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Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1960s American science fiction television series based on the 1961 film of the same name
. Both were created by Irwin Allen
, which enabled the movie's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the television series. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was the first of Irwin Allen's four science fiction
television series as well as the longest running. The show's main theme was underwater
adventure.
Voyage was broadcast on ABC
from September 14, 1964 to March 31, 1968, and was the decade's longest-running American science fiction television series with continuing characters. The 110 episodes produced included 32 shot in black and white (1964–65), and 78 filmed in color (1965–68). The first two seasons took place in the then future of the 1970s. The final two seasons took place in the 1980s. The show starred Richard Basehart
and David Hedison
.
nuclear submarine
USOS Seaview
and the lead members of her crew, including the designer and builder of the submarine Admiral
Harriman Nelson
(Richard Basehart), and Commander
Lee Crane (David Hedison
), who becomes the Seaviews Captain
after the murder of her original commanding officer
. The submarine is based at the Nelson Institute of Marine Research (NIMR) in Santa Barbara, California
, and is often moored some 500 feet below NIMR in a secret underground submarine pen carved out of solid rock. The Seaview is officially for undersea marine research and visits many exotic locations in the seven seas
, but its secret mission is to defend the planet from all world and extraterrestrial threats in the then-future of the 1970s.
The first season began with Admiral Nelson and the crew of the Seaview fighting against a foreign government in order to prevent a world-threatening earthquake, continuing with a foreign government destroying American submarines with new technologies in The Fear Makers and The Enemies. The season also had several ocean
peril stories in which the Seaview crew spent the episode dealing with the normal perils of the sea. Two examples are "Submarine Sunk Here" and "The Ghost of Moby Dick". The season introduced the diving bell
and a mini-submarine
, as well as the first alien story and the first sea monsters. The season ended with the Seaview crew fighting a foreign government to save a defense weapon.
In the first season, the gritty, atmospheric, and intense series featured story lines devoted to Cold War
themes, as well as excursions into near-future speculative fiction
. Many episodes involved espionage
and sci-fi elements. While aliens
and sea monsters
, not to mention dinosaur
s, did become the subject of episodes, the primary villains were hostile foreign governments. While fantastic
, there was a semblance of reality in the scripts.
The second season began with a trip inside a whale
, a trip inside a volcano, and a few Cold War
intrigue and nuclear war-themed episodes, and saw several brushes with world disaster. The season ended with a ghost
story, one of the show's few sequels.
Due to ABC's demands for a somewhat "lighter" tone to the series , the second season saw an increase in monster-of-the-week type plots, yet there were still some episodes that harkened back to the tone of the first season. The second season also saw a change from black and white to color
. The beginning of the second season saw the permanent replacement of Chief "Curly" Jones with Chief Sharkey, due to the death of Henry Kulky, who portrayed Chief Jones.
The most important change in the series occurred during this season when a slightly redesigned Seaview was introduced, along with the Flying Sub. The Flying Sub was a yellow, two-man mini-submarine
with passenger capacity, that could leave the ocean and function as an airplane. The Flying Sub was referred to by the initials FS-1. The futuristic craft greatly increased Seaview crews' travel options. The Flying Sub was launched from a bay in the lower part of Seaview that was apparently built between Seasons One and Two. The Seaview’s private observation deck from the first season was never seen again. The Seaview’s eight observation windows became four. The Seaview’s enlisted men were also given more colorful uniforms (red or light blue jumpsuits), evidently to take advantage of the changeover from black and white to color. The officers and petty officers, however, retained their khaki works from the first season. The traditional sailor uniforms worn in the first season were only seen in stock footage from the first season and on characters who were newly filmed to match up with that footage. All these changes occurred between seasons. The Flying Sub was showcased in the show's closing credits for the entire season.
The "Flying Sub' also made an appearance in the 1971 Irwin Allen film, City Beneath the Sea (1971 film)
(as did the Seaview itself during the evacuation scene).
A second season episode, "The Sky's On Fire", was a remake of the 1961 "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" movie.
-produced television series: the second season of Lost in Space
and the premiere (and only) season of The Time Tunnel
.
The third season began with Dick Tufeld
of Lost in Space playing an evil disembodied brain from outer space
. The season continued with a werewolf
story that is one of the few episodes to inspire a sequel. In one episode, the Seaview’s officers and crew encountered Nazis who believed World War II
was still ongoing. The third season only had two espionage stories and one ocean peril story that were reminiscent of the first season. One of those three stories was about a hostile foreign government trying to steal a strange new mineral with the aid of a brainwashed Admiral Nelson. This espionage story was the end of the third season.
