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It's astonishing how many gorillas turned up on "Gilligan's Island." Gorillas are native to central, Western, and Eastern Africa, so it would be highly unlikely that one would organically find its way to the South Pacific, where Gilligan's Island is likely located. Gorillas, however, were common fodder for 1960s comedy writers, and they were employed frequently. Or rather, actors in gorilla costumes were employed frequently, and created an absurd subset of ape tropes that we, as a culture, still haven't fully and philosophically unpacked. 

Apes were featured heavily in the "Gilligan's Island" episodes "Diamonds Are an Ape's Best Friend", "Beauty Is as Beauty Does" (September 23), "The Chain of Command" (December 2), "Forward March", and "Our Vines Have Tender Apes". It was a profuse plethora of primate pransktership. 

In all of the above cases, the apes were played by prolific Hollywood stuntman Janos Prohaska,...

When Academy Award winner Akiva Goldsman isn't thinking about the ongoing battle of the making of Constantine 2 or the epic follow-up to I Am Legend's alternate ending, the acclaimed writer and director has had his mind on the world of legendary '60s sci-fi. Irwin Allen was behind the eclectic retro-futuristic shows like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Land of Giants, and The Time Tunnel, which happen to be the three shows that Legendary Television has hired Goldsman to recreate for a modern audience.

While it may sound odd that the same visionary writer that brought fans both the moving drama Cinderella Man and the goofy comic book film Batman Forever is now working on a re-imagined retro sci-fi TV universe, Goldsman has always had a diverse portfolio. He has worked on a variety of projects, like the Best Picture winner A Beautiful Mindand the hit...

Get ready to see more of Irwin Allen’s work on the small screen. According to Deadline, Legendary Television is working with Akiva Goldsman to develop three reboots of classic ABC television series based on The Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. All three shows aired on the network during the 1960s.

Read More…...

Prepare to get lost in the swirling maze of past and future ages: a trio of classic science fiction TV series are being revived as part of a new shared universe. The cult classic 1960s series The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Land of the Giants are in development at Legendary Television. Deadline reports that Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman is spearheading the project.

Legendary Television is teaming up with Oscar-winning writer and producer Akiva Goldsman to bring new life to three classic Irwin Allen sci-fi series. Goldsman, known for his work on A Beautiful Mind and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, is set to reimagine Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Land of the Giants, and The Time Tunnel.

The goal is to modernize these iconic shows while staying true to their original appeal. Jon Jashni will serve as executive producer, with Derek Thielges co-producing.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea originally aired from 1964 to 1968 and followed a nuclear submarine on thrilling underwater adventures. The Time Tunnel, which ran for one season in 1966, was about two scientists lost in time. Land of the Giants, airing from 1968 to 1970, told the story of a spaceship crew stranded on a planet where everything was oversized.

Goldsman has a history of reviving beloved franchises, having...

Back in the 1960s, Irwin Allen created and produced the popular sci-fi TV series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants. Now, Deadline has broken the news that Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind), who recently co-created the shows Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, is teaming with Legendary Television for re-imaginings of three of those Allen shows: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants.

Deadline’s sources tell them that Goldsman and Legendary Television are crafting a unified vision for these stories, bringing modern sensibilities to their timeless appeal, and expanding upon his success in revitalizing the Star Trek universe. Jon Jashni serves as executive producer, guiding this effort to reintroduce these popular franchises to a new generation, with Derek Thielges co-producing.

Based on a 1961 film that Allen produced,...

The work of legendary film producer Irwin Allen is getting a second shot at life with a planned series of modern reboots from Legendary Television, Deadline reports this afternoon.

Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman is on board to resurrect the classic science fiction TV shows Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Land of the Giants, and The Time Tunnel.

Deadline notes in today’s exclusive report, “Goldsman and Legendary Television are crafting a unified vision for these stories, bringing modern sensibilities to their timeless appeal, and expanding upon his success in revitalizing the Star Trek universe.”

“Jon Jashni serves as executive producer, guiding this effort to reintroduce these popular franchises to a new generation, with Derek Thielges co-producing,” the report continues.

In Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-1968), “The submarine Seaview is commissioned to investigate the mysteries of the seas. Usually it finds more problems than answers.”

In...

Exclusive: Akiva Goldsman is developing a new Universe at Legendary Television featuring three reimagined Irwin Allen sci-fi TV series. The Oscar-winning writer, producer and director will draw inspiration for the new TV shows from Allen’s catalog and focus on revitalizing Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Land of the Giants and The Time Tunnel.

