Mister Ed (1961)

Today it is fondly remembered as an animal-themed situation comedy that appealed equally to adults and children, but Mister Ed also set the mold for some of the most popular and regrettable comedies of the 1960s and offered a profound perspective on man's relationship with other animals as well as himself.

The show's origins have been much documented, if somewhat inconsistently. According to the human star of the show, Alan Young, in his memoir Mister Ed and Me, director, producer, and creator Arthur Lubin first tried to recruit Young for the lead role in 1952 after selling his rights to the Francis the Talking Mule feature films, which Lubin also directed. By 1952 Lubin had directed three Francis features starring Donald O'Connor as a soldier who can hear Army mule Francis talking, but nobody else can. However, Lubin would go on to direct three more Francis pictures from 1953-55, so it is unclear what Lubin's stake in the Francis series was during this time. Young appears to have misremembered a few other details about the series, so it is possible he is mistaken here as well. Another source claims that Lubin wanted to bring the Francis idea to television but did not own the rights. In any case, his secretary, Sonia Chernus is credited with having told him about a series of stories about a talking horse named Mister Ed written by Walter R. Brooks and published in magazines beginning in 1937. Lubin was able to acquire the TV rights to these stories, which are listed as the inspirational source on the credits for each episode of the TV series.

Though Young turned down Lubin's initial offer, Lubin was able to secure the financial backing of George Burns, who also served as executive producer. Burns and Lubin filmed a pilot called "The Wonderful World of Wilbur Pope" in 1958, but none of the networks were interested in picking it up. When they brought on producer Al Simon, he suggested key changes. They also decided to change the main human's last name from Pope to Post to avoid any religious connotations. The original pilot was edited down to a 15-minute presentation, which was used to get Young to sign on and was shown to the D'Arcy Advertising Agency, whose chief loved it. Though they knew they would be unable to get any of the networks to take on a show they had already rejected, advertising agency head Steve Mudge took the mini-pilot to one of his clients, the Studebaker automobile company, and in a novel arrangement in which local dealers across the country chipped in a small amount from each car sale, they agreed to sponsor it as a syndicated program, with each dealer again buying airtime on their local station. Young misremembers that Studebaker had hoped to use the show as a way to promote their newest and most innovative model, the Avanti, but the Avanti wasn't introduced until 1962, and all the automobiles shown in the first season are variations of the Studebaker Lark.

The show was an immediate hit with the viewers but the Studebaker Lark was not, and Studebaker had to pull out as sponsor after the show's initial 26-episode season. Young recounts that fortunately Al Simon and Filmways Studios head Marty Ransohoff were having lunch at the same restaurant where CBS executives were meeting to discuss programming for the upcoming fall season. CBS programming director James Aubrey walked in and casually asked Simon and Ransohoff what was new. When they told him their dilemma, he immediately replied that he was looking to fill a spot on his Sunday night schedule, and just like that Mister Ed made the transition from syndication to network TV. Though Young describes this chain of events as happening at the end of the show's first season, whose last episode aired July 2, 1961, TV Guide reported the move to CBS as a done deal in its May 6 issue. The same issue revealed the secret that trainer Les Hilton used to make Ed appear to talk--inserting a nylon thread under his lip so that he would move it to try to get rid of the thread. Young claims in his memoir that this secret was not revealed until many years after the show had stopped airing and that he had helped spread a rumor that Hilton used peanut butter rather than nylon thread. Young says that eventually Hilton was able to dispense with the thread because Ed knew he would be prompted to speak whenever Young stopped talking.

Though it never topped the ratings, Mister Ed was popular enough to serve as the template for many zany-themed comedies later in the decade--My Favorite Martian, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and, less successfully, My Mother the Car. Each of these series features a magical being whose powers or existence is known to a single individual who derives some benefit from the magical being but must go to great lengths to disguise the being's true nature. The comedy from each series springs primarily from the character privy to the magic trying to hide it from "normal" characters. In Mister Ed, the magical power is obviously the horse's ability to talk, and not only talk, but think and feel like an intelligent human. Ed chooses to talk to only Wilbur because he says he likes him. Wilbur comes to own Ed in the series' first episode "The First Meeting" (January 7, 1961) when newlyweds Wilbur and Carol Post buy a house that comes with a backyard stable in which Ed resides. The previous owner left Ed behind for the new owner to do with as he pleases. Wilbur quickly realizes that no one will believe him if he tells them his horse can talk, particularly when the horse refuses to talk whenever anyone but Wilbur is around. However, Ed does talk on the telephone since the party on the other end of the line can't tell that he's a horse, and in one episode, "Kiddy Park" (January 26, 1961), he talks to a small child because he says that no one will believe the child.

But what makes Mister Ed more profound than other zany comedies is that it depicts an animal as the intellectual equal of a human. In fact, Ed is often superior to his human counterparts. In "The Contest" (June 18, 1961), Ed is able to correctly answer geography questions from a radio quiz show when Wilbur and the Addisons cannot. He proves himself a skilled songwriter in "Ed, the Songwriter" (April 6, 1961) and "Mister Ed's Blues" (November 19, 1961). And he turns out to be adept at selling real estate over the phone in "Ed, the Salesman" (December 3, 1961). Meanwhile, Wilbur, while a skilled architect, is a poor magician, as seen in "Little Boy" (May 11, 1961), and generally a fumbling klutz, as depicted when he tries to fix the Addison's floor lamp in "Ed, the Redecorator" (October 22, 1961). Carol Post is a stereotypical housewife of the era, fixing meals for Wilbur and shopping or getting her hair done, though she does also volunteer for the Humane Society in "Ed, the Stoolpigeon" (April 13, 1961) and goes on television in a voter turnout effort in "Ed, the Voter" (November 5, 1961). Roger Addison is a retired real estate developer who doubles as a greedy cheapskate, while his wife Kay is a shopaholic. Ed, meanwhile, has a heart of gold, rescuing his mother from a life of hard labor in "Ed's Mother" (March 23, 1961), saving a little girl on a runaway horse in "Ed, the Hero" (November 26, 1961), sticking up for a bullied little boy in "Little Boy," and helping a hired cook finally get the marriage proposal she has waited for in "A Man for Velma" (April 27, 1961). In short, Ed has the most well-adjusted personality of any of the main characters.

It's also somewhat poignant that Wilbur appears like a lunatic to his family and friends merely for attending to the needs and desires of his companion animal. When Wilbur says that Ed can't go on a trip to a mountain resort because of his fear of heights, Roger Addison assumes he is nutty and refers him to a psychoanalyst in "Psychoanalyst Show" (April 20, 1961), but Wilbur uses the session with the psychoanalyst to find a way to cure Ed of his acrophobia. Even Wilbur occasionally needs a lesson in how to treat an animal when he is riding Ed in the park and digs his heels into Ed's ribs to get him to speed up, only to have Ed remark, "How would you like it if I did that to you?" This comment and others like it during 1961 episodes emphasize that Ed the horse deserves to be treated with the same respect as a human being, and even though this sentiment is played for laughs, the primary narrative of the series is that Ed is Wilbur's closest companion. Other animal-themed shows from the era--Lassie, Flipper, and Daktari portray a positive image of animals, but they often are given a subservient role, as a helper to their more heroic human counterparts. But on Mister Ed, there is no mistake that Ed is Wilbur's equal.

