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Comedy Cult Classic

A NASA janitor floats into chaos after a science mishap leaves him defying gravity and irresistible to women.

BIRDS DO IT

Soupy Sales is Flying High...and the race for space - is up in the air!

1966 · 1h 28m · R · Comedy / Fantasy / Romance · IMDB TMDB

Melvin Byrd works as a janitor at the rocket propulsion laboratory. He is accidentally negatively ionised in a solar radiation device that leaves him able to defy gravity and a magnet to the opposite sex. Floating out to sea, he is pursued by scientists, military, irresistibly attracted women and foreign spies, who each want him for their own purpose.

Quick Answer

What is Birds Do It about?

Birds Do It is a 1966 American comedy, fantasy, and romance film directed by Andrew Marton about a NASA janitor who, after a laboratory accident, gains anti-gravity powers and becomes a magnet to women.

Programmer's Pick

Soupy Sales gets a cosmic promotion from janitor to airborne heartthrob, thanks to NASA’s dust-busting gone wild. Birds Do It gleefully skewers the space race, Cold War paranoia, and 1960s gender politics, all while floating on a cloud of screwball absurdity.

— SassyFlix Programmer

Overview

Birds Do It launches with Melvin Byrd, a humble janitor working at a NASA rocket lab, dodging a string of bizarre assassination attempts by a mysterious organization. With the base run by Major General Smithburn and protected (if you can call it that) by the hapless Lt. Porter, Byrd’s days are filled with comical cleaning mishaps and an unexpected brush with espionage. Things take a surreal turn when he becomes the unintended subject of a top-secret ionization experiment, designed to perfect anti-gravity technology. Suddenly, Byrd finds himself literally floating above the chaos and attracting attention he never bargained for — from smitten women, bumbling scientists, and bumbling spies alike. The film blends slapstick humor with a fantastical twist on Cold War intrigue.

Details & Specs

Director
Andrew Marton
Writers
Art Arthur, Leonard B. Kaufman, Arnie Kogen
Release
1966
Runtime
1h 28m
Language
English

Why Cult

Soupy Sales Antics

Soupy Sales brings his signature slapstick and comic timing to the role of Melvin Byrd, making janitorial work a high-flying adventure.

Anti-Gravity Hijinks

A laboratory accident leaves our hero literally defying gravity, setting up a series of airborne gags and romantic chaos.

Space Race Satire

The film lampoons NASA, Cold War bureaucracy, and scientific hubris, blending espionage with comic absurdity.

Ajax Commercial Parody

Watch for Byrd’s hilarious send-up of the Ajax 'stronger than dirt' white knight commercial during his cleaning routines.

Scene Gallery

Questions from the Vault

Who directed Birds Do It? +

Birds Do It was directed by Andrew Marton.

How long is Birds Do It? +

Birds Do It has a runtime of 88 minutes.

What genre is Birds Do It? +

Birds Do It is a comedy, fantasy, and romance film.

Where can I watch Birds Do It? +

Birds Do It is available to stream on SassyFlix.

How does Melvin Byrd gain his anti-gravity powers? +

Byrd accidentally undergoes ionization in a NASA laboratory device intended for animal testing, which gives him the ability to defy gravity.

Trailers & Clips