Sea Hunt (1958–1961)

Mike Nelson is a Scuba Diver in the days when it was still very new. He works alone and the plot was always mostly carried through his voice over narrations. These gave the show a flavor of... See full summary »

Creator:

James Buxbaum

Stars:

Lloyd Bridges, Ken Drake, Jan Harrison

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Lloyd Bridges	...	Mike Nelson (155 episodes, 1958-1961)

Storyline

Mike Nelson is a Scuba Diver in the days when it was still very new. He works alone and the plot was always mostly carried through his voice over narrations. These gave the show a flavor of a radio program. Typical adventures were finding a downed satellite or sunken treasure.

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Plot Keywords:

sea

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Abenteuer unter Wasser

Filming Locations:

Bahamas

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists Television, ZIV Television Programs

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (155 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Lloyd Bridges complained about the weight of his twin air tanks during topside re-takes, the art director designed twin tanks made of balsa wood and had them painted silver. Only in the earliest episodes is Bridges using real tanks for above surface scenes

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Quotes

Mike Nelson: By this time, my lungs were aching for air...

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Magic Sword (1992)

User Reviews

One of the major lost series...

Back in the late 1950's, "Sea Hunt" was one of the biggest hits on TV. It inspired a small score of short-lived knockoffs like "Aquanauts" (from the same producers, Ivan Tors and Ziv TV) and "Assignment Underwater", as well as an airborne "Sea Hunt" called "Ripcord" (also from Tors and Ziv).

Today this gem sits in the Sony Pictures archives, gathering "seaweed". Which is a crying shame, because this was a cool adventure show, the ultimate in shows for the man's man. Former B-actor Lloyd Bridges escaped the obscurity list to take on the role of no-nonsense scuba diver Mike Nelson. There simply couldn't be any other actor made for such a rugged role... Bridges was the one, bar none. His craggy, determined looks made him a natural. That was proved 26 years after the last original "Sea Hunt" aired, when Ron "Tarzan" Ely was cast as Nelson in a tepid remake. Ely was rugged, but he simply wasn't Lloyd Bridges. At least the character of Nelson obviously led a charmed life, for the revival added a hottie for his daughter, played by Kim Sissons.

Add in some impressive underwater photography, courtesy of Ricou Browning and Courtney Brown, and some serious stunts (many courtesy of Bridges himself), throw in some taut scripts, and you have a show that is dying to be resurrected on DVD.

Note: Avoid the 1987 revival like the plague. Boring as sin.

"Sea Hunt" is a Ziv Television Production, produced with the cooperation of Marineland of the Pacific, Los Angeles. Owned by the MGM division of Sony Pictures. 155 episodes were filmed between 1957 and 1961.