The final two seasons continued the shift towards paranormal
storylines that were popular in the late 1960s. Mummies, werewolves, talking puppets, and an evil leprechaun
all walked the corridors of the Seaview. There were also fossil
men, flame
men, frost men, and lobster
men.
playing a five century old alchemist
. After a few episodes there were revamped opening credits. Near the end of the fourth season, there were three unrelated stories of extraterrestrial invasion in three weeks. There were two time travel
stories in two weeks. The second of the two had the Seaview going back in time to the American Revolution
. The episode ended with the Seaview returning to the present and sailing into television history.
Ratings for the fourth season took a significant drop as the season progressed, but were not drastic enough for ABC to immediately cancel a fifth season for the series. During renewal discussions between Allen, 20th Century Fox
and ABC, Allen instead proposed replacing Voyage with Land of the Giants
. Based on a proposal consisting of only a reported two dozen pre-production concept paintings, ABC accepted Allen's proposed new series, and Voyage was cancelled. This of course is an urban legend. Land of the Giants was set to premier in January of 1968. As such production had started in September 1967...that just as the 4th season of Voyage was starting. 12 episodes of Giants had already been filmed long before any talks of whether there would be a 5th season of Voyage. Land of the Giants did take over Voyages Sunday night slot for the 1968-1969 season. However the pitch for Giants was made while Voyage was still in its 3rd season. Irwin Allen has said he believed that Voyage would have run for many more seasons.
. A new darker, more serious theme was introduced at the beginning of the second season (in the episode "Jonah and the Whale", composed by Jerry Goldsmith
), but this was quickly replaced by the original version. (However, a version of the Goldsmith suite re-orchestrated by Nelson Riddle was heard as incidental music in the episode "Escape From Venice", and the original Goldsmith suite was used as incidental music throughout the rest of the series.) The series main composer, supervisor and conductor was Lionel Newman
. Other guest composers included Paul Sawtell who worked on the show for a while in the first season, Lennie Hayton
, Hugo Friedhofer, Star Trek: The Original Series
composer Alexander Courage
, and Leith Stevens
, who wrote the music to seven episodes.
Scott McFadden, Ray Didsbury, Marco Lopez, and Ron Stein provided additional crewman in non-speaking roles often requiring stunt work.
The 1961 film's actress Barbara Eden
didn't work in the TV series version and got the main role from the comedy series I Dream of Jeannie
.
has released all 4 seasons on DVD in Region 1.
The release in the UK (Region 2) of complete season sets has been announced for seasons 1 and 2. They are presently aimed at release dates in 2011 of 7th March and 21st September respectively and are being released by Revelation Films.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is an American science fiction film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, released by 20th Century Fox in 1961. The story was written by Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett. Walter Pidgeon starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson, with Robert Sterling as Captain Lee Crane...
. Both were created by Irwin Allen
Irwin Allen
Irwin Allen was a television and film director and producer nicknamed "The Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genre. He was also notable for creating a number of television series.- Biography :...
, which enabled the movie's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the television series. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was the first of Irwin Allen's four science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series as well as the longest running. The show's main theme was underwater
Underwater
Underwater is a term describing the realm below the surface of water where the water exists in a natural feature such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, or river. Three quarters of the planet Earth is covered by water...
adventure.
Voyage was broadcast on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from September 14, 1964 to March 31, 1968, and was the decade's longest-running American science fiction television series with continuing characters. The 110 episodes produced included 32 shot in black and white (1964–65), and 78 filmed in color (1965–68). The first two seasons took place in the then future of the 1970s. The final two seasons took place in the 1980s. The show starred Richard Basehart
Richard Basehart
John Richard Basehart was an American actor. He starred in the 1960s television science fiction drama Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, in the role of Admiral Harriman Nelson.-Career:...
and David Hedison
David Hedison
Albert David Hedison, Jr. is an Armenian-American film, television, and stage actor. He was billed as Al Hedison in his early film work. In 1959, when he was cast in the role of Victor Sebastian in the short-lived espionage television series Five Fingers, NBC insisted that he change his name...
.
Pilot Episode
The pilot episode "Eleven Days to Zero" was filmed in color but shown in black and white. It introduces the audience to the futuristicFuture
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
nuclear submarine
Nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...
USOS Seaview
USOS Seaview
Seaview, a fictitious privately owned nuclear submarine, was the setting for the 1961 motion picture Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, starring Walter Pidgeon, and later for the 1964 – 1968 ABC television series of the same title....
and the lead members of her crew, including the designer and builder of the submarine Admiral
Admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...
