THE FILM MADNESS OF FRADKIN-STEIN

He was related to Daniel Bissell, a spy for the “Continental Army”, who received the “Badge of Military Merit”, later called “The Purple Heart”, from General George Washington, himself. His father was Dr. J. Dougal Bissell, who over time, was the President of the “New York Obstetrical Society”, the “Manhattan Medical Society”, the “Baltimore Medical Society”, and the “Woman’s Hospital Alumni Association”.

His mother was Helen Nutting Bissell, and his brother was pathologist, Dr. Bradford Bissell. HE WAS A CHARACTER ACTOR!

WHIT BISSELL was a face you knew, but probably couldn’t put a name too. His first motion picture role was as a “Palace Guard”, uncredited, in the Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, and Claude Rains, 1940, “The Sea Hawk”.

The character actor’s, first credited role, wasn’t until, 7-years later, in director Jules Dassin’s, psychological crime, film-noir, 1947’s, “Brute Force”, starring Burt Lancaster. Whit Bissell portrayed “Tom Lister”, and was listed 21st, out of 21-credited roles. When he retired from acting, his last and 382nd-on-screen role, was as “Mr. Hobson”, in “Power Play”, February 3, 1984, on the television soap opera “Falcon Crest”.

The following list of Whit Bissell’s Science Fiction work, is based upon what available information I could locate. An entry can be very small, or in much detail. I begin with Whit Bissell’s 39th motion picture film role. Which is both, his first Science Fiction motion picture, and a low budgeted cult classic of the genre.

THE LOST CONTINENT premiered in San Francisco, California, on July 18, 1951

The “Executive Producer” was Robert L. Lippert. Among his 1950 films is director Sam Fuller’s, “Baron of Arizona”, starring Vincent Price. Also with Price, were producer Lippert’s, 1958, “The Fly”, and 1964, “The Last Man on Earth”. Lippert had made a deal with British “Hammer Films” for 1955’s, “The Quatermass X-periment”.

The story came from Carroll Young, his first four motion pictures were episodes of the Johnny Weissmuller, and Brenda Joyce, “Tarzan” series. His next six films were episodes of the “Jungle Jim” movie series, also starring Johnny Weissmuller.

The screenplay was by Richard H. Landau. He had been one of the three screenplay writers for the John Wayne, 1945, “Back to Bataan”, and had just co-written the screenplay for writer Damon Runyon’s, 1950, “Johnny One-Eye”, starting Pat O’Brien and Wayne Morris. Landau moved to television writing into 1986.

Orville H. Hampton is listed as uncredited, but his specific contribution to the story, or screenplay is not listed. Hampton is shown as providing “Additional Dialogue” for 1950’s, “Rocketship X-M: Expediton Moon”.

HOWEVER, if you have either read, or seen any of the motion picture versions, since 1925, of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s, “The Lost World“, the first in his “Professor Challenger” series. You probably realize the real source material.

The Interesting Main Cast:

Cesar Romero portrayed “Major Joe Nolan”. César Julio Romero Jr. was the first actor to portray “Doc Holliday” in a sound, Western, based upon the gunfight at the O. K. Corral, 1939’s, “Frontier Marshall”. He portrayed the “Cisco Kid” in 7-motion pictures. Between 1966 and 1968, Romero was known to television audiences as “The Joker”, on the camp series, “Batman”.

Hilary Brooke portrayed “Marla Stevens”. Brooke was born Beatrice Sofia Mathilda Peterson, and for her first on-screen appearance in “New Faces of 1937”, was billed as Beatrice Shulte. For he second on-screen appearance in 1939’s, “Eternally Yours”, she had become Hillary Brooke. Her first appearance with “Abbott and Costello” was in 1949’s, “Africa Screams”, and she was “Captain Anne Boney”, in 1952’s, “Abbot and Costello Meet Captain Kid”, co-starring Charles Laughton. While, also, in 1952, she made her first of 23-appearances on the “Abbott and Costello” television show. HOWEVER, fans of Science Fiction movies, recognize her as “Mrs. Mary MacLean”, in director and production designer, William Cameron Menzies, 1953, “Invaders from Mars”, and that year. Hilary Brooke was in Menzies, 3-D, “The Maze”, starring Richard Carlson.

