Irwin Allen Remembered
IRWIN ALLEN
(June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991)
Today, November 2nd, marks the anniversary of the death of Irwin
Allen, director, writer and producer of such TV landmarks
as "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", "Lost In Space", "Land of the
Giants" and "The Time Tunnel" - and who is fondly known to his fans
worldwide as "The Master of Disaster".
Born on June 12th, 1916, in New York, NY, Allen was a graduate of
New York's Columbia School of Journalism, became a magazine editor,
the producer/director of a radio show, talent agent and the owner of
an advertising agency before entering film production in the 1950s.
Allen's first taste of celluloid success came in the form of an Oscar
for his tyro documentary "The Sea Around Us"(1953). His penchant for
grandiose subject matter was realized in films such as "The Animal
World" (1956), "The Story of Mankind" (1957), "The Big Circus"(1959),
and "The Lost World" (1960) before he achieved commercial success
with "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1961), a well-remembered sci- fi extravaganza. Its all-star cast, elaborate special effects, and
apocalyptic menace foreshadowed the producer's later works.
He adapted the film into a weekly TV series that ran from 1964
through 1967; during the same period he also produced "Lost in
Space", "The Time Tunnel" and "Land of the Giants." Returning to
feature-film production, Allen hit the box-office jackpot with "The
Poseidon Adventure" (1972), which singlehandedly spawned the popular
disaster genre of the 1970s. His special-effects crews also had a
field day with the Oscar-nominated "The Towering Inferno" (1974), but
by the end of the decade, tired rehashes like "The Swarm" (1978) and
the inevitable "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure"(1979) were no longer
attracting big audiences. One of Allen's final forays into the
disaster genre was appropriately titled "EB>" (1980).
Another of Allen's sci-fi series he produced in the 1960's which a
pilot was produced for, but failed to be sold to the studios,
was "The Man From The 25th Century", starring James Darren.
His wife, actress Sheila Matthews, had small roles in a number of
his films and also on his TV shows, namely "Lost In Space" and "Land
of the Giants".
Allen became famous in Hollywood for quotes such as, "Me, if I can
blow up the world in the first ten seconds, the show is a flop."
Irwin Allen passed away in Santa Monica California on November 2nd,
1991 at the age of 75 years old, following a heart attack.
Please see below for his complete filmography:
Producer - filmography
1. Outrage! (1986) (TV) (producer)
2. Alice in Wonderland (1985) (TV) (executive producer)
... aka Alice Through the Looking Glass (1985) (TV) (video title)
3. Cave-In! (1983) (TV) (producer)
4. Aliens From Another Planet (1982) (TV) (producer)
5. "Code Red" (1981) TV Series (producer)
6. Night the Bridge Fell Down, The (1980) (TV) (producer)
7. When Time Ran Out... (1980) (producer)
8. ... aka Day the World Ended, The (1980) (USA: video title)
9. ... aka Earth's Final Fury (1980/II) (USA: TV title)
10. Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979) (producer)
11. Hanging by a Thread (1979) (TV) (producer)
12. Swarm, The (1978) (producer)
13. Return of Captain Nemo, The (1978) (TV) (executive producer)
... aka Amazing Captain Nemo, The (1978) (TV) (USA: theatrical title)
14. Fire! (1977) (TV) (executive producer)
15. Flood! (1976) (TV) (producer)
16. Time Travelers (1976) (TV) (producer)
17. "Swiss Family Robinson" (1975) TV Series (producer)
... aka "Island of Adventure" (1975) (UK)
18. Swiss Family Robinson, The (1975) (TV) (producer)
19. Adventures of the Queen (1975) (TV) (producer)
20. Towering Inferno, The (1974) (producer)
21. Poseidon Adventure, The (1972) (producer)
22. City Beneath the Sea (1971) (TV) (producer)
... aka One Hour to Doomsday (1971) (TV) (UK: theatrical title)
23. "Land of the Giants" (1968) TV Series (producer)
24. "Time Tunnel, The" (1966) TV Series (producer)
25. "Lost in Space" (1965) TV Series (producer)
26. "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1964) TV Series (producer)
27. Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962) (producer)
28. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (movie)(1961) (producer)
29. Lost World, The (1960) (producer)
30. Big Circus, The (1959) (producer)
31. Story of Mankind, The (1957) (producer)
32. Animal World, The (1956) (producer)
33. Dangerous Mission (1954) (producer)
... aka Rangers of the North (1954) (USA)
34. Sea Around Us, The (1953) (producer)
35. Girl in Every Port, A (1952) (producer)
36. Double Dynamite (1951) (co-producer) (uncredited) (producer) (uncredited)
... aka It's Only Money (1951)
37. Where Danger Lives (1950) (associate producer)
Director - filmography
1. Aliens From Another Planet (1982) (TV) (episode "Rendez-vous with Yesterday")
2. Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
3. Swarm, The (1978)
4. Towering Inferno, The (1974) (action sequences)
5. Poseidon Adventure, The (1972) (uncredited)
6. City Beneath the Sea (1971) (TV)
... aka One Hour to Doomsday (1971) (TV) (UK: theatrical title)
7. "Land of the Giants" (1968) TV Series (episode "Crash, The")
8. "Time Tunnel, The" (1966) TV Series (episode "Rendezvous with Yesterday")
9. "Lost in Space" (1965) TV Series
10. "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1964) TV Series
11. Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962)
12. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
13. Lost World, The (1960)
14. Story of Mankind, The (1957)
15. Animal World, The (1956)
16. Sea Around Us, The (1953) (uncredited)
Writer - filmography
1. Lost in Space (1998) (television series)
... aka LS (1998) (USA: promotional abbreviation)
2. Aliens From Another Planet (1982) (TV) (story Rendez-vous with Yesterday)
3. Time Travelers (1976) (TV) (story)
4. Adventures of the Queen (1975) (TV) (story)
5. City Beneath the Sea (1971) (TV) (story)
... aka One Hour to Doomsday (1971) (TV) (UK: theatrical title)
6. "Land of the Giants" (1968) TV Series (writer) (episode "Crash, The")
7. "Time Tunnel, The" (1966) TV Series (writer) (episode "Rendezvous with Yesterday")
8. "Lost in Space" (1965) TV Series (creator)
9. Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962) (screenplay)
10. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) (story)
11. Lost World, The (1960)
12. Big Circus, The (1959)
13. Story of Mankind, The (1957)
14. Animal World, The (1956)
15. Sea Around Us, The (1953)
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