Harriman Nelson
Harriman Nelson
Admiral Harriman Nelson was a fictional character first played by Walter Pidgeon in the 1961 science fiction film, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and later played by Richard Basehart in the 1964-1968 ABC television series of the same title. Both the film and the series were set in the...
(Richard Basehart), and Commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
Lee Crane (David Hedison
David Hedison
Albert David Hedison, Jr. is an Armenian-American film, television, and stage actor. He was billed as Al Hedison in his early film work. In 1959, when he was cast in the role of Victor Sebastian in the short-lived espionage television series Five Fingers, NBC insisted that he change his name...
), who becomes the Seaviews Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
after the murder of her original commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
. The submarine is based at the Nelson Institute of Marine Research (NIMR) in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, and is often moored some 500 feet below NIMR in a secret underground submarine pen carved out of solid rock. The Seaview is officially for undersea marine research and visits many exotic locations in the seven seas
Seven Seas
The phrase "Seven Seas" can refer either to a particular set of seven seas or to a great expanse of water in general. Today in modern times, this also includes the four oceans, and three large seas...
, but its secret mission is to defend the planet from all world and extraterrestrial threats in the then-future of the 1970s.
Season One
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
peril stories in which the Seaview crew spent the episode dealing with the normal perils of the sea. Two examples are "Submarine Sunk Here" and "The Ghost of Moby Dick". The season introduced the diving bell
Diving bell
A diving bell is a rigid chamber used to transport divers to depth in the ocean. The most common types are the wet bell and the closed bell....
and a mini-submarine
Midget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
, as well as the first alien story and the first sea monsters. The season ended with the Seaview crew fighting a foreign government to save a defense weapon.
In the first season, the gritty, atmospheric, and intense series featured story lines devoted to Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
themes, as well as excursions into near-future speculative fiction
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
. Many episodes involved espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and sci-fi elements. While aliens
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
and sea monsters
Sea Monsters
Sea Monsters was a BBC television trilogy which used computer-generated imagery to show past life in Earth's seas. In the U.S. it was known as Chased by Sea Monsters. It was made by Impossible Pictures, the creators of Walking with Dinosaurs, Walking with Beasts and Walking with Monsters...
, not to mention dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s, did become the subject of episodes, the primary villains were hostile foreign governments. While fantastic
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, there was a semblance of reality in the scripts.
Season Two
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
, a trip inside a volcano, and a few Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
intrigue and nuclear war-themed episodes, and saw several brushes with world disaster. The season ended with a ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
story, one of the show's few sequels.
Due to ABC's demands for a somewhat "lighter" tone to the series , the second season saw an increase in monster-of-the-week type plots, yet there were still some episodes that harkened back to the tone of the first season. The second season also saw a change from black and white to color
Color television
Color television is part of the history of television, the technology of television and practices associated with television's transmission of moving images in color video....
. The beginning of the second season saw the permanent replacement of Chief "Curly" Jones with Chief Sharkey, due to the death of Henry Kulky, who portrayed Chief Jones.
The most important change in the series occurred during this season when a slightly redesigned Seaview was introduced, along with the Flying Sub. The Flying Sub was a yellow, two-man mini-submarine
Midget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
with passenger capacity, that could leave the ocean and function as an airplane. The Flying Sub was referred to by the initials FS-1. The futuristic craft greatly increased Seaview crews' travel options. The Flying Sub was launched from a bay in the lower part of Seaview that was apparently built between Seasons One and Two. The Seaview’s private observation deck from the first season was never seen again. The Seaview’s eight observation windows became four. The Seaview’s enlisted men were also given more colorful uniforms (red or light blue jumpsuits), evidently to take advantage of the changeover from black and white to color. The officers and petty officers, however, retained their khaki works from the first season. The traditional sailor uniforms worn in the first season were only seen in stock footage from the first season and on characters who were newly filmed to match up with that footage. All these changes occurred between seasons. The Flying Sub was showcased in the show's closing credits for the entire season.
The "Flying Sub' also made an appearance in the 1971 Irwin Allen film, City Beneath the Sea (1971 film)
City Beneath the Sea (1971 film)
City Beneath the Sea is a 1971 science fiction television film and television pilot for a proposed series by Irwin Allen. It started as a conceptual 10 minute demo reel as a means to sell the plot and concept to television studios. The concept wasn't bought initially and a few years later Allen...
(as did the Seaview itself during the evacuation scene).
A second season episode, "The Sky's On Fire", was a remake of the 1961 "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" movie.
