When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!! - Page 24

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

My set have arrived this morning, i'm lucky!

Just watched the first episode, looks very good.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

Mine shipped out a week ago and is stuck somewhere in a sorting office thanks to the mail strike.

Shame we've got to wait four months between issues though, it's taking them longer to release it onto DVD than it would to repeat it an episode a week.

And yet they put out LOTG all in one go, which is my least wanted of the IA titles, whilst Voyage is the one I want most. Pah, always the way!

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

My set arrived yesterday and I got to watch the first episode, a sequel of sorts to a show from the first half of Season 3, a werewolf story.

It sounds really awful, but in reality, Basehart carries both episodes off with dignity intact!

Harry

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I watched that in a quasi Sleep induced Haze the other night, what caused him to revert to a werewolf from the previous episode, was it the radiation from the pile ?

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

Yeah, it was the radiation.

Harry

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

Yes, as I recall, it was deduced in the earlier episode that the werewolf virus was stimulated by radiation. I'd have to rewatch it, but I seem to remember that the island where it originates was naturally radioactive.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I picked up my copy today, watched the Werewolf episode and really enjoyed it. The cast makes these monster shows work. I love the artwork and I'm really loving this show

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I finished off my set and enjoyed it for the most part but the stories got to be repetitive. Starting with "The Mermaid", it seemed like Crane was under the control of some monster or alien almost every episode. If not him, then another cast member. It made the second half of the season less enjoyable. My favourite episodes were No Escape from Death and Destroy Seaview! Season 4 just might be a chore to get through based on the episodes in this Vol., still going to buy them when released. I love the cast and their characters.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I was thinking of how much of a chore this set has been compared to my relative enjoyment of the first half of Season Three. You're right, so many similar episodes somehow managed to get grouped together in this half-season. Invariably an alien or a creature somehow menaces the crew of the Seaview, with Crane or Nelson usually coming under the influence of something evil.

I watched "No Escape From Death" today and was absolutely amazed at how well this William Welch-penned episode integrated old footage into a "new" episode. A large chunk of this episode was ripped from the first season's "Submarine Sunk Here", with much of that old black & white footage tinted red - and very effectively too.

Another large chunk of the first season's "Hail To The Chief" with Paul Carr crawling through the ductwork and Crane rescuing him was tinted blue, and also didn't look out of place.

Yet another large chunk of footage from "Jonah And The Whale" with Crane, Patterson and Kowalski stumbling through the innards of a giant man-of-war (formerly the whale) graces much of the last half of the episode.

In spite of it being painfully obvious that this was a stitched-together affair, it came off as a decent hour of television. Not great, but not awful either. I was truly impressed that Irwin Allen and company could pull such a thing off so well. Just the idea of integrating black & white footage into a color show boggles the mind, yet somehow the tinting effectively worked.

Harry

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I still enjoy the characters and the colorful Seaview sets, but I have to admit there are some real stinkeroos in this latest volume. It's a little sad, considering how I found the first two seasons to be such a marvelous mix of sci-fi/adventure hokum. I loved those. I'll still pick up further volumes, because I tend to be addicted to just about any kind of nonsense of this vintage. And, I'll probably still manage to derive some fun out of them. But, well... kinda sad.

Oh, I was a bit surprised by "No Escape from Death." Knowing of its patchwork nature beforehand, I was really expecting a mess. Yet, it's actually proven to be one of the most enjoyable episodes out of this latest volume (for what it's worth). Probably because it still managed to convey some actual 'suspense,' which has been woefully rare in the surrounding episodes. Unless some monster growling "ROOWWRRR!" automatically constitutes suspense.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I don't think there's another show that I have such a love/hate relationship with. The first season of "VTTBOTS" is absolutely fabulous for my money. It's great top to bottom with the beautiful b&w cinematography and the more straight-laced spy genre mixed with legit sci-fi stuff. I treasure that first season. The second was just a notch below, but not by much. So like Bert, I find myself just loving those first couple of seasons. But when I picked up the third season set I knew what I was in for. Monster of the week stuff over and over and over. And while the first half of season 3 was bearable, I remembered enough about the second half that caused me to hold off on purchasing it. I just now pulled the plug with the DD 20% Off sale that's going on. So I should have the set in my hands by early next week. I'll take my time and watch these very, very sparingly so as not to get turned off too quickly. I also know that season 4 will be much the same, but I'm committed to the entire run regardless. And there are a couple of jewels in that last season where the cloak and dagger spy stuff comes up. Not much, but at least there's one or two decent episodes in that last season.

