19. The Day The Sky Fell In (The Time Tunnel, Season 1)
This mid-sixties series had a great premise and some of the most elaborate set designs of any sci-fi show. Two scientists, Tony Newman (James Darren) and Doug Phillips (Robert Colbert), work for a secret U.S. government program called Project Tic-Toc. Their facility houses the time tunnel, an experimental device that allows one to travel to any point in time. There is a malfunction and Tony and Doug are sucked in, continually being pulled backward and forward in time. This premise sets up their weekly adventures covering everything from pre-historic times, the eruption of Krakatoa, the sinking of the Titanic, and even the far distant future. In this episode, the pair jumps to Honolulu the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Tony grew up there with his father, an officer in the navy, who was presumably killed during the attack. Tony himself was playing at the house of his friend Billy Neal around the time of the strike. He locates his father and tries to warn him of the attack, but his father is understandably skeptical. Tony and Doug are able to convince Mrs. Neal to flee with young Tony and Billy before the attack happens, in effect saving future Tonys life. During the bombing, Tonys father is seriously injured while trying to warn the U.S. fleet. He arrives in time to help his father get the message out, but his fathers wounds are too severe and he dies in Tonys arms. The tone of this episode is another perfect example of how potent sci-fi can be when a great premise is married to some deep emotional moments.
I've been a huge sci-fi fan ever since going to see "Star Wars" at the tender age of 3 (and yes I actually do remember it! I love pretty much any intelligent and entertaining film and television series (some of my all time favorites are 2001, Lawrence of Arabia, Battlestar Galactica [SyFy], and The West Wing). Must thank the stars above for such things as HBOGO and Netflix (Am thoroughly enjoying Ripper Street btw). I've also been an avid comic book collector since childhood. I earned a bachelor's degree in creative writing with a second emphasis in film studies from Florida State University (Go Noles!) and definitely enjoy sitting back and watching pretty much any sports. I wish I had a joke to end with, but I don't so I'll simply say "The End."
This mid-sixties series had a great premise and some of the most elaborate set designs of any sci-fi show. Two scientists, Tony Newman (James Darren) and Doug Phillips (Robert Colbert), work for a secret U.S. government program called Project Tic-Toc. Their facility houses the time tunnel, an experimental device that allows one to travel to any point in time. There is a malfunction and Tony and Doug are sucked in, continually being pulled backward and forward in time. This premise sets up their weekly adventures covering everything from pre-historic times, the eruption of Krakatoa, the sinking of the Titanic, and even the far distant future. In this episode, the pair jumps to Honolulu the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Tony grew up there with his father, an officer in the navy, who was presumably killed during the attack. Tony himself was playing at the house of his friend Billy Neal around the time of the strike. He locates his father and tries to warn him of the attack, but his father is understandably skeptical. Tony and Doug are able to convince Mrs. Neal to flee with young Tony and Billy before the attack happens, in effect saving future Tonys life. During the bombing, Tonys father is seriously injured while trying to warn the U.S. fleet. He arrives in time to help his father get the message out, but his fathers wounds are too severe and he dies in Tonys arms. The tone of this episode is another perfect example of how potent sci-fi can be when a great premise is married to some deep emotional moments.