First Men in the Moon

- Well, we're here, Nevsky. - I see, colonel.

Rice to crew. Transmit touchdown time and position to mother ship.

Let's look at the environment telemetry.

Only Child to UN One.

Touchdown at 7 hours, 2 minutes, 9 seconds sidereal time.

Latitude 3-7 degrees, 8 minutes, 10 seconds...

- What's it like, Stuart? - Readings are coming.

UN One to Only Child on H.F. UN One to Only Child.

How do you read? How do you read?

- Rice on U.H.F. High. Do you read me? - Loud and clear.

- How was the landing? - We made it in one piece.

We're putting the survey team down, colonel.

Sgt. Martin's entering the escape hatch. Here's Nevsky.

- Set? - Go, sir.

Roger, Only Child. Your impact point is right on.

- Read you loud and clear. - Secure escape hatch.

Your systems look good.

How does it look out the window?

Decontaminate.

The lapse time is 13 plus 10.

This is it, Rice.

- The big event. - Release outer lock.

Sgt. Andrew Martin, the farm boy from Indiana...

is the first man to set foot on the moon.

Congratulations are coming from all over.

Martin! Stuart!

Well, I didn't put it there.

Hey, colonel, we found something. You'd better take a look.

And here's something else.

"Claimed for her Majesty Queen Victoria...

in the year of our Lord, 1899."

- How do we explain it? - The Kremlin will never believe it.

It's like a summons of some kind. "Katherine Callender," whoever she is.

They'll never believe it. Never.

Dymchurch.

Get it on the scanner to Earth before it falls apart.

How am I gonna tell them this? Queen Victoria.

They'll think I'm nuts.

Rice to Mother ship.

Rice to Mother ship. Urgently request...

UN Space Agency Investigation Team...

proceed at once to Dymchurch, England.

Sgt. Martin is the first man...

You'll see there never was a Katherine Callender.

You coming, Dr. Tok?

England's a land of eccentrics.

On the moon, for the first time.

I hope.

Dr. Tok from the U. N. Space Agency? I'm from the Express. Tell me...

1899?

That's a bit before my time, yes. We keep the records over there.

Katherine Callender, you say? Is it a birth, a wedding...

or a death?

We just want to know if she once lived here.

Come this way.

- So some crackpot faked it. - Why?

To take the frosting off the UN cake. Mother Empire, still waving the flag.

We'd better start with the births.

Oh, bless my soul, these are the deaths.

Well, you know, it's weddings. They always affect me.

They do, even now. Look at this stuff.

They never affected me. Much to my regret.

Here we are, C-A...

Callaghan, Calder...

You did say "Callender"?

- Yes, Katherine Callender. - There's no record...

of any Katherine Callender among the births.

- She never existed. - Address is Cherry Cottage.

Bedford, Bedford... I remember now.

I married her. From Boston, Massachusetts.

- So there is a Katherine Callender? - Was. She died some 10 years ago.

- Is Mr. Bedford alive? - If he wasn't, he'd be in the book.

Over here. Has this to do with the moon...

Hold it! You were saying, sir?

Mr. Bedford has been in a nursing home for a long time.

Where is it?

The Limes, outside Dymchurch. Along Folkstone Road.

Should I let them know you're coming?

- Let's have a picture or something. - Oh, come on.

- I don't know. Go to Folkstone Road. - The Limes, the nursing home.

The UN Space Agency?

Well, I hope you're not wasting your time.

You see, we've had trouble before with Mr. Bedford's obsessions.

But if you'll follow me, I'll take you up to his room.

Obsessions?

Sending letters abroad to officials. Russian Space Agency...

National Aeronautic and Space Administration about the moon.

When I saw your credentials, I wondered.

- What sort of letters? - Warnings. Absurd warnings.

- Does he know of the expedition? - We don't let him watch television.

It excites him needlessly.

- Now, must you see him? - It is necessary.

Just the UN party, then.

No, you newspaper men are not allowed through.

