The Time Tunnel

"TWO AMERICAN SCIENTISTS ARE LOST IN THE SWIRLING MAZE OF PAST AND FUTURE AGES DURING THE FIRST EXPERIMENTS ON AMERICA'S GREATEST AND MOST SECRET PROJECT "THE TIME TUNNEL". TONY NEWMAN AND DOUG PHILLIPS NOW TUMBLE HELPLESSLY TOWARD A NEW FANTASTIC ADVENTURE SOMEWHERE ALONG THE INFINITE CORRIDORS OF TIME...."

THE TIME TUNNEL ran for 30 episodes, a full season, back in 1966. I have a distinct childhood memory of the opening credits, specifically that music, and the image of our two leads falling in slow motion against the woozy, sparkling lava lamp efx that signify ripples in time. John Williams, who was then billed as "Johnny," created the dissonant theme music. It alternately scared and thrilled me. When a CD was released in the 1990s with music from the series, I snatched it up. I still love it.

The show, however, was a typical Irwin Allen show of the 1960s. That is, the thing started off strong and then fell back on silly plots, clunky-to-non-existent characterization; with each episode full of running and jumping. Our two leads, Tony & Doug, were forever landing in Krakatoa, on the Titanic, War of 1812, etc. And they were always saying, "You might not believe me, but I'm a time traveler." And then they'd get beaten up. Ugh. Predictable!

I still like the IDEA of the program, but not the execution.

Below is a short documentary overview of TIME TUNNEL, with interviews with all the principle actors. I'm guessing that it was part of the larger documentary The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen (1995). And below those vids are a series of YouTube links to a 2002 revamp of the series that I came across. Please watch it. I haven't. Tell me if it's good.







TIME TUNNEL (2002) Part One
TIME TUNNEL (2002) Part Two
TIME TUNNEL (2002) Part Three
TIME TUNNEL (2002) Part Four
TIME TUNNEL (2002) Part Five


Above photo from the highly informative Time Tunnel page here.

There are a lot of Trek links to the cast. We don't just like Trek here, we love love love Trek. Here are just a few:

TOS (STAR TREK:THE OLD SHOW): Lee Meriweather was in a third season episode , That Which Survives; Whit Bissell was Space Station K-7's Commander Lurry in The Trouble with Tribbles. James Darren was in eight episodes of DS9, as well as regularly appearing on The Shat's show T.J. HOOKER.

And there are more in the TT supporting cast. Of particular note is Lawrence Montaigne, who played "Stonn" in the TOS episode Amok Time (where Spock goes into heat) and then he repeated that same character in the 2007 Web series STAR TREK:OF GODS AND MEN.