Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Episode Guide Year 3

Really nice shot of Nelson and Morton highlighted in the "emergency lighting."

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Production information and notes by Mark Phillips
Story synopses, Mike Bailey
This page contains several fun mouse-overs.

Monster From The Inferno Original Airdate: September 18, 1966

Seaview closes in on a source of powerful signals that resemble human brain waves. These signals have been disrupting military communications and Nelson & company are in the area to investigate.

Big-screen view of dangerous underwater discovery.

Scientist Dr. Lindsay is out diving, hunting around for the signal's source when he discovers a huge brain-shaped mass which attacks him and takes control of his mind and body.

Nifty animation as Lindsay gets zapped by monster brain.

Back on Seaview, Lindsay convinces Nelson to bring the tissue aboard. That's where the real trouble starts. Nelson thinks the creature is under control, surrounded by a magnetic force field.
But Lindsay is under the creature's control and Lindsay's got his thumb on the force field settings. The doctor soon lowers the restraining force field at the monster's command and Nelson narrowly avoids being taken over. The Admiral is impressed with their discovery, but very much aware of the danger, and he becomes suspicious of Lindsay's actions.

More cool electrical animation for this episode.

Nelson narrowly avoids being taken over.

Nelson retires to the lab and concocts a "counterprobe" to neutralize the creature, which meanwhile has control of Seaview's computers and Captain Crane as well.

Lindsay helps the creature take over Seaview's computer system.

With these resources, the thing begins to drain Seaview's reactor of power. First Lindsay and then Crane are dispatched to kill Nelson who fights off the doctor and uses the counterprobe to free Crane. When Lindsay resolves to fight the creature and disobey its orders, he is killed. Nelson and company break in and use the counterprobe to power past the creature and eject it into the ocean, where overfed with power, it explodes. After a narrow escape, Nelson comments something to the effect that they've had a busy day and Seaview heads into the sunset.

Nelson & Sharkey basking in the nifty glow (and radiation, we might add) of those pulled reactor rods.
Reactor control rods pulled to counteract the creature's power draw.

Written: Rik Vollaerts
Directed: Harry Harris

Guest Cast
Lindsay.........................Arthur Hill
Creature voice............Dick Tufeld
Circuitry man...........Tom Anthony
Guard.....................Buddy Garrett
Crewmen...............Robert Herron
Buddy Van Horn

Trivia: Veteran actor Michael Fox was originally going to supply the monster’s voice. Dick Tufeld is best known as the voice of The Robot from Lost in Space.

Mark Says: This episode has almost every story device that would later sink Voyage into repetition: arrogant aliens, possessed officers, nuclear reactor shenanigans, and the creation of last-minute devices to save the day...and yet, this is one of my favorite third-year shows. The story line, a space-age Donovan’s Brain, is freshly told, with a realistic looking monster (appearing much more believable than its previous debut in "Cradle of the Deep"). Dick Tufeld is absolutely the right person to do the alien voice - threatening and petulant. Arthur Hill, an unlikely guest star for

Guest Arthur Hill and the brains of the show.

Voyage but an excellent actor, brings an authentic presence to the show as the ill-fated Lindsay. The rest of the cast, especially Richard Basehart, are unusually energized as they plunge through this action-packed story. Finally, a special note to composer Leith Stevens, who does a great score for this show, which is eerie and exciting.

Budget-cutting light on guest Arthur Hill's
face indicates alien take-over.

Mike Says: An odd combination of budgetary upshots. Being a season premiere, Irwin Allen allotted an inordinate amount of money for the episode, in a year when Voyage's budget had been cut. It enabled cool animated electrical effects, new underwater photography and a great monster brain. On the other hand, lights shined in people's faces signaled their being taken over -- a cheap trick that ran rampant in later shows. All in all though, "Monster From the Inferno" looks good and is well directed, despite some really terrible dialogue of the "we will destroy you if you do not serve us" variety attributed to the monster brain.

At least Dick Tufeld's delivery is much more restrained than in some of the other voice-overs he provided for the series. As Mark points out, the acting is top-notch and the music serves the episode well. Put simply, "Monster From The Inferno" is not all that bad.

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