Irwin Allen Television Productions, 1964-1970: A Critical History of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants (Hardcover)

~ Jon Abbott (Author) (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Before establishing himself as the “master of disaster” with the 1970s film hits The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, Irwin Allen created four of television’s most exciting and enduring science-fiction series: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. Filmed within yards of each other on the busy and successful studio lots of 20th Century–Fox, these 1960s series were full of Allen’s favorite tricks and techniques. Sometimes adapted from earlier sources, sometimes devised by Allen and his award-winning special effects teams, those characteristic Allen touches have influenced other productions from the original Star Trek to shows of the present day. Every science-fiction show owes something to Allen, and yet none has equaled his series for pace, excitement, or originality. This book documents and examines in detail the premise and origin of each of the four shows and offers an objective evaluation of every episode. In this close-up look at these television landmarks, the author proves that when Irwin Allen’s television episodes were good, they were great—and when they were bad, they were still terrific fun.

About the Author

Freelance writer Jon Abbott lives in Brighton, England.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers (November 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786427590
• ISBN-13: 978-0786427598
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,346,450 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and thought-provoking, October 23, 2007

By	Harry Gene Neyhart "hgn2001" (North Wales, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jon Abbott's book should not be looked on as just another TV series episode guide. There are already many of those available and that's not what Mr. Abbott's book is about. Instead, the author guides us episode by episode through the four science fiction series that Irwin Allen produced back in the '60s, giving his critical evaluations of each hour-long show. Since we're dealing with opinions here, one might find them at variance with the author. I personally find that refreshing. Others may vehemently disagree with some of his assessments. Each series, VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, LOST IN SPACE, THE TIME TUNNEL, and LAND OF THE GIANTS is given its own section of the book, with a series overview preceding the episode appraisals. The book is professionally produced and nicely put together, making a nice addition to one's library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth Having, October 21, 2008

By	K. Todd "krtodd" (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although I disagree with many of his assessments, particularly ones pertaining to "Voyage To the Bottom of the Sea"("The Human Computer" is a classic episode), the book does contain a lot of interesting information and is worth having in your collection.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Enjoyable Read, August 10, 2009

By	Gary P. Cohen (Staten Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

To a kid growing up in the late '50s and early '60s, there were certain names that meant that you were going to have a good time at the movies if you loved horror, fantasy or sci fi. films: Vincent Price, Ray Harryhausen, William Castle, Roger Corman, etc. One name that meant you were going to have a good time at the movies or in front of your tv set was Irwin Allen.
Allen is basically known for three different periods. In the early '60s, he produced 2 large-scale Cinemascope sci. fi. films:The Lost World in 1960 and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea in 1961. Starting in 1964, he produced the first of his 4 popular sci fi. series: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. It was followed by Lost in Space in 1965, The Time Tunnel in 1966 and Land of the Giants in 1968. In 1972, he moved back to the big screen with the two best films of the disaster genre cycle: the legendary Poseidon Adventure in 1972 and the academy award-nominated Towering Inferno in 1974.
This book covers Allen's 4 sci. fi. series. After a short biography of Allen, the writer goes into detail about the creation of each series. Following that, he describes every episode of the 4 series, giving the basic plot and critical comments about whether he enjoyed each episode or not.
I enjoyed 3 of the 4 Allen series, Voyage, Time Tunnel and Giants. (I was never that great a Lost in Space fan.) I absolutely loved this book. I read it a couple years ago and enjoyed every moment of it. If you enjoyed sitting in front of that tv watching any or all of Irwin's series, you will love it too.