And while it's easy to think that Ed might deserve equal treatment because he's a special animal, the episode "Hunting Show" (November 12, 1961) suggests that all animals deserve more humane treatment. In this story Wilbur and Roger plan a hunting trip, initially without their wives until Carol tricks Wilbur into thinking that she needs the fresh air outside the city, and once Carol is invited Kay has to come along, too. But before Wilbur and Roger set out to shoot ducks, a cute duckling wanders through their camp and Carol asks Wilbur how he could think of shooting an adult duck that might be this duckling's parent. Wilbur isn't dissuaded, yet, but once they are out in the brush with Ed as their packhorse, Ed repeatedly foils Roger's attempts to get off a shot by bumping him or swishing his tail in his face. The wandering duckling shows up again, and Wilbur is finally convinced to give up the hunt, but Roger, always the more callous of the two, vows to stay and get his money's worth from his new $375 shotgun. After Ed stages a stunt with some ketchup as fake blood in a ruse to get Wilbur to take him back home, Wilbur not only swears off hunting forever when he thinks that Ed was hit by a stray shot from another hunter, but he demands that Roger throw both of their guns in the lake. Again, though the scenes are always played for laughs, the question remains, if a horse can be your best companion simply because he chooses to talk to you, how can you shoot another animal for sport? 

Ed shows that he can communicate with other humans through other methods such as tapping out a license plate number with his hoof in "Ed, the Witness" (March 16, 1961), thereby convincing a Mexican judge that a con man ran into Wilbur's trailer and then charged him to repair it. In "The Horsetronaut" (October 8, 1961) he convinces an army scientist of his intelligence by circumventing the scientist's test, which would have shocked him if he had picked the wrong one of two carrots. After the scientist describes how the test works to an army private, Ed unplugs the test machine and then eats the carrot. Within the logic of this TV series, how can you assume an animal is less intelligent than yourself when it may just be a case of the animal not communicating with you in a way that you can understand?

The humor in the series derives from overturning man's position as ruler of the animal kingdom. Ed is usually able to get what he wants by outwitting Wilbur and other humans. Humans like Roger Addison find this idea ridiculous--they cannot believe any other species has the power to communicate with us and to believe that they can is madness. But perhaps we are the ones who are insane for believing that we are so uniquely gifted and isolated above all other species. Though it has always been considered a kind of screwball comedy, Mister Ed also addressed issues we are still wrestling with about our place in the natural world.

The memorable theme song for Mister Ed, which did not include lyrics until the show's 8th episode, was written by the Songwriters Hall of Fame team of Ray Evans and Jay Livingston, who provided the singing in the vocal version. The duo first met and began collaborating while students at the University of Pennsylvania. Evans was a high school valedictorian and played clarinet in the school band. He graduated from Penn's prestigious Wharton School of Business with a degree in Economics. After playing together in the university's dance orchestra, the two continued their collaboration after graduation and got their first big break when their song "G'Bye Now" was used in Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson's 1939 Broadway revue Hellzapoppin'. In 1946 they signed with Paramount Studios in Hollywood and over the next decade won three Academy Awards for "Buttons and Bows" (1948), "Mona Lisa" (1950), and "Que Sera Sera" (1956). They were also nominated but did not win the following year for "Tammy's in Love" from Tammy and the Bachelor. They wrote the Christmas standard "Silver Bells" in 1951, initially intended for the 1951 Bob Hope film The Lemon Drop Kid, wrote the instrumental theme song for the TV series Bonanza, and collaborated with Henry Mancini on "Dear Heart" in 1964. Livingston also co-wrote "The Twelfth of Never" with Paul Francis Webster. Livingston passed away at age 86 on October 17, 2001, and Evans died February 15, 2007 at age 92. 

The complete series has been released on DVD by Shout!Factory.

The Actors

Alan Young

Angus Young was born in North Shields, Northumberland in northern England, the son of a shipyard bookkeeper and sometime midwife. After relocating the family to Edinburgh, Scotland, his father decided to move them to Canada. After a harrowing passage that included their ship running aground on Anticosti Island, they finally landed in Quebec City, from which they took a train to British Columbia. At first they settled in the tiny town of Caulfied, but when his father had difficulty finding work, they then moved to West Vancouver. As a child Young suffered from asthma and was forced to remain indoors for months every year, but he used the time wisely, reading voraciously and devouring radio comedies such that he was able to repeat the skits verbatim. This talent got him a spot in a talent show hosted by the local Scottish Caledonia Society, which in turn led to a regular spot on Vancouver's CJOR radio station and eventually his own show on the national Canadian station CBC. There he was heard by a New York-based agent who hired him as a summer replacement for Eddie Cantor. When the summer ended, he was given a regular spot and was able to hire his own writers and actors, one of whom was Jim Backus. But Young wanted to try other things as well and after a failed joke using 20th Century Fox's Daryl F. Zanuck's name and a subsequent apology and plug for Fox's newest film, Young got a screen test, which didn't go well but introduced him to a producer who agreed to film a 5-minute sketch he had written that turned out to be his ticket to Hollywood. His first film, Forever Amber, flopped, but his next one, Margie, was a hit, leading to more major roles in Chicken Every Sunday and Mr. Belvedere Goes to College. When Hollywood studios began shrinking in the late 1940s, he returned to radio, hosting his own show and playing a supporting role on Jimmy Durante's radio show. When he was dropped from both, he tried the theater circuit with his comedy show, but that also didn't pan out. So he returned to Hollywood and auditioned at CBS for his own live TV show, which went on the air in 1950. The show ran for three seasons and garnered two Emmys, but the strain of writing and performing a live, sketch-based weekly program wore Young down, and when he saw other TV comics, like Jack Benny and Lucille Ball, switching to film, he demanded the same and was turned down. Fortunately, he had just signed a contract with Paramount Pictures and returned to feature films. But his first picture, Aaron Slick From Punkin Crick, bombed and the next one, Androcles and the Lion, failed to live up to the hype, which left him in search of work again, which he found as a guest star on a series of TV programs. He was given his own show back in England, but it did not last long, simply because British programs have much shorter seasons. However, he was able to bounce back in the George Pal-directed MGM musical Tom Thumb in 1958 and struck gold playing opposite Rod Taylor in another Pal production, The Time Machine in 1960.

