Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)

When the Earth is threatened by a burning Van Allen Radiation Belt, U.S. Navy Admiral Harriman Nelson plans to shoot a nuclear missile at the Belt, using his experimental atomic submarine, the Seaview.

Director:

Irwin Allen

Writers:

Irwin Allen (screenplay), Charles Bennett (screenplay)

Stars:

Walter Pidgeon, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Walter Pidgeon	...	Adm. Harriman Nelson
Joan Fontaine	...	Dr. Susan Hiller
Barbara Eden	...	Lt Cathy Connors
Peter Lorre	...	Comm. Lucius Emery
Robert Sterling	...	Capt. Lee Crane
Michael Ansara	...	Miguel Alvarez
Frankie Avalon	...	Lt (j.g.) Danny Romano
Regis Toomey	...	Dr. Jamieson
John Litel	...	Vice-Adm. B.J. Crawford
Howard McNear	...	Congressman Llewellyn Parker
Henry Daniell	...	Dr. Zucco
Skip Ward	...	Crew member
Mark Slade	...	Seaman Jimmy 'Red' Smith
Charles Tannen	...	CPO Gleason
Del Monroe	...	Seaman Kowski (as Delbert Monroe)

Storyline

Admiral Nelson takes a brand new atomic submarine through its paces. When the Van Allen radiation belt catches fire, the admiral must find a way to beat the heat or watch the world go up in smoke.

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Plot Keywords:

killing an animal | watching tv | admiral | fire | radiation | 

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Taglines:

Race from outer space to seven miles below the sea ... with amazing aquanauts of the deep !

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some perilous situations

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

12 July 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Journey to the Bottom of the Sea

Filming Locations:

Stage 3, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,580,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$7,000,000, 31 December 1961

Company Credits

Production Co:

Irwin Allen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Ansara returned to the series along with Del Monroe who also played Seaman Kowski in the 1961 film. While Monroe had a steady role in the series, Ansara only played in one show in which he played Captain Tomas Ruiz.

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Goofs

During the effort to tap the underwater telephone cable, a crewman twice flashes a large flashlight to signal the sub. In the close-ups, the light as shown is very dim, barely lighting the bulb's filament and throwing no beam, but in the distance shots, it's casting a thick, highly visible beam.

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Quotes

Admiral Nelson: Well, Lee, it's been a long, tough haul from conception to execution, but, my boy, we've done it.
Capt. Lee Crane: *You've* done it, sir. You know, it bears out what you taught us at Annapolis: that "The wild dreams of today are the practical realities of tomorrow."
Admiral Nelson: I'm glad you remembered one of my more temperate quotes. Some of our colleagues haven't been quite so diplomatic.

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Connections

Referenced in A Blossoming Brilliance: An Interview with Scott Spiegel (2013)

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Soundtracks

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Sung by Frankie Avalon
Written by Russell Faith

User Reviews

There's an immutable Hollywood law . . .

. . . that says "Any film written, produced and directed by one person will be a stinker." This film is no exception.

It is not science fiction but science rubbish. The Van Allen belt catching fire is as likely as the force of gravity going rusty. The "world famous scientist" admiral makes his crucial calculations on a slide rule. When he asks the captain "Just exactly where are we?", the captain turns to a map of the world, jabs his finger at the South Atlantic Ocean and says "We're right here, Sir." The conventional submarine chasing them EXplodes because it has gone too deep. When the captain orders the engine room "All stop," the sub comes to a dead halt. And so on, ad nauseam.

It would be funny were it not for the truly frightening message that underlies the plot, namely that in any global crisis a US commander may take it upon himself to "save the world," and his chosen solution will be to nuke the problem. Half a century later we still hover on the brink of that precipice today.