Around the World Under the Sea
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Andrew Marton
Lloyd Bridges
Shirley Eaton
Brian Kelly
David Mccallum
Keenan Wynn
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Dr. Doug Standish, his assistant Dr. Craig Mosby, Dr. Phil Volker, Dr. Maggie Hanford, Hank Stahl, and Dr. Orin Hillyard make up a team of specialists in undersea life assembled for an expedition aboard the Hydronaut , an atomic-powered submarine. Their mission is to place electronic sensors at strategic places on ocean beds throughout the world to provide an early-warning system for the volcanic eruptions which have caused a worldwide series of earthquake disasters. Volker has consented to join the mission on the condition that a sidetrip be made to locate a sunken treasure containing a cache of valuable crystals. The presence of Hanford, the only female crew member, is an additional source of tension on board the Hydronaut . Then Hillyard is injured when he tries to set a sensor near an active volcano, and Stahl narrowly escapes injury from a giant eel. Their job finally completed, the scientists head for the sunken treasure. Just as they find it, they receive an urgent order by radio to place one last sensor near a newly-discovered volcano; and they are forced to abandon the treasure. The volcano erupts as they are fixing the sensor, and the submarine is trapped on the ocean bed by falling rock. In desperation, Standish blows off half of the ship with dynamite, with the result that the other half rises safely to the surface. A helicopter comes to their rescue, but they are unable to return for the treasure.
Director
Andrew Marton
Cast
Lloyd Bridges
Shirley Eaton
Brian Kelly
David Mccallum
Keenan Wynn
Marshall Thompson
Gary Merrill
Ron Hayes
George Shibata
Frank Logan
Don Wells
Donald Linton
Jack Ewalt
George De Vries
Tony Gulliver
Joey Carter
Celeste Yarnall
Paul Gray
Crew
Warren Adams
Art Arthur
Mel Bledsoe
Lamar Boren
Ricou Browning
Ben Chapman
Mordecai Grebow
Edward Haldeman
Jordan Klein
Al Mack
Marineland Of The Pacific
Andrew Marton
James Gordon Mclean
Miami Seaquarium
Franklin Milton
Elmer Parsons
Max Pittman
Clifford Poland
Project Unlimited
Harry Redmond Jr.
Preston Rountree
Scripps Institution Of Oceanography
Norman Siegel
Harry Sukman
Ivan Tors
Richard Tubor
United States Coast Guard
United States Department Of Defense
University Of Miami
Arthur Weiss
Videos
Movie Clip
Film Details
Technical Specs
Articles
Around the World under the Sea
Part of the appeal of Around the World Under the Sea is its unabashed enthusiasm for B-movie cliches, played so straight that they border on parody. For example: Dr. Hanford (she is never referred to as Doctor but Miss) appears to have wandered in from some soap opera shooting on an adjacent soundstage. First, she becomes romantically involved with Hillyard but later gravitates toward Mosby. It's not long before they're doing some heavy breathing together - in between chain-smoking cigarettes (in a submarine!). It also turns out that Dr. Hanford had a previous relationship with electronics expert Volker. In short, her presence on the submarine spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
Another source of fun can be derived when observing the film's cheesy special effects and implausible narrative developments. Consider the scenes when a mutant conger eel that appears to be at least 100 feet long attacks the submarine. It's obvious by the exterior shots that we're looking at a small lightweight toy submarine in a fish tank. Worse yet, the interior shots in the Hydronaut for this scene feature embarrassingly bad rear-screen projection of the giant eel to which the actors react in fear. The film's ending is even more ludicrous; when the sub is half-buried by a volcanic rockfall, the captain suggests using dynamite and plastic explosives to free the Hydronaut. The explosives are wired inside the sub - not a good plan. Yet the crew remain safely sealed in a compartment right next door to the massive detonation! Oh, and although they're quickly running out of air, they are willing to sacrifice their own lives by giving their remaining bottles of O2 to the pet guinea pigs! Formulaic though it may sound, Around the World Under the Sea has the sort of unintentional humor that just might delight fans of underwater flicks or movies that feature sea monsters.
If anyone from the film deserves credit, it's Ricou Browning, a writer/director/actor and underwater stuntman with an impressive filmography (he was the scaly title monster in The Creature from the Black Lagoon, 1954). The more colorful scenes in Around the World Under the Sea feature Browning doing battle with various sea monsters or diving deep into the water for a desperate rescue attempt. Finally, trivia buffs will recognize Shirley Eaton from the James Bond film, Goldfinger (1964); she played the ill-fated Jill Masterson, who died from suffocation after her body was sprayed with gold.
Producer: Ben Chapman, Andrew Marton, Ivan Tors
Director: Andrew Marton
Screenplay: Elmer Parsons, Arthur Weiss, Art Arthur
Cinematography: Lamar Boren, Clifford H. Poland, Jr.
Editing: Warren Adams
Art Direction: Mel Bledsoe, Preston Rountree
Music: Harry Sukman
Cast: Lloyd Bridges (Dr. Doug Standish), Shirley Eaton (Dr. Maggie Handford), Brian Kelly (Dr. Craig Mosby), David McCallum (Dr. Phil Volker), Keenan Wynn (Hank Stahl), Marshall Thompson (Dr. Orin Hillyard), Gary Merrill (Dr. August Boren), Ron Hayes (Brinkman), George Shibata (Professor Hamaru).
C-111m. Letterboxed.
by Michael T. Toole
Around the World under the Sea
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Copyright length: 111 min. Location scenes filmed on the Great Barrier Reef, the Bahamas, and in Dade and Broward counties, Florida.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States December 31, 1965
Released in United States Summer June 2, 1966
Released in United States Summer June 2, 1966
Released in United States December 31, 1965 (Miami, Florida)