After Mister Ed was canceled in 1966, Young tried Broadway, but his one production was savaged by the critics and he left entertainment to work for the Christian Science Church, which also turned out to be a disillusioning experience. Eventually he was able to return to Hollywood as a voice actor, first producing a record album for Disney titled Mickey's Christmas Carol and then as the voice of Scrooge McDuck in a variety of productions, most notably the TV series DuckTales. He also provided voices for Battle of the Planets, The Incredible Hulk, The Dukes, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Smurfs, and The Ren and Stimpy Show. He has also logged occasional guest appearances on programs such as The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, Doogie Howser, M.D. and ER as well as a regular role playing Ed Pepper on Coming of Age in 1988-89. He continues to provide the voice of Scrooge McDuck for Disney video games and currently resides, at age 95, in Woodland Hills, California.

Connie Hines

Constance Faith Hines was born into a family of performers in Dedham, Massachusetts. Her mother was an actor as was her father, who also taught acting and staged theatrical performances. She said she caught the acting bug after playing her father's daughter in a Boston production of Life With Father when she was 5 years old. Though she failed to land a part in her high school senior play, she was voted the most popular girl in school and elected class secretary. A teenage marriage to an insurance salesman had her move to Jacksonville, Florida, where she modeled and acted on radio and in theatrical productions. After a divorce, she moved to New York and trained with the Helen Hayes Equity Group. In 1958 she became a regular contestant on the game show Dotto and was later called to testify about being coached to give correct answers when the show was found to have been rigged. However, her appearances on the show caught the attention of a movie studio, revealed when host Jack Narz presented her with a telegram live on the air. She soon thereafter appeared in the British TV series Rendezvous and then landed a string of guest appearances on American TV shows such as Whirlybirds, Bachelor Father, Coronado 9, Perry Mason, Sea Hunt, and Shotgun Slade, as well as a starring role in the stock-car-themed feature film Thunder in Carolina before landing the role of Carol Post on Mister Ed.

After Mister Ed's cancelation in 1966, Hines made only a few TV guest appearances on shows such as Bonanza, Love, American Style, and Mod Squad before retiring from acting after marrying producer and entertainment lawyer Lee Savin in 1970. In 1989 she and Savin moved to Dana Point, California on the recommendation of Alan Young. There she hosted an animal rescue TV show on a local cable access channel. She and Young performed in the theatrical production Love Letters in Irvine, CA in 1996. Savin died in 1995. Hines passed away from a heart condition at the age of 78 on December 18, 2009.

Larry Keating

Lawrence Keating was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1896. Though little is known of his early years other than being the nephew of heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns, Keating became a radio announcer for NBC in the 1940s and toured with Bob Hope on his military camp shows during World War II. In 1945 he moved to ABC Radio as the announcer for This Is Your FBI and remained with the show until 1953. During that period he also began appearing in feature films such as Whirlpool, I Was a Shoplifter, The Mating Season, When Worlds Collide, and Francis Goes to the Races, which introduced him to future Mister Ed director Arthur Lubin. In 1953 he took over the role of George Burns and Gracie Allen's neighbor Harry Morton on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and continued the role when Allen retired in 1958 on The George Burns Show. Since Burns was also an executive producer on Mister Ed, Keating was an easy choice for Wilbur Post's peptic neighbor Roger Addison, a role somewhat similar to his earlier Harry Morton. Keating contracted leukemia in early 1963 but continued working on Mister Ed until a week before his death, his last appearance being on the Season 4 premier. He died August 26, 1963 in Hollywood at the age of 67 and posthumously appeared in 1964 in the Don Knotts feature film The Incredible Mr. Limpet about a man who morphs into a talking fish. The film was directed by, of course, Arthur Lubin.

Edna Skinner

Born in Washington, D.C., but growing up in Oregon, Edna Skinner began her show business career after graduating from the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts by appearing in vaudeville and Manhattan night clubs before moving over to radio, where she did a number of character and animal voices as well as sound effects. Her big break came when she was hired by Rodgers & Hammerstein to replace Celeste Holm as Ado Annie in their original Broadway production of Oklahoma! During World War II she helped organize War Bond rallies and made her feature film debut in 1948 in the Frank Sinatra/Kathryn Grayson vehicle The Kissing Bandit. She appeared in Easy to Love and The Long, Long Trailer in 1953 before landing the role of Maggie the cook on the TV version of Topper that same year. She appeared in guest roles on a few more TV shows and the feature films The Second Greatest Sex and Friendly Persuasion in the mid-1950s before being cast as Kay Addison on Mister Ed in 1961.

When Larry Keating died suddenly in 1963, the Mister Ed  producers contemplated keeping her character on the show as a widow living with her brother Paul Fenton, played by Jack Albertson, but decided to get rid of the character at the end of Season 4, leaving her out of a job. She had guest spots on single episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies and Daniel Boone in 1964 but then retired from acting. She became a renowned angler, editing an outdoor magazine and representing two fishing tackle companies with her companion of 40 years Jean Fish. She wrote over 280 articles on fly fishing for a variety of publications and was awarded a trophy by the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in 1962 for catching a 31-pound albacore the previous year. Skinner and Fish retired to the southern Oregon coast in the 1970s, and Skinner published a memoir and history of the area The Heart of Lakeside in 1978. She died of heart failure in North Bend, Oregon at the age of 82 on August 8, 2003.

Allan Lane

Harry Leonard Albershart was born in Mishikawa, Indiana and according to some reports grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. According to one account, he attended Notre Dame University and lettered in football, baseball, and basketball but left school to join a Cincinnati repertory theater group. However, Notre Dame has no record of his having been there. He also founded his own photography company and did some modeling, all by age 20. He was discovered by a talent scout from Fox Studios in 1929 and moved to Hollywood, appearing in his first feature film that same year, Not Quite Decent. When he couldn't rise above supporting, often uncredited roles, he left Hollywood in 1932 and apparently played semi-pro football but returned in 1936 and began getting better parts, such as in Shirley Temple's Stowaway. By 1937 he left Fox for Republic Studios and won the lead role in The Duke Comes Back. But Lane found his first great success playing Mountie Dave King in the serial King of the Royal Mounted in 1940, followed by The Yukon Patrol and King of the Mounties over the next two years. He also began appearing in westerns such as The Law West of Tombstone in 1938, Daredevils of the West in 1943, Sheriff of Sundown in 1944, and The Topeka Terror in 1945. In 1946 he played Red Ryder in the first of seven features produced over the next two years. And in 1947 he began his period of greatest success starring as Allan "Rocky" Lane with his horse Black Jack in a string of 39 feature films from The Wild Frontier in 1947 to El Paso Stampede in 1953. He returned to the role of Red Ryder for the TV series of the same name in 1956, but it lasted only a single season and his career began to wane, perhaps in part due to his reputation as an egotistical scene-stealer who was hard to work with. As Alan Young tells it, Lane was crashing at Mister Ed trainer Lester Hilton's modest ranch when Young, Hines and the producers stopped by for some publicity photos with the newly acquire palomino that would be the star of the upcoming series. When Lane called out to Hilton, "Hey, Lester, where do you keep the coffee?" Young and the producers knew that they had found the voice for their talking horse.

