More Titanic Adventure for the 100th Anniversary: "The Time Tunnel"

Babyboomers, science fiction fans and TV fans in general lovingly remember the shows of the late great Irwin Allen.  The great foursome of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, Land of the Giants and The Time Tunnel are forever seared into our fevered TV-soaked brains.  From the sublime to the sometimes intentionally ridiculous, Allen's output showed he had a proven touch for creating immensely entertaining action/adventure series, much like Aaron Spelling had the knack for discovering charismatic talent and putting them in precisely the right vehicle, like Charlie's Angels, or Starky and Hutch, or Beverly Hills 90210, to name just a few.

We also loved Irwin Allen because he often inspired us with tantalizing tales from history, especially so in The Time Tunnel which featured a pair of time-traveling scientists careening throughout the mysterious eras of existence.  Where would Dr. Doug Phillips (Robert Colbert) and Dr. Tony Newman (James Darren) turn up next?  King Arthur's Court?  Gettysburg?  The Alamo?  Riding against Genghis Khan?  Dodging the guillotine during the French Revolution?  We could only guess, but Irwin Allen knew that this recipe for excitement was a sure thing.  He chose for his pilot episode a plot revolving around one of modern history's most enduring mysteries, the sinking of the Titanic.  Hard to believe, perhaps, that at the time of The Time Tunnel premiere in September 1966 we were only a little past the 50th anniversary of the sinking, and now we are observing the 100th. Time flies when you are the most dramatic maritime disaster of the 20th Century, occuring only 12 years into the century but never being topped in terms of sheer emotional appeal. 

And so we are pleased to be able to offer The Time Tunnel pilot episode "Rendezvous with Destiny".  Adding to the luster of this episode is the presence of acting great Michael Rennie (seen above) as Captain Smith, the lovely British actress Susan Hampshire as a passenger, and back in the lab, Gary Merrill as a Senator.  Series regulars Whit Bissell, Lee Meriwether also star.  Enjoy!




More Titanic posts coming up!