Chick Chandler portrayed “Lieutenant Danny Wilson”. Character actor, Fehmer Christy “Chick” Chandler, started his film career in the 1925, Western, “Red Love”. He had just portrayed the uncredited role of the, “Trocadero Stage Assistant”, in the 1951 version of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s, “Show Boat”. He would follow this motion picture with the uncredited role of
“George Hoskins”, in Lana Turner’s, 1951, “Mr. Imperium”.

John Hoyt portrayed “Michael Rostov”. John McArthur Hoysradt was the character actor we loved to hate in his movies. Just a touch of his science fiction/horror work, includes “Sydney Stanton“, in producer George Pal’s, classic, 1951, “When Worlds Collide”, he was “Count Steiken”, in the Richard Greene and Boris Karloff, 1952, “The Black Castle”, he was the evil puppeteer, “Mr. Franz”, in 1958’s, “Attack of the Puppet People”, “Dr. Carter”, in 1959’s, “Curse of the Undead”, and “Dr. Willard Benson”, in 1963’s, “X-the Man with the X-Ray Eyes”, and lets not forget, “Varno”, in 1964’s, “The Time Travelers”.

Sid Melton portrayed “Sergeant Willie Tatlow”. Sidney Meltzer was known to early 1950’s television audiences as “Ichabod ‘Ikky’ Mudd” on “Captain Midnight”. The comedian was also, “Yeoman Chester Tuttle”, in 1959’s, “The Atomic Submarine”.

Whit Bissell portrayed “Stanley Biggs”. Bissell had just been seen in the uncredited role of “The Monument Salesman” in the Ray Milland and Nanct Reagan,

Hugh Beaumont portrayed “Robert Phillips”. Eugene Hugh Beaumont is best known to 1957-1963 television audiences as “Ward Cleaver”, on “Leave It to Beaver”. Science Fiction fans know Beaumont from 1956’s, “The Mole People”.

Above left to right in the back row are Chick Chandler, Whit Bissell, Hugh Beaumont, and John Hoyt. Front row is Cesar Romero and Sid Melton.

Acquanetta, nicknamed the “The Venezuelan Volcano“, portrayed “The Native Girl”. She was known for two motion pictures from “Universal Pictures”, 1943’s, “Captive Wild Woman”, and it’s sequel, 1944’s, “Jungle Women”, portraying “Paula Dupree”, who once was a female gorilla turned into a beautiful woman by John Carradine.

Edward Nassour created the stop-motion animation, and is best known for 1956’s, “The Beast of Hollow Mountain”. Which was actually the first filmed version of Willis “Obie” O’Brien’s, “Valley of Gwangi”. My article is “WILLIS O’BRIEN: 1925’s “The Lost World” and the Story of Gwangi” found at:

https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2020/06/willis-obrien-1925s-lost-world-and.html

John L. Scott reviewed the movie for the “Los Angeles Times”, on September 8, 1951, and wrote the basic screenplay:

“‘Lost Continent’ … differs from the usual pulp yarn about the Atomic Age in that it takes place on this planet. A favorite trick of fantastic adventure writers now is to contrast the future with the prehistoric past. This device is used in the new film. ‘Lost Continent’ is distinctly novelty, with a thin story serving as framework for the thrills of atom-rocket flights, battles with a brontosaurus, triceratops, pterodactyl and other bellowing monsters, and a lost island that blows up for a finale.”

The basic plot:

Once you get rid of Hillary Brooke’s girlfriend, you have Cesar Romero‘s “Major Joe Nolan”, co-leading an expedition in search of a missing atomic-powered rocket. Along with “Nolan” is “Lieutenant Wilson”, “Sergeant Tatlow”, and the three scientists who invented the rocket, “Briggs”, the actual expedition leader, “Rostov”, and “Phillips”. Their aircraft crash lands on an unknown island (Not a “Lost Continent”) in the area where the rocket’s transmission was last indicated. There, they find three things, living dinosaurs, a native girl, and her young brother, that no record of who played him exists.

The group learns from the “Native Woman”, the a flaming “something”, aka: the atomic powered rocket, fell from the sky, and all the island’s natives except her and her brother left the island. She agrees to guide the group to the bottom of the “Sacred Mountain” that the rocket apparently crashed on. As they arrive at the mountain, the native girl and her brother exit the story and never reappears even at the climatic ending.

