These days, when people hear the name Irwin Allen, they might recall
that he was the producer of disaster films such as The Poseidon
Adventure and The Towering Inferno, but for a generation of television
fans, he's also fondly remembered as the man behind four
classic series: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The
Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. If you're of a certain age, you very
likely watched these shows during their original broadcasts, or caught
them after school in syndication during the
1970s, and later on various cable channels. These memorable series were
colorful, action-packed, and often featured wild plot-lines that combined
science-fiction, fantasy and adventure. Allen's TV shows were often
scoffed at by highbrow critics, but they're
still beloved by their fans. While some episodes did go off the rails a
bit story-wise, the shows were always well-produced and entertaining,
providing thrills, action, humor and excitement to viewers.
If you're looking for a well-done overview of Allen and his career, seek
out the 1995 documentary The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen, which was
originally produced for the Sci-Fi Channel. Hosted by June Lockhart and
Bill Mumy of Lost In Space, this enjoyable
tribute covers Allen's work in television and feature films, with
special emphasis on his four classic TV series. There are insightful
interviews with stars of Allen's shows and films, including Jonathan
Harris, James Darren, Lee Meriwether, Gary Conway, Robert Wagner and Roddy McDowall. The creation and production of each of Allen's
television series is extensively detailed, and there's also a look as
his latter-day work for the big-screen in the disaster film genre. It's
fun to see the behind-the-scenes footage and
promotional material from Allen's TV series and feature films.
Lockhart and Mumy do a fine job hosting the show. They also share
some fond memories of their time working with a man who was as colorful and full of personality as his television series.
A comprehensive large format book, also entitled The Fantasy Worlds of
Irwin Allen, was released several years ago by an independent publisher called Creature Features Press. This exhaustively researched coffee table book covered
Allen's life and career, and featured an authoritative
text by author Jeff Bond, as well as many exclusive photos. The book
quickly went out of print, and used copies are currently fetching exorbitant
prices online. However, there's some really good news for Irwin Allen
fans. The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen is being re-issued in a new edition by Titan Books this October, and is
currently available for pre-order online. In the meantime,
you can catch all of Irwin Allen shows on cable channels like MeTV, or
watch them on DVD.
The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen is an informative and affectionate
tribute to Allen's life and career. The film is well-produced by Kevin
Burns, who was also behind the scenes for the later Allen centric TV special Lost In Space Forever. While it's currently
out of print on DVD, used copies of can be found online. The
documentary is also included as a special feature on the Blu-ray edition
of Lost In Space: The Complete Adventures. The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin
Allen is a lot of fun to watch, as are all of Allen's classic TV series. I've been doing something of a re-watch of Allen's series recently, and I think that they still have strong appeal for the ten year old in all of us. Feel free to share a favorite moment or episode from one of Allen's series in the comments, and remember: "Warning! Warning! Alien Approaching!"
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