Goldsman and Legendary Television are crafting a unified vision for these stories, bringing modern sensibilities to their appeal and expanding upon his success in revitalizing the Star Trek universe.

Jon Jashni serves as executive producer, guiding the effort to reintroduce these popular franchises to a new generation, with Derek Thielges co-producing.

Created by Allen, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea premiered in 1964 on ABC based on the 1961 film co-written by Allen and Charles Bennett. It ran for four seasons starring Richard Basehart as Admiral Harriman “Harry” Nelson in the leading role, as well as David Hedison,...

Exclusive: In another reminder of the challenging climate for UK scripted producers, Watford & Essex has filed for closure after its joint-venture deal with Legendary Entertainment was not renewed.

The drama company was founded alongside Legendary in 2020 by Emma Frost and Matthew Graham, showrunners of Starz series The Spanish Princess, but did not have a greenlit series announced during its five years of trading.

Legendary ended its joint-venture agreement with Watford & Essex last year and the producer has in recent days appointed financial services firm Cork Gully to oversee a liquidation process.

Legendary, the U.S. studio behind series including Dune: Prophecy, declined to comment. Reps for Frost and Graham have been contacted for comment.

When Watford & Essex announced its arrival in 2020, the producer said it was in development on 10 projects, including a remake of ABC’s 1960s TV series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea.

Watford & Essex also...

Throughout the 1970s, audiences couldn’t get enough of disaster movies. The decade began with the all-star blockbuster bomb-on-a-plane thrill ride Airport, based on Arthur Hailey’s best-seller. Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Maureen Stapleton, Van Heflin, Jean Seberg, and Jacqueline Bisset headlined Airport, which became the second-biggest box-office hit of the year and earned nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and winning Best Supporting Actress for Hayes. Airport also established the template for subsequent movies: trapping all-star casts on a plane, a ship, or a high-rise.

SEEFred Astaire movies: 20 greatest films ranked worst to best

Producer-director-writer Irwin Allen took disaster movies to the next level — so much so he was dubbed “The Master of Disaster.” Allen, who enjoyed great success on the small screen in the 1960s with the series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, and Lost in Space, brought his disaster savvy to the...

Actor and singer James Darren, known in part for his role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, has passed away. He was 88 years old.

Per Variety, Darren died on Monday at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California. According to his son, Jim Moret, Darren was being treated in the cardiac unit. While specific details about his hospitalization weren't shared, Darren was said to have expressed his love for his family before he passed.

Of his former teen idol father, Moret said, "He was a good man. He was very talented. He was forever young.

Darren was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 8, 1936. After taking an interest in acting, Darren caught a break when he was noticed by Screen Gems casting director Joyce Selznick. This led to Darren signing a contract with Columbia in 1956, and he made his feature film debut that year with a role in Rumble on the Docks...

101 Films presents gruesome exploitation shocker Mansion Of The Doomed (1976), available in the UK for the very first time. This limited-edition release includes a brand-new documentary on producer Charles Band’s Full Moon Features, an interview with editor Harry Keramidas, artwork from the original UK ‘video nasty’ release and a booklet featuring brand new essays on the film.

Seized and confiscated under the Obscene Publications Act in the UK during the Video Nasty panic of the 1980s, Mansion Of The Doomed (aka The Eyes of Doctor Chaney & House of Blood and known variously as The Terror of Doctor Chaney and Massacre Mansion in the UK) was the first horror film from Charles Band’s Full Moon Features, the legendary B-movie studio that endeavoured to create low-budget horror, sci-fi, and fantasy films while retaining a somewhat “big-budget” feel, which led to the creation of cult classics like Trancers, Puppet Master and Demonic Toys.

Charles Dierkop, best known for his roles in The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Police Woman, died Sunday at a Sherman Oaks Hospital. He was 87.

He reportedly suffered from a heart attack and a case of pneumonia.

The Wisconsin-born character actor got his start in an uncredited role opposite Paul Newman in The Hustler. He reunited with him as Flat Nose Curry in the 1969 flick Butch Cassidy and as a bodyguard in the Best Picture Oscar-winning 1973 movie The Sting.

He found steady work in TV, with roles in episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., Mannix, Kung Fu, The F.B.I., The Andy Griffith Show, Star Trek, Batman, Adam-12, It Takes a Thief, Love, American Style and Mission: Impossible.

Dierkop played Detective Pete Royston from 1974-78 as a series regular opposite Angie Dickinson on NBC’s Police Woman, a spinoff of Police Story.