At first Lane was embarrassed about being a horse's voice and demanded that he not be listed in the credits. When the show proved wildly popular, he asked to be listed, but the die had been cast and the producers refused to list Lane's name but gave him a raise instead. Because of Lane's prickly personality, the producers at one point considered replacing him, but despite auditioning several other voices, they felt that no one but Lane could fill the bill. Young says he doesn't know whether Lane was aware of this attempt to replace him but afterword he seemed to smooth off his rough edges when interacting with the rest of the crew. His work on Mister Ed was the last of his entertainment career. He died of cancer at the age of 64 on October 27, 1973.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 1, Episode 2, "The Ventriloquist": Peter Leeds (Tenner Smith on Trackdown and George Colton on Pete and Gladys) plays Roger's friend Hal Robbins.

Season 1, Episode 3, "Busy Wife": Donna Douglas (shown on the left, played Barbara Simmons on Checkmate and Elly Mae Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies) plays model Jane Parker. 

Season 1, Episode 4, "Kiddy Park": James Flavin (Lt. Donovan on Man With a Camera and Robert Howard on The Roaring 20's) plays stable owner Mr. Kramer. Richard Reeves (Mr. Murphy on Date With the Angels) plays the kiddy park owner. Dorothy Konrad (Mrs. Trilling on The Last Resort) plays a mother at the park. Bobby Buntock (Harold Baxter on Hazel) plays her son.

Season 1, Episode 5, "Stable for Three": Olan Soule (Aristotle "Tut" Jones on Captain Midnight, Ray Pinker on Dragnet (1952-59), and Fred Springer on Arnie) plays Wilbur's client Mr. Goodwin.

Season 1, Episode 6, "Sorority House": Carol Byron (Kitty Mathews on Oh, Those Bells) plays sorority sister Linda Rutledge. Reva Rose (Marcy on That Girl, Nurse Mildred McInerny on The New Temperatures Rising Show, and Blanche Fedders on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman) plays sorority sister Sandy Crane. Norma Varden (appeared in National Velvet, Strangers on a Train, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Witness for the Prosecution, and Doctor Doolittle and played Harriet Johnson on Hazel) plays the sorority mother Mrs. Davis. Kip King (voice of Shecky on The Biskitts and played Ronald Sandler on Charlie & Co. and Tailor Smurf on The Smurfs) plays fraternity brother Norman Howard.

Season 1, Episode 7, "Ed, the Lover": Les Tremayne (shown on the right, starred in The War of the Worlds (1953), The Story of Ruth, The Slime People, and The Fortune Cookie and played Inspector Richard Queen in The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen) plays film director Fred Briggs.

Season 1, Episode 8, "The Pageant Show": William Fawcett (Clayton on Duffy's Tavern, Marshal George Higgins on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, and Pete Wilkey on Fury)plays  veterinarian Dr. Connors. Sid Tomack (Jim Gillis on The Life of Riley) plays phone repairman Hibbs. 

Season 1, Episode 9, "The Aunt": Eleanor Audley (shown on the left, played Mother Eunice Douglas on Green Acres and Mrs. Vincent on My Three Sons) plays Wilbur's Aunt Martha. 

Season 1, Episode 10, "The Missing Statue": Gage Clarke (Mr. Botkin on Gunsmoke)  plays antiques store owner Mr. Phillips. Bill Erwin (Joe Walters on My Three Sons and Glenn Diamond on Struck by Lightning) plays customer Mr. Wood.

Season 1, Episode 11, "Ed, the Witness": Natividad Vacio (Fronk on Father Knows Best) plays Mexican mechanic Arturo. Roberto Contreras (Pedro on The High Chapparal) plays policeman Miguel.

Season 1, Episode 12, "Ed's Mother": Henry Norell (Henry Slocum on Oh, Those Bells) plays farm owner Mr. Dowd. 

Season 1, Episode 13, "Ed, the Tout": John Eldredge (starred in The Woman in Red, The Murder of Dr. Harrigan, and The Black Cat and played Harry Archer on Meet Corliss Archer) plays racetrack steward Mr. Gray.

Season 1, Episode 14, "Ed, the Songwriter": Jack Albertson (shown on the right, starred in Days of Wine and Roses, Kissin' Cousins, The Flim-Flam Man, and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and played Lt. Harry Evans on The Thin Man, Walter Burton on Room for One More, Lt. Cmdr. Virgil Stoner on Ensign O'Toole, and Ed Brown on Chico and the Man) plays Kay Addison's brother Paul Fenton. Kelton Garwood (Beauregard O'Hanlon on Bourbon Street Beat and Percy Crump on Gunsmoke) plays beatnik musician Fuzzy. 

Season 1, Episode 15, "Ed, the Stoolpigeon": Ralph Sanford (Mayor Jim Kelley on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays a policeman.

Season 1, Episode 16, "Psychoanalyst Show": Richard Deacon (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Dick Van Dyke Show) plays psychoanalyst Bruce Gordon. Jack LaLanne (world famous exercise guru) plays himself. William Boyett (Sgt. Ken Williams on Highway Patrol and Sgt. MacDonald on Adam-12) plays annoyed boyfriend Fred. 

Season 1, Episode 17, "A Man for Velma": Elvia Allman (Aunt Vera on I Married Joan, Jane on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Cora Dithers on Blondie, Mrs. Montague on The Bob Cummings Show, Elverna Bradshaw on The Beverly Hillbillies, and Selma Plout on Petticoat Junction) plays cook Velma. 

Season 1, Episode 18, "Ed's New Shoes": John Qualen (starred in The Three Musketeers (1935), His Girl Friday, The Grapes of Wrath, Angels Over Broadway, Casablanca, Anatomy of a Murder, and A Patch of Blue) plays stable worker Axel. James Flavin (see "Kiddy Park" above) plays his boss Mr. Kramer.

Season 1, Episode 19, "Little Boy": Virginia Christine (was the Folger's Coffee woman in commercials, starred in The Mummy's Curse, The Killers, and Night Wind, and played Ovie Swenson on Tales of Wells Fargo) plays new neighbor Margaret Burch. 

Season 1, Episode 20, "Ed Agrees to Talk": Doris Packer (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays Humane Society investigator Mrs. Adams. 

Season 1, Episode 22, "The Other Woman": Tom Fadden (Duffield on Broken Arrow, Silas Perry on Cimarron City, and Ben Miller on Green Acres and Petticoat Junction) plays photographer Charley Woods. 

Season 1, Episode 23, "Ed Cries Wolf": Rolf Sedan (Mr. Beasley the Postman on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and Mr. Briggs the Postman on The Addams Family) plays jewelry store owner Pierre. 

