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Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
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Pow
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2020 3:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud, as you well know both "Babylon 5" and "Deep Space Nine" had to resort to creating space ships based on those respective space stations in order to tackle adventures way from the stations.

The White Dwarf was created covertly so that the crew of B5 could engage in the ongoing story arc of the Shadow War.

DSN did it at first with their Federation Runabouts. A handsome looking craft but limited as to the stories they could tell with it since Runabouts lacked FTL speeds and were small.

They then brought in the star ship Defiant which was much larger than the Runabouts. It was also designed as a ship of war and did have FTL capabilities.

I'm not sure if both of those sf shows creators always had it in mind to add ships to the station in order to open up new plots away from the station? Did they not plan on including such vessels originally but as the shows went along found themselves hemmed in story-wise by being restricted from leaving the space stations?

That's why I always questioned the 3 sf TV-movie pilots "City Beneath The Sea'' "Earth II" and "Plymouth."

They were all very intriguing concepts but I would think writers would find it frustrating by having to set the episodes entirely in Pacifica or the EII space station or Plymouth.

All the movies had short range vehicles in order to perform duties in Pacifica & EII & Plymouth.

None showed or indicated in dialogue that they possessed any kind of crafts that were large and could go far away from their respective home basis.

I believe that if the creators of those sf TV pilots did not have it in mind to have long range vehicles that they would have been forced to do so eventually in order to maintain these shows with fresh adventures.

All of those series would have suffered from cabin fever.

The setting for "Plymouth" was the near future (As was Earth II).

So these were not shows intended to deal with the sf tropes we saw in Star Trek, Babylon 5 or Farscape.

No aliens or alien worlds, no alien space craft, time travel, parallel universes and such were ever likely to be plots for those pilots.

That was fine with me as I appreciated how refreshing it was when the rebooted "Battlestar Galactica" avoided all those sf tropes for the run of their show.

It just seems doubly challenging to me if "Earth II, "Plymouth," were going to attempt to tell stories entirely set on their basis & not delve into more wild sf tropes.

"City Beneath The Sea" was an Irwin Allen production.

No doubt had it been picked up as a weekly show Allen would have brought in sea monsters, crazed scientists, aliens, and anything else he could throw into the mix for his show.

The scripting would most likely be as poor as was seen on his other sf TV shows.

So yeah, holding a sf audience's interest on a show where getting away from a base is rare is going to be one heck of a challenge for the writers.
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trekriffic
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2020 11:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Runabouts had warp nacelles so they did have FTL capability. It was designed for long range missions.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2020 10:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are correct, trekriffic, thanks for the correction.

According to an article I read the producers felt that the Runabout was a difficult set to film on due to its small size.

I would guess that would have been one of the reasons to create the Defiant for the show. Along with its being able to have a full crew.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 03, 2020 4:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Krel wrote:
Bud, a problem with your hydrofoil fins, they aren't long enough.

Sadly, I knew that was true when I created the picture, but the hydrofoils looked so cool the way I drew them that I just didn't have the heart to make them lower down where they needed to be, simply because the good old Seaview wouldn't still look beautiful in the underwater scenes with my outlandish additions. Very Happy.





However, what if the hydrofoils could mechanically extend whenever they were used, lowering them down so that they appeared like this when skimming along the surface.





As you can see, putting the hydrofoils further down from the Seaview the way they should be to work properly just doesn't have the same aesthetic appeal as my original version. Very Happy

Obviously I just lowered the horizontal parts of the hydrofoils and stretched out the vertical struts — which is not the way the Seaview would be look if it actually had the mechanical ability to extend and retract the hydrofoils at will. Rolling Eyes

Sadly there's only so much I can do with a rather fuzzy picture of a model and the very versatile Paint.net program.

I'm sure All Sci-Fi member Orzel-w (Wayne) could create an awesome CAD drawing of my proposed version of the Seaview, with a detailed rendition of the machinery needed to raise and lower the hydrofoils while still preserving the overall elegance of the ship's aesthetic appeal! Cool

Unfortunately Wayne has been absent from All Sci-Fi since October 2018 — one of the many valued members we've lost over the years, like Bogmeister, Bulldogtrekker, LarryFoster, Rocky Jones, Randy, and Bongopete (just to name a few . . . )

I happen to know that Wayne is about my age (72 this month), and I know for a fact that three of the six "lost" members I listed above have passed away . . . so perhaps that sad fate has overtaken Wayne as well. Sad

Ah well, life is indeed fleeting . . .

