"Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1964) TV series 1964-1968

Creator:

Irwin Allen
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

14 September 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The submarine Seaview is commissioned to investigate the mysteries of the seas. Usually it finds more problems than answers...

Plot Keywords:

Submarine | Ocean | Time Travel | US Navy | Based On Film

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Richard Basehart	...	Admiral Nelson / ... (110 episodes, 1964-1968)
David Hedison	...	Captain Crane / ... (110 episodes, 1964-1968)
Robert Dowdell	...	Chip Morton / ... (108 episodes, 1964-1968)
Del Monroe	...	Kowalski / ... (84 episodes, 1964-1967)
Terry Becker	...	Chief Francis Ethelbert Sharkey / ... (58 episodes, 1965-1967)
Paul Trinka	...	Patterson / ... (47 episodes, 1964-1967)

Series Directed by
Jus Addiss		(16 episodes, 1966-1968)
Jerry Hopper		(15 episodes, 1965-1968)
Sobey Martin		(14 episodes, 1964-1966)
Harry Harris		(12 episodes, 1965-1967)
Leonard Horn		(9 episodes, 1964-1966)
Felix E. Feist		(6 episodes, 1964-1965)
Robert Sparr		(5 episodes, 1967-1968)
James Goldstone		(4 episodes, 1964-1965)
Gerald Mayer		(4 episodes, 1966-1967)
Nathan Juran		(3 episodes, 1965-1966)
Sutton Roley		(3 episodes, 1966)
Charles R. Rondeau		(3 episodes, 1968)
Laslo Benedek		(2 episodes, 1964-1965)
Irwin Allen		(2 episodes, 1964)
John Brahm		(2 episodes, 1964)
Alex March		(2 episodes, 1965-1966)

Series Writing credits
Irwin Allen		(97 episodes, 1964-1967)
William Welch		(34 episodes, 1964-1968)
William Read Woodfield		(14 episodes, 1965-1966)
Charles Bennett		(7 episodes, 1965-1968)
Allan Balter		(7 episodes, 1965-1966)
Robert Hamner		(6 episodes, 1964-1968)
Hendrik Vollaerts		(6 episodes, 1965-1967)
Al Gail		(5 episodes, 1965-1968)
Sidney Marshall		(5 episodes, 1965-1968)
John Hawkins		(4 episodes, 1965-1967)
Ward Hawkins		(4 episodes, 1965-1967)
Robert Vincent Wright		(4 episodes, 1965-1966)
Arthur Weiss		(4 episodes, 1967-1968)
Donn Mullally		(3 episodes, 1966-1967)
Richard H. Landau		(2 episodes, 1964-1965)
Don Brinkley		(2 episodes, 1964)
Berne Giler		(2 episodes, 1964)
George Reed		(2 episodes, 1965-1966)
Jack Gross Jr.		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Irwin Allen	....	producer (97 episodes, 1964-1967)
Bruce Fowler Jr.	....	associate producer (38 episodes, 1966-1967)
Frank La Tourette	....	associate producer (21 episodes, 1965-1966)
William Welch	....	associate producer (19 episodes, 1965-1966)
Joseph Gantman	....	associate producer (16 episodes, 1964-1965)
Allan Balter	....	associate producer (15 episodes, 1964-1965)

Series Original Music by
Lennie Hayton		(8 episodes, 1965-1967)
Paul Sawtell		(7 episodes, 1964-1965)
Leith Stevens		(7 episodes, 1965-1967)
Alexander Courage		(5 episodes, 1964-1966)
Hugo Friedhofer		(4 episodes, 1964)
Harry Geller		(2 episodes, 1967)
Irving Gertz		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Winton C. Hoch		(51 episodes, 1964-1966)
Robert J. Bronner		(35 episodes, 1966-1967)
Carl E. Guthrie		(8 episodes, 1965-1966)
Paul Vogel		(4 episodes, 1966)

