Voyage to the Bottom of the Lost World

ALLEN-A-THON
Irwin Allen, one of the most prolific producers of TV and movie sci fi/adventure in the 60s and 70s, doesn't, well, deserve a marathon. His products were generally lacking in intelligence and vision, often feministly regressive...plus everybody smoked. However, i'll give you one that's worth a whirl, just for the historical fascination and visual lollapalooza. It's a two-parter, with bizarrely mirroring elements.
Part 1:
-VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
-"Eleven Days to Zero", VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
The 1961 movie and 1964 TV series pilot. The movie is a wild ride. Slow and tame by modern standards, it really is charming when you appreciate what they accomplished with the technology of the day. Walter Pidgeon (FORBIDDEN PLANET) leads a state-of-the-art nuclear sub on a mission to save the world from environmental calamity. Peter Lorre and Frankie Avalon are along for the ride. A baby Barbara Eden wears a uniform that was never approved by the quartermaster. And sci fi supporting uber-hero Michael Ansara (LOST IN SPACE, STAR TREK, BUCK ROGERS, DS9, VOYAGER) plays a holy zealot who gets kicked around by the writers sooooo obviously, you almost for a moment feel sorry for religion. The pilot is rendered fascinating, because three years later TV was still in black and white, and hysterical, because it re-uses almost all the adventure footage from the movie, re-imagined to match a new storyline.
Part 2:
-THE LOST WORLD
-"Turn Back the Clock", VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
-"Hot Line", VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
Okay, Irwin plunders footage from movie to make TV spinoff. Why not? Who wouldn't? But does Irwin stop there? Noooooo. He also plunders the action sequences from his 1960 Arthur Conan Doyle dinosaur adventure to make a 1964 TV submarine adventure. Brilliant! In modern terms, it would be like splicing footage from JURASSIC PARK into an episode of WALKER, TEXAS RANGER...which, come to think of it, seems only fitting. THE LOST WORLD is a little incoherent and a lot dated, particularly in the regressive anti-feminism department. And the pre-PETA real life animal fight might turn your stomach. Another sci fi immortal (Michael Rennie - THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL) stars, along with Fernando Lamas and David Hedison, who would star as the television version of Captain Crane in VTTBOTS. Splicing LOST WORLD footage of Hedison into a new television plotline requires some continuity adroitness (especially the part where they have a buttoned-up naval captain suddenly sporting a yellow cravat). And they bring back Vitina Marcus to shoot new footage of the semi-clad jungle girl (yay!). Plus, hold on to your knickers, Yvonne Craig (Batgirl!). It's all pretty darned hysterical when viewed together, but you've got to doff your cap to that can-do attitude. "Hot Line" is entirely unconncected to the marathon theme, but i include it because it's irresistible. The crew work with a Soviet scientist (Michael Ansara again!) to dismantle a bomb. John Banner (Schulz - HOGAN'S HEROES) is the Russian prime minister. Our president's chief aide? Good ol' Jimmy Doohan (STAR TREK).