Yep, this show really offers me extremes on both ends of my personal love it, hate it spectrum. But overall I love the acting from Basehart and Hedison, so there's no way I'm not completing the set.

Gary "bring on the squishy monster suits and silly makeup jobs - I'm ready" O.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I recognized the footage inside the Man-o-war from Jonah and the Whale instantly and I kept thinking that I had seen the footage from Hail To The Chief with Paul Carr before. Plus, they kept reusing footage of the Seaview hitting the same rock on the bottom of the ocean throughout the shows on the set. None of this bothered me or stopped me from enjoying the episodes (did give me a few good chuckles) as much as the repeating of storylines so close together. I even enjoyed most of the "monster" episodes. My least favourite episode on this set was The Wax Men. I

I always watch my season sets fairly quickly, I usually go through about 4-5 episodes a day. I want to make sure all of the episodes and discs play, especially with the problems I've had previously with this series' sets. Thankfully the only problem I had this time is disc 2 comes loose from it's hub almost every time I open the case.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

What I am amused by is that constant reuse of the footage of the flying sub coming out of the under dock with the Seaview breaking the surface of the water above. They use that footage whether or not the story has the Seaview completely underwater.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

And it's always out of focus!

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I always watch my season sets fairly quickly, I usually go through about 4-5 episodes a day. I want to make sure all of the episodes and discs play, especially with the problems I've had previously with this series' sets. Thankfully the only problem I had this time is disc 2 comes loose from it's hub almost every time I open the case.[/quote]

I applaud you in doing so...I've only ever watched the first two eps from the first season, vol. 1 (and I've got all three seasons released thus far!) Just haven't made my way over to watching much VTTBOTS yet.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

VTTBOTS is my favorite science fiction adventure series from the 1960s and with the care being shown for remastering the series, I'm enjoying S1 and S2 more than ever before. Last night in fact I again watched "...And Five of Us Are Left", a nicely crafted drama full of great character interaction and development. The tag, where Nelson helps the aged Japanese officer see his future in a new light is both earnest and sentimental, a scene which is completely foreign to the types of teleplays witnessed in the show's final two seasons. I still have yet to purchase S3 as it always pains me to what extent Irwin Allen plumbed the depths of low grade B movie type horror/adventure by this season. The first half of S3 is not too dissimilar to S2 at least, but as for the latter half, the only episode that I'd look forward to seeing is "The Wax Men"--an unabashed guilty pleasure. I'm also committed to purchasing the entire series but only when the prices for the remaining sets come down.

To me, VTTBOTS is one of the greatest missed opportunities in sci-fi television and I think many fans of the series like me watch it as much for "what it could have been" as for what it became. Episodes like "The Day the World Ended" and "Man of Many Faces" proves that the series could achieve a level of greatness, but unfortunately for every one of these, there are 10 "Fossil Men". Had someone like Sam Rolfe, Joseph Stefano, Leslie Stevens or Roddenberry helmed the series, understanding the great acting talent/chemistry they had with Basehart and Hedison as a cornerstone, well who knows?

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I like discovering the (I have never seen this show before my DVD purchases) good, bad and the ugly of VTTBOTS. I have a built in interest for 50's through early 70's TV (especially Sci-fi), especially since I am so turned off to most modern TV shows (especially Sci-fi).

I've enjoyed the show on a real level (some episodes are actually very good) and I've enjoyed it on a campy level (I can dig the rubber monster suit shows on this level).

As a Star Trek fan talking to other Trek fans throughout the years, bashing Irwin Allen Sci-fi was a passtime for some of them. The reputation that these shows have are based on the Monster of the week and shows up until this day.

There was a show talking about the recent new CGI effects made for the original Star Trek. It was a point/counterpoint type of deal. The guy against the new effects for Trek said that if good effects were what made a show, then we would be talking about Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea today.

By then, I had seen the first couple seasons and thought "what an Aye-hole", the guy probabaly made the remark on the Trek fandom induced reputation only. He probabaly has never laid eyes on an episode.

So, now we are starting to get the shows that reputation is based on and I'm still enjoying them.