Season Three
The third season of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ran simultaneously with two other AllenIrwin Allen
Irwin Allen was a television and film director and producer nicknamed "The Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genre. He was also notable for creating a number of television series.- Biography :...
-produced television series: the second season of Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
and the premiere (and only) season of The Time Tunnel
The Time Tunnel
The Time Tunnel is a 1966–1967 U.S. color science fiction TV series. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen, his third science fiction television series. The show's main theme was Time Travel Adventure. The Time Tunnel was released by 20th Century Fox and broadcast on ABC. The show ran...
.
The third season began with Dick Tufeld
Dick Tufeld
Dick Tufeld is an American actor, announcer, narrator, and voice actor from the 1950s onward.He is perhaps best known as the voice of the Robot in the TV series Lost in Space, a role he reprised for the 1998 feature film...
of Lost in Space playing an evil disembodied brain from outer space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
. The season continued with a werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
story that is one of the few episodes to inspire a sequel. In one episode, the Seaview’s officers and crew encountered Nazis who believed World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was still ongoing. The third season only had two espionage stories and one ocean peril story that were reminiscent of the first season. One of those three stories was about a hostile foreign government trying to steal a strange new mineral with the aid of a brainwashed Admiral Nelson. This espionage story was the end of the third season.
The final two seasons continued the shift towards paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
storylines that were popular in the late 1960s. Mummies, werewolves, talking puppets, and an evil leprechaun
Leprechaun
A leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures, leprechauns have been linked to the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology...
all walked the corridors of the Seaview. There were also fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
men, flame
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
men, frost men, and lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
men.
Fourth and final season
The fourth and final season of Voyage began with Victor JoryVictor Jory
Victor Jory was a Canadian actor.-Biography:Born in Dawson City, Yukon, Jory was the boxing and wrestling champion of the Coast Guard during his military service, and he kept his burly physique. He toured with theater troupes and appeared on Broadway, before making his Hollywood debut in 1930...
playing a five century old alchemist
Alchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
. After a few episodes there were revamped opening credits. Near the end of the fourth season, there were three unrelated stories of extraterrestrial invasion in three weeks. There were two time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
stories in two weeks. The second of the two had the Seaview going back in time to the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. The episode ended with the Seaview returning to the present and sailing into television history.
Ratings for the fourth season took a significant drop as the season progressed, but were not drastic enough for ABC to immediately cancel a fifth season for the series. During renewal discussions between Allen, 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
and ABC, Allen instead proposed replacing Voyage with Land of the Giants
Land of the Giants
Land of the Giants was an hour-long American science fiction television program lasting two seasons beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. Land of the Giants was the fourth of Allen's science fiction TV series. The show was...
. Based on a proposal consisting of only a reported two dozen pre-production concept paintings, ABC accepted Allen's proposed new series, and Voyage was cancelled. This of course is an urban legend. Land of the Giants was set to premier in January of 1968. As such production had started in September 1967...that just as the 4th season of Voyage was starting. 12 episodes of Giants had already been filmed long before any talks of whether there would be a 5th season of Voyage. Land of the Giants did take over Voyages Sunday night slot for the 1968-1969 season. However the pitch for Giants was made while Voyage was still in its 3rd season. Irwin Allen has said he believed that Voyage would have run for many more seasons.
Music
The series' main theme, "The Seaview Theme", was written by Paul SawtellPaul Sawtell
Paul Sawtell was a Polish-born film score composer in the United States.Sawtell began his career with RKO, and eventually joined Universal Pictures. Sawtell worked on many western and horror films, and also scored the Sherlock Holmes films The Pearl of Death and The Scarlet Claw. In the late...
. A new darker, more serious theme was introduced at the beginning of the second season (in the episode "Jonah and the Whale", composed by Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....
), but this was quickly replaced by the original version. (However, a version of the Goldsmith suite re-orchestrated by Nelson Riddle was heard as incidental music in the episode "Escape From Venice", and the original Goldsmith suite was used as incidental music throughout the rest of the series.) The series main composer, supervisor and conductor was Lionel Newman
Lionel Newman
Lionel Newman was an American conductor, pianist, and film and television composer. He was the brother of Alfred Newman and Emil Newman, uncle of Randy Newman, David Newman and Thomas Newman, and grandfather of Joey Newman....
. Other guest composers included Paul Sawtell who worked on the show for a while in the first season, Lennie Hayton
Lennie Hayton
Leonard George "Lennie" Hayton was an American Jewish composer, conductor and arranger. His trademark was the wearing of a captain’s hat, which he always wore at a rakish angle....
