Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Destination Moon

 Destination Moon
type
TVTItem
 Destination Moon
label
Destination Moon
 Destination Moon
page
DestinationMoon
 Destination Moon
comment
Seven years before Sputnik launched The Space Race, and nineteen before the Apollo 11 landing, this 1950 production by George Pal was the first major science-fiction film produced in the United States that dealt seriously with the prospect, problems, and technology of space travel. It was directed by Irving Pichel.Frustrated by his failure (implied to be the result of sabotage) to successfully launch an artificial satellite, a scientist approaches US private industry with a grander project: to build a nuclear-powered rocket to land upon The Moon. Sinister forces try to stop the launch via public protest and legal action, and the rocket has to take off ahead of schedule to avoid a court order. After a spacewalk and the obligatory mid-mission crisis, the rocketship lands on the Moon but uses too much reaction mass doing so. Even after stripping their vessel of every spare component, the only way they can get back to Earth is if someone stays behind...Oh, and did we mention it has Woody Woodpecker (briefly) appearing in it?Not to be confused with the Tintin story which also depicts a version of the first moon landing with a strangely similar scenario that also drew on a lot of science of the time. Also not to be confused with Detonation Moon, which is a pun on this films' title.Dimension X did a radio adaptation of it.
 Destination Moon
fetched
2023-04-03T18:13:40Z
 Destination Moon
parsed
2023-04-03T18:13:40Z
 Destination Moon
processingComment
Dropped link to SoundInSpace: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
 Destination Moon
processingUnknown
SoundInSpace
 Destination Moon
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Destination Moon / int_116a941b
type
Applied Phlebotinum
 Destination Moon / int_116a941b
comment
Applied Phlebotinum: The atomic drive; more apparent now than at the time, when a nuclear engine seemed just around the corner.
 Destination Moon / int_116a941b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_116a941b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_116a941b
 Destination Moon / int_143ea829
type
Absurdly Long Stairway
 Destination Moon / int_143ea829
comment
Check out that ladder on the Luna. When was the last time you climbed a ladder that was eight stories tall (while wearing a spacesuit)? Plus it leads right past the radioactive exhaust vent for the atomic engine.
 Destination Moon / int_143ea829
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_143ea829
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_143ea829
 Destination Moon / int_18aff462
type
Artistic License – Biology
 Destination Moon / int_18aff462
comment
Artistic License – Biology: Joe has extreme difficulty swallowing in microgravity, but human peristalsis in real life is strong enough for people to swallow things while hanging upside down.
 Destination Moon / int_18aff462
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_18aff462
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_18aff462
 Destination Moon / int_1a0bba84
type
Improvised Microgravity Maneuvering
 Destination Moon / int_1a0bba84
comment
Improvised Microgravity Maneuvering: An oxygen tank is used to rescue someone adrift in space.
 Destination Moon / int_1a0bba84
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_1a0bba84
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_1a0bba84
 Destination Moon / int_1ce428b5
type
Cold Equation
 Destination Moon / int_1ce428b5
comment
Cold Equation: The problem at the climax being that the rocket has burnt out too much fuel and doesn't have the power to lift off at their current weight ratio. After yanking out everything they can think of, the rocket is still overweight by the exact amount of a full-grown man... Joe Sweeney decides to take one for the team and stay behind, but the rest figures out what else to remove (including Sweeney's space suit and the ship's radio) so they can all come home.
 Destination Moon / int_1ce428b5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_1ce428b5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_1ce428b5
 Destination Moon / int_1d3d1013
type
Mundane Dogmatic
 Destination Moon / int_1d3d1013
comment
Mundane Dogmatic
 Destination Moon / int_1d3d1013
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_1d3d1013
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_1d3d1013
 Destination Moon / int_2864490b
type
Gravity Screw
 Destination Moon / int_2864490b
comment
Gravity Screw: The usual zero-G antics first seen in Woman in the Moon, with magnetic boots used to walk on the walls.
