THE FANTASY WORLDS OF IRWIN ALLEN

The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen is the definitive tribute to Irwin Allen. Produced by Kevin Burns, it is lovingly put together and features many of our treasured Irwin Allen cast members and crew.

Kevin Burns is highly regarded as the ultimate Irwin Allen "fan", being both a dedicated fan of Irwin's work and working closely with Irwin Allen Properties and Twentieth Century Fox for many years, exploring the potential of Irwin's creations for future generations.

Out of this dedication and the increasing interest in Irwin Allen's television shows in the 1990's (evidenced by the energetic interest from fans and clubs around the world during the 80's and 90's), The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen came to fruition in 1995.

We were approached by Kevin and Van Ness Films in mid-1995 to help out and gathered together as much material, research, and contacts as we could to send out for the production. It was a delight to be involved with this project and we were very impressed with the final production.

The greater emphasis of the documentary is on Irwin's four science fiction shows (which were produced at Twentieth Century Fox), but there is still much for the wider Irwin Allen audience with rare clips from the fifties and behind the scenes footage from the 'Master of Disaster' films such as The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. One of the most charming clips is the one where Irwin had a guest spot on his close friend Groucho Marx's 'You Bet Your Life'. The DVD also contains rare footage of Irwin Allen and the making of this production. You will enjoy the end credits as they feature lots of wonderful and funny bloopers.

The documentary is hosted by June Lockhart, Bill Mumy and Robot from Lost in Space, and features fascinating interviews including:

From the movies:
Sheila Allen
Barbara Eden
Roddy McDowall
Robert Wagner
Steve Allen
Red Buttons
David Hedison

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea:
David Hedison

Lost in Space:
June Lockhart
Marta Kristen
Angela Cartwright
Jonathan Harris
Mark Goddard
Bill Mumy
Bob May
Dick Tufeld
Al Lewis

Time Tunnel:
James Darren
Robert Colbert
Lee Meriwether
Whit Bissell

Land of the Giants:
Deanna Lund
Gary Conway
Stefan Arngrim
Don Marshall
Don Matheson

Production Crew:
Harry Harris
Shimon Wincelberg
Paul Zastupnevich

The DVD release of The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen features some fascinating extras:

• Special bonus footage from the making of Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen

• Promotional features:

  Land of the Giants Presentation for ABC (hosted by Don Matheson)
  City Beneath the Sea Presentation for ABC
  Man from the 25th Century Presentation for ABC

• Towering Inferno Presentation featuring Irwin Allen

We do hope that one day this project will be extended with more interviews from cast members and crew from both the movies and television series.

If you are going to buy one single souvenier from the work of Irwin Allen, then the DVD of this documentary is the item to buy. With the sad loss of important figures from Irwin Allen productions since this documentary was made including Jonathan Harris and award winning costume designer Paul Zastupnevich, this project was vital in preserving the memory of those who made Irwin Allen's productions possible. This documentary is essential viewing for any Irwin Allen student or historian.

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Photographs above are courtesy and copyright Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.