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Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 11:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bulldogtrekker wrote:
And here is the photo of the tail fins and two propellers on the Seaview. My father would always tell me that submarines did not have two propellers

Naval subs of both World Wars had twin screws, as did the first operational nuclear sub, the Nautilus (SSN-571).
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Krel
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

scotpens wrote:
bulldogtrekker wrote:

And here is the photo of the tail fins and two propellers on the Seaview. My father would always tell me that submarines did not have two propellers

Naval subs of both World Wars had twin screws, as did the first operational nuclear sub, the Nautilus (SSN-571).

In the episode that introduced Henry Jones as Mr. Pimm, it begins with the Seaview shuddering. Crane asks Nelson what he thought it was. Nelson replied that he would say it was the propellor shafts, that is if the Seaview used propellers.

David.
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 4:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Come to think of it, were we ever told how the Seaview's propulsion worked? Obviously it had no visible propellers. Were there supposed to be some sort of waterjet impellers inside those twin exhaust tubes?
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Robert (Butch) Day
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe the Seaview had an early version of the "caterpiller drive" ( i. e. magnetohydrodynamic drive Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetohydrodynamic_drive ) used in The Hunt For Red October (1990)?

It has info on how it works and details of the world's first MHD ship the Yamato 1. Theoretically if you apply this yo ships such the C-57-D with a gauss of 50,000,000 or higher you could go anywhere in space.

Now add a version (there are several versions available. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcubierre_drive ) of the Alcubierre [pronounced AL-ku-bee-AAA (as said by Fonzie) Drive and then what?

The Yamato 1:



In any new version they should have better instrumentation as in The Hunt For Red October!

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Krel
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The first I ever read of the magnetohydrodynamic drive was in the 1967 Man From U.N.C.L.E. novel, "The Monster Wheel Afair" by David McDaniel (he wrote the best U.N.C.L.E. novels). In the book U.N.C.L.E. had a magnetohydrodynamic drive submarine that Solo and Kuryakin use to infiltrate a Thrush Satrapy. Solo also uses a GyroJet pistol underwater. The best U.N.C.L.E. novel.

David.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

The first part of the Starlog article I posted earlier is a detailed account of how the Seaview was designed by Jack Martin Smith, Herman Blumenthal, and L.B. Abbott. They went to a great deal of trouble to make the design “theoretically feasible”, and to do this they consulted with the U.S. Navy and a marine design firm.

The Navy declined to help for “security reasons” (oh brother . . . Rolling Eyes) but the design firm said their initial designs were not only feasible, they didn’t include anything new!

So the guys went back to the drawing board and went to work designing something that WAS new. And they succeeded. Very Happy

I learned that the 3 ½ foot model in Walter Pigeon’s quarters is supposedly the one used in the giant octopus attack — although the authors, Bill Cotter and Mike Clark, called it the “squid attack”, so I’m less inclined to think their facts are 100% accurate. After all, the squid attack was a live action scene with divers, while the octopus attack on the sub was an FX with a miniature Seaview.

The rest of the article does a fine job of discussing the casting of both the feature film and the TV series, as well as a discussion of the special effects and a section at the end with several paragraphs dedicated to each of the four seasons of the series.

All in all, a well written article, despite the authors' lack of detailed knowledge in the area of sushi entrees. Cool




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Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sat Aug 24, 2019 5:34 pm; edited 2 times in total
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scotpens
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 10:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
I learned that the 3 ½ foot model in Walter Pigeon’s is supposedly the one used in the giant octopus attack — although the authors, Bill Cotter and Mike Clark, called it the “squid attack”, so I’m less inclined to think their facts are 100% accurate.

The model sitting in Admiral Nelson's cabin is solid wood and the bow windows are obviously just painted on. In the scene where the "giant" octopus latches onto the Seaview's nose, the model has lighted windows, so it can't be the same one.

Link: http://www.vttbots.com/effects_octo_attack.html

Why would an octopus do that, anyway? Did it think the Seaview was food?
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 10:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

scotpens wrote:
In the scene where the "giant" octopus latches onto the Seaview's nose, the model has lighted windows, so it can't be the same one.

Why would an octopus do that, anyway? Did it think the Seaview was food?

Ah-ha! So I was right to doubt the accuracy of the two authors when they made the obvious mistake of confusing the brief attack by the giant octopus with the longer (and disappointing) scene with a fake squid attacking the divers who were tapping into the transcontinental phone cable.

