Nude on the Moon is a 1961 sexploitation film co-written and co-directed by Doris Wishman and Raymond Phelan under the shared pseudonyms "O. O. Miller" and "Anthony Brooks". The film was produced in 1960 but was not released theatrically until 1961. Doris Wishman went on to become a significant female filmmaker and noteworthy director of sexploitation movies. Wishman is also credited as the film's co-producer.

Premise

Nude on the Moon is the second of eight nudism-related films Wishman produced and directed. The nudist or nudist camp genre was a fairly common exploitation film genre of the late 1950s and early 1960s. While most nudist films were set within the confines of a conventional nudist camp, apparently as a promotional gimmick Wishman decided to invent a story about the discovery of a nudist civilization living on the Moon.

Synopsis

Working with a large sum of inherited money, two scientists build a rocket to take them to the Moon. Once there, they discover that the Moon's surface is covered with lush, tropical vegetation and giant golden nuggets. The astronauts are soon captured, however, by a colony of telepathic lunar nudists (who are actually topless rather than completely nude). Much of the film deals with the men's efforts to collect data documenting their discovery and well as with the burgeoning romance between the younger of the two astronauts and the queen of the Moon people. After they return to Earth, the scientists discover that their evidence has been destroyed during reentry.

Music

Nude on the Moon has an interesting musical soundtrack, especially for a relatively low-budget movie. The song "I'm Mooning Over You (My Little Moon Doll)" was sung by Ralph Young, who soon thereafter would meet Tony Sandler and form Sandler and Young, a successful easy-listening duo. The lyrics and melody to the song were written by Wishman's niece, Judith Kushner, who collaborated with Wishman on many later film projects. Future Tonight Show bandleader Doc Severinsen also reportedly arranged the score for the film's theme song. It has been rumored that Doc Severinsen appears in the film, but he does not.

Locations

The Moon sequences in the film were shot at the popular Miami-area roadside attraction known as Coral Castle.

Legacy

Like many of Wishman's films, Nude on the Moon is considered a cult movie. References to it in pop culture include:

• Nude On The Moon, a 2-disc CD anthology of music by The B-52's, released on Rhino Records. The group's singer Fred Schneider was a friend of Wishman in her later years.
• "Nude on the Moon", a 1996 single by electronica duo Tipsy, also appears on the album Trip Tease. One of the remixes is called the "naked volleyball mix".

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