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Time Tunnel, Vol. 1 [1968] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


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The single season entry in Irwin Allen's sci-fi foursome!
Review date: 2008-06-21 Rating: 8 out of 10

Irwin Allen's shortest series was possibly his most ambitious: an adventure wherein its two protagonists, Drs. Tony Newman (James Darren) and Doug Phillips (Robert Colbert), are flung throughout time, allowing them to coincidentally arrive at important historical dates, real and imaginary. All of the producer's trademarks are present: lots of flashy bells and whistles, gobs of pyrotechnics, pseudo science, stereotypical roles of men and women, political incorrectness, and cost-conscious use of studio stock footage and music.

Sure, there are abundances of plot inconsistencies and errors but Allen was more concerned with making entertaining and audience-pleasing fare than accuracy or even logical storytelling. Strangely enough, it's ironic that in 1966, when the show debuted, the country was in the in the midst of the Civil Rights movement, the beginnings of America's involvement in the war in southeast Asia, and the successes of the space program. Only the latter is addressed in any of the episodes, Allen preferring to take the "easy road" and not tackling social issues of the day. A couple of installments hit at social commentary with a line or two but most of the series is pure escapism.

The special effects, mostly in the Time Tunnel complex itself, are impressive when one considers the time of the show's production.

The main stars, along with Whit Bissell, John Zaremba, and Lee Meriwether, do their best to make the show's impossible premise believable, even wih the stilted and, occasional, laughable dialogue. Though they don't appear in most episodes, supporting players Wesley Lau (Sgt. Jiggs) and Sam Groom (Jerry) fill out Allen's usual seven-member, or so, cast, found in each of the sci-fi series in Allen's stable.

Allen's "reparatory company" (actors that appeared in two or more of the filmmaker's productions, television or theatrical) includes Kevin Hagen, John Crawford, Abraham Sofaer, Dee Hartford, Paul Carr, Victor Lundan, Michael Opatoshu, Nehemiah Persoff, Torin Thatcher, Michael Ansara, Malachi Throne, Ford Rainey, and Gary Merrill. Some even appear in more than one of the first fifteen installments, featured in this set.

Michael Rennie ("The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "Lost in Space's" only two-parter, "The Keeper") appears in the pilot episode "Rendezvous with Yesterday". Coincidentally, Rennie also provided the opening and closing narration for the 1953 film "Titanic," a film whose footage is incorporated in much of "The Time Tunnel" pilot.

Susan Flannery (now on the soap "The Bold and the Beautiful" and Golden Globe winner for Allen's "The Towering Inferno") appears in "The Day the Sky Fell In," James Darren's favorite episode.

The show also showcased many future stars of the small and large screen: Carroll O'Connor (forever TV's "Archie Bunker"), Tom Skerritt ("Alien" and TV's "Pickett Fences"), Jim Davis ("Jock Ewing" of "Dallas") and Academy Award-winner Ellen Burstyn ("The Exorcist" and "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"), billed here as "Ellen McCrae" in the episode "Crack of Doom".

"The Time Tunnel" may not rank as a highpoint in television drama but for a boy of the 60's, it offered a journey of the imagination and inspired a lifelong appreciation and fondness for history.

And that, is Irwin Allen's legacy...even if it was at the expense of James Darren's must-be-awfully-rancid-time-traveling-green turtleneck!

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Reviews


A Tumble through Time..
Review date: 2007-11-15 Rating: 10 out of 10

For anyone who grew up in the sixties, and was interested in TV sci-fi, the name of Irwin Allen is a familiar one. He was the American TV producer who gave us 'Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea'. 'Lost In Space', and this, his third TV series 'The Time Tunnel'. His shows had high amounts of Fantasy but also some serious sci-fi concepts, and rarely a week went by without one or another of his shows being aired on both sides of the Atlantic. The Time Tunnel follows the adventures of 2 scientists who are trapped in time, and each week land in an eventful moment in History. From landing on the Titanic in the first episode, the series covers many periods both past and present, as the team back home try to retrieve the 2 scientists and bring them home. The 2 lead actors are engaging enough, and the set of the Time Tunnel itself is impressive. Every episode is solidly made, with Irwin Allen's talent for stretching his production budget reaching varying degrees of success as footage from existing movies are edited into the show to give each scenario more scope. Having said that, the episodes are rarely less than entertaining and the viewer finds himself becoming hooked on the show. The stories are good adventure yarns which end on a cliffhanger that leads into the next episode. For 60's TV, this has aged quite well and is good undemanding viewing for all ages. Sadly, only 30 episodes were made even though the show, I feel, had the potential to develop further and become a genuine TV classic.This volume contains the first 15 episodes, as well as some interesting extras which take a behind the scenes look at the show and the merchandise produced at the time. Worth seeking out even though it is only available as a region One release. I have already bought the second set and am looking forward to another tumble through time...

Product Details/Specifications


Creators:
Irwin Allen (Writer)

Recording label: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
EAN: 0024543222798
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 4
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC,
Release date: 2006-01-24
Universal product code (UPC): 024543222798
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 765 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1966-09-09
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Dubbed)
Language: Spanish (Dubbed)

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