 Destination Moon / int_2864490b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_2864490b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_2864490b
 Destination Moon / int_50f848cc
type
Technology Porn
 Destination Moon / int_50f848cc
comment
Technology Porn: The movie goes into detail on the construction of the rocket and spacesuits. There's also a Zeerust version involving that wonder of modern technology, the differential analyser. Apparently an infallible Master Computer, as when it works out the Luna is too heavy to get home...
 Destination Moon / int_50f848cc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_50f848cc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_50f848cc
 Destination Moon / int_528e47c6
type
Latex Space Suit
 Destination Moon / int_528e47c6
comment
Latex Spacesuit: Averted; the 'Michelin Man' look is a carry-over from the long obsolete 1943 Goodrich pressure suit. The producers wanted to have a pneumatic suit that would both look realistic and cool the actors, but the wire work needed for the low gravity scenes made that impossible. To Hand Wave the issue in scenes where the actors change into the suits, this was justified by making it a two-piece version like a car tire — the outside padding takes the wear and tear, while the pressure suit is inside.
 Destination Moon / int_528e47c6
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Destination Moon / int_528e47c6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_528e47c6
 Destination Moon / int_6439de78
type
Heroic Sacrifice
 Destination Moon / int_6439de78
comment
Heroic Sacrifice: While the three main characters are arguing over who's going to stay behind, Joe Sweeney quietly slips out the airlock and laconically tells the others to return to Earth without him. Of course as the comic relief never gets killed the others figure out a way to save everyone.
 Destination Moon / int_6439de78
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_6439de78
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_6439de78
 Destination Moon / int_7582930a
type
Hollywood Science
 Destination Moon / int_7582930a
comment
Hollywood Science: Averted as George Pal went to great lengths to make everything accurate, with advice from Robert Heinlein and space artist Chesley Bonestell.
 Destination Moon / int_7582930a
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Destination Moon / int_7582930a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_7582930a
 Destination Moon / int_7a2aba81
type
Exposition
 Destination Moon / int_7a2aba81
comment
Exposition: By Woody Woodpecker, no less. Joe Sweeney serves as an Average Joe the scientists have to explain things to.
 Destination Moon / int_7a2aba81
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_7a2aba81
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_7a2aba81
 Destination Moon / int_7f8ec449
type
Bold Explorer
 Destination Moon / int_7f8ec449
comment
Bold Explorer: The enthusiastic General Thayer is the clearest example of the archetype. To a lesser extent, Dr. Cargraves and Jim Barnes also fit the bill, as all three set off for the moon.
 Destination Moon / int_7f8ec449
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_7f8ec449
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_7f8ec449
 Destination Moon / int_7fbb2a3
type
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
 Destination Moon / int_7fbb2a3
comment
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Sweeney greased the ship's aerial before launch, causing it to freeze up in space. The crew have to go outside on the hull to fix the problem, and Cargraves unclips his tether because it's not long enough, so when his magnetic boots become detached from the hull, Dramatic Space Drifting ensues.
 Destination Moon / int_7fbb2a3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_7fbb2a3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_7fbb2a3
 Destination Moon / int_885b0b18
type
Interplanetary Voyage
 Destination Moon / int_885b0b18
comment
Interplanetary Voyage
 Destination Moon / int_885b0b18
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_885b0b18
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_885b0b18
 Destination Moon / int_8ace85ef
type
Audience Surrogate
 Destination Moon / int_8ace85ef
comment
Audience Surrogate: Joe Sweeney.
 Destination Moon / int_8ace85ef
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_8ace85ef
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_8ace85ef
 Destination Moon / int_8bf025dc
type
Ludicrous Speed
 Destination Moon / int_8bf025dc
comment
Ludicrous Speed: The faces of the crew are pulled into ridiculous expressions by six gees of acceleration.
