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A pretty woman gets knifed on the Captain's watch...just when he was getting the tune down. |
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Voyage to the Bottom
of the Sea |
| Escape From Venice Airdate: October 24, 1965 |
| In Venice, Italy, just as he is being taught a song, the tune of which will unlock secret missile defense data, Lee Crane's contact, the pretty Alicia, is killed by their knife-wielding gondolier. (Wow, there's a sentence, and one which should immediately point to the complexity of this episode.) Crane escapes, the killer frames him for the murder, and the game is afoot. Soon wounded in an encounter with the authorities, Crane escapes with the police and enemy agents (who want the tune in his head), hot on his trail. Nelson, Sharkey and Riley join the hunt and eventually make contact with one Count Staglione, an adversary Nelson hopes might be of use. The complicated plot finds Crane almost killed by another policeman/agent, although it is the bad guy who winds up dead--turnabout being fair play. After |
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| VERY MUCH see-saw action, Crane, Nelson, Riley and Sharkey all wind up at the Count's gambling joint just in time for pyrotechnics and a big shoot-out. Staglione goes down for the count, so to speak (he's killed), and Crane is reunited with his Seaview buddies and returned to the sub just in time to sing his tune. La La La. |
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Captain Crane teaches tune to soon-to-be-dead musician.
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| Trivia: A Hollywood talent agent asked Irwin Allen to cast actor Carl Esmond as Ferdie, claiming that their client, Charles Bennett, wrote the part with Mr. Esmond in mind. But Allen felt Renzo Cesana, a former 1950s TV star, was better suited for the role. |
| Mark Says: This episode was cut from the Man From UNCLE mold (a schoolteacher helping the submariners, beautiful women everywhere, colorful villains, exciting chases) and it works. Although it’s a back-lot chase through Venice, the music and stock footage give it an added dimension. Renzo Cesana is so strange that his repellent charm is almost fascinating as nasty Count Staglione. Danica D’Hondt as Lola Hale is terrific and it’s too bad she didn’t return for future shows. |
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Mike Says: As Mark says, this episode feels more than slightly like The Man From UNCLE show which caused ABC to move Voyage from its Monday time slot. This episode's a bit on the light side, complicated as all get-out and fun to watch. The budget, rather than being spent on effects, goes for back-lot location shooting and set dressing to excellent effect.
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