, Hugo Friedhofer, Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
composer Alexander Courage
Alexander Courage
Alexander "Sandy" Mair Courage Jr. was an American orchestrator, arranger, and composer of music, primarily for television and film.-Biography:...
, and Leith Stevens
Leith Stevens
Leith Stevens was an American composer for radio and film scores.Born in Mount Moriah, Missouri, he was a child prodigy who was an accompanist for Madame Schumann-Heink....
, who wrote the music to seven episodes.
Cast
- Richard BasehartRichard BasehartJohn Richard Basehart was an American actor. He starred in the 1960s television science fiction drama Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, in the role of Admiral Harriman Nelson.-Career:...
as AdmiralAdmiral (United States)In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...
Harriman NelsonHarriman NelsonAdmiral Harriman Nelson was a fictional character first played by Walter Pidgeon in the 1961 science fiction film, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and later played by Richard Basehart in the 1964-1968 ABC television series of the same title. Both the film and the series were set in the... - David HedisonDavid HedisonAlbert David Hedison, Jr. is an Armenian-American film, television, and stage actor. He was billed as Al Hedison in his early film work. In 1959, when he was cast in the role of Victor Sebastian in the short-lived espionage television series Five Fingers, NBC insisted that he change his name...
as CommanderCommander (United States)In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
Lee Crane - Bob Dowdell as Lieutenant CommanderLieutenant commander (United States)Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
Chip Morton - Henry KulkyHenry KulkyHenry Kulky was an American actor and former professional wrestler from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, probably best remembered as Chief Petty Officer Curly Jones from season 1 of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea....
as ChiefChief Petty OfficerA chief petty officer is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards.-Canada:"Chief Petty Officer" refers to two ranks in the Canadian Navy...
"Curly" Jones (1st Season) - Terry BeckerTerry BeckerTerry Becker is an American film and television actor, director and producer. He is best known for his role as Chief Francis Ethelbert Sharkey in seasons 2 through 4 of the television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.Becker's work behind the camera began with the TV series "Room 222," on...
as Chief Francis Ethelbert SharkeySharkey- People :* DJ Sharkey, British DJ* Feargal Sharkey, lead singer of the pop punk band The Undertones* Jack Sharkey, American heavyweight boxing champion* Joe Sharkey, columnist for The New York Times* Noel Sharkey, British Computer Scientist...
(2nd–4th Seasons) - Del Monroe as KowalskiKowalskiKowalski is the second most common surname in Poland . During the previous century it was the most common name. Jan Kowalski are synonymous with John Doe or John Smith in English-speaking countries....
- Arch Whiting as SparksSparks-People:*Sparks , people with Sparks as family name or given name*Sparks , a character in Enter the Matrix and The Matrix Revolutions-Places:United States*Sparks, Georgia*Sparks, Kansas*Sparks, Maryland*Sparks, Nebraska...
- Paul Trinka as PattersonPatterson-Places:Canada*Patterson, New Brunswick*Patterson Settlement, New Brunswick*Patterson Siding, New Brunswick*Patterson, Ontario*Pattersons Corners, Ontario*Patterson, Quebec*Patterson Township, Ontario*Patterson, Calgary a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta....
- Allan HuntAllan HuntAllan Hunt is an American actor from California, probably best remembered as Crewman Stuart Riley from season 2 of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.-Biography:...
as Riley (2nd Season) - Richard BullRichard Bull (actor)Richard Bull is an American film actor, stage actor and television actor.He is best known for his performance as Nels Oleson, the kindly proprietor of Oleson's Mercantile and the long suffering husband of his wife Harriet on the NBC TV series Little House on the Prairie which aired from 1974 to...
as the Doctor - Wayne Heffley as Seaview Doctor (2nd Season 1965-66, 3 episodes)
- Paul CarrPaul Carr (actor)Paul Carr was an character actor who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Carr acted for some fifty years in television, film, and on-stage.-Beginnings:...
as Casey Clark (1st Season, Recurring afterwards only in stock footage scenes)
Scott McFadden, Ray Didsbury, Marco Lopez, and Ron Stein provided additional crewman in non-speaking roles often requiring stunt work.
The 1961 film's actress Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early years:...
didn't work in the TV series version and got the main role from the comedy series I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s American sitcom with a fantasy premise. The show starred Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries...
.