There is a plateau, right out of Conan Doyle’s “The Lost World”, that the group must climb. On the top of the plateau is the “Lost Continent” filed with the dinosaurs. On the climb up, “Brigg’s” falls to his death, and ends Whit Bissell’s role in the movie.

Besides the dinosaurs, they remaining members of the group discover a large uranium field, which disabled the electronic tracking equipment for the atomic powered rocket. It also is a means to tie in the creation of atomic bombs.

The original release had tinted the plateau a “LIME GREEN” to create a more eerie, other-worldly effect.

The crashed atomic rocket will be found in the middle of a large group of dinosaurs.

A throw back to the Second World War, when “Nolan” thinks “Rostov” arranged an accident for “Phillips”, but discovers he was innocent. However, what also comes out is that “Rostov” is Jewish and lost his wife during the Nazi created holocaust.

“Rostov” and “Philips” now retrieve the data from the rocket. As “Nolan”, “Wilson”, and “Tatlow” attempt to keep the dinosaurs away from them. With his back exposed, “Tatlow” is gored by a triceratops and dies. Next, a violent earthquake begins and it is obvious the atomic rocket may explode.

The four remaining expedition members make it down the “Sacred Mountain”, take an outrigger canoe, and get away from the island as it blows up and disappears.

On December 30, 1951, Whit Bissell appeared on one of the first television science fiction series, “OUT THERE”, in the episode “The Bus to Nowhere”. We know it was written by Reginald Rose, who would on to write the classic play, “12 Angry Men”, but what Bissell and the other actor’s roles were, the director, and the story remains unknown.

The next science fiction entry for the actor was the first of a classic trilogy, and was filmed in the “Third Dimension”. The following is extremely edited from my in depth look at

“THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON TRILOGY” found in detail at:

https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2023/03/the-creature-from-black-lagoon-trilogy.html

THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON premiered in Denver, Colorado, on February 12, 1954

The Cast:

Richard Carlson portrayed “Dr. David Reed”. He had been appearing on television in the anti-Communist, spy next door, “I Led 3 Lives” since October 1, 1953, and would stay as the real-life FBI Agent, Communist Party Member, and typical Eisenhower family man, through January 1, 1956. Carlson, had starred in, “It Came from Outer Space”, and both producer Ivan Tors, first film in his “Office of Scientific Investigation” trilogy, 1953’s, “The Magnetic Monster”, and right before this feature, Tors’ second film in his trilogy, 1954’s, “Riders to the Stars”. My article, “Richard Carlson the Academic Turned Actor”, may be read at:

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2015/08/richard-carlson-academic-turned-actor.html

Julia Adams portrayed “Kay Lawrence”. Adams started her on-screen career as Betty Adams, her birth name, in 1949. Her name was changed to Julia Adams for 1950’s, “For Heaven’s Sake”, but her scenes were deleted from that film. For 1955’s, “Six Bridges to Cross”, she was now Julie Adams. Note the signature on the following still.

Richard Denning portrayed “Dr. Mark Williams”. At the time of this motion picture, Denning was married to “Universal Pictures”, 1940’s Horror star, Evelyn Ankers. The two were married from 1942 until her death in 1985. At the time of filming this feature, Richard Denning was still appearing on television with Barbara Britton, on “Mr. and Mrs. North”, 1952 through 1954. Later in 1954, he would appear in the Science Fiction film, “Target Earth”. Back in 1948, Richard Denning had to fight off living dinosaurs on the “Unknown Island”. My article, “Richard Denning: His Science Fiction and Horror Films”, is at:

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2020/08/richard-denning-his-science-fiction-and.html

Antonio Moreno portrayed “Dr. Carlos Maia”. Born in Madrid, Spain, he came to the United States in 1901. Moreno started in silents in 1912, with the “Biograph Studio” in Hollywood, and starred opposite popular silent leading lady Norma Talmadge in several motion pictures. During the silent era, Antonio was a serious rival of Rudolph Valentino, but with his strong Spanish accent, sound films seemed to slow his career. Antonio Moreno moved to Mexico, and became a director and actor in that country’s motion picture industry. He returned to the United States, and had several Spanish character roles, in films, including director Alfred Hitchcock’s, 1946, “Notorious”, director Anthony Mann’s, 1953, “Thunder Bay”, and after this feature, director John Ford’s, 1956, “The Searchers”.