Season 1, Episode 24, "The Contest": Lyle Talbot (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet) plays radio quizmaster George Hausner. Joe Conley (Ike Godsey on The Waltons) plays photographer Charley Grant.

Season 1, Episode 25, "Pine Lake Lodge": William Bendix (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Overland Trail) plays lodge owner Bill Parker. Coleen Gray (starred in Kiss of Death, Nightmare Alley, The Killing, The Vampire, The Leech Woman, and The Phantom Planet and played Muriel Clifford on McCloud) plays his daughter Ann. Nancy Kulp (Pamela Livingstone on The Bob Cummings Show, Jane Hathaway on The Beverly Hillbillies, Mrs. Gruber on The Brian Keith Show, and Mrs. Hopkins on Sanford and Son) plays housekeeper Martha. Elvia Allman (see "A Man for Velma" above) plays charity chairwoman Ida Brenner. John Qualen (see "Ed's New Shoes" above) plays Parker's friend Milo. Will Wright (Ben Weaver on The Andy Griffith Show) plays miserly landowner Mr. Thompson. John Bryant (Dr. Carl Spaulding on The Virginian) plays forest ranger Jerry. Marjorie Bennett (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays a birdwatcher.

Season 1, Episode 26, "Wilbur Sells Ed": Frank Wilcox (Henry Van Buren on Waterfront, Beecher Asbury on The Untouchables, Mr. Brewster on The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction, and the judge 8 times on Perry Mason) plays jewelry store owner real estate developer Fred Gilbert. 

Season 2, Episode 2, "The Horsetronaut": Francis de Sales (shown on the right, played Lt. Bill Weigand on Mr. & Mrs. North, Ralph Dobson on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Sheriff Maddox on Two Faces West, and Rusty Lincoln on Days of Our Lives) plays shopping center developer Mr. Mencken. Donnelly Rhodes (appeared in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and played Dutch Leitner on Soap, Charlie on Report to Murphy, Art Foster on Double Trouble, Dr. Grant Roberts on Danger Bay, Harry Abramowitz on The Heights, R.J. Williams on Street Legal, Det. Leo Shannon on Da Vinci's Inquest, and Dr. Sherman Cottle on Battlestar Gallactica) plays an Army base guard. Stanley Clements (Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie in 6 Bowery Boys feature films) plays Army private Charley. Hazel Shermet (the voice of Henrietta Hippo on New Zoo Revue) plays Wilbur's secretary Miss Culbertson.

Season 2, Episode 3, "Ed's Ancestors": Robert Foulk (Ed Davis on Father Knows Best, Sheriff Miller on Lassie, Joe Kingston on Wichita Town, Mr. Wheeler on Green Acres, and Phillip Toomey on The Rifleman) plays farmer Fred Higgins. Reed Howes (one-time Arrow Collar Man model and silent film leading man in features such as High Speed Lee, Lightning Romance, The Snob Buster, and Romantic Rogue) plays a policeman.

Season 2, Episode 4, "Ed, the Redecorator": Hayden Rorke (shown on the right, starred in Father's Little Dividend, When Worlds Collide, and Pillow Talk and played Steve on Mr. Adams and Eve, Col. Farnsworth on No Time for Sergeants, Dr. Alfred Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie, and Bishop on Dr. Kildare) plays interior decorator Beverly Cavell.

Season 2, Episode 5, "Ed, the Jumper": Alan Hale, Jr. (shown on the left, played Biff Baker on Biff Baker U.S.A., Casey Jones on Casey Jones, and The Skipper on Gilligan's Island) plays Wilbur's college friend Karl Dickinson. Donna Douglas (shown on the right, see "Busy Wife" above) plays his wife Blanche. 

Season 2, Episode 6, "Ed, the Voter": Charles Meredith (starred in The Perfect Woman, Beyond, and The Cave Girl and played Secretary of Space Drake on Rocky Jones, Space Ranger and Dr. LeMoyne Snyder on The Court of Last Resort) plays the mayor. 

Season 2, Episode 8, "Mister Ed's Blues": Jack Albertson (see "Ed, the Songwriter" above) returns as Paul Fenton. Reed Howes (see "Ed's Ancestors" above) plays horse owner Harvey Wells.

Season 2, Episode 9, "Ed, the Hero": Addison Richards (shown on the left, starred in Boys Town, They Made Her a Spy, Flying Tigers, and The Deerslayer and played Doc Calhoun on Trackdown and Doc Landy on The Deputy) plays millionaire developer Mr. Thorndyke. Eddie Quillan (starred in The Grapes of Wrath, Mandarin Mystery, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Hi, Good Lookin'! and played Eddie Edson on Julia and Poco Loco on Hell Town) plays a newspaper photographer.
 

 Season 2, Episode 11, "Ed and the Elephant": Henry Corden (shown on the right, played Carlo on The Count of Monte Cristo, and Babbitt on The Monkees and did voicework on The Flintstones, Jonny Quest, The Atom Ant Show, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, and Return to the Planet of the Apes) plays magician The Great Mordini.

Sea Hunt (1960)

If ever a series glorified the rugged American individualist, it was Sea Hunt, which starred Lloyd Bridges as former Navy frogman and underwater demolition expert Mike Nelson. Nelson almost always breaks the cardinal rule of diving--never dive alone--as he finds one excuse after another to either split up with any fellow divers or have them wait in a support role while he single-handedly tackles one dangerous assignment after another. The series was the creation of Ivan Tors, who would later create the animal-themed series Flipper and Daktari. Some claim that Tors came up with idea for the series while filming underwater sequences for the TV series Science Fiction Theatre in the mid-50s; others say it was while Tors was working on the feature film Underwater Warriors, though the film's 1958 release date and Sea Hunt's debut in January of that same year make that chronology unlikely. However, Tors' work on this film in 1957 was instrumental in his development of the character of Nelson. Tors recruited the Ziv brothers Frederic and Maurice as executive producers as he was developing the series. Other actors were considered for the role of Nelson, but when Bridges showed up at the Ziv offices wearing a tight shirt and slacks that accentuated his muscular physique, he instantly became the favorite and was offered the part, though Bridges took his time in deciding whether he wanted to get stuck in a single TV role. It turned out to be the most lucrative role of his career.

But first Tors produced a pair of sample episodes and shopped them to the networks, who all turned down the idea because they couldn't foresee how there could be enough material about diving for a weekly show. So Tors and the Zivs decided to syndicate the show and through United Artists landed the show on 167 stations across the country. The show was an instant success and outdrew top-rated shows like Wagon Train in some markets. Until Baywatch eclipsed it decades later, Sea Hunt was the most successful syndicated show in television history. CBS saw the error of its ways the next year and contracted Tors to develop another underwater themed show for them, The Aquanauts, but the hour-long show failed to garner the support of Sea Hunt and lasted only a single season. Sea Hunt also inspired the copy-cat syndicated series Assignment:Underwater, but this series also lasted only one season.

