I'm guessing the date at late 1920's to very early 1930's. A projectile (looking a bit like a cross between a Dalek, a steam locomotive and a coriolis station - it was covered in what appeared to be steam train buffers) was fired at the moon and contained, I think two people. They were rescued by an American force that landed shortly afterwards who used 'nylon ropes' to effect the recovery (yes, even though nylon was not officially invented until around '32).

Anyone remember it? And can you tell me what the film title was

I take it we’re not talking about  Le Voyage dans la lune, then, but something considerably more modern?

The ship covered in train buffers does ring bells. No idea what the title is, but I searched IMDB.com, and came up with Once in a New Moon?

[edit] I found a synopsis for 'Once in a new moon'. Something about a British village being shot into space - so I'm pretty sure that's not the bunny. Oh hum. Close but no (virtual] cigar [/edit]

Ah, 'tis a knotty problem. It's not the crazy French thing, Ahruman, circa 1902, that much I do know. I think JazHaz may have the answer but I won't know until I see it. All of the links are blind or lead to some kind of other download. Heh, I discovered the Vidalia browser, now when I'm searching for torrents I get little pop up windows saying "Hi, I live in anonymous proxy too"! Thanks for your thoughts guys.

I think I have found it, but one from 1964: The First Men In The Moon (IMDB link). This was a remake of a film from 1919, however that apparently is lost according to the British Film Institute (see the Wikipedia page). I can't confirm if the spaceship was the same in the earlier film. The story was orginally written by the great HG Wells in 1901.

Here's plans of the spaceship (with buffers!), its actually called a "Cavorite Sphere". Click on the image to be taken to a site referencing the film and selling more plans of the ship.

The cavorite sphere could be made into a station design for Oolite.

Commander McLane wrote:

The cavorite sphere could be made into a station design for Oolite.

Yeah those buffers could be a defence against those idiots who launch, turn round and smash straight back into the station!

Commander McLane wrote:

The cavorite sphere could be made into a station design for Oolite.

Or an escape pod

That is close indeed JazHaz! - But I still don't think it's the bunny I'm looking for, but is is eerily similar . Maybe what I saw was the 'lost version' that you mentioned? Although if it is lost then that's peculiar as I've seen it on TV twice as a child - firstly on a black and white TV at around the same time as the NASA landing in '69 and then, I think, on a colour set within a few years, say around '72 - and even then it was shown in black and white. What fascinates me with it was something my father pointed out that it's release pre-dated the official invention of Nylon. I'd like to scrutinise it again to see if there were any other oddities. From memory one strange thing was that the two British-ers looked nothing like the spacemen of the late sixties yet the relief force did indeed look very much like NASA's entrepid explorers. That craft though is a dead ringer for what I saw and the manner of it's landing matches my memories almost exactly. I'm guessing that whatever I saw was based heavily on HG Well's work, so I'm guessing the lost version is what I witnessed. Strange though that I don't recall seeing the one made in colour in '64.

Thanks JazHaz, you have gone to extraordinary lengths to find this solution and the more I think about it the more I think you are as close as it's possible to get. Once again - Thanks!

Greyth wrote:

...I've seen it on TV twice as a child - firstly on a black and white TV at around the same time as the NASA landing in '69 and then, I think, on a colour set within a few years, say around '72...

Y'know, sometimes I forget that this forum's average user age is a lot higher than the norm on the internet. I got used to being one of the oldest denizens on the forums I used to haunt (mostly webcomic or wargaming ones) now it seems I'm amongst the youngest!!

I wasn't even a gleam in the milkman's eye in 69...

Alright, no need to rub it in!

Whut? Whut? Whossat?

Sorry chaps (and chappesses) I forget not everyone is from Essex let alone the UK - 'Don't rub it in' in that context was meant to convey something like 'O.k - I'm ancient and envy your youth' more than 'I am the offspring of milkmen' (Although my father was indeed a milkman in his youth)