 Destination Moon / int_8bf025dc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_8bf025dc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_8bf025dc
 Destination Moon / int_8d5fc8c7
type
Recoiled Across the Room
 Destination Moon / int_8d5fc8c7
comment
Recoiled Across the Room: In order to illustrate to Woody Woodpecker (who stars in an animated film to help convince various men of industry to help finance and build the first rocket to the Moon) how rocket propulsion works, he's asked to shoot a shotgun. The recoil sends him flying several feet backwards. This is followed by asking him to blast several times towards the ground (which sends him aloft).
 Destination Moon / int_8d5fc8c7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_8d5fc8c7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_8d5fc8c7
 Destination Moon / int_9c47b23b
type
Dirty Communists
 Destination Moon / int_9c47b23b
comment
Dirty Communists: Well, the unseen agents of a foreign power, but we all know who they are. They try to stop the project through sabotage, organising public protests, and legal action.
 Destination Moon / int_9c47b23b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_9c47b23b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_9c47b23b
 Destination Moon / int_9d12bbc1
type
Foreshadowing
 Destination Moon / int_9d12bbc1
comment
Foreshadowing: After a rocket test fails at the beginning of the film, Sweeney un-hesitantly attempts to go outside to find out what went wrong. He's stopped, but this foreshadows his later attempted Heroic Sacrifice.
 Destination Moon / int_9d12bbc1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_9d12bbc1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_9d12bbc1
 Destination Moon / int_a67371c2
type
Character as Himself
 Destination Moon / int_a67371c2
comment
Character as Himself: Woody Woodpecker, but only in the movie poster.
 Destination Moon / int_a67371c2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_a67371c2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_a67371c2
 Destination Moon / int_a73c667a
type
Captivity Harmonica
 Destination Moon / int_a73c667a
comment
Captivity Harmonica: Stuck on the rocket with these loonies, Joe plays "Kathleen" on his harmonica to pass the time.
 Destination Moon / int_a73c667a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_a73c667a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_a73c667a
 Destination Moon / int_b3393a2e
type
Trip to the Moon Plot
 Destination Moon / int_b3393a2e
comment
Trip to the Moon Plot: It's right there in the title.
 Destination Moon / int_b3393a2e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_b3393a2e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_b3393a2e
 Destination Moon / int_b47d95be
type
No OSHA Compliance
 Destination Moon / int_b47d95be
comment
No OSHA Compliance: Check out that ladder on the Luna. When was the last time you climbed a ladder that was eight stories tall (while wearing a spacesuit)? Plus it leads right past the radioactive exhaust vent for the atomic engine. According to Woody's exposition, the Luna is supposed to hit the atmosphere nose-first, which means the acceleration couches will be facing the wrong direction, with only a single chest and knee strap to hold them in. They then return to the ground via parachutes, an iffy proposition for a 150-foot high rocket that has to land on its fins!
 Destination Moon / int_b47d95be
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_b47d95be
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_b47d95be
 Destination Moon / int_b55e8979
type
Science Hero
 Destination Moon / int_b55e8979
comment
Science Hero: Good 'ole American industry, determination and ingenuity conquer all obstacles.
 Destination Moon / int_b55e8979
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_b55e8979
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_b55e8979
 Destination Moon / int_bb660963
type
Color-Coded Characters
 Destination Moon / int_bb660963
comment
Color-Coded Characters: Invoked with the spacesuits, so the explorers can tell who's who on the Moon's surface. Stanley Kubrick would homage this in 2001 by using the same colors for the crew of Discovery One.
 Destination Moon / int_bb660963
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_bb660963
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_bb660963
 Destination Moon / int_bcbf7aef
type
Plucky Comic Relief
 Destination Moon / int_bcbf7aef
comment
Plucky Comic Relief: When one of the original crew falls ill, Flight Engineer Joe Sweeney is reluctantly convinced to come along as radio operator. His general lack of enthusiasm for the project is a Running Gag, but he turns out to be a Cowardly Lion.
