{ "id": "epanvxs95t", "slug": "marooned", "title": "Marooned", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-before", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films before 1970", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-before" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-before", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000: Science fiction and fantasy films before 1970", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-before", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-before", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films before 1970", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-before" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Marooned (1969) is a John Sturges Columbia Pictures space-rescue drama, from Martin Caidin's novel, starring Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, Gene Hackman, and James Franciscus; it won the Special Visual Effects Oscar and flopped at the box office.", "snippet": "Marooned (1969) is a John Sturges Columbia Pictures space-rescue drama, from Martin Caidin's novel, starring Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, Gene Hackman, and James Franciscus; it won the Special Visual Effects Oscar and flopped at the box office.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-before", "markdown": "# Marooned\n\n**Marooned** is a 1969 American science fiction drama film directed by [John Sturges](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-sturges), in which three astronauts are stranded in Earth orbit after their spacecraft's retro-rockets fail and NASA scrambles to rescue them before their oxygen runs out. It was produced by M. J. Frankovich for Columbia Pictures, written by Mayo Simon from Martin Caidin's 1964 novel of the same name, and opened in Los Angeles on December 11, 1969.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23433-MAROONED) • [2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/marooned)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Release | Columbia Pictures; Los Angeles opening December 11, 1969; rated G; Eastmancolor, Panavision[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23433-MAROONED) |\n| Runtime | 134 minutes (AFI lists 133)[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/152600/marooned) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23433-MAROONED) |\n| Source | Based on the novel *Marooned* by Martin Caidin (New York, 1964), revised in 1969 to match the film[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23433-MAROONED) • [2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/marooned) |\n| Principal cast | Gregory Peck (Charles Keith), Richard Crenna (Jim Pruett), James Franciscus (Clayton Stone), Gene Hackman (Buzz Lloyd), David Janssen (Ted Dougherty), Lee Grant (Celia Pruett)[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/152600/marooned) |\n| Awards | Academy Award for Special Visual Effects (Robbie Robertson); nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Sound[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064639/awards/) |\n| Box office | $4.3 million domestic against a budget of $8–10 million[5](https://www.slashfilm.com/2235908/gregory-peck-60s-space-thriller-sci-fi-book-marooned/) |\n| Sound design | No traditional musical score; electronic tones, beeps, and hums tied to each spacecraft on screen[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/152600/marooned) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nThe three-man spacecraft Ironman One, crewed by mission commander Jim Pruett ([Richard Crenna](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-crenna)), scientist-astronaut Clayton Stone ([James Franciscus](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-franciscus)), and pilot Buzz Lloyd ([Gene Hackman](https://www.edgepedia.org/gene-hackman)), orbits Earth preparing for re-entry after a long-duration mission. A retro-rocket misfires, leaving the crew with no means of reaching the ground while their oxygen supply dwindles.[6](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/marooned) On Earth, Charles Keith (Gregory Peck), chief of the manned space program, initially resists a rescue he considers too costly in lives, but a presidential mandate and veteran astronaut Ted Dougherty (David Janssen) compel him to mount one, complicated by a hurricane threatening the launch site.[6](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/marooned) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/marooned) The rescue culminates in a link-up between the American spacecraft and a Soviet one, and one of the crew sacrifices his oxygen so the others can survive.[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/marooned) • [8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/marooned-1969)\n\n## Production\n\nFilming began in November 1968, with location scenes shot at Cape Kennedy and in Houston.[9](https://www.thespacereview.com/archive/3723-1.html) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23433-MAROONED) Columbia brought in NASA to advise on accuracy, and the agency provided real Apollo hardware; the Apollo capsule used in the film was built in Texas by some of the people who built the actual capsules, which created lighting problems that forced the studio to cut the one-piece craft into removable sections.[5](https://www.slashfilm.com/2235908/gregory-peck-60s-space-thriller-sci-fi-book-marooned/) • [10](https://cdn.theasc.com/AMERICAN_CINEMATOGRAPHER_VOL.50_1969_10.pdf) The orbiting laboratory in the film follows the early, simple Skylab design then in planning, without decks or an interior up-or-down orientation.[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/152600/marooned) Martin Caidin served as technical advisor.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23433-MAROONED)\n\n**Cinematography and sound.** Daniel L. Fapp, who won the 1961 Academy Award for color cinematography on *West Side Story*, shot the film; it was his final feature.