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


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 10, 2020 3:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Today I watched Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea while listening to the great commentary by Tim Colliver, author of a book called Seaview: The Making of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

I was in the mood for the movie because of the discussion in the thread called Which submarine design has a special appeal to you?

In that thread, scotpens wondered what happened to the Seaview's shark pool when the sub breached the surface at a 60° angle. Trekriffic suggested that it had a Plexiglas cover that slid into place whenever the sub wasn't horizontal.

I noticed several scenes in which the Seaview was shown in fairly step dives, sometimes more than 45° — like in shots like these.










Because of this, I think Trekriffic's theory about a water-tight cover over the tank isn't just plausible — it's plum essential! Very Happy

As for Tim Colliver's commentary, I really enjoyed it. He expressed his high regard for the movie throughout his commentary, never offering critical remarks for aspects of the film that might be considered less than perfect today.

Tim has a very pleasant, professional voice, and he used to deliver a fact-packed running lecture about the movie's story, set, special effects, etc.

For example, Tim described in detail how the famous scene of the Seaview zooming up out of the water was done. It involved the 18 foot model on an angled track below the water, and a tank of compressed air that was released below it just sub was propelled up to the surface.






I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the set designers took a tour of the original USS Nautilus prior to creating the Seaview sets, and they were dazzled by that famous sub's design.





Tim mentioned that the USS Nautilus had a "grand staircase", which was wide enough for two crewmen to walk down side-by-side which going from the upper to the lower deck. This was certainly not the way the cramped WWII subs were made, with their interior ladders and small hatches which were downright claustrophobic! Shocked

For years I've been dissatisfied with the Seaview's sets because they did NOT look more like traditional subs from WWII and the 1950s. The stairways and the corridors looked like an office building! Sad

But now I know that the sets have more authenticity than I gave them credit for. Very Happy

Tim also pointed out the fact that various components on the bridge — the lighted control panels — showed up in every other Irwin Allen series which followed.

I was plum flabbergasted when Tim mentioned that the novelization of the story was written by Theodore Sturgeon (a favorite author of mine), and it describes Admiral Nelson as the head of an investment banking family who convinced the government to provide "matching funds through the Bureau of Marine Exploration, which collected contributions for children across the nation to build the Seaview as deep sea exploration vehicle.

It was the first submarine built outside of the U.S. Navy, and they answered exclusively to the Bureau of Marine Exploration. It was designed to be a "scientific test bed" (Tim Colliver's words) which was also "the most powerful submarine ever built".

Guys, this clarification of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea's full concept elevates my respect for the movie considerably. It provides a whole new level of intelligence and imagination to the premise! Very Happy

During the scene in the observation room in the nose of the Seaview, when the main characters are shocked by the sinking chunks of ice that are bombarding the sub, I noticed for the first time that there's a man seated at a control panel in that room. His control panel includes a microphone mounted on a goose-neck extension.

I don't think we ever saw that crewman manning that station in the observation room again throughout the movie — but we do see Captain Crane using that microphone to transmit commands to the crew in later dramatic scenes.

Just thought I'd mention that, guys . . .

Back to Mr. Colliver's commentary: he informs us that the shots below the water of the Seaview near the surface, with the "burning sky" above cause red refractions in the water, were achieved by placing the red lights on the bottom of the pool shining UP, under the model — NOT shining down from above the surface!

The reason for this was that the FX guys discovered that having the lights shining down from above just reflected off the water and did NOT show up on film!

But when the lights shone UP from below the bottom of the pool, they reflected off the underside of the water and were visible to the camera! Very Happy

I'll post more fascinating facts from Mr. Colliver's commentary tomorrow as I continue watching this great film . . . again! Cool

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


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scotpens
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 11, 2020 12:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
I was plumb flabbergasted when Tim mentioned that the novelization of the story was written by Theodore Sturgeon (a favorite author of mine), and it describes Admiral Nelson as the head of an investment banking family who convinced the government to provide "matching funds through the Bureau of Marine Exploration, which collected contributions for children across the nation to build the Seaview as deep sea exploration vehicle.

It was the first submarine built outside of the U.S. Navy, and they answered exclusively to the Bureau of Marine Exploration.

