I suppose I was part of the target audience for "Unidentified Flying Oddball" since I graduated high school in 1979; and it's not a children's movie, then or today. Unlike "Mary Poppins" or other Disney classics of that ilk, the movie contains no children. And since it moves kind of slowly it probably won't interest kids today . . . after all, the "Oddball" (Dennis Dugan) proudly listens to "l-ps" and takes pictures with . . . a camera! For kids today it might as well be a silent picture. And it has a scantily-clad woman on the cover of a girlie mag cleverly called "Playtime" with lettering similar to a similarly titled mag. I missed this movie the year it came out, but catching it for the first time nearly 40 years later I can report . . . it's not as bad as I feared. Star Dennis Dugan was just coming off his own tv show, "Richie Brockelman, Private Eye" (though he probably is more famous today for playing the same character on "The Rockford Files"). He's just as winsome as he was on television. But he does play a nerdish character who wears big bow ties and loud sports jackets and smiles a lot. This was before Bill Murry and his ilk made jerks heroes. Dugan tries to be more a throwback to the days of Bob Hope and Danny Kaye, and I think Disney was trying for an ambiance like Kaye's "Court Jester." Disney was pretty much in the dumps at this time. But the Disney name was still able to attract big stars, and "Unidentified Flying Oddball" does not stint on the actors. The story is based (extraordinary loosely) on the Mark Twain novel A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT (so loosely, in fact, I don't know why they bothered with the attribution). King Arthur is played by a truly great actor, Kenneth More, in his big-screen swan song. Arthur's sidekick Gawain is John le Mesurier, a prolific actor whose comic expressions provide some of the movie's few giggles. Also giggle-worthy is Ron Moody (Fagin in "Oliver!") who tries to steal the picture with his expressions, voice modulations, and ridiculous haircut. For fans, the movie is worth watching once just to see Moody's performance. Mordred, the villain of the piece, is played by erstwhile "Carry On" performer Jim Dale (what, was Roddy McDowell unavailable?). While cunning actors More, Mesurier and Moody seem to realize the sort of flick they're in, Dale comes on with a fire-and-brimstone performance like he's in another movie entirely. Oh, and just as, in 1963, Disney cast in "Doctor Syn" one George Cole, legendary in England and unknown stateside, here legendary Brit Rodney Bewes plays the lowly (but helpful) Clarence. It's always good to see Bewes get work. I'm not up on the, science but I assume it's rubbish. I have (since graduating high school that year) studied medieval history extensively and I can say for certain the history is rubbish. Let's forget the nonexistence of King Arthur and accept him as given. The castle is six hundred years out of date, the jousting shown here even more so. The armor, weapons and the rest of it are as much out of place in the 500s AD as Clarence's "thees" and "thous." But why nitpick? It's just a silly romantic comedy and no worse, if perhaps more simple-minded, than some of the movies I took dates to in the late 1970s. Silly fun, and I mean . . . really silly. I mean . . . really, really, really silly. Don't go into this movie with any hopes you're going to see a rival to "Star Wars." I went in with low expectations and a bad head cold (with medication) and that helped a lot.

I was very young when I saw this, so I the only memories of it are fond ones, but it may have been naff as some of the reviews here say. My point of interest - the original spaceship, StarDust, they used in the movie came to rest at a themepark - Blackgang Chine - on the Isle of Wight (where I grew up)...I remember clearly seeing her there. Unfortunately, have been told by the owners of the park that the ship was only "chicken wire and plyboard", and that over the years, she got to the state where she was so far gone, she was broken up and burnt : (. Seeing she was build for the movie in 1973, and she was only broken up in the last few years (say, 2015), she lasted a good 40 years in the open air in a theme park! :)

I remember first seeing this film when it first came out and again in the early 80's as a special film showing at the elementary school I attended. While I agree with the "Suprise it's crap after all" comment that this was not Disney's best movie, I disagree that it was not an entertaining film for a child as I was one when I saw this. First at age 9 and a few years later I still enjoyed it.I did find it amusing that the title changed a few times and even recall part of the original trailer song. It went something like..."The Unidentified Flying Oddball, it's undeniably oddball, he's the wrongway astronaut that traveled back to Camelot, lasers flash...." I cannot recall the rest perhaps someone can help there. It was very hokey sounding but hey, this film wasn't meant to be serious, just good old fun. I recommend it as a rental.

This is one of those films that starts with a bad title and only gets worse.If I recall, I saw this at my friend Kirk's tenth birthday party and it was the first time I used the word 'dreck' in a sentence.'Unidentified Flying Oddball' has all the appearance of having been written and filmed over a long weekend. Edited in someone's basement one night over a keg of beer.One thing sticks in my memory like an oak splinter: the way Spaceman Tom never called King Arthur 'your majesty' or 'sire,' but instead just plain ol' good ol' 'King.' As in 'hey, King, get yer hands offa my girl, see.' If you like that sort of talk, and your brain development arrested in grade three, then the team behind 'Unidentified Flying Oddball' wants you.The science was excellent, however. I know now that if I ever need to defend myself from a deathly laser beam, I need only wear the shiniest armour I can find ('Say, King, gimme yer armor! Now don't get all persnickety on me, see? I'll give it back all nice and proper-like, and polished up with good ol' American spit shine').Disney produced this matted ass-hair sandwich in the days before they became the media Godzilla they are now. Their stock was leaning into the toilet in those days and, hey, so will you after seeing this film.Incoherent plot, humourless gags, crummy special effects, poor sets. It's not a good kid's film. Not a good film, even though based on a Mark Twain story. But I may change my tune. Perhaps someday I'll see this movie the way I presume it was meant to be seen. On crack.