Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Episode Guide, Year One, show 14 Part 2. Production information and notes by Mark Phillips Story synopses, Mike Bailey

Ghost of Moby Dick.  (Airdate: December 14, 1964) STORYLINE CONTINUED:

Tension hangs thick in the air as Ellen Bryce tries to explain to Nelson that Walter is obsessed, that he wants revenge on the whale for its having killed his son.  Nelson is skeptical, but soon encounters Bryce suiting up for an undersea outing, apparently armed with the thought he can kill the beast.  The Admiral is knocked out while trying to keep Bryce from his suicidal mission.

Leaving the sub via airlock, Bryce attempts to get into position to fire his puny poison-tipped weapon at the gigantic whale.  Unaware of any of this, Crane orders Seaview surfaced once emergency repairs have been made.  It is only when Nelson recovers and rushes to the control room with the word on Bryce, that question about what they should do arises.  Nelson is adamant they go back down, and Crane, knowing Seaview's tenuous condition, is against it.  Ellen Bryce admits her husband is insane, but Crane can read in her eyes a plea that they return for him.  Which of course, they do.

Seaview turns and dives for their previous location and is again soon face-to-face with Bryce's big whale.  They spot the scientist via Seaview's external view TV system but can only watch helplessly as the man finally fires his harpoon into the whale's side.

In horror, they see Bryce yanked violently to the surface by the rising whale and dragged helplessly until the huge creature sounds and Bryce is carried inevitably to his death.  Hats off to Herman Melville.

 

Nelson is the most affected by the tragic events, but Ellen assures him that her husband was, in fact, dead long before he ever set foot on Seaview, that, indeed, he had died the moment he first sighted the great whale that became his obsession, and finally killed him.

Written: Robert Hamner Directed: Sobey Martin Guest Cast Dr. Ellen Bryce........June Lockhart Dr. Walter Bryce.....Edward Binns Jimmy Bryce........Bobby Beekman Crewman’s voice..........Irwin Allen

Robert Mintz, post-production coordinator: "My job at Fox was to make sure that the post-production process was on schedule so that the studio would make all of its airdates. Voyage was a major challenge because of the sizable amount of special effects. Whether we were working with giant lizards or giant whales, these kinds of effects took time and they took longer to deliver them to the network. If we did have airdate problems, I would go to Bill "LB" Abbott, who was in charge of special effects at Fox and I would whine, beg and negotiate to get whatever effects shots we needed. He and his department were tremendously cooperative and we never missed an airdate. Irwin Allen had a wonderfully keen mind and he was a showman through and through." Mark says:  The scene where June Lockhart confronts her husband over the death of their son and he violently strikes her, sending her crashing into a wall, is one of Voyage’s most powerful scenes. Lockhart’s anguished, bitter sobs are hard to forget. Previously, there had been movies about giant whales, such as Moby Dick, but this TV whale is much more realistic looking, especially in its battle scenes against the Seaview. A solid, well-produced entry. Mike says:   Soon after I started this story synopsis, I realized it was going to be an expanded one.  There are so many fine visuals and effects in a story with great writing and acting -- it deserved more than just a short synopsis and a couple of photos.  So there you go.  Even the often-lazy Sobey Martin (director of the episode) seems to have risen (so to speak) to the occasion.