Man from Atlantis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 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 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Man From Atlantis was 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 made-for-television movies that had aired on in early 1977 [1]. 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 3 for The Six Million Dollar Man.
The four movies were:
- Man From Atlantis (4 March 1977)
- The Death Scouts (22 April 1977)
- The Killer Spores (17 May 1977)
- The Disappearance (20 June 1977)
And the thirteen episodes were:
- "Melt Down"
- "The Mudworm"
- "Hawk of Mu"
- "Giant"
- "Man O'War"
- "Shoot Out at Land's End
- "Crystal Water, Sudden Death"
- "The Naked Montague"
- "C.W. Hyde"
- "Scavenger Hunt"
- "Imp"
- "The Siren"
- "Deadly Carnival"
[edit] Plot
The series starred Patrick Duffy as an amnesiac man dubbed Mark Harris, believed to be a survivor from 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 that explored the depths of the ocean in a sophisticated submarine, the Cetacean (with miniature work by Gene Warren).
The supporting cast included Belinda Montgomery as Dr. Elizabeth Merrill and Alan Fudge as C.W. Crawford, 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, also of the Foundation for Oceanic Research.
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. It has developed a small cult classic following, mostly science fiction fans of the 1970s era. The series had not been released on DVD as of early April of 2008. [2]
