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CHRISTIAN JUTTNER
We have just learned through the Hollywood Reporter that Christian Juttner (Paul Durant in The Swarm) has died of natural causes at the age of 60 on 29 November 2024. Christian appeared in several well-known television shows and movies during his ten year acting career which began at the age of 7. His list of credits includes Bewitched, Ironside, The Bionic Woman, and Wonder Woman.
THE TOWERING INFERNO 50th ANNIVERSARY
Monday 16th December 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the World Premiere of Irwin Allen's blockbuster movie The Towering Inferno. The premiere was held at the Avco Center Cinema in Westwood, Los Angeles on Monday 16th December 1974. Before the premiere, regular Irwin Allen stuntman Orwin C. Harvey performed a daring stunt, being set on fire, and leaping off the Avco Cinema Center roof. A Premiere dinner was held that evening at the Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
The Towering Inferno Red Carpet TV Coverage hosted by Dick Strout, Ruta Lee, and Bill Welsh
Towering Inferno stuntman Orwin C. Harvey
The New York Premiere was held at the National Theatre on Broadway on Wednesday 18th December 1974 followed by a supper party with 500 attendees at the Four Seasons Restaurant, hosted by Twentieth Century Fox chairman, Dennis Stanfill. The premiere beneficiary was the New York Diabetes Association. Stuntman Orwin Harvey again performed a stunt jumping off the roof of the National Theatre.
The San Francisco Premiere for The Towering Inferno was held at two locations, the Parkside Theatre and the Alexandria Theatre, on Thursday 19th December 1974. The West Coast Benefit Premiere was held in honour of the FLAME youth program sponsored by the San Francisco Fire Department. The photo above shows two fire engines holding up the banner that would be placed on the front of the Alexandria Theatre. There was a display and demonstrations of fire department equipment by the San Francisco Fire Department at the premiere. Note that many San Francisco firemen and residents appeared in the movie itself.
Crowds outside the Parkside Theatre for the Premiere of The Towering Inferno on 19th December 1974
Irwin Allen receiving an award at the San Francisco Premiere of The Towering Inferno
Guests arriving at the Alexandria Theatre for the Premiere of The Towering Inferno on 19th December 1974
A post-Premiere dinner was held at the San Francisco Mark Hopkins Inter-Continental Hotel with 300 attendees including Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, and Richard Chamberlain. The photo above shows San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto presenting Irwin Allen with an honorary fire helmet from the San Francisco Fire Department.
The Gala European Premiere of The Towering Inferno was held in London at the Warner West End Cinema (near Leicester Square) on 29th January 1975. Irwin and Sheila Allen flew over for the event, accompanied by Paul Zastupnevich. Paul often joked that he went with Irwin and Sheila on their honeymoon. Here is a very special and historic colour British Movietone film showing Irwin, Sheila, and Paul's arrival at Heathrow and their attendance at the London premiere.
FANTASY WORLDS OF IRWIN ALLEN - 2024 BOOK RE-RELEASE
Great news for Irwin Allen fans, especially those who weren't able to afford or get hold of the original The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen by Jeff Bond. The cost of shipping such a substantial book overseas will have been prohibative for many. This amazing book has been re-published with a fresh cover design and a lower price point by Titan Books and is available now in both the US and UK.
ANIMAL WORLD GALLERY
We are gradually going through our memorabilia collection, much of which has been stored away for decades, and will be adding to individual movie and TV galleries. Here is the gallery for one of Irwin Allen's earliest movies, The Animal World.
HERITAGE AUCTIONS - 16 MAY 2024
A number of Irwin Allen related collectibles featured in the latest auction from Heritage Auctions on Thursday 16 May 2024. Heritage Auctions - 2024 May 16 Hollywood/Entertainment Showcase Auction #41187 included several toys, books, and posters.
INFINITY #71 - THE TOWERING INFERNO 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Infinity Magazine #71 features a beautiful 6 page article to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of The Towering Inferno and also includes a double, centre page poster. The magazine is available in both print and digital format.
HERITAGE AUCTIONS - THE GREG JEIN COLLECTION 29 MARCH 2024
Held on 29th March 2024 was the The Greg Jein Collection Hollywood/Entertainment Showcase Auction #41185 which included some further Irwin Allen props and scripts.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Artist Gordon Foulds has kindly put together the following art for our Christmas 2023 calendar postcard. We would like to take this opportunity to wish all visitors a very Merry Christmas and a happy and hopeful new year.
IRWIN ALLEN: MASTER OF DISASTER COLLECTION
Released on 12th September 2023 (in the US) was the blu-ray set Irwin Allen: Master of Disaster Collection featuring 7 television and theatrical release movies. The set featured the following movies: The Poseidon Adventure, When Time Ran Out, Fire, Flood, Cave-In, Hanging by a Thread, and The Night the Bridge Fell Down.
