Man from Atlantis
Man from Atlantis | |
---|---|
Herbert F. Solow | |
Written by | Mayo Simon (pilot) |
Directed by | Lee H. Katzin (pilot) |
Starring | Patrick Duffy Belinda Montgomery Alan Fudge Victor Buono |
Composer | Fred Karlin |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 13, plus four television films (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer | Herbert F. Solow |
Running time | 42–44 minutes per episode |
Production company | Solow Production Company |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | September 22, 1977[1] – June 6, 1978 |
Man from Atlantis
Plot
The series stars Patrick Duffy as an amnesiac man given the name of Mark Harris, believed to be the only surviving citizen of the lost civilization of Atlantis.[1] He possesses exceptional abilities, including the ability to breathe underwater and withstand extreme depth pressures, and superhuman strength. His hands and feet are webbed, his eyes are unusually sensitive to light, and he swims using his arms and legs in a fashion suggestive of an underwater butterfly stroke or dolphin kick. Following his discovery, he is recruited by the Foundation for Oceanic Research, a governmental agency that conducts top secret research and explores the depths of the ocean in a sophisticated submarine called the Cetacean.
The supporting cast includes Belinda J. Montgomery as Dr. Elizabeth Merrill (who had nursed Mark Harris back to health) and Alan Fudge as C. W. Crawford, Jr., both of the Foundation for Oceanic Research. Victor Buono played the villainous Mr. Schubert in the pilot and several episodes of the series.[3] Kenneth Tigar appeared in the second, third, and fourth movies as Dr. Miller Simon, M.D., also of the Foundation for Oceanic Research. The series added an ensemble cast as "The Crew of the Cetacean", consisting of Richard Laurance Williams, J. Victor Lopez, Jean Marie Hon (who had also been seen in Ark II), and Anson Downes.[4] In the 12th episode, a new female lead character replaced Elizabeth Merrill, Dr. Jenny Reynolds, played by actress Lisa Blake Richards. (Belinda Montgomery had managed to get out of her contract with the help of lawyers.[5]) The last episode did not feature any female lead character.
Production
The show was produced by
Critical reaction
Critic
Episodes
Television movies
Nº | Title | Directed by: | Written by: | Air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
M1 | Man from Atlantis | Lee H. Katzin | Mayo Simon | March 4, 1977 | |
(Pilot): After a violent storm at sea, the inert body of a man is found on the beach near the Naval Undersea Center. Equipped with webbed hands and gills instead of lungs, he can breathe underwater, swim faster than a dolphin and dive to depths of at least seven miles. He is nursed back to health by Doctor Elizabeth Merrill and given the name of Mark Harris. In return, Mark agrees to help the United States Navy recover a lost missing submarine carrying top military officials. Deep in the ocean, Mark discovers an enormous undersea habitat constructed by Mr. Schubert, a maniacal scientist who has gained the assistance of kidnapped scientists from various nations via mind-control bracelets and plans to destroy all the nations of the world with their own nuclear weapons. Mark foils this plan by flooding the undersea habitat and helping the scientists escape, although the fate of Schubert is unknown. He decides to return to his aquatic life but, when reflecting on his recent encounters with humans, returns to a delighted Dr. Merrill, declaring, "I have not yet learned enough." | |||||
M2 | The Death Scouts | Marc Daniels | Robert Lewin | May 7, 1977 | |
Mark investigates the disappearance of three scuba divers, two of whom are 'replaced' by waterborne aliens (Tiffany Bolling as Lioa / Dilly and Burr DeBenning as Xos / Chazz). The aliens assignment is to scout Earth and check its defense capabilities. They also give the impression that Mark may also be one of them, specially bred for Earth infiltration, but this is not specifically confirmed. | |||||
M3 | Killer Spores | Reza Badiyi | John D. F. Black | May 17, 1977 | |
When a space capsule crashes in the ocean near the Cetacean, Mark and Elizabeth agree to investigate. When they arrive, Mark is rendered unconscious by a screeching sound. They discover hundreds of strange, blue, intelligent spores that have taken over Mark's body, attempting to find a way back into space. However, they do not know that Mark will die if he does not return to water within a few hours. | |||||
M4 | The Disappearances | Charles S. Dubin | Luther Murdoch, Jerry Sohl | June 20, 1977 | |