Series Film Editing by
James Baiotto		(21 episodes, 1964-1967)
Robert Belcher		(18 episodes, 1964-1966)
Dick Wormell		(16 episodes, 1965-1967)
Jack Gleason		(13 episodes, 1966-1967)
George Watters		(11 episodes, 1966-1967)
Dolph Rudeen		(8 episodes, 1966-1967)
Roland Gross		(6 episodes, 1964-1965)
Fred Baratta		(3 episodes, 1965)
Axel Hubert Sr.		(unknown episodes)
Homer Powell		(unknown episodes)

Series Casting by
Joe Scully		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Direction by
Jack Martin Smith		(97 episodes, 1964-1967)
William J. Creber		(37 episodes, 1964-1966)
Stan Jolley		(37 episodes, 1966-1967)
Lou Korn		(14 episodes, 1965-1966)
James F. McGuire		(7 episodes, 1965)
Rodger Maus		(2 episodes, 1966)

Series Set Decoration by
Walter M. Scott		(97 episodes, 1964-1967)
Norman Rockett		(43 episodes, 1964-1966)
Sven Wickman		(34 episodes, 1966-1967)
Bert Allen		(13 episodes, 1967)
Robert De Vestel		(6 episodes, 1965)

Series Makeup Department
Ben Nye	....	makeup supervisor (43 episodes, 1965-1967)
Margaret Donovan	....	hair styling supervisor (14 episodes, 1965-1966)

Series Production Management
William Self	....	in charge of production / executive in charge of production (97 episodes, 1964-1967)
George E. Swink	....	post-production supervisor (90 episodes, 1964-1967)
Jack Sonntag	....	production supervisor / production manager (49 episodes, 1966-1967)
Gaston Glass	....	production manager (48 episodes, 1964-1966)
Hal Herman	....	unit production manager (40 episodes, 1965-1966)
Harry Templeton	....	unit production manager (39 episodes, 1966-1967)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William McGarry	....	assistant director (28 episodes, 1965-1967)
Norman August	....	assistant director (24 episodes, 1966-1967)
Jack Stubbs	....	assistant director (15 episodes, 1964-1965)
Les Warner	....	assistant director (9 episodes, 1964-1965)
Gilbert Mandelik	....	assistant director (8 episodes, 1964-1965)
Wilson Shyer	....	assistant director (5 episodes, 1965-1966)
John D. Bloss	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1965)
George Templeton	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1966)
William Kissell	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1967)

Series Art Department
Maurice Zuberano	....	production illustrator (1 episode, 1964)

Series Sound Department
Don Hall	....	supervising sound effects editor / supervising sound editor / ... (44 episodes, 1965-1967)
Ralph Hickey	....	supervising sound effects editor / sound effects editor (32 episodes, 1964-1965)
Bob Cornett	....	sound effects editor (31 episodes, 1965-1967)
Dick Le Grand	....	sound effects editor (26 episodes, 1966-1967)
Don Higgins	....	sound effects editor (3 episodes, 1966)
Elwell Jackson	....	sound effects editor (unknown episodes)
Daniel Mandell	....	sound effects editor (unknown episodes)
John Mills	....	sound effects editor (unknown episodes)

Series Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects (97 episodes, 1964-1967)
Howard Lydecker	....	special photographic effects (26 episodes, 1965-1966)
Greg C. Jensen	....	special effects (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Bobby Somers	....	stunts (6 episodes, 1964-1965)
Frank Babich	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Jerry Catron	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Chuck Courtney	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Dick Dial	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Nick Dimitri	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Gary Epper	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Ralph Garrett	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Dick Geary	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Johnny Hagner	....	stunt double (unknown episodes)
Hubie Kerns	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Denver Mattson	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Troy Melton	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Roy N. Sickner	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Paul Stader	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Ron Stein	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
John Lamb	....	underwater photographer (62 episodes, 1964-1967)

Series Editorial Department
Robert Mintz	....	post-production coordinator (83 episodes, 1964-1967)
Roland Gross	....	supervising film editor (25 episodes, 1964-1965)

