Theme song aside, Voyage is probably the most efficiently edited movie in science fiction history. Irwin took a silly story (wrote it too) with a ridiculous premise, and a bunch of non-science, but filled it with budget movie stars, great music, bright and busy sets, and rubber monsters that kept the story moving at 70 miles an hour to the finish line. There's plenty of plot holes big enough to drive a submarine through, but unlike the movies that inspired it, "Atomic Submarine" and "It! The Terror from Beyond Space!", Voyage never bogs down in pointless backstory. The characters are all strong enough (one dimensional might be another way to describe them) for the audience to know what they are all about just by looking. One of the best scenes is at the UN, who knew all the committee attendees showed up in their national ceremonial garb? The South Pacific members even wear aloha shirts and leis! And in true Irwin Allen fashion, the UN is just as annoying and useless as it is today. You won't want to miss Peter Lorre's course on cigarette smoking seen throughout the film as well. The real shining star of course is the Seaview. Say what you will about Irwin Allen and his nutty concepts of science, the big S is one beautiful boat. From her sculptured, glassed in nose, to the flowing '59 Buick fins, she still looks good to this day. Which is one last thing and I'll go away, Voyage holds up pretty well for a movie made in 1961, it doesn't look antiquated or dated like so many "ship and crew" movies from that era. It's a fun movie with no particular "message" unless perhaps it's that there's nothing in the world to big to solved with the proper use of atomic bombs. That's a theme that would follow along in the later TV series, Admiral Nelson would far prefer to blow an adversary into oblivion than show him the error of his ways. Not like that touchy-feely Captain Kirk
Now that I look at it, I left out "be" too 2 to 2wo two also! I wouldn't mind if I weren't such a grammar commissar. I'd blame it on drinking if it hadn't been so early when I posted
It turned up in a movie called "Cold Turkey" with Dick van Dyke and Bob Newhart. Also in the Batman movie from 66 or 67 when the Seaview set had to do duty as the Penguin's submarine. I'd love to think it's just tucked away someplace. The windowed lounge at the front of the Seaview is also part of the "Desk Set" set. If you see "DS" you can even see that Irwin didn't change the location of the spiral staircase. In those days he was the "master of economy"!
According to Google, the BLW (blinky light wall) was created for 'Desk Set', used next on 'The Fly'... Is that it in 'The Invisible Boy'? Of course, 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'. The Twilight Zone? (The one with Robbie the Robot?) (The one with Wally Cox?) It had to be in some 'Lost in Space'.
Speaking of iconic Sci-Fi props...
Remember 'The Last Starfighter'? The horizontal light tubes? (Grig adjusts them.) I thought I saw them in the Gil Gerard 'Buck Rogers'. Did I see them in Airplane II? "These aren't blinking right!" (William Shatner!?)
What happened to the dance-floor of "Saturday Night Fever'?
I spent the better part of the 80s watching for those light tubes in movies! LOL I first noticed them in a Charles Band film called "Trancers" and they seemed to be a staple on just about every science fiction set afterwards. They had a regular spot on the miniseries "V" in the cargo bay. Glad to see someone else noticed them! Another major prop is the IBM Q-7 from the old USAF SAGE computer system. Once the Air Force was done with it Hollywood got hold of it and it's been turning up ever since. You can see why, it has enough blinking lights for a dozen Irwin Allen shows. Here's a link to a site that shows just a few films and shows SAGE sightings Looks like the list was updated, there used to only be a half dozen or so on there.
8 comments:
Theme song aside, Voyage is probably the most efficiently edited movie in science fiction history. Irwin took a silly story (wrote it too) with a ridiculous premise, and a bunch of non-science, but filled it with budget movie stars, great music, bright and busy sets, and rubber monsters that kept the story moving at 70 miles an hour to the finish line.
There's plenty of plot holes big enough to drive a submarine through, but unlike the movies that inspired it, "Atomic Submarine" and "It! The Terror from Beyond Space!", Voyage never bogs down in pointless backstory. The characters are all strong enough (one dimensional might be another way to describe them) for the audience to know what they are all about just by looking.
One of the best scenes is at the UN, who knew all the committee attendees showed up in their national ceremonial garb? The South Pacific members even wear aloha shirts and leis! And in true Irwin Allen fashion, the UN is just as annoying and useless as it is today.
You won't want to miss Peter Lorre's course on cigarette smoking seen throughout the film as well.
The real shining star of course is the Seaview. Say what you will about Irwin Allen and his nutty concepts of science, the big S is one beautiful boat. From her sculptured, glassed in nose, to the flowing '59 Buick fins, she still looks good to this day.
Which is one last thing and I'll go away, Voyage holds up pretty well for a movie made in 1961, it doesn't look antiquated or dated like so many "ship and crew" movies from that era.
It's a fun movie with no particular "message" unless perhaps it's that there's nothing in the world to big to solved with the proper use of atomic bombs.
That's a theme that would follow along in the later TV series, Admiral Nelson would far prefer to blow an adversary into oblivion than show him the error of his ways.
Not like that touchy-feely Captain Kirk
Ack!! "TOO" big. How did that get by me?? Darn darn darn and D'oh!!
Neil, I recommend using "to" in place of "to", "also" in place of "too" and 2 in place of "two".
Now that I look at it, I left out "be" too 2 to 2wo two also!
I wouldn't mind if I weren't such a grammar commissar.
I'd blame it on drinking if it hadn't been so early when I posted
Just saw a few minutes of the film...
I wonder where the blinky light wall is now?
I recognize it from "The Fly".
Can anyone name any other appearances?
'Time Tunnel'?
'Twilight Zone'?
"Desk Set'?
It turned up in a movie called "Cold Turkey" with Dick van Dyke and Bob Newhart.
Also in the Batman movie from 66 or 67 when the Seaview set had to do duty as the Penguin's submarine.
I'd love to think it's just tucked away someplace.
The windowed lounge at the front of the Seaview is also part of the "Desk Set" set. If you see "DS" you can even see that Irwin didn't change the location of the spiral staircase.
In those days he was the "master of economy"!
According to Google, the BLW (blinky light wall) was created for 'Desk Set', used next on 'The Fly'...
Is that it in 'The Invisible Boy'?
Of course, 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'.
The Twilight Zone?
(The one with Robbie the Robot?)
(The one with Wally Cox?)
It had to be in some 'Lost in Space'.
Speaking of iconic Sci-Fi props...
Remember 'The Last Starfighter'?
The horizontal light tubes?
(Grig adjusts them.)
I thought I saw them in the Gil Gerard 'Buck Rogers'.
Did I see them in Airplane II?
"These aren't blinking right!"
(William Shatner!?)
What happened to the dance-floor of "Saturday Night Fever'?
I spent the better part of the 80s watching for those light tubes in movies! LOL
I first noticed them in a Charles Band film called "Trancers" and they seemed to be a staple on just about every science fiction set afterwards.
They had a regular spot on the miniseries "V" in the cargo bay.
Glad to see someone else noticed them!
Another major prop is the IBM Q-7 from the old USAF SAGE computer system. Once the Air Force was done with it Hollywood got hold of it and it's been turning up ever since. You can see why, it has enough blinking lights for a dozen Irwin Allen shows.
Here's a link to a site that shows just a few films and shows
SAGE sightings
Looks like the list was updated, there used to only be a half dozen or so on there.
Post a Comment