A group of scientists recruit a doctor to go BACK IN TIME to see if they can locate a lost cure for a rare disease that has reoccured after nearly a century, and threatens to become an epidemic. As expected, problems arise when the 2 men arrive in the wrong location, and several days later than planned-- AND, the doctor whose notes they desperately hope to find, has NO IDEA how his patients are managing to stay alive!
In between 2 of his big-budget, all-star "disaster" epics, Irwin Allen decided to take another stab at a time travel series. He'd previously tried to do a variation on "VOYAGE" with "CITY BENEATH THE SEA" (1971), and soon after would do a down-to-earth variation on "LOST IN SPACE" with his "SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON" tv series that ran from 1975-76. But legalities got in the way. The story was based on an unpublished novel, "A Time To Live" by Charles William Byrd (written in the late 1950s). But somehow, Rod Serling wound up writing a story so similar to it that a lawsuit erupted that kept the film from being broadcast for 2 years, and by the time it aired, any momentum of doing a series was already gone. (I'm reminded of how Herman Miller wrote a pilot for a series about a southwestern cop in New York City, "Ben Coogan", which got turned into a feature film instead. But then 2 years later, Glen Larson did the pilot for "McCLOUD", Miller sued, and in every subsequent episode, a credit read "created by Herman Miller", even though he never worked on the show! Seems to me there was the potential for a lawsuit over "LOST IN SPACE" in connection with Gold Key's earlier comic-book series, "Space Family Robinson"... Hollywood, huh?)
This is a very nice-looking, level-headed, intelligent project to be coming from Irwin Allen, who tended to stress "spectacle" and "schlock" more than good writing. But re-watching it today, for the first time in 47 years (!!!), I found it looked and felt just too much like your average "1970s" tv-movie. In other words, DULL as dirt, and somehow feeling CHEAP. I was betting most of the budget went into the costumes. I read the Old Chicago set was built for "HELLO, DOLLY" (1969)-- Allen, like Roger Corman, was a master of recycling. The Chicago fire footage came from "IN OLD CHICAGO" (1938)-- the entire run of Allen's "THE TIME TUNNEL" included stock footage from existing epic feature films. The "Stairway Into Time" was an idea swiped outright from 1970 episodes of Dan Curtis' "DARK SHADOWS" (though it looked a lot more modern), while the computer banks were the same NASA surplus equipment also seen in "VOYAGE", "LIS" and "TIME TUNNEL".
I'd say the best part of this was the cast. Heading things off was Sam Groom as "Dr. Clint Earnshaw". Apart from 5 episodes of "THE TIME TUNNEL" (I thought it was more than that), he also starred in 95 episodes of "DR. SIMON LOCKE", known in America as "POLICE SURGEON"! So you would have had trouble finding any actor more perfectly-suited to playing a TIME-TRAVELLING DOCTOR!
Tom Hallick is "Jeff Adams", who quit the astronaut training program and found the idea of traveling through history more exciting. I've only seen him in a few things, but one of them was Allen's "THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN NEMO" (1978), another variation on "VOYAGE" that is near-unwatchable.
Francine York is "Dr. Helen Sanders", this story's version of "Dr. Ann MacGregor" (Lee Meriweather). York seemed perpetually typecast as extremely-intelligent woman, which coupled with her stunning looks make for one very attractive lady.
Booth Colman is "Dr. Amos Cummings", this story's version of "Dr. Raymond Swain" (John Zaremba), except he seems to have a better idea what he's doing with his time machine than the old "TT" crew ever did. Another actor I've only seen in a few things, I most remember him as "Pat Chambers" in the unsold pilot-turned-feature, "MY GUN IS QUICK" (1957).
Walter Brooke is "Dr. Stafford", who seems less this story's "General Kirk" (Whit Bissell) than Federal Government contact. Among his long resume, I'd bet most will remember him as "District Attourney Frank Scanlon" from "THE GREEN HORNET" (1966-67).
Stealing the movie is Richard Basehart as "Dr. Joshua Henderson", the 1871 physician who's as baffled by the mystery illness as the 2 men from the future. Basehart gets to be a lot crankier than he usually was during his 4 seasons on "VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA".
Dort Clark has a small part as "Sharkey" (no, not "Chief Sharkey"), a drunken sailor infected by the disease. A very familiar face for me, I mainly know him from "THE MONKEES", where he played cops in 3 episodes.
