The Rocket Man (1954 film)

{{Short description|1954 film by Oscar Rudolph}}

{{Infobox film

| name = The Rocket Man

| image = Rocket Man (1954 film).jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Oscar Rudolph

| producer = Leonard Goldstein

| screenplay = Lenny Bruce
Jack Henley

| story = George W. George
George F. Slavin

| starring = Charles Coburn
Spring Byington
Anne Francis
John Agar
George "Foghorn" Winslow

| cinematography = John Seitz

| editing = Paul Weatherwax

| color_process = Black and white

| studio = Panoramic Productions

| distributor = 20th Century Fox

| released = {{Film date|1954|04}}

| runtime = 79 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

The Rocket Man is a 1954 American comedy science fiction film directed by Oscar Rudolph and starring Charles Coburn, Spring Byington, Anne Francis, John Agar and George "Foghorn" Winslow. The script was co-written by Lenny Bruce and Jack Henley from a story by George W. George and George F. Slavin."Movies Were Always Magical": Interviews with 19 Actors, Leo Verswijver - 2003 Page 40- Rocket Man (20th Century Fox, 1954). DlR Oscar Rudolph. PROD Leonard Goldstein. SCR Lenny Bruce, Jack Henley (story by George W. George, George F . Slavin). CAM John F. Seitz. ED Paul Weatherwax. Ml's Lionel Newman. RUNNING A comedy with science fiction overtones, the film carries the tag line, “Out-of-this-world laughter and down-to-earth charm when the face from space turns out to be… the kid next door!”Laura Wagner Anne Francis: The Life and Career 2011 -p 25 "She was given the second lead (with John Agar) in The Rocket Man (1954), an ordinary, passable comedy with some sci-fi elements made for Panoramic Productions, the company run by producer Leonard Goldstein that made flat-screen pictures for Fox"; Page 129 "The Rocket Man (1954) "Out-of-this-world laughter and down-to-earth charm when the face from space turns out to be ... the kid next door!" Director: Oscar Rudolph."

The New York Times found the fact that comedian Lenny Bruce was one of the film's screenwriters was the "strangest aspect of the low-budget production", noting that the film contains little of Bruce's trademark humor.{{cite web |url= https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/108202/The-Rocket-Man/overview |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131114165237/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/108202/The-Rocket-Man/overview |url-status= dead |archive-date= November 14, 2013 |title= The Rocket Man (1954) |department= Movies & TV Dept. |work= The New York Times |publisher= Baseline & All Movie Guide |author= Hal Erickson |author-link= Hal Erickson (author) |date= 2013 |accessdate=November 6, 2013}}