Herman Rush, a veteran television producer best known for licensing Till Death Us Do Part, the UK sitcom that Norman Lear turned into All in the Family, died Dec. 12 at 94 of natural causes in Los Angeles, according to several news reports.

Rush began his career in 1951, working in sales for Official Film. He later purchased Flamingo Films, a television syndication firm, growing it into a major independent syndication company.

Up into the 1970s, Rush was with Creative Management Associates as the president of the television division, playing a role in the agency’s entry into television packaging. Some of the shows he was placed on networks included The Perry Como Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, The Kraft Music Hall and The Hollywood Palace.

H also represented producer Irwin Allen for TV hits Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants.

Herman Rush, who produced several television shows and was the former president of Columbia Pictures Television, has died. He was 94.

Rush died on Dec. 12 of natural causes in Los Angeles, his daughter Mandie told The Hollywood Reporter.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1929, Rush grew up in a show-business family, with his uncle Manie Sacks being Frank Sinatra’s first manager.

In 1951, Rush began his career in television, working first as a salesman for Official Film before moving up to several different leadership positions. He later purchased Flamingo Films, a television syndication firm, in 1957 and turned it into a major independent syndication company.

Throughout the ’60s and early ’70s, he was with Creative Management Associates as the president of the television division. He also worked for CMA’s predecessor organization, General Artists Corporation, now known as International Creative Management, and played a huge role in the agency’s entry into television packaging.

Click here to read the full article.

Sara Shane, who starred opposite Gordon Scott in Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure and appeared alongside Clark Gable in The King and Four Queens, has died. She was 94.

Shane died July 31 on the Gold Coast of Australia, her family announced.

Shane also starred with Kathleen Hughes and Marla English in the melodrama Three Bad Sisters (1956) and had the female lead in Affair in Havana (1957), featuring John Cassavetes and Raymond Burr.

With the Jane character absent in the John Guillermin-directed Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure (1959), Shane stepped in to portray Angie Loring, an American model and pilot who meets up with the King of the Jungle in Africa. The film was Scott’s fourth as Tarzan.

And in The King and Four Queens (1956), helmed by Raoul Walsh, Shane played Oralie McDade, one of four young widows — Eleanor Parker, Jean Willes and Barbara Nichols are the others — who...

Stingray: The Complete Series Deluxe Edition

Blu ray

Network

1964, 1965 / 1.33:1 / 975 Min.

Starring Ray Barrett, Robert Easton, David Graham, Don Mason, Lois Maxwell

Written by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson

Directed by Alan Pattillo, David Elliott, John Kelly, Desmond Saunders

If nothing else, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Stingray should be celebrated for inspiring Team America: World Police, the gonzo marionettes-on-the-make political satire from South Park agitators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. If their 2004 farce was designed to provoke just about everybody, Stingray was also pretty out there, albeit in a trippy, Summer of Love kind of way. An aquatic puppet show swimming in psychedelic color, languid pacing, and underwater scenes apparently filmed inside a lava lamp, Stingray reflected the inveterate stoner’s mindset better than anything in Yellow Submarine. The entire series has just been released in an extravagant five disc box set from Network, Stingray: The Complete Series Deluxe Edition,...

Hello, dear readers! We’re back with a brand-new batch of horror and sci-fi home media releases that will be out this Tuesday. One of my favorite films of 2021, Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections is being released on various formats this week, and two other great 2021 releases—Agnes and Silent—are headed to both Blu-ray and DVD as well. Dario Argento’s Phenomena is getting the 4K treatment courtesy of the fine fiends over at Synapse Films, and Full Moon is showing some love to a pair of cult films—Island of the Fishmen and Mansion of the Doomed—that fans will undoubtedly want to check out.

Other genre home media releases for March 8th include Monster From Green Hell: Special Edition, 13 Fanboy, The Legend of La Llorona, Video Psycho, Night of Doom, and the final season of The Walking Dead: World Beyond.

Agnes

Inside a quaint convent,...

Orven Schanzer, a film editor whose career in the entertainment industry spanned 45 years, died in Los Angeles on Jan. 5, 2022 of respiratory arrest. He was 97 years old.

Born Oct. 13, 1924 in Kansas City, Kan., Schanzer served in World War II before beginning a career in film on the post-production side at 20th Century Fox in Jan. 1947.

Schanzer broke out of the Fox mailroom by working for three years as Fox studio chief Darryl Zanuck’s “errand boy,” leading him to his career in editing. Schanzer helped cut Marilyn Monroe vehicles like “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “How to Marry a Millionaire” and “The Seven-Year Itch.”

