The Return of Captain Nemo (1978) (TV)

User Rating:

4.2/10   

Directors:

Alex March
Paul Stader

Writers:

Larry Alexander (writer)
Robert Bloch (writer)

Release Date:

8 March 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

His goal was Atlantis - but first he must conquer the menace of the depths!

Plot:

Typical 1970's lightweight pseudo-science-fictional fare, this movie was the pilot for a very brief action series...

Plot Keywords:

Underwater | Captain Nemo | Cryogenics | 1860s | Submarine

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy.

Cast

José Ferrer	...	Captain Nemo
Burgess Meredith	...	Prof. Waldo Cunningham
Mel Ferrer	...	Dr. Robert Cook
Horst Buchholz	...	King Tibor
Tom Hallick	...	Tom Franklin
Burr DeBenning	...	Jim Porter
Lynda Day George	...	Kate
Warren Stevens	...	Miller
Med Flory	...	Tor
Anthony McHugh	...	Radio Operator
Randolph Roberts	...	Helmsman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Angarola	...	Trog
Art Balinger
Harvey Fisher
Anthony Geary	...	Bork
Peter Jason
Jerry Maren
Stephen Powers	...	Lloyd (as Steve Powers)
Yale Summers	...	Sirak
David Westberg

Also Known As:

The Amazing Captain Nemo (USA) (theatrical title)

Runtime:

Brazil:102 min | USA:150 min (3 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U | Finland:K-8 (cut) (1978) | Netherlands:AL

Company:

Irwin Allen Productions

Trivia:

The model submarine Nautilus used in filming was originally built as one of the "SEAVIEW" filming models (eight feet long) for the 1960 movie "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", also created/written/directed/produced by Irwin Allen. Many Hollywood prop collectors bemoan the conversion of the SEAVIEW for use in this very short lived TV show. The model has probably been destroyed at this point.

Quotes:

Captain Nemo: [the villains have over-ridden Nautilus's guidance system] Someone has taken control of my nuclear submarine!

One Of My Top Five TV Shows Ever!

The Amazing Captain Nemo was an odd ball mixing of actors and TV genres from another time put into the Star Wars-minded world of 1978. The show is very unique, not quality material in many ways, but there is nothing else like it that I know.

I was just 12 in 1978 when this appeared on Oz TV in 1978. I had spent the last few years of my life watching Irwin Allen sci-fic TV like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Lost In Space but they were all afternoon re-runs of something that was made in another decade. Nemo was NEW!

Even today I remember the constant TV advertising that played for seven days and seven nights before the show screened! Then on a Saturday night it appeared and one of the characters even mentions the year as being 1978, which really pushed the point that it was current. I seem to remember enjoying the show at the time but I was perhaps a bit too young to like the well spoken lines of Jose Ferrer as Captain Nemo and Burgess Meredith as the bad guy. Seeing the sub encounter a force field and having the crew get frozen in time was interesting to a 12 year old. But now let me move on to my adult reaction ....

Jose Ferrer had two outstanding 1950s movies behind him when he made Nemo, Cyrano de Bergerac and The Caine Mutiny, so it is very refreshing to see him years later, in 1978, stealing this show, Captain Nemo. In the 1960s Irwin Allen casted another cinema giant, Richard Basehart, to lead his Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Nemo and Voyage have other things in common. Warren Steven appears in both. Both feature exactly the same submarine miniature which was changed for Nemo. Both have explosions mixed with the fantastic storyline. Stock footage of the 1961 Voyage feature film even turns up for a minute!

But not all viewers enjoyed this film. Many hated everything about it! The scene where Nemo explains his return to two young men could be viewed as the worst bit of sci-fi ever made or you could just go along with this fantastic ride and have a ball with it! It all depends on how strong your sense of fun is.

I will say that this great under-rated show has problems. The Star Wars-look is not so good. The submarine effects were ten times better in the 1960s Voyage/Sea series. The submarine sets were ten times better in the 1960s series. But the acting from most of the cast is first class. Don't expect the Captain Nemo of the 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954) or the Mysterious Island (1961). This is Jose Ferrer's fun loving version of the character that reminds me of his work in Cyrano de Bergerac.

A special thanks to Richard LaSalle for the score.

In some parts of the world it was decided that this was good enough to be re-edited into a cinema release - The Amazing Captain Nemo - and that is how I remember this show, too good for TV! Thankfully, we are now living in a time when Irwin Allen sci-fic TV is getting popular again and I suspect that the full - Return Of Captain Nemo - will hit DVD stores one day. Getting that never seen missing hour would be a joy to me and other Irwin Allen fans.