Aahana Swrup
‘Fly Me to the Moon‘ is a romantic comedy film set in an unconventional setting at the John F. Kennedy Space Center as NASA gears up for the 1969 moon landing. A marketing expert, Kelly Jones—known for not shying away from the occasional lie in the name of advertising—gets recruited by NASA to sell the most coveted dream to the American population: the moon. However, as she works her dubious magic and secures funding for the Apollo program, her methods catch the ire of the Launch Director, Cole Davis. Naturally, their relationship only stands to go downhill once the higher-ups put Kelly in charge of the unthinkable—a faked moon landing.
In unraveling the at-times chaotic narrative of a secret, backup moon landing broadcast at NASA, the film transports the viewers back to the 1960s. While dialogues, costumes—and most importantly, narrative cues—remain signifiers of the period piece’s appropriate era, neon-sign-lit locations like Satellite Motel and Wolfie’s Restaurant occupy the same purpose. However, are these locations based on real-life places?
Satellite Motel: A Relic of the Past
In ‘Fly Me to the Moon,’ Satellite Motel enters the narrative with Kelly Jones’ arrival in Florida’s Canaveral Pier, where she and her associate, Ruby Martin, set up their new temporary homes. NASA has only employed Kelly to handle the Agency’s Public Affairs in the lead-up to the Apollo 11 mission. As such, the women’s stay at the motel serves as a reminder of their momentary presence at the facility. However, the location’s relevance shines much more significantly in establishing the film’s period setting than in narrative progressions of any kind.
Satellite Motel, located in Cocoa Beach, Florida—the same beach where the Canaveral Pier resides—used to be a famous local motel in the area during the 1970s. The establishment was best known for its iconic neon sign, which played into the Space Race motifs of the time. The film recreates the sign to an almost identical degree, using the Motel as an on-screen reminder of the more bright and flashy aesthetic of the late 60s to early 70s. Likewise, it also utilizes a coveted amenity of the 60s—motel swimming pools—to stage the scene in a nostalgic light.
Thus, even though the Satellite Motel is featured momentarily in ‘Fly Me to the Moon,’ its basis in real life strengthens the film’s ties to the late 1960s. Unfortunately, in real life, the establishment was closed in 1984, cementing it as an artifact of the past. Even so, a motel carrying over the aesthetic and thematic concepts of the old Satellite Motel still exists today in Treasure Island. However, the new location holds no connection to the film, which recreates the motel of the past on-screen.
Wolfie’s Restaurant: A 60s Diner Frequented by Astronauts
In the film, Wolfie’s Restaurant is another establishment in Cocoa Beach’s Canaveral Pier that becomes a consistent pitstop for characters throughout the narrative. In fact, the owner’s anecdote about John Glenn, an astronaut for Project Mercury, accidentally taking one of their pens to space inspires Kelly to widen the scope of marketing for the Apollo Program. Even though the owner’s possibly exaggerated story isn’t historically accurate for Project Mercury, it isn’t entirely fictional.
In real life, John W. Young, a Navy Lieutenant Commander-turned-astronaut, smuggled a corned beef sandwich onto the spaceship on his March 23, 1965 Gemini III flight. Some believe that Wally Schirra, Young’s colleague and fellow astronaut, gave him the sandwich after buying it from Cocoa Beach’s Wolfie’s Restaurant and Sandwich Shop. Therefore, even though the film’s depiction of Wolfie’s Restaurant—a real place from 1960s Florida—isn’t factual, it is partially inspired by reality. Ultimately, Wolfie’s presence in the film remains a reference to the time period—as well as a delightful NASA fun fact. Unfortunately, Wolfie’s Restaurant on Cocoa Beach is no longer in business. Yet, replica places, or simply establishments with similar names, continue to exist today.
Read More: Is Cole Davis Based on a Real NASA Launch Director?