“It was a love affair with Fox, it was so wonderful. I’d wake up in the morning and really couldn’t wait ’till I got to the studio,” Schanzer recalled in a 2019 interview.

Schanzer also cut Jayne Mansfield films and the TV series “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

Chicago – Meeting Ed Asner is like meeting the grumpy uncle that you still love, because you know despite his curmudgeon nature, his has passion, spunk and delivers all of it in many ways. He was Lou Grant in The Mary Tyler Moore Show most famously in the 1970s, but his other acting pursuits were just as significant.

Edward Asner was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He began his acting career in the Army, touring in plays while in the Signal Corp. He attended the University of Chicago, and joined an early version of The Second City troupe, the Playwrights Theatre Company of Chicago (Asner is considered a Second City alumni). He was a consummate character actor in the 1960s, appearing in such diverse series as “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Route 66,” “The Untouchables,” “The Outer Limits,” “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” and “Mission: Impossible.”

Ed Asner in Chicago, circa...

Ed Asner, who cornered the market on gruff guys with hearts of gold on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Lou Grant,” and the Disney/Pixar animated feature “Up,” has died at the age of 91. He passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, as a representative confirmed to IndieWire.

“He was a brilliant actor. Amazing activist, a true friend, and great man,” said Asner’s manager Perry Zimel.

Asner had a long and prolific career in film and television, boasting the distinction of being the most honored male performer in Primetime Emmys history. He was nominated 17 times throughout his career, winning seven trophies in total. He was also nominated 11 times for Golden Globes, winning five.

Edward Asner was born in Kansas City, Missouri on November 15, 1929. He attended the University of Chicago after high school and worked the assembly line at General Motors for a time before serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

Henry Darrow, the first Hispanic actor to portray Zorro on television who also starred in TV series “The High Chaparral,” has died. He was 87.

According to his former publicist, Michael B. Druxman, Darrow died Sunday at his home in Wilmington, N.C.

Throughout the 60s, Darrow appeared in television series such as “Wagon Train,” “Bonanza,” “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” “Gunsmoke” and “Daniel Boone.” Additionally, he appeared in the first season of “Harry O” and won a daytime Emmy for his role on the soap opera “Santa Barbara.”

Darrow also took part in many stage productions such as “The Alchemist” and “Dark of the Moon.” He caught the attention of “Bonanza” creator David Dortort while appearing in the 1965 stage production of “The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit” at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles, where he was immediately offered a role in the Western series “The High Chaparral” He played Manolito Montoya,...

Henry Darrow, a prolific TV actor from the 1950s through the early 2000s who found his breakthrough success as Manolito Montoya, son of a wealthy Mexican ranch owner on NBC’s hit 1967-71 Western The High Chaparral, died Sunday at his home in Wilmington, Nc. He was 87.

His death was announced on Facebook by his former publicist Michael B. Druxman. A cause was not specified.

In addition to The High Chaparral, Darrow is best remembered by daytime viewers for his Daytime Emmy-winning 1989-92 role in NBC’s Santa Barbara.

Already a familiar presence on television by the mid-1960s through appearances on series including Wagon Train, Stoney Burke, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and The Wild Wild West, Darrow scored his signature role on The High Chaparral opposite Leif Erickson, who played a wealthy Arizona ranch owner in the 1870s married to the Mexican daughter of a rival rancher.

Legendary Entertainment and The Spanish Princess showrunners Emma Frost and Matthew Graham have launched the joint-venture production company Watford & Essex, which is already in development with 10 projects, including a remake of ABC’s 1960s TV series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea.

The new outfit will be based in Bristol, south-west England, and has hired Christine Healy, the head of production at Catherine The Great producer New Pictures, as its chief operating officer. It will work with Legendary’s TV division, which is behind shows including Amazon’s Carnival Row, to develop projects with international scale. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Frost and Graham’s The Spanish Princess is currently airing on Starz and follows The White Princess and The White Queen. Frost’s other credits include penning the screenplay for Ron Howard’s Jennifer Lawrence movie Zelda, while she has worked on TV shows including The Man in the High Castle...

Legendary Entertainment and “The White Queen” and “Life on Mars” writers/showrunners Emma Frost and Matthew Graham have launched a U.K. drama production company with a slate of 10 projects.

Frost and Graham, whose credits include “Ashes to Ashes,” “The Spanish Princess,” “Doctor Who” and “The Man In The High Castle,” will serve as joint CEOs of Watford & Essex, which will team with Legendary Entertainment’s television division and focus on television production and financing projects for the international market.