A demented scientist, Dr. Mary Smith, abducts and drugs top scientists from around the world—including Elizabeth Merrill—to work on a secret project. |
Series
Nº | Title | Directed by: | Written by: | Air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Melt Down" | Virgil Vogel | Tom Greene | September 22, 1977 | |
Schubert threatens to cause worldwide flooding by using powerful microwaves to melt Earth's polar ice caps, unless the government turns Mark Harris over to him. | |||||
2 | "The Mudworm" | Virgil Vogel | Alan Caillou | October 13, 1977 | |
When a multimillion-dollar underwater probe malfunctions and begins attacking any ship that travels near it, Mark must reason with its highly advanced brain and convince it to stop. | |||||
3 | "The Hawk of Mu" | Harry Harris | Luther Murdoch, David H. Balkan | October 18, 1977 | |
Mark, investigating a power outage, discovers a centuries-old hawk statue from the legendary civilization of Mu. The statue, when used properly, can remove the power from a large area. Schubert discovers the power of the hawk statue and Mark must prevent him from taking it. | |||||
4 | "Giant" | Richard Benedict | Michael I. Wagner | October 25, 1977 | |
The oceans are leaking through a fissure in the ocean floor. A con-man named Muldoon agrees to guide Mark through the fissure to investigate. However, Mark is unaware either that giants inhabit the other side of the fissure or that Muldoon has already stolen gold from one of them. | |||||
5 | "Man O' War" | Michael O'Herlihy | Larry Alexander | November 1, 1977 | |
Using his genetic scientists, Schubert produces a giant jellyfish which he intends to release unless his extortion demands are met. | |||||
6 | "Shoot-Out At Land's End" | Barry Crane | Luther Murdoch | November 8, 1977 | |
Mark is somehow linked with a man named Billy, existing in a wild west town, who appears to be his twin. Investigating, Mark arrives in the town and discovers that Billy once had the same webbing as Mark, but also that he has had it removed. | |||||
7 | "Crystal Water, Sudden Death" | David Moessinger | Larry Alexander | November 22, 1977 | |
Schubert attempts to make a satellite weapon to knock out Earth's communications. However, to power the weapon, he needs the energy crystals protected by a force field under the ocean. The crystals actually power the force field that protects an underwater city. | |||||
8 | "The Naked Montague" | Robert Douglas | Stephen Kandel | December 6, 1977 | |
An underwater landslide transports Mark to Verona, Italy...in the days of Romeo and Juliet. | |||||
9 | "C. W. Hyde" | Dann Cahn | Stephen Kandel | December 13, 1977 | |
C. W. develops a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality after swallowing a mysterious liquid. | |||||
10 | "Scavenger Hunt" | David Moessinger | Peter Allan Fields | April 18, 1978 | |
Mark re-encounters Muldoon, his nemesis from "Giant," who is using a sea monster to make island natives sacrifice young girls to him. | |||||
11 | "Imp" | Paul Krasny | Shimon Wincelberg | April 25, 1978 | |
An impish little man enters an underwater station and causes the crew to become irrational simply by touching them. After three crewmen die, the F.F.O.R. hears Duke, the last crewman, talking over the radio in a childish manner and investigates. Mark swims over and brings Duke over to the Cetacean, not knowing the imp has stowed aboard. Note: This was the last episode that co-starred Belinda J. Montgomery as Dr. Elizabeth Merrill; her screen credit was struck from the show's introduction in later episodes. | |||||
12 | "Siren" | Edward M. Abroms | Michael I. Wagner | May 2, 1978 | |
While investigating the mysterious loss of three ships in one part of the ocean, Mark and the crew of the Cetacean encounter a submarine operated by a modern-day pirate. The pirate has captured a mermaid that can produce a hypnotic siren song, which mesmerizes anyone who hears it, even Mark. | |||||
13 | "Deadly Carnival" | Dennis Donnelly | Larry Alexander | June 6, 1978 | |
Mark goes undercover to investigate members of a carnival planning to break into a museum. The only way to break into the museum is through an underwater tunnel, through which only Mark can swim. When he is approached, he refuses. The owner of the carnival is then kidnapped and threatened unless Mark helps. (Last installment of the series in its original production run.) |
Home media
The
International releases
Man from Atlantis was the first American television series to be shown in the
In
