The Man from the 25th Century (1968) (TV)

Director:

Irwin Allen

Writer:

Irwin Allen (teleplay & story)

Release Date:

1968 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Sci-Fi

Cast

James Darren
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Crawford
Patrick Culliton
John Napier
Ford Rainey

Runtime:

17 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

This unsold pilot was originally meant to be a spin-off of _"Lost in Space" (1965) _ but that idea was scrapped.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen (1995) (TV)

This Man Should Not Leave 1968...Average

An earthman is kidnapped by space aliens and trained into fighting his fellow humans. The man is then returned to earth but things don't go as the aliens wished.

My user comment history reveals a love (perhaps addiction) to all things Irwin Allen related so maybe this explains why I am the first to comment on this ultra-rare unaired pilot. I saw it at an Australian Lost In Space convention in the 1990s, I don't own it, so please don't send me emails requesting a copy. Don't get too excited about this one folks! Granted, the sight of a very 1960s looking American car driving out of the full scale model of the Jupiter 2 (seen in The Derelict and Visit To A Hostile Planet) is thrilling, but everything about this short film, from the casting to the story, to the opening bits with James Darren in the arena, leave one hell of a lot to be desired. If you have seen Irwin Allen's City Beneath The Sea (1971), well, you have seen this as well. It is just a bunch of 20th Century Fox blinking light computers and regular often seen Irwin Allen stars getting together to form something that never went anywhere (in sales I mean).

James Darren fans might get more out of it than I did? To me, the only really interesting cast member is Patrick Culliton. Pat (tall 20something guy who looks like a football player) was the under-rated Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea bit player in episodes such as No Way Out, The Mummy, Terror and Deadly Amphibians. To me, Pat had the right look for the Voyage action scenes and, frankly, I would of been happy if he replaced Robert Dowdell (Chip), Allan Hunt (Riley), Paul Trinka (Patterson), and Henry Kulky (year one Chief)...and became one of the main Voyage supporting players. Anyway, I heard that Irwin Allen had a high respect for Patrick Culliton and this explains why Pat appeared in so many Irwin productions, such as The Man From The 25th Century.

Irwin Allen produced, directed AND scripted this 17 minute pilot, so my review might surprise some, however, I can say this, if you are expecting the gusto and showmanship seen in other Irwin directed sci-fic pilots, well, you will not get it here...trust me! Special note, this pilot is sometimes compared to QM's The Invaders (1967) and remembered for stock Lost In Space music.