Nestor Paiva portrayed “Captain Lucas”. Nestor Paiva started on-screen character acting in 1937, and of his first forty-seven roles, thirty-nine are uncredited. In fact, until Paiva started to appear on television in 1952, the majority of his roles are without credit, but his face became very familiar. Fans of  “Universal International Pictures”, 1950’s Science Fiction features, know Nester Paiva, if not his name. For this film, it’s first sequel, 1955’s “Tarantula”, and 1956’s, “The Mole People”. My article, “NESTOR PAIVA: Skipper of the ‘Rita’ vs The Creature from the Black Lagoon”, may be read at:

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2020/02/nestor-paiva-skipper-of-rita-vs.html

Whit Bissell portrayed “Dr. Edwin Thompson”.

Above left to right, Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, and Whit Bissell.

The Screenplay:

The story opens with the forming of the Earth, and a narrator speaks to new life forming within the oceans. Next, the camera pans from the ocean over the beach sand, showing footprints of some two-footed amphibian creature moving away from the water.

Cut to “Dr. Carl Maia’s” expedition in the Amazon jungle, and the discovery of a fossilized hand from the Devonian period in geology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devonian

Above left to right, Antonio Moreno, Perry Lopez, portraying “Tomas”, and Rodd Redwing, portraying “Luis”.

“Dr. Maia” instructs “Tomas” and “Luis” to remain in camp and guard the area. While, he travels to the Brazilian marine biology institute with the fossilize hand.

Next, “Carl” reunites with ichthyologist “Dr. David Reed”, an old student, and his girlfriend, “Kay Lawrence”. Whom he had not expected to meet in Brazil.

“Kay” is the secretary for “Dr. Mark Williams”, the head of an American group working with the Brazilian marine biology institute and “David’s” boss. They’re joined by American scientist “Dr. Edwin Thompson” and “Dr. Maia” reveals the fossilized hand to them.

While back in the camp, “Tomas” and “Luis” are basically just relaxing in the main tent and do not notice a living hand similar to the fossil’s.

The camera becomes whatever came out of the water, as it approaches the main tent.

“Tomas” and “Luis” become frightened of their visitor, and attack, but it reacts by killing the two men.

Back at the marine institute, “David” is able to talk “Mark” into financing an expedition to “Carl’s” dig. Taking the tramp steamer the “Rita”, captained by “Lucas”, “David”, “Mark”, “Kay”, “Edwin”, and “Carl” head upriver to “Dr. Maia’s” campsite to search for the rest of the fossil.

Upon approaching, the campsite is strangely too quiet, and neither man answers “Carl’s” calls to them.

The men, tell “Kay”, to stay on-board the “Rita”, and the men approach a burnt tent, from a fire started during the attack. “Lucas” suggests the two men were killed by a jaguar. but the others are uncertain. The excavation of the area the hand was found turns up nothing, and “Mark” is very angry over the money he has put out.

However, “David” speculates that perhaps a portion of the rock face, the hand was found in, broke off millions of years ago, and the water, over time, moved it down stream. “Lucas” brings up the story of “The Black Lagoon”, as he describes it, as a paradise that no one has ever returned from.

“Mark” decides they will follow-up on “David’s” premise and go to “The Black Lagoon”. The “Rita” enters, and unknown to those on-board, they are being watched from under the water. “David” and “Mark” dive into the lagoon to collect rock samples to determine how old they are, and could they prove that part of the rock face is there? Meanwhile, “Kay” goes for a swim and is observed…..

“Lucas” notices how far “Kay” has swam from the “Rita” and calls her back. “Mark” and “David” have returned with their rock samples, and “Kay” comes up the ladder thinking something just brushed her foot.

Suddenly, something is caught in one of the “Rita’s” drag lines and fighting furiously to escape. Then the line goes slack, it’s pulled on-board, and the size of the hole left in it surprises everyone. Whatever did it, also left a piece of a claw that matches the fossil.

“Mark” wants to find and kill the Gill-man, but “David” argues to capture it for study. Next, “Mark” shows “Lucas” the high-powered harpoon gun he wants to use to kill the Gill-man.