So apparently Sturgeon gave us a third origin story for the Seaview. In the original feature film, the Seaview was a commissioned U.S. Navy vessel, while in the TV series the sub was privately owned by the Nelson Institute of Marine Research.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 11, 2020 4:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

~ Here are more interesting facts from Tim Colliver's great DVD commentary. Enjoy!_

Robert Sterling was not Irwin Allen's first choice for Captain Crane. Ironically, Allen first offered the role to David Hedison! David didn't like the script, so he turned it down. But three years later (you guessed it) he accepted the role for the TV series. Very Happy

I like Hedison quite a lot, and I wish he'd accepted the movie role. Hedison's melodious voice makes me want to nominate him for president.

The only criticism Tim offers throughout the commentary is a brief comment about the way the chunks of ice are sinking, when we all know that ice floats.

Tim stated that in the novelization the ice doesn't sink. But he didn't explain how author Theodore Sturgeon described the scene if there were no chunks of sinking ice threatening the Seaview!

Perhaps one of you guys will buy the book from Amazon and find out the answer. Very Happy

___________

It's only $847.00 — the exact same price as Tim's reference book! But be sure to order it today, because Amazon says there's only one left! Shocked

Fortunately I was able to order a copy for under $10 (shipping included) from one of the "other sellers" which Amazon listed, and its a first edition with the goofy cover art. Laughing



___________


But it won't arrive for about two weeks, so we'll have to wait until I get it, read it, and then post my ass off about all the interesting stuff I'll learn that Colliver didn't already tell me!

~ And now, back to the commentary. Cool

The fire-in-the-sky special effects were created by filming several flame throwers at night and then processing the images in various ways, including slowing them down, combining them, overlapping them, and running some images forward and some backwards.

That special effect still looks wonderful today.

When Michael Ansara first appears after being rescued, Tim Colliver mentions that he was married to Barbara Eden. (I wonder if she ever wore her Jeannie custom for Michael in the bedroom.)

Ah, but I digress . . . Rolling Eyes

According to Mr. Colliver, the religious fanatic which Ansara plays in the movie is significantly different in the novel. He tells Crane and Nelson that the burning sky is a test for mankind, rather than what the character in the movie claims — that mankind has no right to oppose God by trying to extinguish the burning sky.

Tim recommends the book, and I'm looking forward to receiving my copy in a few weeks.

Funny item: Peter Lorre is always sweaty in the movie — but only because the makeup man kept chasing him around with a spritzer bottle, because his character was supposed to be prone to heavy sweating. And Lorre stated in interviews that he got really tired of being squirted all the time. Laughing

Tim also tells an interesting story about the Congressman that Howard McNear plays, in which the Congressman deliberately makes a long speech in the United Nations scene just to give Admiral Nelson and company a chance to sneak out and get back to the ship before anyone can thwart Nelson's controversial plan to launch the missile.

The Congressman's suddenly stands up and starts his speech by asking the question, "How does one get elected to Congress?"

Then he launches into his wordy oratory while he waits for Admiral Nelson to figure out that the answer to his question is the very thing the Congressmen thinks Nelson should do right away.

"How does one get elected to Congress?" (Answer: You run for it!") Laughing

Another interesting difference between the movie and the novel is the fact the Dr. Hiller (Joan Fontaine) isn't just a nutty lady who sabotages the reactor to stop the missile launch. She's actually been deeply in love with Dr. Zucco (Henry Daniell) for many years, and she believes he's right to oppose Nelson's plan!

This is why the UN scene cuts briefly to a closeup of Ms. Fontaine on the Seaview as she watches the TV broadcast of the debate. Her troubled expression foreshadows the actions she later takes against the mission.






By gum, we never knew it was because she's a woman with a lifelong case of the hots for the old egghead! Shocked

As much as I enjoyed Tim's commentary, Tim does make a few factual mistakes — small ones, easily forgiven. For example, when the film introduces the sub's chief surgeon, Tim says, "This is Regis Toomey, who plays the Seaview's skipper". He meant to say "doctor", of course.

Later, when he discusses the underwater photography, he says that the techniques used were first developed for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" in 1957 . . . instead of 1954.

And when Tim mentions Irwin Allen's project which follows this movie, he calls it Two Weeks in a Balloon, instead of Five Weeks in a Balloon (which, by the way also starred Barbara Eden and Peter Lorre, by the way). Cool

And when the giant squid attacks, he refers to it as a "giant octopus" several times during his comments. Sad

Oh well, that scene with the squid sucks anyway. Sad

The actors struggled with the long rubber tentacles in their desperate efforts to make the damn thing look alive, but it isn't the least bit convincing, and the scene goes on far too long.