Christine Healy has been named COO, joining the venture from New Pictures where she was head of production since 2016.

Watford & Essex’s current list of projects in development include “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” based on

the Irwin Allen television series from the 1960s, developed and written by BAFTA-nominated Chris Lunt and Michael Walker (“Devils”), and “Hail Satan!,” a dark social comedy-drama created by Frost and Graham, in development with U.

Legendary Entertainment has teamed with veteran TV writers/showrunners Emma Frost and Matthew Graham (Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, The White Queen, The Spanish Princess, Doctor Who, The Man In The High Castle) on new U.K. joint venture Watford & Essex.

The drama production company, to be based in Bristol, England with Frost and Graham serving as joint CEOs and Christine Healy joining from New Pictures as COO, already has a slate of 10 projects in development.

Its projects include:

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea – a futuristic underwater adventure series based upon the classic Irwin Allen television series from the 1960’s. Developed and ...

Legendary Entertainment has teamed with veteran TV writers/showrunners Emma Frost and Matthew Graham (Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, The White Queen, The Spanish Princess, Doctor Who, The Man In The High Castle) on new U.K. joint venture Watford & Essex.

The drama production company, to be based in Bristol, England with Frost and Graham serving as joint CEOs and Christine Healy joining from New Pictures as COO, already has a slate of 10 projects in development.

Its projects include:

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea – a futuristic underwater adventure series based upon the classic Irwin Allen television series from the 1960’s. Developed and ...

Gene Dynarski, an actor whose roles on episodic TV included the irascible Izzy Mandelbaum Jr. on Seinfeld and the victim of a human bat in a memorable 2000 episode of The X-Files, died Feb. 27 in a Studio City rehabilitation center. He was 86.

Dynarski’s death was announced by friend and playwright Ernest Kearney, who writes on his website that Dynarski had been recuperating from a “mild heart episode” for the last month.

More from DeadlineFred The Godson Dies: New York Rapper Had Covid-19, Was 35Shirley Knight Dies: Award-Winning 'Sweet Bird Of Youth' Actress Was 83Tom Lester Dies: 'Green Acres' Actor Was 81

“I had visited Gene only a few days prior,” Kearney writes. “He seemed his old self, ranting on about me finding him a lawyer to sue the rehab-center…I could tell by the glances of the staff passing by his room that Gene had managed to piss them off. Dynarski...

The Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame will be induct William J. Creber – the production designer responsible for, among other achievements, the Statue of Liberty scene in the original Planet of the Apes – and frequent Cecil B. DeMille collaborator Roland Anderson into its ranks at the 24th Annual Art Directors Guild’s Excellence in Production Design Awards next month.

The announcement was made today by President Nelson Coates, Adg and Awards Producer Scott Moses, Adg. The 2020 Awards will be held Saturday, February 1, at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.

Creber, who died last year, is best known for his work on the Irwin Allen disaster movies The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno as well as the first three Planet of the Apes movies. He was Oscar-nominated three times, for The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974). He was Emmy-nominated for his work on ABC’s...

Former Another World writer Jan Merlin died on September 20 in Los Angeles. He was 94.

Born on April 3, 1925, Merlin was a torpedo man aboard U.S. Navy destroyers during World War II. He studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York and appeared in the ensemble in the original 1948 Broadway production of "Mister Roberts," starring Henry Fonda.

From 1950-54, Merlin starred as Roger Manning on the kids TV program Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, based on a comic strip.

He moved to Hollywood for a role in Six Bridges to Cross (1955), starring Curtis, then appeared with Mamie Van Doren in Running Wild (1955), with Dale Robertson in A Day of Fury (1956), with Tom Tryon in Screaming Eagles (1956) and with Ann Sheridan in Woman and the Hunter (1957).

In 1958-59, Merlin portrayed Lt. Colin Kirby on The Rough Riders, an ABC series set in the aftermath of the Civil War.

His credits also included the...

As alt-pop singer Halsey stirred emotions with her moving rendition of “Time After Time,” the 2019 Emmy Awards that aired on Fox on September 22 paid tribute to the television legends who left us in the last year during the show’s “In Memoriam” segment. They included actors Tim Conway, Valerie Harper, Katherine Helmond, Penny Marshall, Luke Perry, Doris Day and Rip Torn.

Let’s look back at some of the contributions made by these beloved TV icons.