I'm really glad this was included as an extra on the last disc of "THE TIME TUNNEL" set, but I can't imagine being in too much of a hurry to watch it again. As back in 1976, watching it now, I just kept wishing it were better than it is. One thing's for sure, this has to be the STRANGEST "doctor" show I've seen outside of "THE FUGITIVE".
In between 2 of his big-budget, all-star "disaster" epics, Irwin Allen decided to take another stab at a time travel series. He'd previously tried to do a variation on "VOYAGE" with "CITY BENEATH THE SEA" (1971), and soon after would do a down-to-earth variation on "LOST IN SPACE" with his "SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON" tv series that ran from 1975-76. But legalities got in the way. The story was based on an unpublished novel, "A Time To Live" by Charles William Byrd (written in the late 1950s). But somehow, Rod Serling wound up writing a story so similar to it that a lawsuit erupted that kept the film from being broadcast for 2 years, and by the time it aired, any momentum of doing a series was already gone. (I'm reminded of how Herman Miller wrote a pilot for a series about a southwestern cop in New York City, "Ben Coogan", which got turned into a feature film instead. But then 2 years later, Glen Larson did the pilot for "McCLOUD", Miller sued, and in every subsequent episode, a credit read "created by Herman Miller", even though he never worked on the show! Seems to me there was the potential for a lawsuit over "LOST IN SPACE" in connection with Gold Key's earlier comic-book series, "Space Family Robinson"... Hollywood, huh?)
This is a very nice-looking, level-headed, intelligent project to be coming from Irwin Allen, who tended to stress "spectacle" and "schlock" more than good writing. But re-watching it today, for the first time in 47 years (!!!), I found it looked and felt just too much like your average "1970s" tv-movie. In other words, DULL as dirt, and somehow feeling CHEAP. I was betting most of the budget went into the costumes. I read the Old Chicago set was built for "HELLO, DOLLY" (1969)-- Allen, like Roger Corman, was a master of recycling. The Chicago fire footage came from "IN OLD CHICAGO" (1938)-- the entire run of Allen's "THE TIME TUNNEL" included stock footage from existing epic feature films. The "Stairway Into Time" was an idea swiped outright from 1970 episodes of Dan Curtis' "DARK SHADOWS" (though it looked a lot more modern), while the computer banks were the same NASA surplus equipment also seen in "VOYAGE", "LIS" and "TIME TUNNEL".
I'd say the best part of this was the cast. Heading things off was Sam Groom as "Dr. Clint Earnshaw". Apart from 5 episodes of "THE TIME TUNNEL" (I thought it was more than that), he also starred in 95 episodes of "DR. SIMON LOCKE", known in America as "POLICE SURGEON"! So you would have had trouble finding any actor more perfectly-suited to playing a TIME-TRAVELLING DOCTOR!
Tom Hallick is "Jeff Adams", who quit the astronaut training program and found the idea of traveling through history more exciting. I've only seen him in a few things, but one of them was Allen's "THE RETURN OF CAPTAIN NEMO" (1978), another variation on "VOYAGE" that is near-unwatchable.
Francine York is "Dr. Helen Sanders", this story's version of "Dr. Ann MacGregor" (Lee Meriweather). York seemed perpetually typecast as extremely-intelligent woman, which coupled with her stunning looks make for one very attractive lady.
Booth Colman is "Dr. Amos Cummings", this story's version of "Dr. Raymond Swain" (John Zaremba), except he seems to have a better idea what he's doing with his time machine than the old "TT" crew ever did. Another actor I've only seen in a few things, I most remember him as "Pat Chambers" in the unsold pilot-turned-feature, "MY GUN IS QUICK" (1957).
Walter Brooke is "Dr. Stafford", who seems less this story's "General Kirk" (Whit Bissell) than Federal Government contact. Among his long resume, I'd bet most will remember him as "District Attourney Frank Scanlon" from "THE GREEN HORNET" (1966-67).
Stealing the movie is Richard Basehart as "Dr. Joshua Henderson", the 1871 physician who's as baffled by the mystery illness as the 2 men from the future. Basehart gets to be a lot crankier than he usually was during his 4 seasons on "VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA".
Dort Clark has a small part as "Sharkey" (no, not "Chief Sharkey"), a drunken sailor infected by the disease. A very familiar face for me, I mainly know him from "THE MONKEES", where he played cops in 3 episodes.
I'm really glad this was included as an extra on the last disc of "THE TIME TUNNEL" set, but I can't imagine being in too much of a hurry to watch it again. As back in 1976, watching it now, I just kept wishing it were better than it is. One thing's for sure, this has to be the STRANGEST "doctor" show I've seen outside of "THE FUGITIVE".