 Destination Moon / int_bcbf7aef
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_bcbf7aef
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_bcbf7aef
 Destination Moon / int_bd80925e
type
Forced Perspective
 Destination Moon / int_bd80925e
comment
Forced Perspective: The reason for the 'cracked' surface of the Moon, despite there being no water to create this, was so they could match the small studio floor to the vast vistas painted by Chesley Bonestell.
 Destination Moon / int_bd80925e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_bd80925e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_bd80925e
 Destination Moon / int_c6e9e40d
type
Retro Rocket
 Destination Moon / int_c6e9e40d
comment
Retro Rocket (also Shiny-Looking Spaceships): Along with Chesley Bonestell's artwork in the illustrated book The Conquest of Space, this movie could well be the Trope Codifier.
 Destination Moon / int_c6e9e40d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_c6e9e40d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_c6e9e40d
 Destination Moon / int_cb12aacf
type
Deus ex Nukina
 Destination Moon / int_cb12aacf
comment
Deus ex Nukina: None of this would be possible without the atomic drive. And the motive for landing on the moon isn't national pride, commercial interest, or even For Science!, but purely and simply to stop those Dirty Communists from setting up a lunar missile base from which they can control the Earth!
 Destination Moon / int_cb12aacf
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_cb12aacf
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_cb12aacf
 Destination Moon / int_cd30716e
type
Boring Return Journey
 Destination Moon / int_cd30716e
comment
Boring Return Journey: The movie ends on the Luna launching from the lunar surface. Although it might not have been that boring in practice — thanks to the reaction mass they ditched, they'd be moving at quite a clip! See also No OSHA Compliance.
 Destination Moon / int_cd30716e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_cd30716e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_cd30716e
 Destination Moon / int_e206977a
type
In Space, Everyone Can See Your Face
 Destination Moon / int_e206977a
comment
In Space, Everyone Can See Your Face: Averted with no lights in the helmets, though the faceplates are clear. Instead coloured spacesuits are used to tell everyone apart.
 Destination Moon / int_e206977a
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Destination Moon / int_e206977a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_e206977a
 Destination Moon / int_ede841fd
type
No Seat Belts
 Destination Moon / int_ede841fd
comment
According to Woody's exposition, the Luna is supposed to hit the atmosphere nose-first, which means the acceleration couches will be facing the wrong direction, with only a single chest and knee strap to hold them in. They then return to the ground via parachutes, an iffy proposition for a 150-foot high rocket that has to land on its fins!
 Destination Moon / int_ede841fd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_ede841fd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_ede841fd
 Destination Moon / int_f5f79e56
type
Hard-Work Montage
 Destination Moon / int_f5f79e56
comment
Hard-Work Montage: Several of these, including tearing apart the rocket so it will be light enough to take off from the moon.
 Destination Moon / int_f5f79e56
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_f5f79e56
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_f5f79e56
 Destination Moon / int_f6b1ac42
type
Tim Taylor Technology
 Destination Moon / int_f6b1ac42
comment
Tim Taylor Technology: What does a Science Hero do when facing public concern that an atomic rocket will explode on take-off, spreading radioactive debris over hundreds of miles? Take off, of course!
 Destination Moon / int_f6b1ac42
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_f6b1ac42
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_f6b1ac42
 Destination Moon / int_name
type
ItemName
 Destination Moon / int_name
comment
 Destination Moon / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Destination Moon / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Destination Moon / int_name
 Destination Moon / int_name
itemName
Destination Moon

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Artificial Gravity / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Bold Explorer / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Captivity Harmonica / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Dramatic Space Drifting / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Improvised Microgravity Maneuvering / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
In Space, Everyone Can See Your Face / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Latex Space Suit / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Mundane Dogmatic / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
No Adaptations Allowed / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
No Seat Belts / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Plucky Comic Relief / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Recoiled Across the Room / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Retro Rocket / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Science Hero / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Shiny-Looking Spaceships / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Space Stories / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
The Drag-Along / int_afd7bd75
 Destination Moon
hasFeature
Trip to the Moon Plot / int_afd7bd75