"Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1964) TV series 1964-1968

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Creator:

Irwin Allen

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

14 September 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The submarine Seaview is commissioned to investigate the mysteries of the seas. Usually it finds more problems than answers...

Plot Keywords:

Submarine | Ocean | Time Travel | US Navy | Based On Film

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

David Hedison	...	Capt. Lee B. Crane / ... (110 episodes, 1964-1968)
Richard Basehart	...	Adm. Harriman Nelson / ... (108 episodes, 1964-1968)
Robert Dowdell	...	Lt. Comdr. Chip Morton / ... (107 episodes, 1964-1968)
Del Monroe	...	Kowalski / ... (84 episodes, 1964-1967)
Terry Becker	...	Chief Francis Ethelbert Sharkey (58 episodes, 1965-1967)
Paul Trinka	...	Patterson / ... (48 episodes, 1964-1967)

Runtime:

52 min (110 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White (31 episodes)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Irwin Allen Productions

Trivia:

Late in the filming of the second season, Richard Basehart fell ill during the filming of the episode "The Monster's Web" and was unable to complete that episode and work in the next two. "The Monster's Web" was rewritten to minimize the part of his character, Adm. Nelson (knocked out of action in the first act), with a stand-in used for many shots with the face hidden and lines dubbed. The next episode, "The Menfish", had Nelson away and his lines reassigned to guest character Adm. Park (Gary Merrill). The following episode, "The Mechanical Man", had Nelson still away and reassigned his lines to Capt. Crane (David Hedison) and Crane's lines to Cmdr. Morton (Robert Dowdell). Basehart returned in time to appear in the season's last episode, "The Return of the Phantom."

Quotes:

Admiral Nelson: Seaview's job is never finished. As long as there are destructive forces in the world. As long as there are secrets of nature to be probed, believe me, there'll be work for us. On missions just as vital and as dangerous as this one.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Toys (1992)

Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea The TV Series

A wonderful TV adaptation of the popular 1961 box office hit. Starring the wonderfully talented Richard Basehart as Admiral Harriman Nelson and a young and very handsome as well as talented David Hedison as Commander Lee Crane and of course the marvelous nuclear powered submarine Seaview of the future. This series was a mix of top notch spy thriller, science fiction at it's best and sometimes not the best but none the less entertaining and pure fantasy with a little bit of levity here and there. This show was produced at the height of the cold war by the master of disaster Irwin Allen who produced epic disaster flicks like The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. The first 31 episodes are black and white with the remaining 79 in color. This would be a wonderful TV series to release on DVD. It would be a dream come true to see it remastered and in wide screen. The popularity of this show which aired for 4 seasons led to other science fiction TV series like Lost In Space and Star Trek. The show with a wonderful cast led by Richard Basehart is a must see for all science fiction fans old and new.

Richard Basehart is best known for his 4 year stint as Admiral Nelson who is also the creator of the nuclear powered submarine Seaview and head of the Nelson Institute of Marine Research. He also starred in many films such as Moby Dick, La Strada, and He Walked By Night as well as other numerous stage and screen plays from the 1940's to the early 80's. He also starred in the highly acclaimed TV adaptation of The Andersonville Trial which received the Emmy for best outstanding drama.

David Hedison is best known for his role as Captain Lee Crane of the submarine Seaview. He also is known for films like The Fly and Irwin Allens The Lost World among other films and stage performances with other TV guest appearances too numerous to list.

Other cast members include Bob Dowdell as Chip Morton, Terry Becker as Chief Sharkey, Del Monroe as Kowalski, Paul Trinka as Patterson, Henry Kulky as Chief Jones (1st Season)and numerous other regular cast members and note worthy guest stars like Vincent Price, Robert Loggia, Robert Duvall, and Patrick Wayne to name a few.