IRWIN ALLEN NEWS NETWORK
A warm welcome to the Irwin Allen News Network (IANN). Established in 1994 by Giants Log, with the late Paul Zastupnevich as president, IANN has focussed on bringing the wonderful worlds of Academy Award winning producer Irwin Allen to a wider audience. Working with fans, cast and crew around the world, IANN has published dozens of newsletters, specials and web sites to promote the television shows, movies, performers, and the production crew working so hard behind the scenes.
We hope you will enjoy browsing around the site and that you will find new material of interest. We welcome your ideas and input to help us to continue to bring the work of Irwin Allen to new generations. For more on how to use the IANN website, please visit our How to Use the IANN Site page.
If you would like to contribute research, personal memories of working on the productions, articles, photos, artwork and other creative ideas, please do contact us. We are continually developing the site whenever we have a spare moment, and the extent to which we can do this depends on everyone who has fond memories of these shows and movies.
NEWS AND FEATURES
Irwin Allen Behind the Scenes of the Voyage Movie
As we go through our archives of pictures and clippings, if we find any pictures from behind the scenes of Irwin Allen productions, we will post them in the relevant section. Above is a rare photo of Irwin Allen and Winton C. Hoch up on a crane, filming a scene on the full scale Seaview bridge set which is situated on the Sersen Lake on the 20th Century Fox backlot. Hoch must have had great balance, as he does not appear to be holding on to anything while standing on that high, yet narrow platform.
While we were going through folders of clippings, we also found the above picture of Frankie Avalon on the Seaview set with two ladies modelling hats. Great to see the red Mini-Sub being used a backdrop.
If you have any behind the scenes photos from any of the Irwin Allen productions including of props, etc. that you think others might enjoy seeing, please feel free to contact us and when sending in any Irwin Allen materials, please let us know who to credit with each picture.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Movie - Behind the Scenes Gallery
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SERSEN LAKE ON THE FOX BACKLOT
The Sersen Lake was named after Fred Sersen who founded and headed the special photographic effects department at 20th Century Fox for some 34 years. He won an Academy Award for "The Rains Came" (1941) which utilised the lake. He died in December 1962 at the age of 72. The Sersen Lake was demolished after filming of the 1961 movie Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea as part of the sell off of land on the Fox backlot. A new lake and backing was set up at the Fox Ranch in Malibu and was used for surface shots of the Seaview in the subsequent television series of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-68). L. B. Abbott affectionately referred to this new lake as Sersen Lake.
The superb, but desperately sad historical video above goes through the history of developments of the 20th Century Fox backlot. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is mentioned around 7 minutes 8 seconds into the video, and the destruction of the Sersen Lake backing can be seen around 8 minutes 28 seconds.
Interesting Seaview Miniature Prop Picture
The photo of the Seaview Miniature shown above comes from the Motion Picture Exhibitor Flyer-Poster. It has pipes or hoses along the port side, to create enhanced wave effects. This is the only photo we have seen of the Seaview miniature prop with pipes connected to the side. The article that comes with the Motion Picture Exhibitor Flyer discusses the 18 foot long Seaview prop miniature.
The September 1961 issue of American Cinematographer describes the effects process:
For the scene of the sub emerging dramatically from the depths of the sea, the craft was properly positioned below water at the right trajectory for the action. By means of a trip-release and a winch with a line on the tail of the sub, the craft's natural bouyancy was accelerated for the "jump-up" effect. Within the sub model itself high-pressure water hoses were connected to ballast portholes to produce, at the proper time, the effect of water ballast issuing forth as the craft surfaces. The addition of a detergent to the water created the desired effect of foaming turbulence.
VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA BLUEPRINTS
We have been adding some blueprints to the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea collection on our site including the Phantom Strikes blueprint above, and below, the second season revamp of all the Seaview miniatures to cater for the introduction of the Flying Sub.
COSTUME EARRINGS FOR THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE
This is a pair of gold filigree costume earrings which were issued for extras in The Poseidon Adventure. If anyone enjoys studying costumes and jewellery in movies, please let us know if you spot any extras wearing these earrings.
GOLDIN.CO AUCTION 21 JANUARY 2026
The seller of a couple of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea prop items has asked us to spread the word about the upcoming auction where they appear for sale. The Goldin.co 2026 Winter Hollywood Memorabilia Auction on Wednesday 21 January 2026 features two Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TV props. The first is an original dagger prop used in the episode Cave of the Dead. The second item appears to be a blueprint for the sectional layout plan of the Seaview drawing that you see as a framed picture on the Missile Room wall in the episode Deadly Creature Below (sold for $1000 including the buyer's premium).
