The Sky Is Falling (19 Oct. 1964)

A U. F. O. has been spotted flying around the United States, terrifying people and violating every airspace regulation in the book. It falls into the sea, which, after another ship is ... See full summary »

Director:

Leonard Horn

Writers:

Irwin Allen (creator), Don Brinkley

Stars:

Richard Basehart, David Hedison, Charles McGraw

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Richard Basehart	...	Admiral Nelson
David Hedison	...	Captain Crane
Charles McGraw	...	Rear Admiral Tobin
Adam Williams	...	Chief
Del Monroe	...	Kowalski
Paul Trinka	...	Patterson
Frank Ferguson	...	Air Force General
Robert Dowdell	...	Chip Morton (as Bob Dowdell)

Storyline

A U. F. O. has been spotted flying around the United States, terrifying people and violating every airspace regulation in the book. It falls into the sea, which, after another ship is destroyed investigating it, the Seaview is ordered to check it out.

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Genres:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 October 1964 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cambridge Productions, Irwin Allen Productions, 20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title is based on an African fable of the same name about a chicken named Chicken Little who is hit on the head, believes that the heavens are breaking into pieces and runs around shouting "The sky is falling!" The phrase is also a common expression indicating a hysterical or mistaken belief that disaster is imminent.

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Goofs

Assuming that a submarine's control room plotting table would be bolted to the floor, the plotting table moves when Captain Crane falls against it.

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Connections

Edited from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

User Reviews

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea-The Sky is Falling

This episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea actually features a flying saucer. An alien ship, considered a security threat to The United States of America, crashlands into the ocean and the Seaview is commissioned to go and find it. When the Seaview does come across the saucer, an ion beam knocks out the sub's power. What will those on board the Seaview do? Can they find a way to communicate to the alien saucer and perhaps save themselves from running out of oxygen or will all on board die, their ship powerless? While the end result has been used in times past (The Day the Earth Stood Still comes to mind), there's plenty of real tension and suspense, as well as, an air of mystery surrounding the flying saucer. There is a rather cheesy element to the episode (a smaller "escape vessel" that belongs to the ship, which separates from the saucer, moves on a visible set of strings), and seeing Basehart conversing with himself (one of the aliens "disguises" itself as human as not to repulse Nelson) is rather surreal (although this does allow the actor to play dual personalities, conveying the frustrations of the alien race with the human response to their accidental entry into United States airspace). You get a bit of terror and despair from the crew as the air runs out and they sweat, including a scene where one member becomes mad from claustrophobia. You see these kinds of moments in sub dramas a lot, but they remain effective because that horror of being cast adrift, without air and helpless, deep in the ocean, is realistic considering the possibilities, something causing a loss of electricity, rendering you a sitting duck. The episode further establishes suspense by approaching bombers and jets, planning to destroy the saucer, in turn, threatening the Seaview. It could take an olive branch extended from Nelson to the alien crew in order to avert disaster. Charles McGraw guest-stars as an Admiral with designs on blasting the saucer to smithereens before it can cause harm to humans, but Nelson sets him straight when he reiterates what the power of one ion beam was able to do to subdue the Seaview. We get a look inside the saucer, the controls and mechanized parts resemble what you would see inside a space ship in 50s B-movies and The Twilight Zone. We also get to see the real face of the alien mimicking Nelson, informing us of what they really look like.