After about 30 seconds it all becomes unintentionally funny. Rolling Eyes

But one statement Tim makes is definitely questionable. When the Seaview wanders into the mine field, Tim claims that the novel explains the mines as being set deliberately by UN forces which are commanded by Dr. Zucco, specifically to stop the Seaview from firing the missile!

Well, folks, that idea sounds faulty for several reasons.

How could warships get ahead of the Seaview and drop dozens of tethered mines in just the right place to destroy the sub? I'll have to verify Tim's claim when I get the book in few weeks.






An yet, the novel's description of the mine field encounter includes a warship on the surface which was sent by Zucco, and it launches a torpedo at the Seaview after the minisub cuts the cable. But the minisub crewmen sacrifice themselves by blocking the torpedo and causing it to explode!





However, the mines in the movie are definitely did NOT intend to be recently placed to destroy the sub, simply because the mines are obviously left over from WWII — covered in rust and no longer very reliable, since we see the one caught on the cable actually bounces off the Seaview's observation port several times without exploding (although the impacts were gentle, I'll admit).





This is a much better explanation for the presence of the mines, and since the movie disregarded the whole subplot about Zucco himself actively causing a group of warships to pursue the Seaview's, having the mines be remnants from WWII works just fine.

A funny story about actor Del Monroe: Tim Colliver interviewed Del Monroe for his 1992 reference book about the movie, and Del related an amusing incident.

Del is, of course, well known to fans of the TV series as Seaman Kawalski, the poor guy who always encountered the monster-of-week in the corridors or the reactor room and tussled with it, although he always survived.

In the movie, his character was Seaman Kowski (small difference), and during filming, Del had a bit of bad luck similar to his TV character, right before he had his big scene as the spokesperson for the semi-mutiny.

Del was nervous about his dramatic scene on the deck of the sub when he a band of crewmen demanded to leave the ship and go back home on the unmanned yacht. So, Del was mentally rehearsing his lines as he made his way out to set of the sub, walking across a series 4X12 boards that comprised a makeshift bridge over the huge water tank in which the sub's upper deck was located.

Del was so nervous and so determined to get his lines memorized . . . that he walked off the board and fell into the infamously dirty water in the tank!

He was hauled out quickly and rushed to the studio infirmary so the medical folks could clean him up and insure that the microbe-filled water didn't cause infections.

Before leaving the set, Del remembers seeing all the actors on the deck of sub, shaking their heads and complaining about the delay which Del's blunder had caused. But Walter Pidgeon stood motionless, his arms folded stoically, showing no emotion . . . except for his visible struggle to keep from bursting out laughing. Laughing






Shortly after the quasi-mutiny scene we see Captain Crane in his quarters — and Tim Colliver explains that this is (a) the only time we see this set, and (b) it actually isn't the only time, because it's just a redress of Admiral Nelson's quarters!

The furniture was rearranged, the sofa was placed in front of the map, the model of the Seaview was removed, the "wild walls" were rearranged, and the camera only showed part of the room to make it look smaller than Nelson's quarters.






I'll post more comments from the commentary tomorrow. Cool
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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scotpens
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 11, 2020 7:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:

When Michael Ansara first appears after being rescued, Tim Colliver mentions that he was married to Barbara Eden. (I wonder if she ever wore her Jeannie custom for Michael in the bedroom.)

Maybe she dressed up as Jeannie when Michael had a bad case of the blues!

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Krel
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 11, 2020 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have the novel, but haven't read it in decades. As I recall from the novel, the sinking ice was explained as having fallen from icebergs. They were said to be doubly dangerous, because after they finish sinking, they were going to be rising back to the surface, making them a danger to the keel of the Seaview. They explained it, as dropping ice into a glass of water. The ice sinks, but then it rises back to the surface.

David.
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 9:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Krel wrote:
They explained it, as dropping ice into a glass of water. The ice sinks, but then it rises back to the surface.

That's true, David! Very Happy

I should point out, however, that we've all seen dramatic videos of glaciers "calving", when giant blocks of ice crash down into the water . . . and come back to the surface fairly soon.

And those chunks of ice didn't fall from a great height like the massive ones in the video below, so it seems unlikely that the smaller-sized chunks would sink very far. Plus we didn't see any of the chunks slow down, much less rise back up.

I checked the scene just now, and several chunks actually hit the Seaview, came to complete stop . . . then rolled off and continued to fall.