As for why the giant octopus attacked the Seaview, the scene was obviously "inspired" (to put it kindly) by the squid attack in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, right down to the use of electricity to repel the creatures in both films.

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Robert (Butch) Day
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 5:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
Ah-ha! So I was right to doubt the accuracy of the two authors when they made the obvious mistake of confusing the brief attack by the giant octopus with the longer (and disappointing) scene with a fake squid attacking the divers who were tapping into the transcontinental phone cable.

Also to show-off the degaussing of the hull which is still used by all Naval ships.

* * * * * * * * * *

It is not only props that get recycled. Sometimes it is parts of other sets. The Krell railings of Forbidden Planet were used in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)!
























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Pow
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 1:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fun Facts } Military-surplus equipment was used on the sets of the Seaview.

The missile tracking computer had been used in "The Fly", "The Invisible Boy'', and "Desk Set."

The on-set windows on the bow of the submarine contained no glass or plastic.

Sections of the submarine sets were on wheels so they could easily be moved about for filming.

Three models of the Seaview were constructed for the film.
One was 17' 2'' long used for scenes of the submarine on the ocean surface, another was 8' long used for underwater shots, and the 4' model was used to do battle with the octopus.

The miniature work was filmed on Lake Sersen named after Fred Sersen who had been the head of 20th Century Fox Studio's Special-Effects.

Disney had used the location for his 1954 film classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.''

The lake was not a natural lake at all. It was a small body of water on the Fox backlot which also had pumps in order to create waves.

A studio tanks was also utilized for the production.

The scene where the Seaview roars out of the ocean to the surface at the start of the movie used a tank.

The tank had had a pit dug into the bottom of it for the 50s film "Titanic."

The Seaview model was placed into the pit. It was on rails that came within three feet of the surface of the tank.
Cables were attached to a truck that would make a fast start. After traveling a measured distance the truck would then make a quick stop.

High pressure fire hoses added to the effect.

The budget set by 20th century Fox for the production was $1,488,200. Cost increased to close to $2,000,000.

The sets for the Seaview and the wardrobe would all be recycled for use on the weekly TV show for VTTBOTS.
Having all of that would be of enormous help in keeping the costs down for the TV series.
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There were actually two pools, or tanks named after Fred Sersen. The first was Sersen Lake, which was on the studio backlot. This is where the movie was filmed. A second, much larger tank, named Lake Sersen was later constructed at the Fox Ranch in Malibu for the battle scenes in "Cleopatra". Both lakes had drop tanks for rough seas, wave making machinery* and tall (several stories tall), wide scaffolding to hold the different painted backdrops.

After Lake Sersen was constructed, Sersen Lake was dismantled.

Lake Sersen was also used dry, like for "The Towering Inferno", where the buildings were constructed and filmed.

David.

*When the Polynesian Hotel was opened on an island a few yards from the beach, Disney used an old movie making technique, and built a wave-making machine. It was a concrete pier with wedge shaped paddles that would plunge into the water to create waves for the beach. It worked great!

The only problem was it caused massive erosion to the beach. For years afterward, you could still see those paddles and engines on the pier. The only thing left now is the pier.
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Bogmeister
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

____________
________

________ Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea trailer


__________

_____
___

This is a very colorful adventure, with many science fiction elements. You expect it to be about some threat coming from the bottom of the sea. Instead, it has to do with the sky being on fire. Shocked

So, we've got the stuff under the water, of course, the stuff in the sky and a lot in-between. What a trip. I have the 'Global Warming' special edition DVD.

_______
____________________

WALTER PIDGEON tells everyone that they're wrong!

JOAN FONTAINE tells everyone that Pidgeon is wrong!

BARBARA EDEN tells Robert Sterling that Pidgeon is right!

ROBERT STERLING tells Eden to stop dancing!

PETER LORRE plays with a rubber shark!

MICHAEL ANSARA plays with a little dog!

FRANKIE AVALON sings and gets slapped by Pidgeon!

Go with them on a voyage to the bottom of the sea!

________________
________________

As I read elsewhere, there's always something happening in this one; the only place its slows a bit is a long scuba-diving scene when they seek out the telephone cable at the sea bottom (so THAT's what's at the bottom of the sea!), the scene where Irwin Allen got the science facts correct.

