VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA

Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (Movie)

Movie

Year: 1961

Director: Irwin Allen

US Premiere: 12 July 1961

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Plot Summary

Story set aboard an enormous atomic submarine, the U.S.O.S Seaview, with the Earth under threat from a burning radiation belt.

Cast

Walter Pidgeon - Adm. Harriman Nelson
Joan Fontaine - Dr. Susan Hiller
Barbara Eden - Lt. Cathy Connors
Peter Lorre - Commodore Lucius Emery
Robert Sterling - Captain Lee Crane
Michael Ansara - Miguel Alvarez
Frankie Avalon - Lt (J. G.) Danny Romano
Regis Toomey - Dr. Henry Jamieson
John Litel - Vice-Admiral B.J. Crawford
Howard McNear - Congressman Llewellyn Parker
Henry Daniell - Dr. Zucco
Skip Ward - Seaview Officer at UN
Mark Slade - Seaman Jimmy 'Red' Smith
Charles Tannen - Chief Crewman Gleason
Del Monroe - Kowski
Anthony Monaco - Cookie
Michael Ford - Seaview Officer
Robert Easton - Sparks
Jonathan Gilmore - George Young
Richard Adams - Crew Member
Art Baker - UN Commentator
Gary Bohn - Crew Member
Robert Buckingham - Crew Member
George Diestel - Lt. Hodges
Don Forbes - TV Commentator
Larry Gray - Dr. Newmark
William Herrin - Sonar
Kendrick Huxham - UN Chairman
David McLean - Commander Ned Thompson
James Murphy - Seaview Helmsman
Bud Garrett - Crewman
Brad Brown - Guard
Vernon Edward Rickard - Officer in Observation Nose
Rodger Terry - Guard

UN Delegates:
Al Bain - UN Delegate
Benjie Bancroft - UN Delegate
Harry Baum - UN Delegate
Michael Cirillo - UN Delegate
Harry Denny - UN Delegate
Raoul Freeman - UN Delegate
Dr. John Giovanni - Italian UN Delegate
Bhupesh Guha - UN Delegate
Esther Ying Lee - UN Delegate
Robert Locke Lorraine - UN Delegate
George Nardelli - UN Delegate
Paul Power - UN Delegate
Paul Ravel - UN Delegate
Scott Seaton - UN Delegate
Leslie Sketchley - UN Delegate
Ray Spiker - UN Delegate
Robert Strong - UN Delegate
Hal Taggart - UN Delegate

Production Crew

Irwin Allen Outside Sick Bay

Producer - Irwin Allen
Screenplay - Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett
Story - Irwin Allen
Director - Irwin Allen
Music - Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter
Director of Photography - Winton Hoch, A.S.C.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Theme Song - Russell Faith
Art Direction - Jack Martin Smith, Herman A. Blumenthal
Set Decorations - Walter M. Scott, John Sturtevant
Special Photographic Effects - L. B. Abbott, A.S.C.
Underwater Photography - John Lamb
Film Editor - George Boemler, A.C.E.
Assistant Director - Ad Schaumer
Technical Advisor - Fred Zendar
Makeup - Ben Nye
Hair Styles - Helen Turpin, C.H.S.
Costume Design - Paul Zastupnevich
Assistant to Producer - Al Gail
Sound - Alfred Bruzlin, Warren B. Delaplain
Orchestration - Max Reese
Color by De Luxe

Trivia

U.S.O.S Seaview in the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Movie (1961)