Underwater, “David” has a camera to photograph the “Gill-man” and is to be protected by “Mark”. The Gill-man is spotted, “David” takes his photograph, and “Mark” drives it away with a shot from the harpoon gun to its back.

Developing “David’s” photography, all that is shown is seaweed, and now “Mark” pushes to kill the Gill-man and bring its body back to the marine institute as proof. “David” still argues to capture it, but as they argue below deck.

The Gill-man comes on-board and drags “Chico”, portrayed by Henry Escalante, overboard to his death.

“Lucas’s” mate, “Zee”, portrayed by Bernie Gozier, is shaken by the killing of his friend, “Chico”.

“Lucas” suggests that they take a drug he uses to catch fish to stun the Gill-man. The Gill-man should rise to the surface and they can safely capture him. The drug is sprinkled across the lagoon and “David” and “Mark” wait.

The “Gill-man” does not come to the surface, but that night a drugged “Gill-man” goes on-board the “Rita” and attempts to grab “Kay”, she screams, and he jumps back into the water. “David” and the others attempt to locate it with the large light on the boat.

“David” takes his diving gear and goes after the Gill-man to the grotto, its apparent home, afraid it will suffocate underwater. The others follow in a rowboat and reach the land side in front of the grotto’s above ground entrance. Seeing “Kay”, the Gill-man circles around to get at her, “Zee” attempts to stop it, is killed as the Gill-man finally collapses from the drug in his system.

“Mark” starts to kill the stunned Gill-man, but is stopped by “David”. “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” is taken on-board the “Rita”, placed in a cage like tank containing water while it’s still in a drugged state.

“Dr. Thompson” is on deck relaxing with his pipe—

—- but the Gill-man has awoken and is pushing on the roof of his cage tank, escapes, slashes “Thompson’s” face, and jumps back into the lagoon. The following day, “David” announces they cannot risk anymore attacks and must leave.

However, “Mark” wants to stay and kill the Gill-man, but “Lucas” reminds him that he is the “Captain” of the “Rita” and has say-so over everyone.

The “Rita” heads for the opening from “The Black Lagoon”, only to find out that the Gill-man has blocked it. The “Rita’s” wench cannot clear the obstruction and “David”, with “Mark”, as his protection, taking the harpoon gun go into the water. As “David” attempts to clear everything, the Gill-man attacks, “Mark” shoots and only wounds it. The Gill-man now attacks and kills “Mark”, but is frightened away by “David”.

“David” comes up with a plan to take the remaining drug and dilute it into a spray. With the spray he will be ready for the Gill-man as he clears the obstruction.

The diluted drug works and the “Rita” is no longer blocked in the “Black Lagoon”, but the drugged Gill-man makes it on-board. He sees “Kay”, grabs her, and jumps into the lagoon. “David” tells the others to enter the grotto from the shore and he will enter from underwater. The final confrontation is in place. Inside the grotto, “David” finds “Kay” but the Gill-man emerges from the water and starts to go for her and “David”.

The others arrive and start shooting the Gill-man.

“David” tells them to stop shooting, and the badly wounded Gill-man makes it into the “Black Lagoon”, and the story ends with his lifeless body floating.

Sometimes a character actor has even one scene in a movie, or perhaps two short ones. The following motion picture is edited from my above linked article under Richard Denning.

TARGET EARTH released November 7, 1954

“Target Earth” was directed by Sherman A. Rose. Whose main output since 1937, were “B” Westerns. Starting in 1950 with “The Gene Autry Show”, Rose switched to television Westerns.

The Cast:

Richard Denning portrayed “Frank Brooks”. Denning was finishing his television series, “Mr. and Mr. North”. He next feature film was the low budget, Korean War picture, 1955’s, “Air Strike”. Followed with 1955’s, “The Creature with the Atom Brain”.

Kathleen Crowley portrayed “Nora King”. She was mainly a television actress, but is remembered, primarily, for this motion picture.



Above Kathleen Crowley and Richard Denning.

Virginia Grey portrayed “Vicki Harris”. Earlier, in 1955, she portrayed “Mrs. DIckinson”, in “Republic Pictures” story of the Alamo, “The Last Command”. Grey had started on-screen acting in 1927’s, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, portraying “Little Eva”.

Richard Reeves portrayed “Jim Wilson”. Reeves normally portrayed a television tough guy on shows like “The Adventures of Superman” and “Dick Tracy”, but occasionally his comic timing appeared in a role.