In the United Kingdom, Man from Atlantis was shown, in most regions, in an early Saturday evening slot on ITV starting 24 September 1977. After airing the four television movies, the series was shown at an earlier time from 5 November 1977, opposite the BBC's long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who, which was then in its 15th season.[12] Although Man from Atlantis had not been a ratings/audience-share or demographic success in the US, the series actually beat Doctor Who during its transmission in the UK. (This happened again in 1980–81 when ITV screened Buck Rogers in the 25th Century against Doctor Who.) In Italy, the series was one of the early successes of the then interregional network Telemilano, future Canale 5, that began to air the series on February 11, 1980 under the name L'Uomo di Atlantide. The first TV-film, Man from Atlantis, was released on video in Norway in the 1980s. In Israel, the Man from Atlantis was shown on Channel 1, the only channel at that time. HaIsh MeAtlantis, a literal translation of the English title, also enjoyed reruns.
Adaptations
In 1977,
Series star Patrick Duffy wrote a sequel novel, titled simply Man from Atlantis, which was published in June 2016.[18] The blog space1970, which reported on this novel, described it thus:
When TV unveiled the series Man from Atlantis, no one knew the how, where and why of Mark Harris. Over time the show's star, Patrick Duffy, formulated his own version of the history of Mark and his people. Here at last is the book that gives every reader and fan of the show the life and mythology of Atlantis, who they were and where they came from. Patrick Duffy's close connection to his fictional character makes this a behind the scenes fantasy story.
See also
Explanatory notes
References
- ^ a b c "'Man from Atlantis Premieres Sept. 22". Ocala Star-Banner. September 17, 1977. p. TV4. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ "'The Man from Atlantis' Swims to Top in Nielsen". Los Angeles Times. June 29, 1977. p. H18. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ Margulies, Lee (March 4, 1977). "A Mystery of the Deep Surfaces". Los Angeles Times. p. F20. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ a b O'Connor, John J. (September 22, 1977). "'Atlantis,' Comic In Sea of Foolishness". The New York Times. p. 24. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ "On a brief trip to Toronto on a promotional tour for her latest". July 18, 2014.
- ^ Shostak, Stu (December 20, 2006). "Interview with Mark Evanier". Stu's Show. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ Shales, Tom (September 23, 1977). "'Man from Atlantis' fitting for Saturday morning slot". St. Petersburg Times. Washington Post. p. 12D. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ Lambert, David (October 7, 2009). "The Man from Atlantis - From Warner's Archives Comes the 'Pilot' Telefilm on DVD, Starring Patrick Duffy". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on February 15, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ Lambert, David (July 18, 2011). "The Man from Atlantis - Warner Archive Announces 2 MOD Sets with ALL the Remaining Stories". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2012.
- ^ "China buys 'Atlantis' TV show". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. October 5, 1979. p. 15. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ "Man from Atlantis takes China by storm". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). March 24, 1980. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ^ Day Lewis, Sean (November 5, 1977). "Saturday Television and Radio". The Daily Telegraph. p. 28. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ "The Man from Atlantis". The UK Sci-Fi TV Book Guide. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ "Man from Atlantis; Marvel Publishing that started in 1978". Comic Vine. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ "Man from Atlantis; Look-In Comics that started in 1978". Plaid Stallions. June 22, 2008. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ "Kenner Man from Atlantis Prototypes and Concept Sketches". Plaid Stallions. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
- ^ "Toy Empire: The British Force Behind Star Wars Toys". BBC One.
- ^ Mills, Christopher (December 24, 2015). "News: Patrick Duffy's Man from Atlantis Novel Due 2016". space1970. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
External links
- Man from Atlantis at IMDb(pilot)
- Man from Atlantis at IMDb(series)
- Man from Atlantis at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)