The worst rubber monster suit episode still has it all over any modern Sci-fi show of today where they seem to have outlawed color and whimsy.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

Some refreshing posts above^

Thanks guys! I've been reading through the recently (2006) published book by Jon Abbott dealing with all four of the Irwin Allen show. It's called 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 . And though the author and I sometimes disagree on his critical assessment of an episode, it's a good read, and serves as a good "Companion" for watching these old series. The book is a bit pricey, but worth the money, IMHO.

Harry

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

Abbott's book was something I was greatly looking forward to as I was expecting lots of production art/photos, interviews and in depth info on the genesis of the four series. Unfortunately, it pales in comparision to David Schow's "Outer Limits Companion" and is primarily a compendium of episode synopses and reviews. I'm still glad I purchased it (half that of Amazon's price thankfully) but I found myself getting frustrated over the Voyage reviews, especially those written for S1, which tend to be short and overly critical.

On the subject of items available peripheral to VTTBOTS there's a great looking model kit of the Seaview for you hobbyists out there (like me). At 39" in length(!) with control room, FS-1, Diving Bell and Minisub, this looks to be the one:

http://www.moebiusmodels.com/Voyage_...odel_Kit. php

Photos of kit here:

http://www.monstersinmotion.com/cata...ducts_id=10607

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

Time to bring this thread back from the dead.

OK then so anyone know any news on when Season 4 is coming? Usually we only have to wait one or two weeks after the last box set is out until we get to hear the next release date for the next set. Well its been over a Month from the last set and still no news on Season 4. It should be out by Feb 2008 I would expect. Anyone contacted Fox to see what’s happening?

I am starting to have doubts that we will see Season 4.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

We'll see Season 4. I have no doubts about that. Fox has given us every Irwin Allen series, and this last season of VOYAGE is all that's left. Even as bad a studio as they can be, they're not gonna jump ship at this point (pun intended).

Gary "I expect to hear something within the next month about a March or April release date" O.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I guess one has to put the Abbott book in perspective. As it stands, it's probably the best book on the subject of the four Irwin Allen shows. But when you compare it to the Outer Limits Companion, then yes, it fails to reach those heights.

Which leaves me to conclude that the truly definitive tome on the Irwin Allen series has yet to be written.

Harry

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

Gary, I agree with you, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least if Fox took it one step further with a complete VTTBOTS box set to include the original theatrical release upon which the series was based . . . . . after all of the half season box sets are released, of course!

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I bought the Voyage movie but didn't enjoy it as much as the series, I guess I'm just more used to the actors on the series in their respective roles. I'm going to finish off the series with the half-season Volumes.

I agree completely. I was going to buy the new Battlestar series but every time I checked it out on TV, I found it to be too dark and depressing and the guy playing Baltar is so bland. Changed my mind about buying it.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

The funny thing about the movie though is Irwin Allen approached David Hedison for Captain Crane originally. Apparently Hedison and Allen had a falling out over the Lost World in 1960. The only thing that got Hedison onboard was Richard Baseheart.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

That and Roger Moore's exclaiming that he'd be fool to pass up a chance for a weekly paycheck (Hedison was guesting on an episode of "The Saint" at the time).

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

Whatever the reason, I'm glad he came aboard . I think the other problem I have with the movie is with the pacing, the series did a much better job with the same story in "The Sky's On Fire" from season 2 and in less screen time.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

It seems like we are waiting forever for a season 4 announcement.

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

I'd give it until a week or two into January before going into full panic mode. Given the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, people out of their offices, and folks not concentrating all that hard on their work, it's understandable that release dates, artwork, etc., wouldn't be finalized until after the first of the year.

Harry
...fully confidant of the final two releases in 2008, online...

Re: When are We going to see a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea DVD Release?!!!!!

As we end the year, I must admit I'm a tad concerned that we haven't heard news from Fox about Season 4, Volume 1 yet. The reason for my concern is that up till now the pattern for release news with this series has been fairly consistent. We usually get something about every 4 months, and we've now gone over 5 months with nothing new. Like Harry, I'm not in panic mode, but I'm a tad concerned because I thought we'd hear something before the end of the year. If, God forbid, we get through the first month of 2008 with no news I'll start getting very worried.

Gary "come on Fox, let's finish off the Irwin Allen series on a high note" O.