SEECelebrity Deaths 2019: In Memoriam Gallery

Tim Conway died on May 14 at age 85. The comedy legend won six Emmy Awards during his lengthy career, including four for “The Carol Burnett Show,” one for “Coach” and one for “30 Rock.” He was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 2002. And he took pride in getting his co-stars on Burnett’s variety show to laugh at his antics and break character.

Legendary singer and...

Former Another World star David Hedison died Thursday in Los Angeles, a family spokeswoman announced. He was 92.

Born Al David Hedison on May 20, 1927, in Providence, Rhode Island, Hedison discovered the theater while attending Brown University and studied in New York under Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse and with Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio.

He worked alongside Uta Hagen and Michael Redgrave in-off Broadway productions by Clifford Odets and Christopher Fry, among others, and made his big-screen debut in the World War II naval drama The Enemy Below (1957), starring Robert Mitchum.

After starring in the original The Fly and Son of Robin Hood in 1958, he signed a contract at Twentieth Century Fox, changing his stage name to David Hedison.

From 1964-68, Hedison's character Captain Lee Crane worked aboard the Seaview under the command of Adm. Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart) on 110 episodes of ABC's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

David Hedison, who was best known for his work in two James Bond films and on the series “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” has died. He was 92.

Hedison’s death was confirmed by his daughter Alexandra Hedison. He’s survived by his two daughters Alexandra and Serena.

Hedison played Captain Lee B. Crane for 110 episodes on the ’60s adventure and sci-fi show “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” opposite Richard Basehart and Robert Dowdell.

Also Read: Stephen Verona, Writer/Director of 'The Lords of Flatbush,' Dies at 78

He is starred as CIA agent Felix Leiter alongside two different actors playing James Bond, first in “Live and Let Die” with Roger Moore and later “License to Kill” with Timothy Dalton in 1989.

Hedison also starred in the original version of the cult horror film “The Fly” from 1958 and appeared in episodes of “Fantasy Island,” “The Love Boat,...

David Hedison, an actor best known for starring in Another World, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and License to Kill has died. He was 92.

The actor died on July 18 in Los Angeles with “his loving daughters Alexandra and Serena by his side,” according to a statement obtained by People.

“Even in our deep sadness, we are comforted by the memory of our wonderful father,” his family said in the statement. “He loved us all dearly and expressed that love every day. He was adored by so many, all of whom benefitted from his warm and generous heart.”

The statement continued,...

David Hedison, a film, television, and theater actor known for his role as Captain Lee Crane in the sci-fi adventure television series “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” and as the crazed scientist turned human insect in the first iteration of the film “The Fly,” died on July 18. He was 92, and the family said in a statement that he “died peacefully” with his daughters at his side.

“Even in our deep sadness, we are comforted by the memory of our wonderful father. He loved us all dearly and expressed that love every day. He was adored by so many, all of whom benefited from his warm and generous heart. Our dad brought joy and humor wherever he went and did so with great style,” said the family in a statement.

David Hedison, born Al Hedison, was from Providence, R.I. and studied at Brown University where he grew fond of the theater,...

(Hedison with Roger Moore on the set of Live and Let Die, 1973)

By Lee Pfeiffer

David Hedison has died at age 92. The Rhode Island native started in theater, studying at the famed Actor's Studio under the guidance of Lee Strasberg and made an impression off-Broadway in the 1950s. Hedison originally was billed under his birth name as "Al Hedison" but would later change it to David. He found himself in demand for television and feature film. He played the role of a scientist who is transformed into a deadly creature in the 1958 cult classic "The Fly" in which Hedison co-starred with Vincent Price. Hedison began to guest star on many popular TV series before landing his first series, starring in "Five Fingers", an espionage show that ran from 1959-60. His best-known role was on Irwin Allen's sci-fi series "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", which ran from...

David Hedison, an actor who appeared in Off Broadway productions by Clifford Odets and in the original version of horror sci-fi classic The Fly but is best known for his starring role in the popular ’60s adventure series Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea, died July 18 in Los Angeles. He was 92.

His death was announced by his daughters Alexandra and Serena, who were at his side when he “passed away peacefully,” the family reports.

Hedison, who began his career using his given name Al Hedison, was a native of Providence, Rhode Island, and discovered his passion for theater at Brown University. He studied under Sanford Meisner at The Neighborhood Playhouse and Lee Strasberg at The Actors Studio, and was soon performing Off Broadway alongside Uta Hagen and Michael Redgrave (Hedison performed Off Broadway in 1956’s A Month in the Country under Redgrave’s direction).

In 1958, Hedison appeared, with Vincent Price,...

