Andrew Marton was an expert at big movies, doing second unit on Ben Hur and Cleopatra. He directed this — from a script by Juliet Zimet and Jon Manchip White — in which some of the dumbest scientists ever screw everything up for everyone.
Project Inner Space in Tanganyika, Africa is the stupidest think tank ever. I mean, I get blowing up the moon, but testing Earth’s geothermal energy by drilling a very deep hole and dumping nukes down it? What did you think was going to happen? Well, just look at the title of this movie.
Two doctors are fighting over this idea: Dr. Stephen Sorenson (Dana Andrews) thinks everything will be fine. Dr. Ted Rampion (Kieron Moore) believes that, yes, this will put a crack in the world. Sorenson is dying from cancer, so I kind of think he’s rolling the dice.
The science in this is laugh-inspiring, as somehow a new moon can be launched into space and everyone is like, “Now it’s all fine. Look, a squirrel survived!”
Dana Andrews made eight movies in 1965. His son had died the year before and he was struggling with alcoholism, but man, somehow he still made eight movies. He’s also mentioned in “Science Fiction Double Feature” in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, along with his co-star Janette Scott.
You can watch this on Tubi.
