The USS Cygnus in “The Black Hole” (Disney, 1979)
Disney’s answer to the “Star Wars” phenomenon in the late 1970s was “The Black Hole,” released in 1979. It’s “a journey that begins where everything ends!” A team of astronauts finds a long lost space ship sitting at the edge of a massive black hole with a crazy captain at its helm who is up to some crazy stuff. This really isn’t a very good movie, but I sure loved it as a kid. I’m particularly fond of the brilliant production design by Disney great Peter Ellenshaw. The USS Cygnus remains one of the coolest movie space ships ever created. It’s also quite dark for a Disney flick, but at least it tried hard to be something different. Stars Maximilian Schell, Yvette Mimieux, Anthony Perkins, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Forester, Joseph Bottoms, and the uncredited voice of Roddy McDowall as R2-D2/C3PO ripoff V.I.N.CENT. Written by Jeb Rosebrook and Gerry Day. Directed by Gary Nelson. “Maximilian, the time has come to liquidate our guests.”
Stanford Clark 