Nelson reminds them four of his best men and Capt. The plan is voted in and the Chairman (who reappears in MIST OF SILENCE) tells Nelson the Secretary requisitioned Capt. The plan: detonate a nuclear device near the North Pole which will break the force of the tidal waves created by the two massive earthquakes. Nelson tells him Seaview is not expendable until after the triangulation adjustments are made. The enemy leader is called Dr. Gamma in the credits but as far as can be seen, the name Dr. Gamma never appears on the broadcast episode. That double blast will kill everyone on board." In his cabin, Lee is putting on a tie, checking it in a bathroom mirror when Ski comes in with his gear. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea -- Eleven Days to Zero Eleven Days To Zero: First aired September 14, 1964 For the first episode of VTTBOTS, we include text of the opening narration, and set up of the plot. There is 650 from keel to bottom. It goes to the main gate where the painter on top of the gateway paints a large white X on the roof of the car which contains Nelson and Phillips and a few other officers. This episode (certainly when you notice how they shadow the face of the evil leader of the adversarial enemy and present his futuristic lair) seems right out of a James Bond movie. This, while much more truthful, did not help the stories move along smoothly, nor did it help visually. Lee Crane becomes the new Captain of submarine Seaview. Seaview goes down to 1000. The second quake hits and the bomb goes off. The aired black and white version cuts out close ups of Werner's face. If Nelson were testing Crane's ingenuity and good outlook, it was a heck of a time to do so. Lee watches on the periscope as the water moves over the sub's bow and stern (it isn't anything like what Seaview should look like but it will do). Titles of ELEVEN DAYS TO ZERO look like the VOYAGE logo--wavy letters designed to look like the ocean churning. Then again, you scratch your head wondering why they couldn't make the series this good. In season one, the action had to either be split between nose and control room or had to stop so we could see what was going on above in the control room or below in the nose. Nelson claims in 11 days a titanic wall of water will destroy the coastal regions of half the world. Crane tells him he couldn't lose the best diver on board. As long as there are destructive forces in the world, as long as there are secrets of nature being probed..there'll be work for us on missions just as vital and dangerous as this one. Nelson tells Lee to tell them as little as possible. David Hedison is "loaned out" by the Navy to be Nelson's "second in command", Captain Crane, replacing a murdered officer when an attack from enemy agents in a helicopter nearly kill the Admiral before he was to meet with a counsel who would determine what course of action would be necessary in addressing the catastrophe certain to develop giant tidal waves in eleven days if nothing is done. Just then a squid attacks him just as he seems to find what they are looking for. Seaview shakes. This man is smoking. The plane went under Seaview's radar screen. It is carved out of solid rock and is located on the southern California coast, 500 feet beneath the famed Nelson Institute of Marine Research. I watched it when it first aired in the 60s and liked it but then again...I was 9. Curley arrives and Malone asks what the poop is. The Control Room crew, instead of looking out the viewports, would have to watch the action on a screen or, worse, on sonar and radar. Nelson brings Wilson to the deck outside and he is cold to Lee when Lee says a warm hello to him. Lee Crane from the Navy. The Seaview is dispatched for damage control. Nelson jumps out as the car burns and we see a shot inside and out of this--as the car turns over and over, the window bursts into flames and the interior follows--killing the men still alive in it. The Arctic sequences were well done and for once in an Irwin Allen production, it really looks like outdoor snow and ice! A slip of the effect of him falling and then inter cutting of him falling into the water provides a jerky transition but it is an adequate scene and a fantastic start to the series--a wild move was to kill off what was supposedly the main character of John Phillips. Nelson yells his own back at Lee now, then tells him he didn't get very far (Malone had pulled a gun on him). Seaview rigs for attack, hearing the missiles pass. The resulting tidal wave could destroy civilization. Nelson and others in a large room watch films of hurricanes, floods, dams crashing down, and other disasters. The enemy on the sub (voice heard only) calls the enemy leader and his men. Seaview is ordered by Lee to dive. In Nelson's cabin, they talk about the orders. Thus, the second season, making the nose and the control room all one area is much more direct with its action and movement from window nose to the Control Room than this first season. Like most Irwin Allen shows (going cheap and lousy, usually after one season...actually all Irwin Allen shows), the pilot is usually the best episode of the series. Nelson and Chip watch the divers swim past the nose windows. The Snow Cat is buried under a ton of ice. All dive!" Nelson waits for Wilson's report, "It may be all over--stand fast and wait is all we can do." The first season also reminded me a bit of the old FLASH GORDON chapter serials---I bring this up at the point in the review where the divers go out the tubes. The second season is much more preferable in design of the Seaview. Was this review helpful to you? Crane lightens up and slaps Ski's shoulder, "Why didn't you say so in the first place," and leaves, more at ease. Seaview surfaces for repairs. I saw the pilot recently on METV. FAQ The music must also be commended here, adding to the snow, joy, and danger of it all. Nelson explains he will take his chances with Crane, ignoring Wilson's assessment. Lots of stock footage which would be a staple of VOYAGE throughout its four years. The Snow Cat is moving now and moves out with the four men on board. Write the second section of your page here. Directed by Irwin Allen. Seaview vertically dives to 1000. I do feel that having the nose on one level and the control room on the other as in this first season takes away from the enjoyment of the show. | Curley presents himself and Malone as the crew's best divers. Nelson's plan, to detonate a nuclear bomb which would stop the tidal waves from developing at all, the Seaview on a mission to reach the North Pole in order to deliver the payload and set it off. ELEVEN DAYS TO ZERO had a full fledged snow storm. Seaview continues on. Nelson tells Crane not to think of the crew as a ragtag civilian crew--they are highly trained specialists in a wide variety of fields. Not only did they look flimsy but unreliable and very old for the 1970s. I prefer the Cold War subtexts of this season and the sub-adventures stories before they become too campy and child-friendly in later seasons. This one, while very good, is also quite strange: the heroes and villains never really meet, it being a contest of strategy. Crane warns him, "That's no swimming pool out there, doctor." Awards Certain enemy forces also go there to upset the Seaview's mission. The Snow Cat (which makes an appearance in THE HEAT MONSTER) leaves with one hour and twenty minutes left before the first quake. I am glad I saw this pilot episode of the television series just a few days after seeing the movie. Lee wonders about Curley, who is a bit overweight, "Sorry, Chief." We see the blow up from the enemy viewscreen. The missiles are repaired on Seaview. Curley wants to go. The entire Seaview deck is a bit on the thin side when compared to the model we see under the water and riding on the surface but it is adequate and also brave for just trying to be a standing set. Lee, Nelson, Ski, and Chip watch from the conning tower as the Snow Cat (with Wilson and Malone in it) leaves Seaview. The black and white also added to the older, classic look along with Paul's music, which, while excellent, reminds one of the old FLASH GORDON chapters, the Universal 1940 FRANKENSTEIN series, films from the black and white TARZANs (some of which Sawtell scored), and 50s monster movies. 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA, What to Watch if You Miss the "Game of Thrones" Cast. Starring Walter Pidgeon as the sub's creator 'Admiral Harriman Nelson' and Robert Sterling as 'Captain Lee Crane', it was a big hit.