Rendezvous in Space (1964)
Article 5626 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 1-23-2019
Directed by Frank Capra
Featuring Marcia McBroom, Jim Backus, Mel Blanc
Country: USA
What it is: Short documentary about space exploration

There’s really no plot to this documentary about space travel; in fact, I’m not sure whether it really has much in the way of a real focus. After an opening in which we see captioned footage of the Earth as seen from a capsule in outer space, we are treated to faked “man on the street” interviews (many of those interviewed are well-known character actors such as Sid Melton and Charles Lane), various animated bits about various aspects of space exploration, and a few predictions of developments that would occur in the near future of space exploration. It was Frank Capra’s last film, and it was filmed for the Marietta Corporation and was shown at the Hall of Science Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair. If anything is holding it together, it’s the sense of wonder and adventure that pervaded the space race at the time. It makes for an entertaining watch, but the scattershot feel of the short prevents it from having any real focused impact.