Episode list
Season One (1964–1965)
| Ep # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Eleven Days to Zero" | September 14, 1964 |
| 02 | "The City Beneath the Sea" | September 21, 1964 |
| 03 | "The Fear Makers" | September 28, 1964 |
| 04 | "The Mist of Silence" | October 5, 1964 |
| 05 | "The Price of Doom" | October 12, 1964 |
| 06 | "The Sky is Falling" | October 19, 1964 |
| 07 | "Turn Back the Clock"(Guest Starring Yvonne Craig Yvonne Craig Yvonne Joyce Craig is an American actress best known for her role as Batgirl from the 1960s TV series Batman, and as the Orion Marta in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.-Early life and career:... ) |
October 26, 1964 |
| 08 | "The Village of Guilt" | November 2, 1964 |
| 09 | "Hot Line" | November 9, 1964 |
| 10 | "Submarine Sunk Here" | November 16, 1964 |
| 11 | "The Magnus Beam" | November 23, 1964 |
| 12 | "No Way Out" | November 30, 1964 |
| 13 | "The Blizzard Makers" | December 7, 1964 |
| 14 | "The Ghost of Moby Dick" | December 14, 1964 |
| 15 | "Long Live the King" | December 21, 1964 |
| 16 | "Hail to the Chief" | December 28, 1964 |
| 17 | "The Last Battle" | January 4, 1965 |
| 18 | "Mutiny" | January 11, 1965 |
| 19 | "Doomsday" | January 18, 1965 |
| 20 | "The Invaders" | January 25, 1965 |
| 21 | "The Indestructible Man" | February 1, 1965 |
| 22 | "The Buccaneer" | February 8, 1965 |
| 23 | "The Human Computer" | February 15, 1965 |
| 24 | "The Saboteur" | February 22, 1965 |
| 25 | "Cradle of the Deep" | March 1, 1965 |
| 26 | "The Amphibians" | March 8, 1965 |
| 27 | "The Exile" | March 15, 1965 |
| 28 | "The Creature" | March 22, 1965 |
| 29 | "The Enemies" | March 29, 1965 |
| 30 | "Secret of the Loch" | April 5, 1965 |
| 31 | "The Condemned" | April 12, 1965 |
| 32 | "The Traitor" | April 19, 1965 |
Season Two (1965–1966)
| Ep # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 33/ 01 | "Jonah and the Whale" | September 19, 1965 |
| 34/02 | "Time Bomb" | September 26, 1965 |
| 35/03 | "And Five of Us Are Left " | October 3, 1965 |
| 36/04 | "The Cyborg" | October 17, 1965 |
| 37/05 | "Escape From Venice" | October 24, 1965 |
| 38/06 | "The Left-Handed Man" | October 31, 1965 |
| 39/07 | "The Deadliest Game" | November 7, 1965 |
| 40/08 | "Leviathan" | November 14, 1965 |
| 41/09 | "The Peacemaker" | November 21, 1965 |
| 42/10 | "The Silent Saboteurs" | November 28, 1965 |
| 43/11 | "The X Factor" | December 5, 1965 |
| 44/12 | "The Machines Strike Back" | December 12, 1965 |
| 45/13 | "The Monster From Outer Space" | December 19, 1965 |
| 46/14 | "Terror On Dinosaur Island" | December 26, 1965 |
| 47/15 | "Killers of the Deep" | January 2, 1966 |
| 48/16 | "Deadly Creature Below!" | January 9, 1966 |
| 49/17 | "The Phantom Strikes" | January 16, 1966 |
| 50/18 | "The Sky's On Fire" | January 23, 1966 |
| 51/19 | "Graveyard of Fear" | January 30, 1966 |
| 52/20 | "The Shape of Doom" | February 6, 1966 |
| 53/21 | "Dead Man's Doubloons" | February 13, 1966 |
| 54/22 | "The Death Ship" | February 20, 1966 |
| 55/23 | "The Monster's Web" | February 27, 1966 |
| 56/24 | "The Menfish" | March 6, 1966 |
| 57/25 | "The Mechanical Man" | March 13, 1966 |
| 58/26 | "The Return of the Phantom" | March 20, 1966 |
Season Three (1966–1967)
| Ep # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 59/01 | "Monster From the Inferno" | September 18, 1966 |
| 60/02 | "Werewolf" | September 25, 1966 |
| 61/03 | "The Day The World Ended" | October 2, 1966 |
| 62/04 | "Night of Terror" | October 9, 1966 |
| 63/05 | "The Terrible Toys" | October 16, 1966 |
| 64/06 | "Day of Evil" | October 23, 1966 |
| 65/07 | "Deadly Waters" | October 30, 1966 |
| 66/08 | "Thing From Inner Space" | November 6, 1966 |
| 67/09 | "The Death Watch" | November 13, 1966 |
| 68/10 | "Deadly Invasion" | November 20, 1966 |
| 69/11 | "The Haunted Submarine" | November 27, 1966 |
| 70/12 | "The Plant Man" | December 4, 1966 |
| 71/13 | "The Lost Bomb" | December 11, 1966 |
