Two men on a fishing trip are perplexed when an unknown helicopter swoops overhead. Suddenly their boat is engulfed by a toxic gas. The dead men were astronauts, part of the team for America's first expedition to the Moon. Fisherman Charlie Coogan ( Strother Martin ) witnesses the murder. David Vincent, the man who has devoted his life to defusing the alien threat, tries to talk to him, but a fake cop has wiped his memory. After a brief fight, the alien runs off and Vincent loses him.
One of the replacement astronauts is Hardy Smith ( John Ericson ). Vincent suspects of him of being an alien. The invaders want to sabotage the mission as they have an installation on the Moon they wish to keep secret. The project's director, Gavin Lewis ( Peter Graves ) scoffs at the architect's theory, but when an attempt is made on his own life ( his car is incinerated in front of his eyes by a briefcase containing an alien device ) he sides with him...
A few months before his debut as 'Jim Phelps' in 'Mission: Impossible', Peter Graves guested in this Quinn Martin-produced sci-fi series. With increasing numbers of astronauts being sent into space ( the real Moon landings were just two years in the future ), the storyline was indeed topical. Actual N.A.S.A. footage was incorporated into the episode. Vincent's dilemma is compounded by the fact that Lewis is having an affair with Angela ( Joanne Linville ), the wife of the replaced astronaut. Kent Smith, seen as 'Stan Arthur', one of the mission's personnel, became a semi-regular the following season as 'Edgar Scoville'. John Ericson, who plays 'Hardy', was 'Sam' in the short-lived action series 'Honey West'.
A decent episode.
One of the replacement astronauts is Hardy Smith ( John Ericson ). Vincent suspects of him of being an alien. The invaders want to sabotage the mission as they have an installation on the Moon they wish to keep secret. The project's director, Gavin Lewis ( Peter Graves ) scoffs at the architect's theory, but when an attempt is made on his own life ( his car is incinerated in front of his eyes by a briefcase containing an alien device ) he sides with him...
A few months before his debut as 'Jim Phelps' in 'Mission: Impossible', Peter Graves guested in this Quinn Martin-produced sci-fi series. With increasing numbers of astronauts being sent into space ( the real Moon landings were just two years in the future ), the storyline was indeed topical. Actual N.A.S.A. footage was incorporated into the episode. Vincent's dilemma is compounded by the fact that Lewis is having an affair with Angela ( Joanne Linville ), the wife of the replaced astronaut. Kent Smith, seen as 'Stan Arthur', one of the mission's personnel, became a semi-regular the following season as 'Edgar Scoville'. John Ericson, who plays 'Hardy', was 'Sam' in the short-lived action series 'Honey West'.
A decent episode.