This movie stinks unless you watch the MST3k episode which is very funny.Gene Hackman, Dick Crenna, and Jimbo Franciscus play uptight American astronauts who get 'stranded' in earth orbit. Gregory Peck, Scott Brady, and a plethora of other actors are in mission control trying to talk these idiots down. The film drones on and on trying to inject some life somewhere - anywhere. At one point, the wives of the space dudes show up to offer their men moral support just about the time the viewer is throwing a noose over the rafters.John Sturges directed (believe it or not).

Copyright 1 December 1969 by Frankovich Productions. Released through Columbia Pictures. U.S. release: 11 December 1969. U.K. release: 12 April 1970. 133 minutes. U.S. re-issue title: "Space Travelers".SYNOPSIS: A space ship malfunctions. The astronauts have no means of returning to earth.NOTES: Location scenes filmed at Cape Kennedy and in Houston. Nominated for three prestigious Hollywood awards: Best Cinematography (lost to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid); Best Sound (lost to Hello, Dolly!); Best Special Visual Effects (won!) — but only Robbie Robinson was nominated!COMMENT: Despite its marvelous Award-winning special effects, Marooned is a bit of a bore. Our problem ties in not only with the simple fact that all of us are now over-familiar with both the visuals and the mechanics of space launching, but that, on the human level, the script fails to whip up any interest in its characters.Alas, the script is not the only stumbling block. The acting too is deadly dull. All the characters are played as mere ciphers. Thus, much of the tension inherent in the plot fails to come across. The only touch of human interest in the film comes when Peck is waylaid by the highway patrol. We could have done with a lot more. What do we know of the character that Peck portrays with such dogged glumness? Practically nothing, despite the fact that he is on screen for at least half the film's long running-time. About his subordinates we know even less. And we are told so little about the men trapped in the space-ship, their dying seems unconscionably long-winded, instead of having us on the edge of our seats. All the same, the technical effects are mighty impressive.

Three astronauts -- Richard Crenna, Gene Hackman, and James Franciscus -- are sent into space for five months to measure the effects of extended stay. There occurs a measurable decline in their performance and Head of Manned Space, Gregory Peck, barks out, "Bring 'em down." Easier said than done. Their retrograde, rebarbative, reentry valves and pfoofnik pins won't fire, so they're stuck in orbit and running out of oxygen. They try everything. The problem can't be fixed.The launch of a rescue ship from Cape Canaveral is delayed because of a hurricane and it becomes clear that no matter what measures are taken, there's simply not enough oxygen for three men. With the inestimable aid of a nearby Russian space module and the seasonable arrival of the delayed rescue ship, two of them make it.The emphasis is as much on drama as on the technical events themselves, which are mostly rendered in a lingo unintelligible to the common man. There is the obligatory scene in which the three wives are called in to say good-bye to their doomed mates in space. The weakest of the three, Gene Hackman, goes berserk, which is not Hackman's forte.In some ways the most notable element of the plot is the help given by the Russian cosmonaut. It must be remembered that this is 1969, the height of the Cold War, when the Soviet Union was an avowed enemy. It's good to see the comradeship between space explorers regardless of nationality clearly illustrated on film. Morever, the Russian guy is not a scowling, bald, sweating aardvark. The actor is perfectly normal and smiles as he feeds air to one of the men.The special effects are fine, although the drama inherent in such a situation isn't really effectively rendered. Not much acting is required of anyone. The musical score is apt -- one dreadful, ominous chord during scenes of danger.

Three astronauts (Richard Crenna (in charge and tries to hold a steady resolve despite what his three man crew is up against), Gene Hackman (who spends an exorbitant amount of time holding onto his sanity), and James Franciscus (seemingly always held together, calm, and confident despite the obstacles before them)) are stranded in orbit around the earth after a mechanical failure to their retros leaves them stranded in space awaiting a hopeful rescue mission before their oxygen runs out. It will be up to an experimental craft (piloted by David Janssen who is vocally outspoken and assertive in his desire to save the astronauts which earns the ire of his superior, played by Gregory Peck) and a Russian cosmonaut in a capsule if the astronauts will have any chance of surviving. Peck, as the NASA man in charge of the space mission, encounters a number of ensuing crises he will need to avert in order to be successful in rescuing the three men trying to remain calm and docile so they conserve what little oxygen still available to them.I think Apollo 13 (1995) will come to mind when viewers watch Marooned (1969) as the plots are similar in ways. Astronauts "trapped in space" while NASA scientists and the "think tank" try and come up with a plan of action to save them is a ready-made plot which should be, you'd think, an easy sell for an audience. I have to say that I'm one of the majority critical of the laborious pace and clinical approach to the rescue mission; this film, as directed by Sturges, never quite finds that gear which engages and capitalizes completely on the suspense plot that might have, in different hands, been a home run. Still, the special effects and NASA assistance bringing an authenticity to the material (and presentation) are incentives to see the film. I think there's a good 100 minute movie dying to break out of the 130 minute running time. I think the cast is uniformly good…no breakouts, but I think the actors properly convey the frustrations, fear, and anxiety that come with the difficult situation that presents itself. Crenna's fate as he leaves the shuttle to make a "repair to the engine" (a share of dialogue between him and Peck imply more to this than what is presented on its face), Hackman's mental breakdown while talking to his wife, Franciscus' laid-back, all-smiles, psychologically sound astronaut who seems to take matters a bit more sufficiently despite the peril that remains an antagonist, the three wives (Lee Grant, Nancy Kovack, and Mariette Hartley) trying to keep their composure during what is a horrific ordeal, Peck and Jannsen butting heads over what to do to save the astronauts, the 42 hour rush-job to scrape together a ship capable of leaving the earth and meeting the shuttle in space, a developing hurricane which might cause the rescue mission to be halted, and the astronauts in the shuttle trying to hold it together although they have every reason to be distraught provide plenty of melodrama that help to bring a respectability to the film, keeping it from being a total disappointment. This being made during the height of the space program during the 60s gives it some gravitas, and I think the dialogue and inner workings of those involved in sending men into orbit and trying to get them back safely is handled efficiently by the direction and screenplay. I think the film's main hurtle for newcomers is the running time and pace…it just shouldn't be such a chore and bore, considering the plot.