The Time Tunnel Volume Two (1966)

the Time Tunnel volume II

Again , with a young imagination , this series , certainly fit the bill !
"Hats Off to Irwin Allen !" July 10, 2008

Time Tunnel-a good series nipped in the bud!

The Time Tunnel which originally ran during the TV show season of 1966/67,was unfortunately just a one season wonder.However it is a series which still captured the fancy of many a viewer back then and it still holds quite an appeal today.
The show involves the adventures of Project Tic-Toc run by General Kirk(Whit Bissell).Two scientists Tony Newman(James Darren) and Doug Phillips(Robert Colbert) are the time travellers who from week to week are injected by the tunnel from one random time period to another.Many of the story lines were quite interesting while others could be run of the mill.Overall though the acting was top notch and the special effects pretty good for that period.
Irwin Allen,the producer,made liberal use of the 20th Century sound archives for background music and effects and the video archives for filler scenes.
Volume Two to me is a bit more satisfying than Vol.1 in that it seems to have more to offer as far as special features go.There are:interviews with Whit Bissell,Lee Meriwether,James Darren and Robert Colbert,a still photo gallery,a rare unaired 2002 TV pilot called "The Time Tunnel" and a 1976 Irwin Allen produced TV Movie called "The Time Travellers".
The 2002 pilot is uninspiring and has a totally unbelievable story line.It involves the story of a man recruited to go back in time to the WW2 battle of the Hurtgen Forest.It occured from the fall of /44 to early /45 and was one of the deadliest battles of the war for the Germans and Americans.It seems a 1500s monk has been dropped into the Forest by erractic waves of time and that he has effected the future as a result.It's up to the team that's assembled to correct the situation.The story is ok up to this point but falls like a rock off a cliff from here.The team they assemble is made up of three men and two women!! First of all there were NO women combatants on EITHER side of that battle.Secondly one of the women is black.Thirdly neither woman gets challenged by any soldier outside the group when in battle.In reality they would stick out more than a unicorn in Times Square!
If you can get past these points,and I couldn't,the story is still mediocre at best.It's a good thing it wasn't picked up but it's still an interesting thing to see/have.
"The Time Travellers" is a made for TV movie from 1976 starring Booth Colman and Richard Basehart.It involves a Rod Serling story of a plague taking place in and around New Orleans during Mardi Gras Time.A doctor and a man connected directly with the time project go back to 1871 Chicago to find the answer from a doctor(Basehart) who apparently has the cure.
This show is far better than the 2002 pilot,because if for no other reason, it was written by Serling.Basehart gives a good performance as the period doctor but again the plot, over the approximately 70 minutes this plays, starts to wear a little thin.But again a good piece of video to own.
Like Volume one of this two volume series this has NOT been remastered,but the masters used are of such high quality I can see why they didn't.The only problem of note was the second to last ep in the entire group;it has about a 10 minute bout with several vertical black dirt/scratch lines that distractingly appear.If that was all I could see I'd say that's not bad overall.
Like the previous volume this also is a double sided four disc set.I really get annoyed with this double sided production of DVD sets.First of all it's cheap and secondly they are SO prone to scratching.Furthermore this entire season could have been put into just ONE set and with just one -sided discs at that;there was NO need to over charge like this and split it into two.But then again I see that Irwin Allens' TV shows ALL charge at a much higher rate than most others.Unfortunate.
In conclusion Vol.2 of the "Time Tunnel" finishes off the one and only season with our intrepid travellers Tony Newman and Doug Phillips played well by James Darren and Robert Colbert respectively.Even though the show was just a one-off it had ALOT of potential and plot wise could have gone anywhere had it continued.It is so unfortunate this is all there is but I for one am grateful we have this.
It's also a show the entire family can watch and enjoy and it is,I daresay,educational in the sense that the travellers do go back to actual historic events/dates which are played fairly accurately.
Get your set today and do a little time travelling yourself! June 16, 2008

The Time Tunnel Still Rocks

In 1966 my sister and my self could not wait for Friday Night to watch
the "The Time Tunnel." My family had just purchased our first Color Television and I remember the vivid colors and incredible adventures in
time. This is wonderful entertainment without bad words and a political
agenda. It also cultivated my curiosity in historic events such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Since the screen writers went on strike and all we have to watch is reruns anyway why not enjoy something you remember and your younger family will want to see more than once. This is a fantastic addition to my DVD collection. Brovo Amazon for making this available at such a reasonable price Jay Simon - Orlando Florida
June 14, 2008

The Time Tunnel Volume 2

Good time travel series for the 60,s.Opened the door for other top series and movies on time travel. May 22, 2008

good

very good serie i like series about time voyages it's a nostalgia from an time where was a little boy sorry for my bad english but i'm french greetings April 21, 2008

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