The whole Van Allen Belt thing, prompted by its discovery a few years before, is utter nonsense — and I wonder how long Earth would last at 170 degrees worldwide (a long time, according to this) — but it sure was exciting to watch them race to save it.

_______

There were story points in the novel which were missing in the film. As one example, Joan Fontaine's character (a psychiatrist) had a heavy crush on Pidgeon's rival in the novel. In the film, there's no real explanation for her radical behavior, and it always seemed out of left field to me.

BoG's Score: 7.5 out of 10



Voyage to the Bottom of Trivia: This film is often paired with other memorable, above average sixties sci-fi, such as Fantastic Voyage (1966) and another Allen adventure, The Lost World (1960). Allen was almost like the Spielberg of the sixties — maybe not as finessed or diversified — yet with that similar approach towards escapism.


___ Stella Stevens talks about Irwin's cheapness


__________




BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 4:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Thinking Outside the "Plot"!
________________________________

~ A Question for the Members: Could the Seaview have been a magnificent "underwater" Enterprise if series had been more like Star Trek and the captain had been a daring, handsome young man like William Shatner who was in command of an appealing crew like the folks on our favorite starship?

~ My Theory: Well, duh! Hell yes! Shocked

The design of the Seaview just screams Adventure Vehicle, and that's exactly what we all yearned for back in 1960s. That's why Star Trek captured the hearts and minds of young people all over the world. Cool

It even had the ability to fire the marine version of "photon torpedoes"!






The only thing the Seaview couldn't do that I kinda wish it could was get from one global location to another in a matter of hours — faster than any ocean-going vessel in the world.

A submarine with extendable hydrofoil fins that allowed it to race along the ocean's surface when necessary is the obvious answer! Cool

But alas . . . I can't really picture the beautiful Seaview skimming along the surface of the sea. I would be like having a 1959 Cadillac running in a modern Formula 1 race.

Nope. It just wouldn't look right . . . Sad



]


(Come on, guys! I’m asking a question and suggesting some answers. Now it’s YOUR turn. Very Happy)
_________________
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Oct 26, 2022 3:01 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2020 1:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Well, hell . . . I was wrong. Sad

I modified the Seaview using this photo of a model.






I lowered the engine pods so they'd be down in the water when the ship accelerated and rose up to skim along the ocean surface on the hydrofoil extensions I added (a bit crudely) to the image below.




This would give the Seaview the ability to travel on the surface at about 60 mph, the speed of the Pegasus-class hydrofoil.


_____]


At 60 mph, the Seaview could travel from New York to London (3,459 miles) in less than 59 hours, or about two-and-half days. Very Happy

This would make it possible for our aquatic version of the Enterprise to cruise around the global in a manner similar to warp drive, that marvelous invention which allows humans with very little patience to enjoy space travel.

The reason I never could get into Deep Space Nine was because the characters spent entirely too much time hangin' around the house and never going out to mingle with the galaxy! Rolling Eyes

When it comes to sci-fi shows about space travel, I lean towards the ones which reflect the sentiments of that wonderful Country song shown below. I heard it on my car radio while coming back from a weekend in Panama City, FL, with a group of buddies in 1975 in my green Dodge Charger, which looked a lot like this one!






I bought the 45 rpm record of the song as soon as I got back to Atlanta. Give it a listen, good buddies, and ya'll will see just exactly what I mean. Very Happy

_________Roll On Big Mamma by Joe Stampley


_________

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Wed Oct 26, 2022 3:10 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Krel
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2020 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud, a problem with your hydrofoil fins, they aren't long enough. Waves at sea can get pretty high, and the Seaview traveling like a hydrofoil, would need to be above the waves. Hitting a wave at full hydrofoil speed could spell disaster.

In "UFO", the SkyDiver submarine could travel like a hovercraft when it needed to get somewhere fast. I can't see the Seaview doing that.

Another problem with the hydrofoil Seaview, is the Flying Sub. It docks in a flooded hanger using docking latches and neutral buoyancy to maintain position. The hanger would need to be drained to keep from being nose heavy. It would need some type of bracing to hold the FS in position when the Seaview goes hydrofoil.

The purpose of the Flying Sub in the TV series, to get them into the action faster.

The rear fins on the Seaview were based on the tail fins of Irwin Allens 59 Cadillac.

David.
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