Customer Reviews

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season Three, Volume One

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Something funny happened to VTTBOTS during the fall of 1966. Season 3 happened! This season was far inferior as compared to seasons 1 and 2 in terms of storylines, production and overall direction, in other words due to budget cuts it fell off drastically. However, as ironic as it may sound this was the season that had to happen. Season 3 in so many ways turned out to be the defining moment for the series. Without a doubt this is perhaps one of the biggest transformations in terms of changing the entire format of a show that had so convincingly started out dealing with serious up to the date issues in the not so distant future such as cold war politics, and underwater science gone awry with the occasional spin on science fiction thrown in for entertainment value. That said, season 3 is always the main topic of conversation among VTTBOTS fans due to its elevated and unrelenting action from its VTTBOTS IN COLOR intro to the action packed art work detailed during the closing credits. The writers on staff during this year walked to the edge, seemingly jumped and delivered such episodes as THE WAX MEN, THE SHADOWMAN, and DOOMSDAY ISLAND, not to mention the werewolf and mummy episodes. The series had turned the corner, grabbed the torch and ran WILD! Seasons 1 and 2 were quality shows with great everything but this season is remembered for it's over the top monsters, it's colorful special effects and most notably the non stop action that prevailed during every episode. Richard Basehart and David Hedison did their best acting this season because they continued to play it straight and convincing even though it had to be killing them. Know matter how far fetched some of the episodes were (THE TERRIBLE TOYS, DEADLY CLOUD, etc.) they played it straight and to the point unlike the buffoonery of BATMAN and LOST IN SPACE. In reality, VOYAGE had become a live-action cartoon that figured all that mattered was to produce on the edge of your seat entertainment each and every week. Irwin Allen took the seaview and her crew where no one had gone before and boy did he deliver. Season 4, although produced on a higher production scale and somewhat better, continued the same trend. Sadly to say it is a shame that VOYAGE wasn't renewed for a 5th season. It would have been fun to see what they would have given us. However, be that as it may, this show, from episode 1 to episode 110 delivered some of the best action-adventure ever produced, that's why so many years after it's last original episode in 1968 we still can talk so fondly about a CLASSIC series!!!!!!

After two seasons of mostly serious and plausible adventure, the show takes a hard right turn into monsters and fantasy. Guest stars become less frequent, sometimes only the four main characters appear. One episodes only has three characters. TOTAL! And the monsters! The aliens! The walking toys and killer clowns! The show went wild and anything really goes in this season.

The actors treat it all seriously and even Richard Basehart seems a little bored at time. But a bored Basehart is a lot more entertaining than an alert George Clooney any day.

Is it art? No chance, but it sure is fun!

Great review from Seven "7" above.
I'll only add that if the whole of season three didn't make the show jump the shark, then the episode "The Shadowman" certainly did. But I kept on watching right to the very end of the series. Bought and paid for. Hooked for life. If anybody cares, my favorite episode of all time was "The Death Clock" from season four. The wildest, crazyist episode of the entire series.

Okay, I'll admit it, by any objective measure, this is the weakest season of a fantastic series, but it's also the season I enjoy the most. Why? It's completely over the top... on a low budget. Nothing makes much sense, but who cares. Loads of color and fun and some of he episodes are genuinely great. "The Death Watch" and "Day of Evil" are as good as the series ever produced. So sit back and enjoy the cheese.

Irwin Allen's sci-fi classic has received its share of both praise and condemnation. While the show showcased impressive 60's special effects, along with the stellar performances of stars Richard Basehart ("Admiral Nelson") and David Hedison (Captain Crane), it was often criticized for its over-the-top monsters and occasionally absurd situations.

However, when viewed as a reflection of its time, the show carefully blended all its elements into an entertaining and adventurous hour. The thirteen episodes on this compilation feature some of the series' strongest episodes, along with a couple that fall flat. But, even those that aren't up to par are still fascinating enough to hold the viewer's interest and can be overlooked for their scientific and/or logical "liberties."

The episodes appear in their correct airing order, and, with that arrangement, viewers can take a nostalgic trip back in time to days of less "politically correct" and more innocent times.

This reviewer feels that the show's third season should have started with "The Day the World Ended," a taut and thrilling episode featuring former child actor Skip Homeier as a U.S. Senator that's not all he's cracked up to be. Unfortunately, the season began with "Monster from the Inferno," a not-so-bad installment about an alien entity (voiced by "Lost in Space's" Dick Trufeld) that attempts to take over the Seaview with the aide of scientist Arthur Hill.

"Death Watch" is basically a three-man piece showcasing the two principal characters, along with Chief Sharkey (Terry Becker).

"The Thing from Inner Space," though not that good, does give significant screen time to cast member Paul Trinka as "Crewman Patterson." Perennial fan favorite Del Monroe ("Kowalski") continues to play a significant role on the show and gets highlighted on "Deadly Waters," with Don Gordon featured as his brother.

