"Ark II" (1976) TV series 1976-1979

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Creator:

Martin Roth

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

11 September 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Three young scientists travel around the country in the 25th century after the world has been ravaged by pollution. In their hi-tech RV (called Ark II), they study the land and help out those in need.

Plot Keywords:

Chimpanzee | Post Apocalyptic | Jet Pack | Teen | Future

Cast

Terry Lester	...	Jonah / ... (15 episodes, 1976)
Jean Marie Hon	...	Ruth (15 episodes, 1976)
José Flores	...	Samuel (15 episodes, 1976)
Adam	...	Himself - The Chimp / ... (15 episodes, 1976)
José Flores	...	Samuel (15 episodes, 1976)
Lou Scheimer	...	Adam's voice / ... (13 episodes, 1976)

Runtime:

USA:25 min (15 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Filmation Associates

Trivia:

The Ark II was built on the chassis of a dump truck. The truck was notorious for constantly breaking down between shots. It was also reportedly hard to operate in crowded areas safely because the placement of the windows was such that the driver of the Ark was unable to see clearly. The other vehicle, the Ark Roamer, was built on a Volkswagen van chassis from a modified "Brubaker Box" kit, and while it ran well, it had a limited range. The Brubaker group built both vehicles for the show.

Goofs:

Continuity: The rear wheels of the Ark are a different design when the Ark is moving, than when it is not moving.

Mad Max for kids.

Before Mel Gibson took off for Australia and donned a black leather jacket for a post apocalyptic cult film, a dystopic future had a more "optimistic" future in the form of a Saturday morning kids show.

Having spent time in LA during the time this series was shot, I often wondered why a dystopic world resembled the San Juoquin valley. Somehow I had images the Ark II driving down Sunset Blvd to pull into the La Brea tar-pit's parking lot (which, if memory serves, was next to a Hispanic flea-market... but I digress).

It was a neat little show for kids, but, kid depending, it's another hit-or-miss vehicle for the young ones who like their science fiction with a little more zest. Still, Ark II has a kind of primitive whole-hearted charm to it. There will be many a face from 1960s and 1970s era television on the series, as well as many a location shot in and around Los Angeles.

The stories are pretty basic, and the violence never reaches anything above smoke and mirrors, with the occasional LASER blast striking the ground.

It was an interesting show that gave children of the 60s and 70s something to smile at. A bit of the future, good and bad, was shown to the young ones of the time. Today's kids probably will be a bit more demanding, but maybe your kids might like it. Let them have a chance to sample it. The worst they can do is say it's no good.

For me, I can't say I really liked it a whole lot. It was more or less a break from the awful Sid and Marty Kroft offerings that bracketed Ark II (or maybe they were on another channel... I can't really remember). Compared to the other live action kids fair of the time, Ark II was a cut or two above the rest.