Above Richard Reeves and Virginia Grey.

Whit Bissell portrayed “Tom, the leading research scientist”. No last name is ever given.



Above Whit Bissell with one of the “Venusian Robots” looking at “Lieutenant General Wood” portrayed by Arthur Space. The other officer is “Lieutenant Drake” portrayed by James Drake.

The Plot:

A group of people are overlooked in Chicago during the evacuation of the entire city. Which took place during the night, because of a suspected invasion by the planet Venus. All the robots, actually only one was made, are portrayed by Steve Calvert.

The story is nothing more than a group of different people interacting with each other, and avoiding the robots. The picture opens with the failed suicide of “Nora King”. She awakes the next morning to a deserted city. Outside “Nora” trips over the body of a dead women and meets “Frank Brooks”. Who just regain consciousness from a mugging the previous night.

The two hear music coming from a deserted nightclub, and discover another couple, “Vickie Harris” and “Jim Wilson”. The four now walk the deserted streets, and meet “Charles Ottis”, portrayed by Mort Marshall. “Ottis” confirms that all the cars on the street won’t start for some reason. The group starts to feel apprehensive, as everywhere they turn, the city is empty, and they’re the only ones apparently in it.

Meanwhile, the military under, “Lieutenant General Wood”, arrives and a command post is set up. Research scientist “Tom” is told to figure out how a robot with its “Death Ray”, that is apparently not working, could have been destroyed?

Meanwhile, our group of survivors, discover that not all the people left in the city are good. They meet “Davis”, portrayed by Robert Roark, a psychotic killer. Who will be killed later, by one of the many robots walking the streets of Chicago.



Above, left to right, are Virginia Grey, Richard Reeves, Richard Denning, Robert Roark and Kathleen Crowley.

“Vicki” makes the mistake of arguing with “Davis”, and he kills her. “Jim” chokes “Davis to death, but he will be killed by one of the “Venusian Robots”.

“Nora” and “Frank”, the last survivors of their group. Will join up with a military patrol that has a newly developed weapon. “Tom’s” weapon produces a specific sound frequency, the reason the first robot had accidentally been destroyed, and it will be used against the invaders.




The invasion is stopped and “Nora” and “Frank” go off together.

On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an Atom Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, another Atom Bomb was dropped on the Japanese City of Nagasaki. Hiroshima, on that date, had an estimated population of 343,00 civilians and military personnel. While, Nagasaki’s estimated civilian and military population was 210,000.

On October 27, 1954, “Toho Studio”, released their Science Fiction response to those bombings and the “Castle Bravo”, “H-Bomb” test on March 1, 1954. Their response was a Kaiju film entitled “ゴジラ GOJIRA”.

On December 8, 1954, “Republic Pictures“, released their Science Fiction response to United States Nuclear Testing near Las Vegas, Nevada. Where people paid extra for the rooms with a view of that testing.

THE ATOMIC KID

The original story was from pre-“Peter Gunn”, and “Pink Panther”, Blake Edwards.

The motion picture was directed by Leslie H. Martinson, the director of television’s “The Micky Rooney Show”.

Mickey Rooney portrayed “Barney ‘Bix’ Waterberry”. Mickey Rooney was also the producer of the motion picture. Just prior to this production, Rooney starred in a film-noir crime film, 1954’s, “Drive a Crooked Road”, and followed the picture with the Korean War film, based upon James Michener’s novel, 1954’s, “The Bridges at Toko-Ri”.

Robert Strauss portrayed “Stan Cooper”. Strauss was basically appearing on television, but he was also in 1954’s, “The Bridges at Toko-Ri”, and in director Otto Preminger’s, 1955, “The Man with the Golden Arm”, starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, and Eleanor Parker.

Elaine Devry, billed as Elaine Davis, portrayed “Nurse Audre Nelson”. She was also, Mrs. Mickey Rooney, at the time.

Whit Bissell portrayed “Dr. Edgar Pangborn”. Bissell’s next motion picture was the 1955, gangster film-noir, “Big Combo”, starring Cornell Wilde, his wife, Jean Wallace, Brian Donlevy, and Richard Conte. 14th-credited billed Whit Bissell portrayed a “Doctor”. However, don’t look for him, as all his scenes were deleted.