Yes, I know — I'm nitpicking the special effect, which didn't really have to perfectly demonstrate that ice chunks fall into the ocean and bob back up. So, since the scene is so wonderful, I'll accept your explanation
. Cool

______ Giant +70M Iceberg BREAKING OFF Glacier



___________

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 11:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

~ Finishing up my remarks on Tim Colliver's commentary.

Tim confirmed what we've always suspect: the tail fins on the Seaview's stern were inspired by the cars from late 1950s and early 1960s. In fact, Tim said that Irwin Allen suggested them, and he owned a 1959 Cadillac.

Notice that the Seaview not only has the fins, it also the bullet-shaped running lights and two engine outflow ports, similar to the Cadillac's taillights and round backup lights built into the bumper! Very Happy








The scene of the giant octopus that rises up from the depths and gets overly friendly with the Seaview provides another interesting story by Tim.

The crew acquired several octopuses (Mariam Webster says "octopi" is actually incorrect! Shocked), and according to Tim the crew "teased them of them to get all the ink out" so them wouldn't spoil the shot. Then the repeated dropped each on down onto the eight-foot sub model, trying to get on of them to grab the nose.

Time after time the octopuses either slipped passed the nose or didn't stay there very long.

"So, after several hours and thousands of feet of footage, they finally got enough."

A crewman in the tank held the rear of the model and moved it gently to simulate octopus shaking the sub.

If you're wondering how they got the octopus to rise UP and grab the Seaview . . . they didn't! The first shot of the octopus rising up is the same shot of it falling off, but run backwards! Very Happy

In the novel, Ansara wasn't a religious fanatic who threatened to blow up the ship — he actually assisted Captain Crane in launching the missile from outside the ship. The reason that was necessary in the novel was because Dr. Hiller sabotaged both the reactor and the launching system.

Tim concludes his commentary with an interesting description of a funny scene at the end which was proposed but not filmed. After the missile explodes and the sky clears up, radio operator Sparks announces that the communications have been restored and he's picked up a radio station.

Suddenly we hear a Frankie Avalon song from a local radio station. Nelson and Crane look over at Lt Danny Romano (Frankie), who just shrugs and goes back to his duties. Laughing

If you have the DVD or Blu-ray of this movie, I highly recommend Tim Colliver's commentary. I loved it!

Here's a beautiful music video of the theme which includes scenes from the movie.


__ Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) montage


___________


While watching the movie today I noticed something mildly interesting, right after the octopus scene.

The observation deck actually has a sofa which wraps around the right rear corner, with a table and several bright red chairs against the back wall.

I'm not sure we ever see this comfortable-looking lounge in any scene except the one in which Michael Ansara suddenly reveals the hand grenade he stole from the armor, and he tells Captain Crane he'll blow up the sub if they launch the missile.

In the screen shot below, the corner lounge is behind the seaman on the right, in the background.






I've always wondered what the observation desk would look like if it were real and had the upper four ports that we never see from inside the sub.

Unfortunately, the observation desk has several structures at normal "ceiling level" that would interfere with the spectacular view we would get by gazing both straight ahead through the lower four windows and upward through the top four windows.






And we can see a ceiling direct above the table-and-sofa area behind the crewman, which would also prevent us from getting a good "sea view" in that small lounge area! Sad

However, there's sort of "half-bridge" that connects to the door which leads directly back to the control room. It ends about halfway across the "ceiling-level" structures, and it's apparently meant to give the control personnel a quick way to enter the observation deck directly and gaze through the upper four windows.






So, this is why the upper four windows exists. They're primary function isn't to expand the view for the folks on the observation deck (although it does this to some degree). The upper windows are for the control room personnel. Very Happy
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Krel
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
Yes, I know — I'm nitpicking the special effect, which didn't really have to perfectly demonstrate that ice chunks fall into the ocean and bob back up. So, since the scene is so wonderful, I'll accept your explanation. Cool[/size]

Not my explanation, it was Theodore Sturgeon's trying to explain what was in the movie. My explanation would be that the ice was made from heavy water. Mr. Green

I have read that the original Seaview design was the one on the novel cover. A Skipjack class submarine with the glass bubble behind the conning tower. This was considered to be too expensive. In the books I have read, it was the model designers that decided to use rear end of Irwin Allen's prized Cadillac as the inspiration for the Seaview's stern. The first version of the Movie Seaview had two rows of six windows that wrapped around the bow, but no manta fins on the bow.

In the novel, the Seaview's periscope was a TV camera, so the periscope shaft didn't penetrate the pressure hull.

