Sealed Orders
(Airdate, October 22, 1967) STORYLINE:
Seaview sails under "sealed orders" from the
president. She must deliver a top-secret neutron weapon to Cook Island.
Problem is, the special bomb technician on board has gone missing, and the
bomb is leaking radiation which if unchecked, may destroy Seaview. Soon,
the crew begin to disappear singly and in groups, until only a few crew
are left (Crane Nelson, Kowalski and Morton). Then, a strange dreamlike
slow-motion state overcomes those who remain and soon Nelson realizes that
the bizarre effects are the result of a gas being emitted by the bomb. The
president releases fail-safe just in time for Nelson to order the missile
fired before it can explode, destroying Seaview and her intrepid
crew.
Written: William Welch Directed: Jerry Hopper Guest
Cast Jackson...............Jack Anthony
Basehart Monster..........................Dawson
Palmer
John Anthony Carmine Michael
Basehart (Jack) & dad Richard |
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Trivia: Jack Basehart was Richard’s 15 year-old son,
visiting from Italy where he lived with his mother, actress Valentina
Cortesa. It was Basehart who suggested his son be given the role of
the earnest young crewman. Despite his young age, Jack was already 6
feet tall. Mark Says: Crane’s surprise that a Neutron bomb has been perfected
by the military brings to mind the controversy in the 1970s over The
Neutron Bomb, which was designed to kill people but to keep buildings
standing.
Mike Says:
When Sealed Orders came along, it was a
great break from the monster-of-the-week shows and the general way-out tone the
show had taken on since the beginning of the third season. At last,
I thought, something a bit more grounded in reality, even if a hallucinogenic
one. |