TRVIA: Blake Edwards choice of the name, Edgar Pangborn, was based upon a real writer of Supernatural tales since 1930, and Science Fiction since 1951. The following link takes my reader to a short biography in, “The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction”, at:

https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/pangborn_edgar

The one of only two stills I could locate with Whit Bissell in it, is above. Counting to Mickey Rooney’s left, Bissell is the second person standing.

The plot and a peanut butter sandwich. The following is edited, from my article, “The Invisible Woman, 1940, “The Atomic Kid”, 1954, and “The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock”, 1959″, to be laughed with, at:

https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2021/01/the-invisible-woman-1940-atomic-kid.html

Two uranium prospectors, “Blix Waterberry” and “Stan Cooper”, are wondering around in the desert at night, and see a house in the middle of nowhere.

The two knock on the door, but nobody answers. The front door is unlocked, the two enter, they see a family, who seems to be ignoring them, sitting around a dinning room table. It turns out the family are  mannequins.

The two decide this is a model home for a proposed housing project. “Stan” wants to take the car, that’s by the house, to the nearest town. While, “Blix”, just found real food in the kitchen, and decides to remain. Don’t ask why, or the plot wouldn’t move forward.

“Stan” leaves, and “Blix” makes himself a Peanut Butter sandwich.

As he’s enjoying the sandwich, he hears sirens go off, and a warning voice, and now realizing he’s in an atomic bomb test site. He looks for a safe place, and “Blitz and the Peanut Butter Sandwich”, go into the refrigerator. The Bomb explodes off in the distance, and the house is totaled.

Scientists and Military personal, involved with the test, arrive on site. Coming out from the rubble, Peanut Butter Sandwich still in hand, walks “Blix”.

“Blix” is taken to a military hospital for treatment and observation by “Dr. Edgar Pangborn”. As news of “The Atomic Kid” leaks out.

Enter, “Nurse Audrey Nelson”, to take care of “Blix”. While in he hospital, “Stan” visits, but both “Audrey” and “Stan”, are worried about him from the high concentration of radiation he took.

The “Peanut Butter Manufacturer” believes it was their product that saved “Blix’s” life and starts a publicity “Blitz of Blix”. “Nurse Nelson” and “Blitz” are falling in love, but he’s wearing a special Geiger Counter Watch, and every time they’re about to kiss, it starts clicking, warning he could explode.

Next, because the testing grounds are in Nevada. The two go to a casino, and every time he touches the slot machines. His radioactivity causes the slot to release the money inside.

Of course, there is a group of Russian Spy’s wanting to get their hands on “Blix”, and learn how he survived the Atom Bomb Blast. The FBI recruits him, and he helps break up the Spy ring.

Above Peter Brocco as “Comrade Mosley”.

After the spy’s are rounded up, testing shows that “Blix” is no longer radioactive, and he marries “Audrey Nelson”. The two leave on their honeymoon, heading for Las Vegas, but it’s night, and he gets lost on the dark roads. They see a ranch style house in the distance and drive there. “Blix” parks the car, goes up to house to get directions from the occupants, but spots mannequins inside. Panic mode goes into gear, as “Blix” runs back to the car, gets in, pushes the accelerator to the floor, and speeds away.

Fans of Steven Spielberg’s, first, “Back to the Future” movie. Might look at what’s playing on the movie theatre marquee.

Also, for those interesting in the Japanese response to “Castle Bravo” in detail. My article is, “H. G. Wells – J. Robert Oppenheimer – ゴジラGOJIRA” at:

https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2024/03/h-g-wells-j-robert-oppenheimer-gojira.html

Next, Whit was in an episode of television’s “SCIENCE FICTION THEATRE”. The title was, “THE SOUND OF MURDER”, and it premiered on January 7, 1956. The story was by producer Ivan Tors, and the episode was directed by Jack Arnold.

Whit Bissell portrayed “Harry Grayson”, actor Howard Duff portrayed “Dr. Tom Matthews”. “Matthews” proves his innocence of the murder and stealing the “Top Secret” documents by using the “Sound Synthesizer”. Which duplicates any voice, or sound it hears. In the end, “Matthews” proves “Harry Grayson” was the murderer.

As far as science fiction movies were concerned, Whit Bissell moved from a scientist connected to Atom Bomb testing, to a psychiatrist and “Seed Pods”.