Richard Bull continues in his role as the unnamed but much-needed "Doc."

Even radio operator "Sparks" (Arch Whiting) has more than five lines in a given installment.

Upon back-to-back viewing, one discovers that crewman "Ron" (Ron Stein) was an early version of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's" Morn; that is, a character that is voiceless but appears frequently in the background.

"Ron" even gets addressed in one installment!

"The Lost Bomb" is a throwback to the first season in that it deals with an undersea conflict with an enemy submarine intent on capturing a submerged bomb.

Basehart gets to assay two roles in the entertaining "The Haunted Submarine" while "The Terrible Toys" features veteran Paul Fix as a sailor with a malevolent cargo.

The infamous and often-lambasted "The Plant Man" starts strong but loses steam when the plant mutates into plant "men" walking the corridors of the Seaview.

But it is still better than the remaining two.

Henry Jones, who would later appear as "Mr. Pem" in two installments, guests on the lackluster "Night of Terror" while Charles Aidman bears his fangs in "Werewolf," two of the weakest in the show's entire four-year run.

Rounding out the set are interviews with David Hedison, still galleries, and a FULL issue of the now-defunct Gold Key comic version of the show.

Memories abound as baby boomers and future fans can take another "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea."

When I was a tween (before the term was even coined) I fell in love with Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. In the intervening years, most of what I watched was forgotten. Bless Fox for cleaning up these classics and putting them out on the shelf for us! I purchased and watched avidly the first and second seasons. So many wonderful memories, so much fun! I had been reminded that the third season would be so much inferior, but I bought the first volume anyway. And while the preponderance was monster mayhem, I found most shows to be well worth watching!
I think there are several reasons that I have continued to enjoy this series whereas I gave up on Allen's other show, Lost in Space. The main reason, like other reviewers have said, is the fact that the actors played it straight, or were allowed to play it straight. Despite how nutty the plots became, Basehart, Hedison and company played it serious.
Some of my all time favorites are in this set and I feel these are every bit as good as the winners from the previous years. Day of Evil was fantastic with Basehart able to play the two roles to perfection. Day the World Ended, Death Watch, even Werewolf was played evenly and well. My only real problem episode was Deadly Waters and that's mainly because I have a military background. Stan would have been courtmartialed for his whiney insolence and cowardice in the real world.
All in all, I only have a few minor complaints with this volume of the series.... Double sided DVD's, splitting the season into two sets, (and charging more) and not continuing the series with season four. Hopefully within the not too distant future, I won't be whining about my last complaint.

My major dislike of the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea release is the the double sided discs and half season (rather than the whole season at once). These types of releases tend to make the costs higher and the time for releasing the whole four seasons is greatly extended. Season 3 continues the change of story types from the espionage and science fiction to a more fantasy type episodes. They continue to eliminate the ideas of plausible scientific explanations to the popping in and out of the villains (creatures). Like Lost in Space it moves from a more good science fiction show to a more hooky fantasy show but without the presence of a character like "Dr Smith". Even without these drawbacks it still is included in my Irwin Allen collections (from the late 60's) along with Lost in Space, Land of the Giants and (his best) the Time Tunnel. I just wish they would get the whole collection out so I could update my collection of the series recorded off TV.

Estoy armando mi coleccion de esta serie de Tv, esta que se pueden conseguir en dvd se ven perfectas, ya tengo las dos primeras temporadas, estoy esperando que saquen al mercado las otras restantes pero que vengan con audio en español, las temporadas restantes solo traen subtitulos en español, a todo el que era amante de esta serie deberia comprarla para que la disfrute nuevamente. La recomiendo para que recuerden la serie de su juventud!!!!!

Much has been made of the significant changes that "Voyage" underwent in Season 3. Many would say that the show
"jumped the shark" (to borrow another TV show term) in Season 3. While this is definitively the case in later
in the season, as exemplified by Volume Two of Season 3, which contains all sorts of werewolves, outer space aliens,
and the like, this is not necessarily the case in Volume One of Season 3. Volume One primarily contains episodes
that are very similar to the episodes found in Season 1 and Season 2. There are some episodes that contain
more of the "Sci-Fi" bent that mark later episodes, such as the "The Plant Man", "The Terrible Toys", and "Werewolf" (yes there is one werewolf episode in Volume One). However, many of the episodes
still retain the Cold War era feel that marked the first two years of the program. All in all, still a lot of fun
to watch with the family.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea has never looked better!
Richard Basehart and David Hedison are totally convincing
even in the most ridiculous of situations. The Seaview
looks even more fantastic than I remembered as a kid, even
taking into account the 1960's vintage SPFX. The DVD transfers
are sharp and clear and the extra features, while sparce, are
welcome. This is a must-have for any Voyage fan.