| 72/14 | "The Brand of the Beast" | December 18, 1966 |
| 73/15 | "The Creature" | January 1, 1967 |
| 74/16 | "Death From The Past" | January 8, 1967 |
| 75/17 | "The Heat Monster" | January 15, 1967 |
| 76/18 | "The Fossil Men" | January 22, 1967 |
| 77/19 | "The Mermaid" | January 29, 1967 |
| 78/20 | "The Mummy" | February 5, 1967 |
| 79/21 | "The Shadowman" | February 12, 1967 |
| 80/22 | "No Escape From Death" | February 19, 1967 |
| 81/23 | "Doomsday Island" | February 26, 1967 |
| 82/24 | "The Wax Men" | March 5, 1967 |
| 83/25 | "Deadly Cloud" | March 12, 1967 |
| 84/26 | "Destroy Seaview!" | March 19, 1967 |
Season Four (1967–1968)
| Ep # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 085/01 | "Fires of Death" | September 17, 1967 |
| 086/02 | "The Deadly Dolls" | October 1, 1967 |
| 087/03 | "Cave of the Dead" | October 8, 1967 |
| 088/04 | "Journey With Fear" | October 15, 1967 |
| 089/05 | "Sealed Orders" | October 22, 1967 |
| 090/06 | "Man of Many Faces" | October 29, 1967 |
| 091/07 | "Fatal Cargo" | November 5, 1967 |
| 092/08 | "Time Lock" | November 12, 1967 |
| 093/09 | "Rescue" | November 19, 1967 |
| 094/10 | "Terror" | November 26, 1967 |
| 095/11 | "A Time To Die" | December 3, 1967 |
| 096/12 | "Blow Up" | December 10, 1967 |
| 097/13 | "The Deadly Amphibians" | December 17, 1967 |
| 098/14 | "The Return of Blackbeard" | December 31, 1967 |
| 099/15 | "The Terrible Leprechaun" | January 7, 1968 |
| 100/16 | "The Lobster Man" | January 21, 1968 |
| 101/17 | "Nightmare" | January 28, 1968 |
| 102/18 | "The Abominable Snowman" | February 4, 1968 |
| 103/19 | "Secret of the Deep" | February 11, 1968 |
| 104/20 | "Man-Beast" | February 18, 1968 |
| 105/21 | "Savage Jungle" | February 25, 1968 |
| 106/22 | "Flaming Ice" | March 3, 1968 |
| 107/23 | "Attack!" | March 10, 1968 |
| 108/24 | "The Edge of Doom" | March 17, 1968 |
| 109/25 | "The Death Clock" | March 24, 1968 |
| 110/26 | "No Way Back" | March 31, 1968 |
Other media
- A paperbackPaperbackPaperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
novelNovelA novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
, City Under the Sea, authored by Paul W. FairmanPaul W. FairmanPaul Warren Fairman was an editor and writer in a variety of genres under his own name and under pseudonyms. His detective story "Late Rain" was published in the February, 1947 issue of Mammoth Detective. He published his story "No Teeth For the Tiger" in the February, 1950 issue of Amazing Stories...
, was published in 1965, to tie into the series. It had a different storyline than the episode of the same name. The book should also not be confused with the later Irwin Allen film of nearly the same name, which was about the attempts of the world's first under-sea city to prevent the earth from being hit by a rogue asteroid. It is not about "A wealthy family attempting to move the Earth's oceans to another planet for resettlement" as has occasionally been stated. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065556/
- Western PublishingWestern PublishingWestern Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company was a Racine, Wisconsin firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Western Publishing also produced children's books and family-related entertainment products as Golden Books Family Entertainment...
published a comic bookComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
based on the series. Western's comic company, Gold Key ComicsGold Key ComicsGold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
put out a series that ran 16 issues from 1964–1970. Most covers were painted, and most had a photo of either Richard Basehart or David Hedison on them. The first issue of the Gold Key comic was a story called "The Last Survivor". The story bought back Dr. Gamma, the villain from the pilot episode, "Eleven Days to Zero". Gold Key's story was the only sequel to the pilot episode. Hermes Press will reprint the entire run in 2 hardback volumes; the first was released in 2009.