David.
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 3:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Since Mr. Colliver did make several mistakes which I noticed myself, I'm inclined to think that your sources about the Seaview's design are the correct.

Tim Colliver was determined to create a very entertaining commentary (which it definitely is), so he probably jazzed up a few "facts" from time to time, like giving Irwin Allen credit for the inclusion of the Cadillac features.

By the way, today I added several nice jpegs to my Sunday post (as I promised when I submitted it), and I corrected 306 of the 356 typos I made. The 50 typos I missed will have to wait until later because I've already been over the text so many times I've memorized it, so the typos are now invisible to me . . . Rolling Eyes

Even if you don't feel inclined to read the whole post again, I hope you'll read some of the text above and below the newly-added pictures, just to see how they liven up the message. Very Happy

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 10:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some more VTTBOTS Fun Facts.

VTTBOTS Screenwriter Charles Bennett claimed that the idea of doing the movie was based upon a comment by Irwin Allen's girlfriend. "Why not a movie about a big submarine?''

Allen claimed that the concept for the feature film began with a nightmare he'd had. He dreamed about the Van Allen radiation belts surrounding the Earth catching on fire.

Allen then got to pondering what would happen if a space ship was trapped in such a blaze at the 300-mile level.

Considered for the role of Admiral Harriman Nelson (Walter Pidgeon) were: Claude Rains, Franchot Tone, Joseph Cotton, Robert Young, and Dana Andrews.

Of all of those actors, I envision Dana Andrews in the part.

Dr.Susan Hiller (Joan Fontaine) : Patricia Neal, Joan Crawford, Joanne Dru, Ruth Roman, Maureen O'Hara, Arlene Dahl, and Ida Lupino.

Fine actresses all.

Lt.Cathy Connors (Barbara Eden) : Anne Francis.

Lucius Emery (Peter Lorre) : Allen wanted only Lorre for the role.

Captain Lee Crane (Robert Sterling) : Allen wanted David Hedison as the captain of the Seaview from the beginning. Hedison had worked with Irwin Allen on "The Lost World" in 1960.

David only did TLW because he was under contract to the studio, but he really had little interest in being in that movie.

When Allen wanted Hedison again in order to do VTTBOTS, David refused as he was not interested in that project at all.

Other candidates for the captain were : Lloyd Bridges, Steve Forrest, and Cliff Robertson.

Miguel Alvarez (Michael Ansara) : Ricardo Montalban, Fernando Lamas, John Ireland, and Richard Conte.
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 3:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

More VTTBOTS Trivia.

Mark Slade played Seaman Jimmy "Red" Smith in the feature film and would return to appear on the television version. Mark would go on to play Billy "Blue" Cannon on the popular TV western "The High Chaparral" (1967~'71) for three seasons.

Mark recalled Irwin Allen's direction style as one where Allen focused upon the spectacle, not the performers.

Allen was a no-nonsense kind of director and expected the actors to all be fully prepared the minute that they set foot on the set.

Allen was known as a good problem solver on his productions. If things did not go his way he could become very irate.

Barbara Eden (Lt.Cathy Connors) observed that Allen had lots of energy; he loved what he was doing. When a scene was to begin rolling, Allen did not holler 'Action' as most directors do. Allen would shoot off a gun that held blanks.

This caused co-star Peter Lorre to jump with fright when Irwin fired off the pistol. "Can't he just say Action?!" Lorre would comment.

December 28, 1960 was the first day of production which involved filming miniatures and other underwater effects.

Art directors Jack Martin Smith & Herman Blumenthal shouldered most of the burden of designing of the submarine Seaview.

They put in a request to the U.S.Navy for actual blueprints and designs of their submarines in order to get ideas and inspiration for constructing the Seaview.

Their request was rejected, of course, by the military.

The Navy was not about to release any top secret information about their subs to anyone; especially during the height of the Cold War.

At the time, the US Navy's sub, the Nautilus, was stationed in San Diego. Some of Allen's staff was able to take an authorized tour of the sub while preparing their plans for the Seaview.

Jane's Fighting Ships, the reference book, was also studied by the artistic team.

In order to convey the sub's futuristic technology, the Control Room had a video display that was linked to the sub's exterior cameras. This was to replace the traditional submarine periscope.

However, Allen wanted a periscope, so one was put in the set. The video monitor would also remain.

Irwin Allen had always said that his productions were strictly to entertain an audience. No messages, not psychological insights, no social issues.
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