Has anyone spotted this dagger prop in any other Voyage episodes or Irwin Allen television shows? If so, please do let us know.
Both auction items come with a Letter of Provenance signed by Virginia Aaron, the wife of David Aaron, who worked in the prop department at 20th Century Fox and who had these items in his collection for several decades.
As with all auctions and high value purchases, please do your research and check all terms and conditions, including any additional buyer premium fees and shipping costs. We recommend getting insurance if it is offered and using payment methods that offer the best level of protection.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Auction Gallery (Courtesy of Goldin.co)
WISHING EVERYONE A MERRY CHRISTMAS
Gordon Foulds has created this fantastic cartoon for our 2025 festive celebrations and to take us in to the new year. We were determined to find a way to get the little people of Land of the Giants safely back to Earth. Anything is possible with Santa Claus.
HERITAGE HOLLYWOOD ENTERTAINMENT SIGNATURE AUCTION #7433, 9-10 December 2025
Two unique Irwin Allen props were featured in the Heritage Hollywood Entertainment signature auction on 9-10 December 2025. The first was the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Flying Sub miniature with landing gear, grappling hooks, and control panel (sold for $32,500 incl. Buyer's Premium). The second item was the Penny Robinson tunic from Season Two of Lost in Space (sold for $25,000 incl. Buyer's Premium). These two items were auctioned on Tuesday 9th December.
HERITAGE SIGNATURE AUCTION #7433, 9-10 December 2025
Heritage Auction #7433 Irwin Allen Gallery (courtesy of HA.com)
THE HILLS ARE STILL ALIVE
Catherine Smith and her friend Heather had tickets for a gala in Salzburg in October 2025 as a special celebration night was being held to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of The Sound of Music. During their trip, they discovered that The Sound of Music cast, including Lost in Space star Angela Cartwright, were there filming a documentary. Here is her wonderful report of meeting the cast:
The Sound of Music 60th Anniversary Cast Reunion in Salzburg
Here is a delightful documentary and interview filmed with The Sound of Music cast in October 2025. The video is courtesy of the Angela Bishop YouTube Channel.
Press Release 17 September 2025 - Travellers in More Dimensions
There are new journeys through history for Safiyya Ingar and Seán Carlsen in Irwin Allen’s The Time Tunnel: The Dimensions of Time, a box set of full-cast audio drama, due February 2026.
Big Finish Productions’ revival of Irwin Allen’s 1966-67 cult classic TV series The Time Tunnel, under licence from Legendary Entertainment, returns in 2026 with a second volume of three episodes.
In the previous box set, February’s The Nightmare Begins, Captain Lewis Haworth (Seán Carlsen), young hacker MB (Safiyya Ingar), dark web operative Cole Smith (Jay Reum), and marine biologist Clare MacGregor (Rachel Handshaw) found themselves in a changed world, controlled by the sinister Rakervia.
In a secret military base in Arizona, they reactivated the Time Tunnel and set out across history, on a mission to track down the lost scientists Tony Newman and Doug Phillips, and restore the world as it should be.
That quest continues in the three new episodes that make up the second box set, The Dimensions of Time. This time around, the tunnel takes our heroes to New York at the time of the Stonewall uprising, France during the Hundred Years War, and the doomed Titanic.
Irwin Allen’s The Time Tunnel: The Dimensions of Time is available to pre-order now for just £19.99 (download to own) or £24.99 (download to own + collector’s edition 3-disc CD). Please note: the collector’s edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1,000 copies and will not be repressed.
The three brand-new time-twisting tales are:
Families and Lies – June 28, 1969 by Mark B Oliver
Cole arrives, alone, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan on Saturday, 28th June 1969, the day before the Stonewall uprising. With Lewis and MB nowhere to be found, he forges new friendships, but they have their own troubles. Inside the Project Tic-Toc Control Room, Clare must persuade Elenya that reuniting her friends is in all their interests.
Divine Intervention – April, 1429 by Lisa McMullin
MB and Cole find themselves in 15th Century France, towards the end of the Hundred Years War. It’s France versus England but MB and Cole will be lining up on the side of France – alongside the Maid of Orleans herself – Joan of Arc. Is she a witch, a heretic or a feminist revolutionary?
Rendezvous with Tomorrow – April 15th, 1912 by Gary Hopkins
MB and Cole follow in the footsteps of Doctors Newman and Phillips aboard the doomed passenger ship Titanic in the year 1912. It seems that, after all, history can be re-written. Clara MacGregor, meanwhile, discovers that the past can be read in different ways. Is it possible that the journey’s end is in sight?