Series Music Department
Leonard A. Engel	....	supervising music editor (96 episodes, 1964-1967)
Lionel Newman	....	music supervisor / conductor / ... (96 episodes, 1964-1967)
Paul Sawtell	....	composer: theme music (88 episodes, 1964-1967)
Morrie McNaughton	....	music editor / music supervisor (64 episodes, 1965-1967)
Harry Eisen	....	music editor (33 episodes, 1964-1965)

Series Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver (21 episodes, 1964-1968)

Series Other crew
Al Gail	....	associate story editor / assistant to producer (97 episodes, 1964-1967)
Paul Zastupnevich	....	assistant to producer / production assistant (97 episodes, 1964-1967)
Sidney Marshall	....	story editor (65 episodes, 1965-1967)
Hal Herman	....	production associate / production coordinator (56 episodes, 1964-1967)
Les Warner	....	production coordinator / unit production coordinator (44 episodes, 1964-1967)
William Welch	....	story editor (31 episodes, 1964-1965)
Jack Stubbs	....	unit production coordinator (24 episodes, 1965-1966)
Robert Mintz	....	post production coordinator (13 episodes, 1967)
Ray Didsbury	....	production assistant (unknown episodes)
Robert Sonntag	....	production assistant (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Irwin Allen Productions (as Cambridge) (for)
• 20th Century Fox Television

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1964-1968) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• AMF Voit Inc.  diving gear

Runtime:

52 min (110 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White (31 episodes)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Irwin Allen Productions

Trivia:

Late in the filming of the second season, Richard Basehart fell ill during the filming of the episode "The Monster's Web" and was unable to complete that episode and work in the next two. "The Monster's Web" was rewritten to minimize the part of his character, Adm. Nelson (knocked out of action in the first act), with a stand-in used for many shots with the face hidden and lines dubbed. The next episode, "The Menfish", had Nelson away and his lines reassigned to guest character Adm. Park (Gary Merrill). The following episode, "The Mechanical Man", had Nelson still away and reassigned his lines to Capt. Crane (David Hedison) and Crane's lines to Cmdr. Morton (Robert Dowdell). Basehart returned in time to appear in the season's last episode, "The Return of the Phantom."

Quotes:

Captain Crane: A man learns a great deal sitting on top of an armed nuclear bomb for twenty-four hours.
Admiral Nelson: I can think of a number of important people in this world of ours who would profit enormously from the experience.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Master Ninja II (#4.24)" (1992)

The most reliable characters on television!

I was so young when this show debuted I couldn't stay up to watch it. However, I could hear the theme song and it was beautiful. It's got to be my favorite theme song because it communicates what the show is about, the wonders of the sea.

Every kid on the block would tune into this show when it was on and although I had to catch it in reruns several years later, that's when I got hooked. The show was too 'grown up ' for me at the time and didn't have enough women in mini-skirts and false eyelashes for me. This was a 'man's man' show and I was so sick of war at the time I could only get interested if a babe or a monster appeared on the show. I do remember a few episodes when they debuted and they're classics now.

Later, channel 7, ABC in New York City would rerun the show on Saturday afternoons and it's still the ultimate Saturday afternoon show and I fondly recall that music wafting from every house for a mile around like clockwork every Saturday.

This brings me to the reliability of the actors. These were people you could count on to bring you solid performances and characters you knew you could depend upon. That's what VTTBOTS is all about for me, the portrayal of people who were professionals and had the character to solve those problems they'd wind up in.

I often laugh at some episodes knowing Irwin Allen and his penchant for stock footage, rehashed sets and props, monkeys, and explosions were more of a menace to the crew than the plot points and evil scientists.

One episode had the late great actor Victor Buono as an evil scientist. This episode you have to see to believe. It's so hysterically funny I woke up neighbors one day watching it.

It's not all laughs however as some great drama was portrayed on the show which made me look at the cast with respect and admiration to this day. Remember this show was in the early 60's and having minorities on a show was rare so you have to bypass the political incorrectness to appreciate the show for what it is.

By all means if you can get past the plot holes and the trademark Irwin Allen cost saving production, you'll find some stories and acting that will really be something to treasure.