Man from Atlantis

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Man From Atlantis

Patrick Duffy appears as the man called Mark Harris on the cover of this 1970s novel, written by Richard Woodley, based on the series's pilot.
Format Drama/Science fiction
Directed by (pilot) Lee H. Katzin
Starring Patrick Duffy
Belinda Montgomery
Alan Fudge
Victor Buono
Country of origin  United States
No. of episodes 4 made-for-TV movies; 13 hour-long episodes
Production
Executive producer(s) Herbert F. Solow
Running time 42-44 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Original run 22 September 1977 – 6 June 1978

Man From Atlantis is a short-lived American science fiction television series that ran for 13 episodes on the NBC Network during the 1977–1978 season, following on from four successful television movies that had aired earlier in 1977. A number of sources prepend the word The to the title; however, the actual on-screen title of the series, plus the title used for spin-off novels and comic books, does not include the article.

NBC commissioned four movies of the show during the 1977 season, exceeding ABC's record of three for The Six Million Dollar Man.

The four movies were:

  1. Man From Atlantis (March 4, 1977)
  2. The Death Scouts (April 22, 1977)
  3. The Killer Spores (May 17, 1977)
  4. The Disappearances (June 20, 1977)

And the thirteen episodes were:

  1. "Melt Down"
  2. "The Mudworm"
  3. "Hawk of Mu"
  4. "Giant"
  5. "Man O'War"
  6. "Shoot Out at Land's End
  7. "Crystal Water, Sudden Death"
  8. "The Naked Montague"
  9. "C.W. Hyde"
  10. "Scavenger Hunt"
  11. "Imp"
  12. "The Siren"
  13. "Deadly Carnival"

Contents

[edit] Plot

The series starred 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. Possessed of exceptional abilities, including the ability to breathe underwater and withstand extreme depth pressures, and possessed of super-human strength, Harris was subsequently recruited by the Foundation For Oceanic Research, a governmental agency that explored the depths of the ocean in a sophisticated submarine called the Cetacean, whose voyages were shown through miniature work by Gene Warren's team.

The supporting cast included 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. 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.

[edit] International releases

Man From Atlantis is notable as being the first American TV series to be shown in the People's Republic of China in 1980, with the title translated to "The Man From The Bottom Of Atlantic." It was at the time when the "Gang Of Four" lost power to Deng Xiaoping, and science research began to get attention, along with economic development. In Brazil it was named O Homem do Fundo do Mar, which translates from the Portuguese language as The Man From The Deep Sea. In Portugal, the title was identical to the original, O Homem da Atlântida, being screened on RTP1.

In the United Kingdom, Man From Atlantis was shown, in most regions, in an early Saturday evening slot on ITV, opposite the BBC's long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who, which was then in its 15th season. Although Man From Atlantis had not been a ratings/audience-share or demographic success in its native America, the series actually beat Doctor Who during its transmission in the UK. This effect would be seen again in 1980/81 when ITV screened Buck Rogers in the 25th Century against Doctor Who.

[edit] Adaptations

In 1978, Marvel Comics published seven issues of a Man From Atlantis comic book, written by Bill Mantlo with art by Frank Robbins and Frank Springer.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_from_Atlantis"
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