Mr. Bedford.

Visitors.

Mr. Arnold Bedford?

I'm Richard Challis, UN Space Agency.

Margaret Hoy, Mr. Glushkov and Dr. Tok.

Please, sir, won't you sit down? I hope you don't mind...

- ...but I just want to ask you... - We can save time.

Have you ever seen these before?

My glass.

How did you...

How did you find...

You found them on the moon, didn't you?

There's been an expedition?

- It's there now. - There now?

They're in great danger.

- I know. You must stop them. - Please. Matron?

- You must go. - Stop them. They must know.

It's very dangerous for all of them.

Are you seriously telling us you've been on the moon and returned?

1899.

Oh, it's so long...

Thank you.

I'd been...

I'd been engaged in an unsuccessful business speculation.

My creditors were pressing me hard.

I'd always had the idea I could write a play.

Wonderful financial possibilities in a successful play.

I looked for somewhere secluded where I could write.

In the end I rented a cottage, out near Dymchurch.

I remember it was along an abandoned canal.

- Just one today, Mr. Bedford. - Thank you.

- Hi. - Infernal contraption!

Hello.

- Hello, darling. - Kate.

- Was it all right with your relations? - No trouble.

They think I'm at Worthing rehearsing a play.

Cherry Cottage.

Arnold, it's lovely. And with a real cherry tree.

The moat to my castle. Come on.

Watch your step.

- All right? - Thank you.

Oh, it's so beautiful.

Careful.

- It's like a postcard. - It's the best time of year.

How's the work?

- Oh, fine. Fine. - Good.

Arnold...

it's charming.

- It's the perfect place to write. - It's comfortable, quiet.

Act 1, scene 1. Is that as much as you've written?

You know how difficult it is to start.

Yes, darling, I know.

The basic idea is the important thing. Then it's...

a matter of slugging away. There's a producer...

clamoring for the manuscript.

Probably something from him. Excuse me.

"Rent in arrears, £20."

He'll just have to be patient.

It's perfect. Just my idea of an old English cottage.

It really belongs to you?

An old aunt of mine retired here. I was her favorite.

- She left it to me. - Then what's to stop us?

We can get married now.

A producer's clamoring for your play...

Or are you too set in your bachelor ways?

Kate, I'm as impatient as you, but...

There's something you ought to know.

You see...

all my money's in Army boots from the Boer War.

It will pay off eventually.

But I'll have to sell the cottage to pay my creditors.

Oh, no, Arnold.

We'll think of something. Now, I'd like to freshen up.

The stairs are here, dear.

I can manage quite well alone, darling.

That's strange.

That's very strange.

Excuse me, excuse me.

On my way to the village, I saw smoke. I thought the place was empty...

I'll explain, I'll explain.

My name is Joseph Cavor. How do you do?

Let me help.

- Hello. - Hello. I live across the fields.

- Well, I'm Kate. - Hello. How do you do?

Are you the owner of the cottage?

No, Mr. Bedford's gone to the village.

- Mr. Bedford? Right. - Won't you come in?

- That's very nice of you. Thank you. - He won't be long.

- I hope I'm not intruding. - No, not at all.

A nice place. Known it since I was a boy. After you.

- Please sit down, Mr. Cavor. - Thank you.

- I'll bring some tea. - That would be nice.

You see, I'm a research scientist.

I'm about to complete an important scientific demonstration.

Probably one of the most important of all time.

I'd like to say how pleased I am...

to have you and Mr. Bedford as neighbors.

The point is, I moved here for the isolation.

Mr. Cavor, we won't trouble you. That's just what attracts Arnold.

- He needs quiet to write his play. - I understand that.

- Then, what is it? - I must tell you...

there's risk, even danger...

in my experiment. It could damage your property.

If Mr. Bedford would sell, I'd pay anything within reason.

- You want to buy Cherry Cottage? - Yes, I do. Yes.

- How much were you figuring? - Well, I'm not very good at this.