[10](https://cdn.theasc.com/AMERICAN_CINEMATOGRAPHER_VOL.50_1969_10.pdf) • [11](https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Marooned-Blu-ray/307379/) In place of a conventional score, the producers chose electronic tones, beeps, and hums assigned to each spacecraft, a decision later blamed for part of the film's sluggish reception.[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/152600/marooned) *Marooned* was the first Columbia release in the 70mm format.[12](https://www.in70mm.com/news/2021/australia/_pdf/year/1970.pdf)\n\n## The novel and its revision\n\nMartin Caidin (1927–1997), a prolific author of technically detailed aviation and space books, published *Marooned* in 1964. In that version a single rookie astronaut, stranded by a retrorocket failure on the final Mercury mission, is rescued on the first flight of a new [Gemini spacecraft](https://www.edgepedia.org/gemini-spacecraft), supported by six appendices of calculations.[9](https://www.thespacereview.com/archive/3723-1.html) After the film changed the story to three astronauts aboard an Apollo-type craft, Caidin revised the novel to match; the 1969 edition is therefore a novelization of sorts.[2](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/marooned)\n\n## Reception and legacy\n\nThe film opened a little over four months after the [Apollo 11](https://www.edgepedia.org/apollo-11) moon landing and soon after [Stanley Kubrick](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-kubrick)'s *2001: A Space Odyssey* (1968), a comparison reviewers repeatedly drew. Roger Ebert, film critic of the *Chicago Sun-Times*, judged that it would be a long time before a space film outclassed *2001*, faulted details such as rocket engines that hiss in vacuum, but conceded that *Marooned* works as entertainment and praised Gene Hackman as \"particularly good\" as a man who gradually comes apart.[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/marooned-1969) The cast drew generally good reviews, especially Peck and [Lee Grant](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-grant) for her farewell scene with Crenna, but the film was a box-office disappointment, earning $4.3 million on a budget of $8–10 million.[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/152600/marooned) • [5](https://www.slashfilm.com/2235908/gregory-peck-60s-space-thriller-sci-fi-book-marooned/) At the 1970 Academy Awards it won the Oscar for Special Visual Effects (Robbie Robertson) and was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Sound.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064639/awards/)\n\nNASA was pleased with the production and gave it an official commendation. The film's climax, an American-Soviet spacecraft link-up, is often credited with helping inspire the real Apollo-Soyuz mission of 1975; Soviet scientists who later saw the film were reportedly struck by the heroic treatment of a cosmonaut in an American movie.[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/152600/marooned) • [13](https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/422136/1/LIBRARY_COPY_Ellis_Final_Thesis.pdf) Seven months after release, the [Apollo 13](https://www.edgepedia.org/apollo-13) oxygen-tank explosion left three real astronauts in a situation the film had dramatized, and the movie is frequently cited as presaging that near-disaster.[3](https://www.tcm.com/articles/152600/marooned)\n\nThe film's afterlife includes a 1970 parody in *Mad* magazine (\"Moroned\") and a 1992 lampoon on *Mystery Science Theater 3000*, which used the Film Ventures International re-edit released as *Space Travelers*.[9](https://www.thespacereview.com/archive/3723-1.html)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Marooned (1969), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/23433-MAROONED)\n2. [Marooned, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/marooned)\n3. [Marooned, Turner Classic Movies article by Lisa Mateas](https://www.tcm.com/articles/152600/marooned)\n4. [Marooned (1969) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064639/awards/)\n5. [Gregory Peck's '60s Space Thriller Was Based On A Riveting Sci-Fi Book, SlashFilm](https://www.slashfilm.com/2235908/gregory-peck-60s-space-thriller-sci-fi-book-marooned/)\n6. [Marooned, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/marooned)\n7. [Marooned, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/marooned)\n8. [Marooned movie review, Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (1969)](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/marooned-1969)\n9. [Saving Colonel Pruett, The Space Review (2019)](https://www.thespacereview.com/archive/3723-1.html)\n10. [Filming Marooned, American Cinematographer, Vol. 50 (October 1969)](https://cdn.theasc.com/AMERICAN_CINEMATOGRAPHER_VOL.50_1969_10.pdf)\n11. [Marooned Blu-ray (Imprint #113), Blu-ray.com](https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Marooned-Blu-ray/307379/)\n12. [in70mm.com 1970 publication noting Marooned as the first Columbia 70mm release](https://www.in70mm.com/news/2021/australia/_pdf/year/1970.pdf)\n13. [Thomas Ellis PhD thesis, University of Southampton](https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/422136/1/LIBRARY_COPY_Ellis_Final_Thesis.pdf)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films before 1970*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/marooned", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/marooned.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Marooned\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/marooned. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Marooned](https://www.edgepedia.org/marooned)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/marooned](https://www.edgepedia.org/marooned). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Marooned\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/marooned. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Marooned is a John Sturges Columbia Pictures space-rescue drama, from Martin Caidin's novel, starring Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, Gene Hackman, and James Franciscus; it won the Special Visual Effects Oscar and flopped at the box office." }