However, the networks did have a point about the difficulty in coming up with new plots and twists for the series, In the 39 episodes from Season 3 that ran from January through October 1960, Mike Nelson almost every week winds up in a situation he had no idea would be so dangerous, engages in an underwater knife fight with an adversary and winds up cutting the other man's air hose, and/or has to teach someone he is rescuing or training about how to "buddy-breathe," that is, take turns drawing air from a single mouthpiece by passing it back and forth. Frequently Mike's expert advice is not heeded by those who hired him, as in "Prima Donna" (September 10, 1960) when Mike tells movie producer David McGrath that he is using too much dynamite for a movie set explosion, and when his advice is ignored, things always turn out badly. In this case, the movie's lead actor and a local newspaper columnist are trapped in a damaged ship's cabin while much of the rest of the boat is underwater, necessitating a risky rescue operation by Nelson. Likewise in "Submarine Explosion" (April 23, 1960) Mike warns scientist Dr. Martinson that the explosions he is planning to set off for measuring the seismic effects could produce a tidal wave that could kill thousands of people. Martinson brushes Nelson's concerns aside until the second of four planned explosions causes much stronger effects than Martinson expected, thus forcing Mike and a second diver to risk their lives in going below to disable the last two explosions before their timers go off.

One of the more interesting recurring themes in Season 3 is the number of small Latin American countries that are beset by revolutions, after which Mike is called in to help one side or the other, invariably siding with the pro-democracy forces. While Latin America as a whole was in real-life a particularly volatile political climate at that time, several episodes seem situated in a Cuban-like environment, a particular worry for America after Castro's Communist coup in 1959. In "Asylum" (January 9, 1960), Mike is recruited by State Department agent Lee Bellum to rescue a former newspaperman who became a refugee after the government of the mythical Costa Delta was overthrown by a dictator. Rather fortuitously the country has a series of canals that lead right up the embassy where the refugee is being hidden, allowing Mike to scuba his way in and take the refugee, with his own scuba gear, back out to a waiting U.S. boat in the harbor. In "Revolutionary Spoils" (April 2, 1960), Mike is captured and then employed by a democratic government that has just deposed a dictator but needs Mike's help in recovering the assets of the country's treasury, which the dictator took with him when he fled, then sunk in a ship at the bottom of the ocean. In "Time Fuse" (July 16, 1960), Mike is called in by fellow American Dr. Jim Phelpman to the tiny country of San Felipe where the opposition group has rigged a sunken freighter with explosives that will destroy the harbor and all the nearby government buildings if the explosives aren't disabled within 2 hours. And in "The Invader" (July 30, 1960), Mike is hired by a small Latin American country to train a team of underwater demolition experts, only to get embroiled in rescuing the country's president when he is abducted by one of the army's generals dressed in Castro-like military garb.

Also typical of the era, Mike is called on to foil any number of saboteurs, from a millionaire constructing a secret underwater submarine port in "Rebreather" (June 18, 1960), to a group making a harbor vulnerable to attack by causing interference with Coast Guard radar in "Blind Spot" (June 25, 1960), to shadowy frogmen from an unidentified submarine who set up a lab in an underwater cave to disrupt a Navy missile test in "Missile Watch" (February 27, 1960). A similar plot is used to interfere with a space satellite in "The Sound of Nothing" (September 3, 1960), and the plot to open a harbor to attack by blocking radar and other detection devices is reprised in "Underwater Beacon" (July 9, 1960). Mike also foils a vague sabotage plot whose instructions are conveyed on microfilm by a diving instructor in "Underwater Drop" (February 6, 1960).

He also foils various thieves, phony scientists, murderous insurance scammers, and even a marijuana grower who has found a way to grow cannabis underwater by crossing it with another underwater plant in "Underwater Narcotics" (August 27, 1960). As the abducted president in "The Invader" warns his Castro-wannabe captor, Mike Nelson is "an extraordinary man." It's no wonder the series could not continue indefinitely. What eventually killed it was that Bridges, a world federalist appalled by the destruction of wars and pollution, wanted to start featuring plots about the real criminals destroying the earth--the oil companies. Given that one of the show's sponsors was Standard Oil, that tack was never going to fly, so Tors decided to shut the series down after its fourth season. Bridges, who had his first diving lesson a day before filming the pilot but graduated to doing much of his own nonthreatening underwater work by series' end, continued to enjoy diving after the series ended and became involved in various environmental causes such as the American Oceans Campaign and the Los Angeles-based Heal the Bay. He also inspired countless future divers, though he cautioned them in one of the several bumpers that ran before the credits to "know the sport well and don't take any chances," advice that Mike Nelson himself might give but would never follow.

The theme music for Sea Hunt was composed by David Rose, who was profiled in the post for Men Into Space. No credit is given for the scores for individual episodes.

The complete series has been released on DVD by TGG Direct.

 

 

 

 

 

The Actors

Lloyd Bridges

Lloyd Vernet Bridges, Jr. was born in San Leandro, California, the son of a hotel man who also for a time owned a movie theatre. Bridges, Sr. wanted his son to become a lawyer, but Junior got the acting bug while attending UCLA, which is where he met his wife Dorothy Simpson to whom he was married for 60 years until his death. The two even played opposite each other in a romantic play while at UCLA. Bridges began his acting career on the stage, making his Broadway debut in a production of Othello in 1939. He eventually helped found an off-Broadway theatre and produced and directed at the Green Mansions Theatre in the Catskills. After a couple of uncredited film appearances in 1936, he signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1941 and soon began a prolific film career that included roles in The Talk of the Town, Sahara, A Walk in the Sun, and a memorable role as Deputy Marshall Harvey Pell in High Noon. He also garnered starring roles in B-movie fare such as Secret Agent X-9, Rocketship X-M, and the deep sea diving adventure 16 Fathoms Deep. During World War II he served in the Coast Guard and later in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, just like his character Mike Nelson on Sea Hunt. (His sons Beau and Jeff would also serve in the Coast Guard.)  His film career was hampered during the McCarthy-era Red Scare when he testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee that he had been a member of the Actors' Lab, which had a known connection with the Communist Party. However, an FBI investigation cleared him of any wrong-doing, and his film career continued into the mid-50s, at which point he also began appearing on a number of TV shows. Most notably he received a 1956 Emmy nomination for his performance in "Tragedy in a Temporary Town" on the drama anthology series The Alcoa Hour. Two years later he was cast as Nelson on Sea Hunt.