Available on Amazon US (#ad)
Available on Amazon UK (#ad)
HERITAGE AUCTIONS - THE IRWIN ALLEN COLLECTION 29 JULY 2023
July 2023 brought us an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime, opportunity to bid on a vast collection of original Irwin Allen props, paintings, drawings, and collectibles. The Heritage Auctions - Irwin Allen Collection auction took place in session 5 of the 3 day Hollywood/Entertainment Signature® Auction #7351 from 27 to 29 July 2023. Click here for the press release from Heritage Auctions (HA.com).
Winning bids ranged from $625 to $350,000 (including buyer's premiums of 25%). The top 5 purchase prices (including buyer's premium) were for the following items:
- Original John Berkey Final Poster Artwork for The Towering Inferno, sold for $350,000
- The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen Robot built by Greg Jein, sold for $237,500
- Original Hero B-9 Robot Walkable "Bermudas", sold for $212,500
- Guy Williams "John Robinson" Season 1 Tunic, sold for $200,000
- Bill Mumy "Will Robinson" Season 1 Costume Ensemble, sold for $187,500
ORIGINAL POSTER ARTWORK FOR TOWERING INFERNO
Bidding on the original final poster artwork by John Berkey for The Towering Inferno has already exceeded over $200,000. The original art pieces in the Irwin Allen Collection are not only attracting Irwin Allen fans, but also art connoisseurs who will see these works of art as great investments. Original props and costumes are also drawing the attention of investors as illustrated by recent sale prices.
HERITAGE AUCTIONS - IRWIN ALLEN COLLECTION CATALOG
Here is the cover of the catalog for the Heritage Auctions Irwin Allen Collection featuring the final poster artwork by John Berkey for The Towering Inferno. This packed catalog is a collectible in itself.
BARBARA HERSHEY - CHILLER THEATRE APRIL 2023
Barbara Hershey, star of Irwin Allen's Flood, was a guest at the 28-30 April 2023 Chiller Theatre Expo in New Jersey.
STELLA STEVENS
Very sad news from the Irwin Allen universe. Star of The Poseidon Adventure, Stella Stevens, passed away on Friday 17th February 2023 at the age of 84. She will long be remembered for her feisty role as Linda Rogo in The Poseidon Adventure. Her son, Andrew Stevens, also starred in an Irwin Allen production, namely the 1981 TV series Code Red.
ADAM RICH
So sad to learn of the death of former child star Adam Rich who starred in Irwin Allen's Code Red on 7th January 2023 at just 54. He appeared alongside Andrew Stevens and Sam J. Jones in the 1981 series for one season. He became a household name in the series Eight is Enough.
Tributes
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Merry Christmas 2022 from everyone at the Irwin Allen News Network and Giants Log. Here is our festive card for 2022, drawn by the talented artist G. Foulds who had done some amazing cartoons for us over the past 30+ years.
THE FANTASY WORLDS OF IRWIN ALLEN BY JEFF BOND
The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen by Jeff Bond with foreword by Lost in Space star Bill Mumy is the ultimate Irwin Allen coffee table book. This beautifully presented hardback book runs at 600 colour pages with many never before seen photos, storyboards and blueprints.
The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen covers all of Irwin Allen's productions with chapters dedicated to each of the hugely popular sci-fi series. Through this book, we gain knowledge on the production of both the early movies and the later disaster movies, culminating in a final chapter which illustrates how the productions continue thrive for new generations including the exciting Netflix Lost in Space.
THREE VOLUME SET OF BOOKS BY MARC CUSHMAN
All three volumes of Marc Cushman's Irwin Allen's Lost in Space: The Authorized Biography of a Classic Sci-Fi Series are now available. This trilogy explores the history of Lost in Space through research and interviews and includes many never seen before photographs. Reading through the chapters will give you a greater understanding on how television classics like this were produced.
This will be the ultimate reference source for anyone studying the series. Marc has kindly provided a chapter for you to read here at IANN covering the pilot episode The Reluctant Stowaway.
IRWIN ALLEN'S LOST IN SPACE, VOLUME 1, Chapter 10 (PDF 2.5MB)
Marc Cushman has also written a three volume series of books researching Star Trek.
All three volumes are available direct from the publishers Jacobs Brown Press or on Amazon.com (#ad).
RED EYE SCI-FI
Land of the Giants, The Time Tunnel, Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea are all now being broadcast on US television after midnight on Sunday mornings on the MeTV network. Enjoy the MeTV trailer above.
