David Hedison, who played Captain Lee Crane on the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TV series, admits he initially turned down the role. In contemporary interview clips from this three DVD set, he explains he kept saying no despite the persistence of show originator and producer Irwin Allen. Hedison contends, “The guy wouldn’t let go.
The now 82 year old retired actor explains he was reluctant to take the part having had a bad experience working with Allen on the 1960 film The Lost World. Hedison only agreed to play Captain Crane when he learned a performer he respected, the now late Richard Basehart, had signed on for the role of Admiral Nelson.
Shooting Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Hedison and Basehart would go on to form a friendship and develop some fine on screen chemistry. One thing they and the rest of the on screen crew of the fictional Seaview submarine had to learn to do was flop on cue.
Just like on the original Star Trek TV series that premiered two years later, actors’s on Irwin Allen’s undersea adventure show were often asked to lurch from side to side as the camera shook to simulate an attack on their craft. An episode that scores highs on the flop-o-meter begins a list here of memorable adventures from Voyage’s Season One - Volume Two DVD release.
The Creature - Airdate: March 22, 1965
Actor Leslie Nielson (the Naked Gun movies) guest stars as Adams, an aggressive naval officer looking to discover the source of a sonic signal that triggered an explosion that killed twenty men under his command. The origin of the signal turns out to be a giant manta ray that begins to rock the Seaview with its sound blasts. With an engrossing combination of man versus nature and man versus man conflict, this is a great episode.
The Saboteur – Airdate: February 22, 1965
Captain Crane is mind controlled for far from the last time in series history and programmed to sabotage the Seaview and kill Admiral Nelson. Guest star, Warren Stevens, does a nice job with his role as a steely government intelligence officer, but this one plods along to a not so spectacular finish.
Secret of the Loch -Airdate: April 5, 1965
In Scotland Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane meet a Professor MacDougall. He leads the Seaview through an underground passage into Loch Ness in search of the mysterious monster. The beast turns out to be something much unexpected. With a healthy dose of fun miniature model work and a nice performance from guest star Torin Thatcher as MacDougall, this is one of Season One’s high points.
The Indestructible Man – Airdate: February 1, 1965
Very silly but in a good way, here's an episode that is a true guilty pleasure. A robot returns from deep spaceand is brought aboard the Seaview. Something has gone awry with the machine's circuitry and the water heater shaped automaton begins to slowly march around menacing the crew.
The Invaders – Airdate: January 25, 1965
Here’s a curiously named effort. Contrary to its title, it features a single alien invader played by future Oscar winner Robert Duvall. Wearing a bald skull cap and speaking in a high pitched, child-like tone Duvall creates a subtle yet effective otherworldly threat. This is one of the best extraterrestrial themed Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea episodes.
Learn about the other half of the first season in this collection of episode reviews from Volume One. .
Stephen Smith - A Southern Alberta freelance writer for close to a decade; Stephen has been paid to write about TV shows, movies, books and music he would ...