David Hedison, who starred as Captain Lee Crane on the 1960s ABC submarine series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, died Thursday in Los Angeles, a family spokesperson announced. He was 92.

The handsome actor also portrayed scientist André Delambre, who got turned into an insect in The Fly (1958) long before Jeff Goldblum ever did, and he played CIA operative Felix Leiter in the James Bond films Live and Let Die (1973) and Licence to Kill (1989).

From 1964 to 1968, Hedison's character worked aboard the submarine Seaview under the command of Adm. Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart) on 110 episodes ...

David Hedison, who starred as Captain Lee Crane on the 1960s ABC submarine series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, died Thursday in Los Angeles, a family spokesperson announced. He was 92.

The handsome actor also portrayed scientist André Delambre, who got turned into an insect in The Fly (1958) long before Jeff Goldblum ever did, and he played CIA operative Felix Leiter in the James Bond films Live and Let Die (1973) and Licence to Kill (1989).

From 1964 to 1968, Hedison's character worked aboard the submarine Seaview under the command of Adm. Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart) on 110 episodes ...

William “Bill” Creber, a three-time Oscar-nominated Production Designer and Art Director known for his work on “Planet of the Apes” (1967) and “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972) died in Los Angeles on March 7 of complications from pneumonia after a prolonged illness. He was 87.

Creber’s Oscar nominations came for his work as a production designer on “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (1964), “The Poseidon Adventure” and “The Towering Inferno” (1975) for which he also received a BAFTA nomination. Creber was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 1964 for “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” and was honored with an Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2019 (Photos)

“This was the man who designed and then flipped cruise ships, burned skyscrapers, and created an entire ape culture,” said Nelson Coates, president of the Art Directors Guild in a statement to TheWrap. “Though his last feature was 21 years ago, Bill Creber...

Production designer William Creber, who served as art director on the original “Planet of the Apes” movies, died in Los Angeles on March 7 from pneumonia after a prolonged illness. He was 87.

“This was the man who designed and then flipped cruise ships, burned skyscrapers, and created an entire ape culture,” said Nelson Coates, president of the Art Directors Guild. “Though his last feature was 21 years ago, Bill Creber remained a vital influence in the industry, with his institutional memory, sharing of relevant production solutions, and his amazing skills devising, executing, and teaching incredible methods of in-camera visual fx.”

His three Oscar nominations came for his art direction on George Stevens’ “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” and on Irwin Allen’s “Poseidon Adventure” and “Towering Inferno.” Other projects he worked on include ABC series “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” for which he won an Emmy, ABC’s “The Time Tunnel,...

Oscar-nominated art director and production designer Bill Creber died in Los Angeles March 7 of complications from pneumonia after a prolonged illness, Deadline has learned. He was 87.

A Los Angeles native, William “Bill” Creber is best known for his work with the original Planet of the Apes franchise including the original 1968 film starring Charlton Heston as well as Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) and Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971).

He received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction for the 1965 film The Greatest Story Ever Told. This was followed by two more Oscar nods for his work on two iconic Hollywood films: The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974). He also received a BAFTA nomination for the latter action pic which starred Steve McQueen and was directed by John Guillermin.

He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 1964 for Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea...

It’s time to celebrate the Irwin Allen disaster epics for what they are — huge, indigestible spectacles that first seem funny and then congeal into a cinematic badness that words cannot describe. This sprawling ordeal tortures good actors and shatters every limit of audience patience. I alone have survived to tell thee. Is a fair review even possible?

The Swarm

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1978 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 156 116 min. /Extended Edition / Street Date September 25, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Lee Grant, José Ferrer, Patty Duke, Slim Pickens, Bradford Dillman, Fred MacMurray, Henry Fonda, Cameron Mitchell, Christian Juttner, Alejandro Rey.

Cinematography: Fred J. Koenekamp

Film Editor: Harold F. Kress

Visual Effects: L.B. Abbott

Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith

Written by Stirling Silliphant, from the novel by Arthur Herzog

Produced and Directed by Irwin Allen

“I never dreamed that it would...

Speculative-fiction writer Harlan Ellison, who penned short stories, novellas and criticism, contributed to TV series including “The Outer Limits,” “Star Trek” and “Babylon 5” and won a notable copyright infringement suit against ABC and Paramount and a settlement in a similar suit over “The Terminator,” has died. He was 84.

Christine Valada tweeted that Ellison’s wife, Susan, had asked her to announce that he died in his sleep Thursday.

Susan Ellison has asked me to announce the passing of writer Harlan Ellison, in his sleep, earlier today. “For a brief time I was here, and for a brief time, I mattered.”—He, 1934-2018. Arrangements for a celebration of his life are pending.