Producer, director and script editor Gary Russell said: “The Time Tunnel is one of those great Sixties science-fiction shows that ended too soon and without resolution. Ever since I was six years old, I used to think, what happened to poor Doug and Tony? To finally have the opportunity to restart Project Tic-Toc's computer spools, flashing lights and boot up the Tunnel again – and along the way maybe finally get an answer to Doug and Tony’s fate – was simply too good an opportunity to pass up on.
“We've had so much support and encouragement too from Legendary and Synthesis – who look after the Irwin Allen properties with so much love and respect – and for that I’m really grateful. They gave us the chance to bring The Time Tunnel into the twenty-first century with a bang.”
This is the second volume of Irwin Allen’s The Time Tunnel, following February 2025’s release The Nightmare Begins. Big Finish listeners can save money by purchasing Volumes 1 and 2 in a multibuy bundle for just £38 (download to own) or £47 (download to own + collector’s edition 3-disc CD box sets).
Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel TM & © 2025 Legendary. All rights reserved. Used under license. Based on the original television series "The Time Tunnel" © Legendary and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
Big Finish - Travellers in More Dimensions
Big Finish - Behind the scenes at Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel
David O'Brien Spindrift Build
David O'Brien has built a customised version of the Polar Lights Land of the Giants Spindrift kit with lighting. Click on the image above or the link below to view a photo gallery, an informative build presentation, and a video of David's Spindrift build.
BEHIND THE SCENES ON THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE
Behind the Scenes on The Poseidon Adventure
INFINITY MAGAZINE #77
Infinity Magazine #77 features a 4 page article on the early years of Ray Harryhausen's career. Ray Harryhausen worked on Irwin Allen's 1956 movie The Animal World. The magazine is available from the Infinity website in both paper and digital formats.
FANTASY WORLDS OF IRWIN ALLEN - 2024 BOOK RE-RELEASE
Great news for Irwin Allen fans, especially those who weren't able to afford or get hold of the original The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen by Jeff Bond. The cost of shipping such a substantial book overseas will have been prohibative for many. This amazing book has been re-published with a fresh cover design and a lower price point by Titan Books and is available now in both the US and UK.
IRWIN ALLEN: MASTER OF DISASTER COLLECTION
Released on 12th September 2023 (in the US) is the blu-ray set Irwin Allen: Master of Disaster Collection featuring 7 television and theatrical release movies. The set features the following movies: The Poseidon Adventure, When Time Ran Out, Fire, Flood, Cave-In, Hanging by a Thread, and The Night the Bridge Fell Down.
Irwin Allen: Master of Disaster Collection Blu-Ray set at Amazon US (#ad)
Irwin Allen: Master of Disaster Collection Blu-Ray set at Amazon UK (#ad)
HELP NEEDED WITH RESEARCH
The main focus of our efforts at the Irwin Allen News Network is to document the history of all of the Irwin Allen movies and television shows and this implies extensive levels of research. We are particularly trying to credit actors and crew who didn't receive on-screen credits in the productions.
We are also studying the movies, trying to identify as many people as possible who appeared on screen and this is proving to be a never-ending challenge. We have recently added a gallery of faces from The Poseidon Adventure and The Time Travelers amongst others and have several faces we cannot yet identify. If you can help with any of these missing names with corroborating pictures of the unnamed actors, please contact us.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Every so often we will showcase something from different creative fans on this main page. The image above shows several pieces of original artwork and model building from fans around the world. Click on each image to see more of this wonderful work. You can also see more outstanding work from other artists, animators, and model builders by visiting the creativity showcase and models pages on this site.
IRWIN ALLEN FILMOGRAPHY
Click here or on the image below to see the Irwin Allen filmography credits.
IRWIN ALLEN BLOG
We have set up a new blog for general chat, all the little bits of information we come across, and to highlight the latest news in the Irwin Allen worlds.
IRWIN ALLEN GALLERY
We have built a new structured and searchable Irwin Allen Gallery with lots of different bits and pieces on anything and everything related to the Irwin Allen productions. It includes new showcases of the work of the talented and creative fans, without whom there would not be many new things in the Irwin Allen universe to enjoy. If you would like your work and collections showcased here, you are welcome to send material via the Email link in the IANN contact page.
ARCHIVE
This website is a tribute to Irwin Allen, the performers, the production crews, and the studios who made the television shows and movies a reality. It is also a tribute to all the people who help to keep these productions alive for future generations.