COMMEMORATING IRWIN ALLEN'S 100TH BIRTHDAY
12th June 2016 marks the 100th birthday of Irwin Allen, the "Master of Disaster", and all round king of science fiction and movie making. It's amazing to think that he was already in his fifties when busy making his quartet of science fiction shows in the mid to late sixties and this shows us all how much can be achieved even in our later years. He has inspired many movie makers who followed in the decades since, and his name and productions are often referred to and compared with when critiquing current day producers' work. That influence shows no sign of abating as we commemorate Irwin Allen's 100th birthday. We are working on a number of projects in the coming months and years to help keep his body of work in the public eye well into his second hundred years and beyond. Your input to these projects is a vital and a most welcome contribution to ensuring his legacy for the future. Please feel free to share your Irwin Allen creations, collections, and research any time via our contact page.
IRWIN ALLEN 100TH BIRTHDAY ART
The above artwork has been designed by A. Dutto to commemorate the 100th birthday of Irwin Allen.
SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR IRWIN'S 100th BIRTHDAY
Restoring the Gemini 12 video featuring Paul Lubliner, Andre Dhont, and Mark Myers, and produced and edited by Mike Clark.
30 Greatest Disaster Movies
Channel 5's 30 Greatest Disaster Movies (UK Channel 5, 10-11.30pm, Sunday 20th September 2015) featured three Irwin Allen disaster movies, namely The Swarm, The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. During the broadcast, Irwin Allen was referred to as "the daddy of disaster movies in the 1970s" and of course "the Master of Disaster".
Surprisingly, the list also featured several zombie and science fiction movies, possibly due to the fact that it was broadcast during an "End of the World" weekend on Channel 5 (even Celebrity Big Brother got involved in the theme). By including such movies in the genre, some older classic disaster features were omitted from the list including more vintage movies like The Rains Came and San Francisco. Hopefully, some day a list of the greatest "possible" disaster movies will be compiled, limited to real-world disasters (albeit with some added drama that all good movies need).
The list was compiled by a number of film critics and based upon US Box Office success (adjusted for inflation). In current day monetary terms, both The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno receipts exceed $500,000,000.
LOST IN SPACE BLU-RAY
Fantastic Blu-Ray box set of the complete Lost in Space series in high definition with bundles of extras, many never seen before including stunning photo galleries and special effects videos. Released on Tuesday 15th September 2015 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the premiere episode broadcast in 1965. Region Free and plays perfectly on US and UK players. Available with two different outer boxes, one with smooth surface and one limited edition version with molded embossed Robot graphic, at FoxConnect.com and Amazon.com (#ad).
METALUNA MODELS SPINDRIFT CRASH SITE DIORAMA KIT
A new resin diorama kit by Metaluna Models for displaying the Moebius Models Spindrift is now available at FabGearUSA.
Paint, glue and Moebius Models #255 Spindrift not included. The Moebius Models Spindrift kit is available separately at fabgearusa.com.
PAUL ZASTUPNEVICH PRODUCTION ART GALLERY
A new gallery called The Production Art Gallery has opened online and is the "world's first art gallery dedicated solely to original film and TV art". Included in their immense portfolio are many pieces of original Paul Zastupnevich costume art, which are available for sale. Click on the image or link below to visit the Paul Zastupnevich Production Art Gallery.
IRWIN ALLEN GALLERY
We have built a new structured and searchable Irwin Allen Gallery with lots of different bits and pieces on anything and everything related to the Irwin Allen productions. It includes new showcases of the work of the talented and creative fans, without whom there would not be many new things in the Irwin Allen universe to enjoy. If you would like your work and collections showcased here, you are welcome to send material via the Email link in the IANN contact page.
IRWIN ALLEN BLOG
We have set up a new blog for general chat, all the little bits of information we come across, and to highlight the latest news in the Irwin Allen worlds.
Click here or on the image above to visit the Irwin Allen Calendar and Events Diary. If you are holding an event featuring any of the Irwin Allen cast or crew members or releasing any licensed Irwin Allen products, feel free to contact us with full dates, details, reference web sites etc, and we will add the event to the diary.
Moebius Models produced some fantastic new Irwin Allen model kits, including their 1/24th scale model kit of the Lost in Space® Space Pod which includes an opening door and the Lost in Space® Chariot which is also in 1/24th scale kit form and also includes a 1/24th scale B-9 Robot. Visit the Lost in Space Collectibles page for more on the Moebius Models.
Time Tunnel Computer Model
David Kleve has created an amazing 3D computer model of the Time Tunnel. Click here or on image below to explore the Time Tunnel model.
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This website is a tribute to Irwin Allen, the performers, the production crews, and the studios who made the television shows and movies a reality. It is also a tribute to all the people who help to keep these productions alive for future generations.