Bridges did not slow down after Sea Hunt's cancellation. He hosted his own show, The Lloyd Bridges Show, which ran during the 1962-63 season. Two years later he played William Colton on Rod Serling's The Loner but quit the show because he felt the plots had become too violent. He also reportedly turned down the role of Capt. James Kirk on the original Star Trek series before it was given to William Shatner. He appeared in number of TV movies over the next decade, along with occasional appearances on TV series and a few feature films, most notably Around the World Under the Sea in 1966. In 1975 he played the title role in Joe Forrester, which ran for only a single season, but then he began getting parts in mini-series, such as Roots, How the West Was Won, East of Eden, The Blue and the Gray, George Washington, and North and South, Book II. His career took a comedic turn in the parody film Airplane! and its sequel, which led to roles in the Top Gun parody Hot Shots! films. He also began getting more starring roles in TV series, playing Grant Harper on Paper Dolls, Jonathan Turner on Capital News, and Jake Tyrell on Harts of the West in the mid-90s. His final roles came in two episodes of Seinfeld and another parody feature Jane Austen's Mafia! Bridges died of natural causes at the age of 85 on March 10, 1998.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 3, Episode 1, "Asylum": John Zaremba (Special Agent Jerry Dressler on I Led 3 Lives, Dr. Harold Jensen on Ben Casey, Admiral Hardesy on McHale's Navy, Dr. Raymond Swain on The Time Tunnel, and Dr. Harlem Danvers on Dallas) plays State Department agent Lee Bellum. Noel Drayton (Mr. Hardcastle on Family Affair) plays military attache Lloyd Shepard. 

Season 3, Episode 2, "Water Nymphs": June Blair (shown on the left, played June Nelson, David's wife, on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and Julie Greer on Two Faces West) plays swimsuit model Inez. 

Season 3, Episode 3, "Mr. Big": Byron Morrow (Capt. Keith Gregory on The New Breed and Pearce Newberry on Executive Suite) plays FBI Agent Miles. Quinn K. Redeker (Perry Levitt on Dan Raven, Alex Marshall #2 on Days of Our Lives, and Rex Sterling on The Young and the Restless) plays mob bomb-maker Joey. 

Season 3, Episode 4, "Hot Cargo": Charles Quilivan (Frank Garlund on Mr. Garlund) plays suspicious freighter owner Colonel Korvin. A.G. Vitanza (Ike Ramon on The Flying Nun) plays the freighter captain. 

Season 3, Episode 5, "Underwater Drop": Edson Stroll (Virgil Edwards on McHale's Navy) plays diving instructor Julian Laubec. Victor Buono (shown on the right, appeared in Robin and the 7 Hoods, Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and The Silencers and played King Tut on Batman and Dr. Schubert on Man From Atlantis) plays sabotage ring-leader Seminard. 

 

Season 3, Episode 6, "Cobalt Bomb": Kathie Browne (shown on the left, played Angie Dow on Hondo and was Darren McGavin's second wife) plays diving scientist Suzie Kenyon. Ken Drake (Bragan on Not for Hire) plays non-diving scientist Bryant Henry. 

 

 Season 3, Episode 7, "Counterfeit": Linda Lawson (shown on the right, played Renee on Adventures in Paradise, Pat Perry on Don't Call Me Charlie, and Laura Fremont on Ben Casey) plays Secret Service agent Nancy Stewart. Abraham Sofaer (starred in Christopher Columbus, Quo Vadis, and Elephant Walk) plays Bahamian Commissioner Arturo Mendes. 

Season 3, Episode 8, "Missile Watch": Stephen Joyce (Bubba Wadsworth on Texas and Admiral Walter Strichen on Wiseguy) plays Coast Guard engineer Carl Berman. 

Season 3, Episode 9, "Jade Cavern": John McCann (Aereth on Flamingo Road) plays jade thief Jeff King. Noel Drayton (see "Asylum" above) plays fisherman Thomas Sherrington. 

Season 3, Episode 10, "Expatriate's Return": Bernard Fein (Pvt Gomez on The Phil Silvers Show) plays deported mobster Mr. T. Bernard Kates (Lalley on The Asphalt Jungle) plays a mob ship's captian.

Season 3, Episode 11, "Strong Box": King Moody (shown on the left, played Starker on Get Smart) plays surviving Belgian shipmate Heinrich Maus. Ken Clark (appeared in Love Me Tender, South Pacific, Attack of the Giant Leeches, and 12 to the Moon) plays Coast Guard Commander McStade.

Season 3, Episode 12, "The Fearmakers": Myron Healey (Doc Holliday on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Coast Guard Commander Jack Carter. Daria Massey (Naja on The Islanders) plays bebop-talking youngster Susie Turner. 

Season 3, Episode 13, "Revolutionary Spoils": Rico Alaniz (Mr. Cousin on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Latin American soldier Carlos Prado. Carlos Rivas (appeared in The Deerslayer, True Grit, Topaz, and Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze and played Nino on Bracken's World) plays a traitorous diver.  

Season 3, Episode 14, "Pirate Gold": Jeff  Bridges (shown on the right, Lloyd's son, starred in The Last Picture Show, TRON, The Big Lebowski, Crazy Heart, and True Grit (2010)) plays troubled young skin diver Kelly Bailey. Paul Sorensen (Andy Bradley on Dallas) plays boat captain Pete. Frank Warren (Officer Simpson on Highway Patrol) plays a demolition crew member. 

Season 3, Episode 15, "The Living Fossil": Robert Gothie (Sam Hanson on The Gallant Men) plays businessman and determined diver Joe Ainsley. Linda Lawson (see "Counterfeit" above) plays his fiance Rita Julien. 

Season 3, Episode 17, "Sacred Pool": Julian Burton (appeared in Man or Gun, Bucket of Blood, and The Masque of the Red Death) plays artifact robber Ruble. 

Season 3, Episode 18, "Cindy": Morgan Brittany (shown on the left, played Kate Simpson on Glitter and Katherine Wentworth on Dallas) plays trapped girl Cindy. Ken Drake (see "Cobalt Bomb" above) plays her father. John Zaremba (see "Asylum" above) plays Police Chief Coleman. Amzie Strickland (Julia Mobey on Carter Country) plays nursing home Nurse Hawkins.

Season 3, Episode 19, "Cross Current": June Blair (see "Water Nymphs" above) plays oceanographer Sherry Bishop. 

Season 3, Episode 20, "Synthetic Hero": John Archer (starred in King of the Zombies, White Heat, Destination Moon, and Blue Hawaii) plays war hero Capt. Jack Clayton. Douglas Dick (Carl Herrick on Waterfront) plays his former first mate Tom Orrie. Clark Howat (Dr. John Petrie on The Adventures of Dr. Fu Manchu) plays Navy Capt. Sellers.

Season 3, Episode 21, "The Cellini Vase": Al Ruscio (Paul Locatelli on Shannon, Sal Giordano on Life Goes On, and Frank Ruscio on Joe's Life) plays crooked boat captain Ebera. Arthur Gould-Porter (Ravenswood on The Beverly Hillbillies) plays Bahamian Det. Inspector Rigby. 