- In 1966, World Distributors, a British publishing company in Manchester, England, published a hardback bookBookA book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
called the Annual. The British-made book used the series characters in all new stories. The book contained a reprint of a story from Gold Key Comics. Both books were mostly prose stories with some illustrations.
- Aurora Plastics CorporationAurora Plastics CorporationThe Aurora Plastics Corporation is a U.S. toy and hobby manufacturing and marketing company. It is known primarily for its production of plastic model kits in the 1960s.-History:Aurora Plastics Corporation was founded in March, 1950 by engineer Joseph E...
released a plastic modelPlastic modelthumb|300px||4-year-old boy starts painting a plastic model he has assembled of the South Goodwin LightshipPlastic models, often called scale models, are models manufactured as kits which are assembled by hobbyists, and intended for static display....
kit of Seaview as well as the Flying Sub during the original run of the series. Both kits were recently re-released by Polar Lights. The Flying Sub model sold more than the Seaview model.
- Other collectables from the show include a Milton BradleyMilton Bradley CompanyThe Milton Bradley Company is an American game company established by Milton Bradley in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1860. In 1920, it absorbed the game production of McLoughlin Brothers, formerly the largest game manufacturer in the United States, and in 1987, it purchased Selchow and Righter,...
board gameBoard gameA board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
with a drawing based on the pilot episode, and a school lunch boxLunch boxThe lunch box, also referred to as a lunch pail or lunch kit, is used to store food to be taken to work or school. The concept of a food container has existed for a long time, but it wasn't until people began using tobacco tins to haul meals in the early 20th century, followed by the use of...
with depictions of Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane trying to save the Flying Sub from an evil looking octopusOctopusThe octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
. There was also a View-MasterView-MasterView-Master is a device for viewing seven 3-D images on a paper disk. Although the View-Master is now considered a children's toy, it was originally marketed as a way for viewers to enjoy stereograms of colorful and picturesque tourist attractions.-1939–66: stereoscopic sightseeing:In 1911,...
slide reel based on the episode "Deadly Creature Below."
Popular culture
- The popularity of the TV show inspired Mad Magazine (March, 1966) to spoof the show, their version being called Voyage to See What's on the Bottom, featuring a submarine called the Seapew.
- Australian TV show Fast Forward sent-up the series as Voyage to the Bottom of the Harbour.
- Stock footage of Seaview was used in the Wonder WomanWonder Woman (TV series)Wonder Woman is an American television series based on the DC Comics comic book superhero of the same name. Starring Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor, the show originally aired from 1975 to 1979....
episode "The Bermuda TriangleBermuda TriangleThe Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances....
Crisis."
- An often referenced running joke is that in many episodes of the series, characters lurch to camera movements on the visibly static set, to give the illusion that Seaview had sustained impact. This was an old movie trick, and was commonly used by other television shows of the period, including Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, but none did it so frequently, nor with such relish as Voyage. Hence, the technique is still commonly known as "Seaview Rock and Roll." British television sitcom Red DwarfRed DwarfRed Dwarf is a British comedy franchise which primarily comprises eight series of a television science fiction sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999 and Dave from 2009–present. It gained cult following. It was created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, who also wrote the first six series...
frequently utilized parodies of this gimmick, including an extended outtake of the cast lurching from side to side of the Starbug set at the insistence of Craig CharlesCraig CharlesCraig Joseph Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf...
. On the SciFi Channel's 1995 documentary tribute to Irwin Allen, The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen, series co-star June Lockhart recalled this technique being used also on Lost In Space, where the cast also knew it as "the rock-and-roll".
- The Disney ChannelDisney ChannelDisney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
animated series Phineas and FerbPhineas and FerbPhineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
has an episode with a pun on the title called Voyage to the Bottom of Buford.
DVD releases
20th Century Fox20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and FoxVideo, Inc....
has released all 4 seasons on DVD in Region 1.
The release in the UK (Region 2) of complete season sets has been announced for seasons 1 and 2. They are presently aimed at release dates in 2011 of 7th March and 21st September respectively and are being released by Revelation Films.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 Vol. 1 | 16 | February 21, 2006 |
|
| Season 1 Vol. 2 | 16 | July 11, 2006 |
|
| Season 2 Vol. 1 | 13 | October 24, 2006 |
|
| Season 2 Vol. 2 | 13 | February 20, 2007 |
|
| Season 3 Vol. 1 | 13 | June 19, 2007 |
|
| Season 3 Vol. 2 | 13 | October 23, 2007 |
|
| Season 4 Vol. 1 | 13 | March 31, 2009 |
|
| Season 4 Vol. 2 | 13 | January 11, 2011 |
|