Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)

Director:

Irwin Allen

Writers:

Irwin Allen (screenplay) and
Charles Bennett (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 July 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Admiral Nelson takes a brand new atomic submarine through its paces. When the Van Allen radiation belt catches fire...

Plot Keywords:

Admiral | Submarine | Missile | Heat | Scientist

Cast

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 Parker
Henry Daniell	...	Dr. Zucco
Skip Ward	...	Crew member
Mark Slade	...	Seaman Jimmy 'Red' Smith
Charles Tannen	...	CPO Gleason
Del Monroe	...	Kowski (as Delbert Monroe)

Also Known As:

Journey to the Bottom of the Sea (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some perilous situations.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:12 (nf) | USA:Approved (certificate #19888) (original rating) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Windsor Productions

Trivia:

Some of the sub's equipment and sound effects were recycled from The Fly (1958).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the UN sub is attacking the Seaview, the same shot of two torpedoes missing the Seaview and exploding on an adjacent underwater mountainside is used twice.

Quotes:

Admiral Nelson: Alvarez... are you saying that Man must accept destruction even though it's in his power to prevent it?
Alvarez: It's not for us to judge, Admiral.
Admiral Nelson: Not to judge, maybe; but we can reason. If God ordains that Man should die without a fight, then why does He give us the will to live?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Boom! Hollywood's Greatest Disaster Movies (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea

smoke gets in your eyes

Walter Pidgeon leads fellow iconoclasts aboard a giant, futuristic (for 1961) submarine in a desperate race to save the world from firey oblivion. Another reviewer once commented that there was plenty of action but precious little logic in this film, but so what? If one views it as escapist nonsense, it's pretty enjoyable, even if the plot does get a little overheated (sorry, we couldn't resist) toward the end. Van Allen belt catching fire? Absurd. Three thousand foot crush depth for a Thresher-class attack sub? Ridiculous. But again, so what? The effects hold up pretty well, there's a solid cast including Peter Lorre (not his last film but clearly his days were numbered), Michael Ansara, and Frankie Avalon, who was thrown into the mix to attract a younger audience, and, of course, the giant octopus. The octopus scene was actually shot in reverse, since octopi are quite timid and this one could not be coaxed into attaching itself to the submarine for any usable length of time. Seriously though, in spite of bad science and stupendous leaps of questionable logic, "Voyage" is a better than average vintage sci-fi flick. Make a big bowl of popcorn and enjoy the ride!