Season 3, Episode 23, "Ghost Light": Anna-Lisa (shown on the right, played Nora Travers on Black Saddle) plays scientific assistant Resia Helving. 

Season 3, Episode 24, "Rebreather": Oscar Beregi, Jr. (Joe Kulak on The Untouchables) plays dastardly millionaire Frederick Jorgeson. 

Season 3, Episode 25, "Blind Spot": Russ Conway (Fenton Hardy on The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure, Gen. Devon on Men Into Space, and Lt. Pete Kile on Richard Diamond, Private Detective) plays Coast Guard Cmdr. Barney Adams. Quinn K. Redeker (see "Mr. Big" above) plays Mike's old friend Lt. Bob Camp. 

Season 3, Episode 26, "The Replacement": Meg Wyllie (Mrs. Kissell on The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters and Aunt Lolly Stemple on Mad About You) plays Mrs. Norris, mother of a juvenile delinquent. Nelson Olmstead (Capt. Masters on The Phil Silvers Show) plays the director of Marineland of the Pacific. Ken Christy (Bill Franklin on Meet Corliss Archer) plays Mr. Palmer, the father of a juvenile delinquent.

Season 3, Episode 27, "Underwater Beacon": Mike Road (Marshal Tom Sellers on Buckskin, Lt. Joe Switolski on The Roaring 20's, and provided the voice for Race Bannon on Johnny Quest and Ugh on Space Ghost) plays Mike's friend and inventor Chuck Barron. Russ Conway (see "Blind Spot" above) returns as Cmdr. Barney Adams.

Season 3, Episode 28, "Time Fuse": Leonard Nimoy (shown on the left, played Mr. Spock on Star Trek, Paris on Mission: Impossible, and Dr. William Bell on Fringe) plays revolutionary saboteur Luis Hoya. Ken Drake (see  "Cobalt Bomb" above) plays scientist Dr. Jim Phelpman. Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr. (Luis Valdez on Viva Valdez) plays San Felipe police Capt. Vargas.

 

Season 3, Episode 29, "Storm Drain": Beau Bridges (shown on the right, Lloyd Bridges' son, played Seaman Howard Spicer on Ensign O'Toole, Richard Chapin on United States, Dave Hart on Harts of the West, Judge Bob Gibbs on Maximum Bob, Dan Falco on Beggars and Choosers, Tom Gage on The Agency, Maj. Gen. Hank Landry on Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate SG-1, Carl Hickey on My Name Is Earl, Nick Brody on Brothers & Sisters, Barton Scully on Masters of Sex, and Tom Miller on The Millers) plays failed robber Warren Tucker. Anne Helm (Molly Pierce on Run for Your Life) plays his wife Caroline. William Boyett (Sgt. Ken Williams on Highway Patrol and Sgt. MacDonald on Adam-12) plays a policeman. Tyler McVey (Gen. Maj. Norgath on Men Into Space) plays police Det. Sy Baker.

Season 3, Episode 30, "The Invader": Leonard Nimoy (see "Time Fuse" above) plays diving explosives trainee Indio Ramirez. Al Ruscio (see "The Cellini Vase" above) plays coup leader Gen. Cesario Serrano. 

Season 3, Episode 31, "Changing Patterns": John Marley (starred in Cat Ballou, Love Story, and The Godfather) plays aging diver Ben Crane. Julie Sommars (shown on the left, played Jennifer Jo Drinkwater on The Governor and J.J. and A.D.A. Julie March on Matlock) plays his daughter Betty. John Qualen (starred in The Three Musketeers(1935), His Girl Friday, The Grapes of Wrath, Angels Over Broadway, Casablanca, Anatomy of a Murder, and A Patch of Blue) plays Ben's old friend and boat captain Ulie Olafsen.

Season 3, Episode 32, "The Catalyst": Ross Elliott (Freddie the director on The Jack Benny Show and Sheriff Abbott on The Virginian) plays Coast Guard Cmdr. Steve Barnes. 

Season 3, Episode 33, "The Missing Link": Bob Keene (Capt. Dan Coffin on Harbormaster) plays paleontologist Dr. Norman Prescott. Connie Hines (shown on the right, played Carol Post on Mister Ed) plays his daughter Ann. John Gallaudet (Chamberlain on Mayor of the Town, Judge Penner on Perry Mason, and Bob Anderson on My Three Sons) plays Prescott's rival Dr. Dudley Barrington. Maurice Dallimore (Willie Shorthouse on Fair Exchange) plays Barrington's colleague Dr. Frank Leslie.

Season 3, Episode 34, "Underwater Narcotics": William Schallert (shown on the left, played Justinian Tebbs on The Adventures of Jim Bowie, Mr. Leander Pomfritt on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Martin Lane on The Patty Duke Show, Admiral Hargrade on Get Smart, Teddy Futterman on The Nancy Walker Show, Carson Drew on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Russ Lawrence on The New Gidget, and Wesley Hodges on The Torkelsons) plays space program Dr. Ken Madison. Robert Knapp (Ben Olson on Days of Our Lives and SAC Noel McDonald on The F.B.I.) plays DEA Agent Andy Watson. 

Season 3, Episode 35, "The Sound of Nothing": King Moody (see "Strong Box" above) plays space scientist Dr. Herschel. Noel Drayton (see "Asylum" above) plays space scientist Dr. Wells. Harold Innocent (Mr. Bumble on The Further Adventures of Oliver Twist) plays an oceanographic institute captain.

Season 3, Episode 36, "Prima Donna": Mari Blanchard (shown on the right, starred in Abbott and Costello Go to Mars, Destry, Son of Sinbad, and She Devil and played Kathy O'Hara on Klondike) plays damaged actress Charlotte Hanley. John Lupton (Tom Jeffords on Broken Arrow and Frank on Never Too Young) plays vindictive journalist Miff Geiger. William Bakewell (starred in The Iron Mask, Playing Around, Guilty Hands, and The Fabulous Dorseys) plays movie producer David McGrath. 

Season 3, Episode 37, "Beyond Limits": John Lupton (see "Prima Donna" above) plays Coast Guard Commander Bruce Cullen. Don Eitner (Dr. Richard Winfield on Dynasty) plays Mike's diving assistant Carl Williams. 

Season 3, Episode 38, "Diplomatic Pouch": Charles Maxwell (Special Agent Joe Carey on I Led 3 Lives and was the voice of the radio announcer on Gilligan's Island) plays State Department agent Paul Alexander. A.G. Vitanza (see "Hot Cargo" above) plays a bartender. 

Season 3, Episode 39, "Man Overboard": Ralph Taeger (shown on the left, played Mike Halliday on Klondike, Patrick Malone on Acapulco, and Hondo Lane on Hondo) plays insurance fraudster Lee Batten. John Zaremba (see "Asylum" above) plays insurance claims adjuster George Emerson.