In the movie version of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), the TV commentator (Don Forbes) refers to the Seaview as the U.S.O.S. Seaview. Here is the wording in the 16 January 1961 revision of the movie script:
...and so the question of the day comes to this - will the final test on the U.S.O.S. Seaview turn it into "Nelson's Folly," or will it be another triumph of a great man...a great inventor, who, despite his odd-ball reputation may yet emerge as the predominant scientific genius of our time.
Sparks also refers to the U.S.O.S Seaview when calling Washington on the radio:
This is the U.S.O.S. Seaview. Admiral Nelson calling Bureau of Marine Exploration... Inspector Bergen!
However, on the costume patches on officers' jackets, it is referred to as the S.S. Seaview. Similarly, the original movie Seaview blueprint dated 27 October 1960 also is labelled S.S. Seaview. In the television version of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-68), Seaview layout plans displayed on walls refer to the Seaview as S.S.R.N. Seaview.
Del Monroe and Mark Slade also starred in the television series of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Anthony Monaco (Cookie) appears in the television pilot "Eleven Days to Zero" courtesy of stock footage used from this movie. He is also the only character from the movie to reprise his role in the television series of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Frankie Avalon sang the theme song which was written by Russell Faith.
There were multiple Seaview miniatures. The 18ft model (see blueprints below) was used for surface shots whilst an 8ft model was used for underwater filming. A smaller 4ft miniature sits on a shelf in Admiral Nelson's office.
Many of the sets and props made their way into the television version of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
The shark's name is Bessie.
Crane and Cathy Connors are due to marry 3 weeks after the start of the story.
Cookie's parrot is named Aggie.
What happened to David McLean? He disappears from the movie very early on and other officers (Michael Ford and Skip Ward) take on his character's scenes from the script.

4 foot Seaview model on Admiral Nelson's Desk in the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Movie (1961)

Alternative Titles

Brazil: Viagem ao Fundo do Mar
France: Voyage au Fond Des Mers
France: Le Sous-Marin de l'Apocalypse
Germany: Unternehmen Feuergürtel
Germany: Als der Weltraum zu brennen begann (alternative title)
Italy: Viaggio in Fondo al Mare
Spain: Viaje Al Fondo Del Mar

Gallery

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Movie Gallery

Behind the Scenes

Irwin Allen Behind the Scenes on the Voyage Movie

Irwin Allen filming the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea movie on 20th Century Fox back lot Sersen Lake

As we go through our archives of pictures and clippings, if we find any pictures from behind the scenes of Irwin Allen productions, we will post them in the relevant section. Above is a rare photo of Irwin Allen and Winton C. Hoch up on a crane, filming a scene on the full scale Seaview bridge set which is situated on the Sersen Lake on the 20th Century Fox backlot. Hoch must have had great balance, as he does not appear to be holding on to anything while standing on that high, yet narrow platform.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Movie - Behind the Scenes Gallery

Interesting Seaview Miniature Prop Picture

Seaview Miniature Prop with Port Side pipes

The photo of the Seaview Miniature shown above comes from the Motion Picture Exhibitor Flyer-Poster. It has pipes or hoses along the port side, to create enhanced wave effects. This is the only photo we have seen of the Seaview miniature prop with pipes connected to the side. The article that comes with the Motion Picture Exhibitor Flyer discusses the 18 foot long Seaview prop miniature.

The September 1961 issue of American Cinematographer describes the effects process:
For the scene of the sub emerging dramatically from the depths of the sea, the craft was properly positioned below water at the right trajectory for the action. By means of a trip-release and a winch with a line on the tail of the sub, the craft's natural bouyancy was accelerated for the "jump-up" effect. Within the sub model itself high-pressure water hoses were connected to ballast portholes to produce, at the proper time, the effect of water ballast issuing forth as the craft surfaces. The addition of a detergent to the water created the desired effect of foaming turbulence.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Movie - Seaview Miniature

Blueprints

TWELVE WINDOW MOVIE SEAVIEW MINIATURE BLUEPRINT

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Movie Seaview Miniature Blueprints

Collectibles

Replica Voyage Movie Patch

A new collectible patch is available based upon the original Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea movie uniform patch. The patch can be found on eBay and on the Three Inches Under patch website.

Replica Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Movie Uniform Patch

VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA MOVIE BANNER

A unique collectible went up for auction on Ebay on 6 July 2014. It is a hand sewn nylon banner that was hung below the front of the theatre for the Hollywood Premiere of the 1961 "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" movie. The banner is 18 feet long by 30 inches wide.

Voyage Movie Banner Album