CITY BENEATH THE SEA (1967) NBC UNSOLD PILOT

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• published: 30 Jun 2012
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✰ In 1967 Irwin Allen produced this network promo for NBC as a potential replacement series for Star Trek. It combines themes and plot-devices from all of Irwin Allen's previous series (specifically Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea), as well as several subtle (yet obvious) nods to Star Trek. The costumes (designed by Paul Zastupnevich) have the ribbed turtleneck-like collar similar to both of the Star Trek pilots, as well as color co-ordinated department stripes (gold, red, blue, green) - decades ahead of Rick Berman's prequel series - "Star Trek: Enterprise". ✰ Irwin's ensemble cast included Glenn Corbett (whom also played Zefram Cochrane, the founder of warp drive in Star Trek's "Metamorphosis" episode), Lawrence Montaigne (whom played Spock's rival Stonn in the episode "Amok Time") as the human/amphibian hybrid medical and science officer "Dr. Raymond Aguila", Francine York as Yeoman "Lia Holmes" (a role much like Yeoman Janice Rand on Star Trek), Norman Grabowski as "Irish" (a cousin of "Scotty" perhaps?), Cecile Ozorio as the Asian security chief "Choo-Choo" (perhaps an unintentional a nod to Trek's Sulu), James Brolin as "Wild Bill" appears to have the same firey temper as Mark Goddard's Major West on Lost In Space, and Lloyd Bochner as the ever present villain akin to Irwin Allen villains Dr. Smith on Lost In Space, and Mr. Fitzhugh on Land Of The Giants. ✰ To make this presentation appear more lavish than it actually was at a cost of next to nothing, Irwin made use of chroma-key compositing and stock-footage. ✰ When NBC declined to pick-up the series, Irwin expanded this concept into a motion picture in 1970 and recruited the majority of his stable to reprise similar roles. ✰ The cockpit of this Flying Sub (now called an "Aquafoil") is basically a modified version of the Spindrift from Irwin's Land Of The Giants (which was already in production at that time), however, when this pilot was expanded into a full-length feature, the Flying Sub/Aquafoil retained its original set design as seen in seasons 2 thru 4 of Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. ✰ The music contained in this pilot reel was stock-footage culled from a variety of sources including the 1953 film "Beneath The 12 Mile Reef", as well as Irwin's previous series "Lost In Space" and "The Time Tunnel". ✰ Here is further information pertaining to this subject: the then Vice-President of Programs at NBC Burbank Herb Schlosser requisitioned a pilot script from Irwin Allen at his Kent Productions office at 20th Century Fox in 1967 to replace Star Trek (which was originally slated to be cancelled after wrapping "Operation Annihilate") with a show that appealed to the same demographics that would score the same ratings ABC and CBS were achieving with Allen's productions. Believing Roddenberry's "a wagon train to the stars" concept was a failure, perhaps Schlosser felt the focus should be shifted to inner-space rather than outer-space so NBC could benefit from a similar success as ABC-TV's long-running "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea" then entering its fourth season. After obtaining the script entitled "And Then It Rained for Five Hundred Years" written by William Welch, Mr. Schlosser had several changes made which resulted with some of this seemingly Trek-inspired footage seen here. A massive campaign accompanied by several demonstrations saved Star Trek and IA's CBTS series was not picked-up (but ABC was interested in the Land Of The Giants, so Irwin went ahead with that instead). When Star Trek was indeed cancelled the second time in 1969, it was replaced by another 20th Century Fox production instead : Del Reisman's "Bracken's World" starring Warren Stevens. 3 years later when Land Of The Giants was not renewed for a third season by ABC in 1970, Irwin produced another City Beneath The Sea pilot (rewritten by John Meredyth Lucas). I believe this version was broadcast on the NBC Monday Night Movie January 25, 1971 (following Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), but again it failed to be picked up as a series.

CITY BENEATH THE SEA (1967) NBC UNSOLD PILOT

• Report rights infringement
• published: 30 Jun 2012
• views: 114286

✰ In 1967 Irwin Allen produced this network promo for NBC as a potential replacement series for Star Trek. It combines themes and plot-devices from all of Irwin Allen's previous series (specifically Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea), as well as several subtle (yet obvious) nods to Star Trek. The costumes (designed by Paul Zastupnevich) have the ribbed turtleneck-like collar similar to both of the Star Trek pilots, as well as color co-ordinated department stripes (gold, red, blue, green) - decades ahead of Rick Berman's prequel series - "Star Trek: Enterprise". ✰ Irwin's ensemble cast included Glenn Corbett (whom also played Zefram Cochrane, the founder of warp drive in Star Trek's "Metamorphosis" episode), Lawrence Montaigne (whom played Spock's rival Stonn in the episode "Amok Time") as the human/amphibian hybrid medical and science officer "Dr. Raymond Aguila", Francine York as Yeoman "Lia Holmes" (a role much like Yeoman Janice Rand on Star Trek), Norman Grabowski as "Irish" (a cousin of "Scotty" perhaps?), Cecile Ozorio as the Asian security chief "Choo-Choo" (perhaps an unintentional a nod to Trek's Sulu), James Brolin as "Wild Bill" appears to have the same firey temper as Mark Goddard's Major West on Lost In Space, and Lloyd Bochner as the ever present villain akin to Irwin Allen villains Dr. Smith on Lost In Space, and Mr. Fitzhugh on Land Of The Giants. ✰ To make this presentation appear more lavish than it actually was at a cost of next to nothing, Irwin made use of chroma-key compositing and stock-footage. ✰ When NBC declined to pick-up the series, Irwin expanded this concept into a motion picture in 1970 and recruited the majority of his stable to reprise similar roles. ✰ The cockpit of this Flying Sub (now called an "Aquafoil") is basically a modified version of the Spindrift from Irwin's Land Of The Giants (which was already in production at that time), however, when this pilot was expanded into a full-length feature, the Flying Sub/Aquafoil retained its original set design as seen in seasons 2 thru 4 of Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. ✰ The music contained in this pilot reel was stock-footage culled from a variety of sources including the 1953 film "Beneath The 12 Mile Reef", as well as Irwin's previous series "Lost In Space" and "The Time Tunnel". ✰ Here is further information pertaining to this subject: the then Vice-President of Programs at NBC Burbank Herb Schlosser requisitioned a pilot script from Irwin Allen at his Kent Productions office at 20th Century Fox in 1967 to replace Star Trek (which was originally slated to be cancelled after wrapping "Operation Annihilate") with a show that appealed to the same demographics that would score the same ratings ABC and CBS were achieving with Allen's productions. Believing Roddenberry's "a wagon train to the stars" concept was a failure, perhaps Schlosser felt the focus should be shifted to inner-space rather than outer-space so NBC could benefit from a similar success as ABC-TV's long-running "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea" then entering its fourth season. After obtaining the script entitled "And Then It Rained for Five Hundred Years" written by William Welch, Mr. Schlosser had several changes made which resulted with some of this seemingly Trek-inspired footage seen here. A massive campaign accompanied by several demonstrations saved Star Trek and IA's CBTS series was not picked-up (but ABC was interested in the Land Of The Giants, so Irwin went ahead with that instead). When Star Trek was indeed cancelled the second time in 1969, it was replaced by another 20th Century Fox production instead : Del Reisman's "Bracken's World" starring Warren Stevens. 3 years later when Land Of The Giants was not renewed for a third season by ABC in 1970, Irwin produced another City Beneath The Sea pilot (rewritten by John Meredyth Lucas). I believe this version was broadcast on the NBC Monday Night Movie January 25, 1971 (following Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), but again it failed to be picked up as a series.