The Reluctant Astronaut

Synopsis

Roy Fleming is 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 as 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 layperson into space to prove the worthiness of a new automated spacecraft, Roy gets the chance to confront his fears.

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
  Arbuckle "Buck" Fleming

• 

  Joan Shawlee
  Blonde in Bar

• 

  Guy Raymond
  Bert

• 

  Nydia Westman
  Aunt Zana

• 

  Paul Hartman
  Rush

• 

  Robert F. Simon
  Cervantes

• R

  Robert Pickering
  Moran

• 

  Bill Quinn
  Captain Ferguson

• 

  Melissa Gilbert
  Niece

• 

  Burt Mustin
  Ned

• 

  Marjorie Bennett
  Sweetwater Citizen at Mailbox

• 

  Herb Vigran
  NASA Doctor