— Christine Valada (@mcvalada) June 28, 2018

The prolific but cantankerous author famously penned the “Star Trek” episode “City on the Edge of Forever,” in which Kirk and Spock must go back in time to Depression-era America to put Earth history back on its rightful course,...

If you were to look back at Ed Asner's acting career, there would be few who would argue that his greatest success — both critically and from the audience's point of view — came from the years he spent playing newsman Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the character's self-titled dramatic spin-off, which ran collectively from 1970-82. By anybody's standards, that's a hell of a run. And while he may not have achieved that sort of sustained success again, this is a guy who's still working all these years later. And at the age of 88, that is an accomplishment deserving of respect. "Well, I've got to pay off my bills," he says in an exclusive interview in a voice that still resonates his most famous character. "I hit a dry spell when I first started out. I used to get the Los Angeles Times on Saturday night to look...

Less than a year before her passing in 2015, actress Yvonne Craig was chatting with me about the enduring nature of the 1960s Batman series that starred Adam West in the title role, Burt Ward as his sidekick, Robin; and Yvonne herself in the dual role of Barbara Gordon and Batgirl. The complete series had been issued on Blu-ray at the time, which explained the excitement of the moment, but not the fact that people still loved that show nearly 50 years after its debut. “Part of it is that it is that it's a sign of our times,” she said. “Everyone would like to go back to the time of ‘Flower Power.’ You know, rather than blowing people up in all these different places like they are in the world, people are looking for an escape. And this is not only an escape, but it’s stilly and fun and filled with pretty colors.

Robert Dowdell, the versatile actor who had supporting roles on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Stoney Burke, two ABC series of the 1960s, has died. He was 85.

Dowdell died Tuesday of natural causes in Coldwater, Michigan, family spokeswoman Diane Kachmar told The Hollywood Reporter.  

On 109 episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea from 1964-68, Dowdell portrayed Chip Morton, the lieutenant commander on the submarine Seaview under the command of Adm. Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart). The series was created by Irwin Allen, based on his 1961 movie...

By Darren Allison

Before inheriting the title "Master of Disaster", a perfectly justified honour for his reputation of creating some of the greatest disaster movies of the 1970s, Irwin Allen was also the man responsible for some of the classic TV shows to emerge in the 1960’s. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants have all survived the test of time and become immortalised among the best in terms of cultural importance. However, above all others, Lost in Space (1965-1968) is arguably the series that endured. Very loosely inspired by Johan David Wyss's classic 1812 adventure novel “Swiss Family Robinson”, the premise for the show was fairly uncomplicated and followed the adventures of the Robinson family, a crew of space colonists who encounter a number of strange and otherworldly situations after their ship is sabotaged and thrown off its original course. A great...

You know the old saying: One’s man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That applies to me and my pals so often.

Now, I realize I’m very blessed: I have a great bunch of friends. I share interests and/or a long history with each them. I guess that’s part of the definition of a friend. But we don’t all love the same stuff. And when it comes to Geek Culture, a bunch of my friends just aren’t that into it.

I pity those fools as I flip through the latest PaperGirls.

Freddie P is that type of friend. He’s a long-time pal. We grew up in the same small town, kept in touch through college and lived near another in those wild just-a-few-years-outta-college days. After that, we always stayed in touch. We’ve watched each other’s families grow up. We laughed...

‘Things Blowing Up Good’ has been surefire entertainment since the beginning of cinema, but this ill-fated Cinerama extravaganza about the biggest explosion in recorded human history limps along despite some pretty darned impressive volcanic effects. It’s quite an entertaining spectacle, with various good performers in three soap opera plots, either overacting or loitering about with nothing to do. And don’t forget the from-left-field musical striptease.

Krakatoa East of Java

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 131 min. / Street Date September 12, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Maximilian Schell, Diane Baker, Brian Keith, Barbara Werle, Sal Mineo, Rossano Brazzi, John Leyton, J.D. Cannon, Jacqueline (Jacqui) Chan, Victoria Young, Marc Lawrence, Geoffrey Holder, Niall MacGinnis, Sumi Haru.

Cinematography: Manuel Berenguer

Film Editors: Walter Hannemann, Warren Low, Maurice Rootes

Production Design: Eugèné Lourié

Costumes: Laure Lourié

Special Effects: Eugèné Lourié, Alex Weldon, Francisco Prósper

Original Music: Frank De Vol

Written by Clifford Newton Gould,...