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS released February 5, 1956

“The Invasion of the Body Snatchers” was adapted from the 1955 novel, “The Body Snatchers” by Jack Finney.

The motion picture was directed by Don Siegel. Who was basically a low “B” film, and television director at this time. This can be considered his break away motion picture.

The screenplay was written by Daniel Mainwaring. Mainwaring was a “B” writer, but among his screenplays is the Robert Mitchum, Jane Deer and Kirk Douglas classic, 1947, Film-Noir, “Out of the Past”.

The Four Main Leads:

Kevin McCarthy portrayed “Dr. Miles J. Bennell”. Over his on-screen career, including his final film released after his death. Kevin McCarthy appeared in 206 roles.

Dana Wynter portrayed “Becky Driscoll”. Born Dagmar Winter in 1931 Berlin, Germany. Wynter’s film career started in 1951, and for her first two years she was billed as Dagmar Wynter.

King Donovan portrayed “Jack Belicec”. In 1953, Donovan was “Dr. Dan Forbes”, opposite Richard Carlson, in Ivan Tors’s, “The Magnetic Monster”, and, “Dr. Ingersoll” in Ray Harryhausen’s, “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms”.

Carolyn Jones portrayed “Theodora ‘Teddy’ Belicec”. Jones was Vincent Price’s victim in 1954’s, 3-D, “The House of Wax”. “Morticia”, from 1964 through 1966, on television’s “The Addams Family”. My article “THE ADDAMS FAMILY and THE MUNSTERS” may be read at:

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2017/09/the-addams-family-and-munsters.html



Above in the foreground is King Donavan, behind him is Carolyn Jones

Looking at the Screenplay:

The motion picture that 1956 audiences saw in the theaters. Was not the movie as shot and edited originally by director Don Siegel, or as written by Daniel Mainwaring.

Someone at either “Walter Wranger Productions”, or “Allied Artists Distribution”, made the decision that a prologue and epilogue was needed. Which changed the original impact and intent of the movie.

The released motion picture added, “Dr. Hill”, portrayed by Whit Bissell, and “Dr. Harvey Bassett”, portrayed by Richard Deacon. In somewhat of a prologue to what follows as told by “Dr. Miles Bennell”.

Dr. Miles J. Bennell: [cautiously]

Who are you?

Dr. Hill: I’m Dr. Hill, from the state mental hospita…

Dr. Miles J. Bennell: I AM NOT INSANE! [guards grab him]

Dr. Hill: Let him go!

Dr. Miles J. Bennell: Listen, Doctor, now you must listen to me, you must understand me, I’m a doctor too, I am not insane! I am NOT insane!

The original opening goes right to:

“Dr. Miles Bennell” having been seeing several of his regular patients, but strangely, all of them seem to be suffering from a “Capgas delusion”. Which is a delusion in which a family member believes another family member, close friend, or even a pet, has been replaced by an identical looking impostor.

Later, “Miles” meets his ex-girlfriend, “Becky Driscoll”. Who has just returned to Santa Mira after a divorce. The two meet a police officer, who mentions his wife doesn’t seem like herself.



After hearing this conversation, “Becky” mentions her cousin, “Wilma Lentz”, portrayed by Virginia Christine. Who is concerned about her “Uncle Ira”, portrayed by Tom Fadden, that she lives with. “Wilma” meets with “Dr. Bennell” and tells him how emotionless “Uncle Ira’ is acting, but, then later, tells him there’s no problem anymore. However, to “Milles”, “Wilma”, now appears emotionless.

“Miles” meets with “Dr. Dan Kauffman”, portrayed by Larry Gates, a psychiatrist, who assures him. This seems like nothing more than a case of mass hysteria.

In the evening, “Dr. Bennell’s” friend “Jack Belicec” calls him, and wants “Miles” to come over immediately. “Jack” takes “Miles” to his basement, and shows him a body with his own features on it, but not quite a complete copy. Neither man knows what it is, or where it came from. Later, “Becky” calls “Miles” in panic as she has a duplicate of herself in her basement. “Miles”, next, calls “Dan Kauffman” to come over to “Becky’s”. When they go to the basement the body’s gone. The three now go to the “Belicec’s”, and make the same discovery. “Dr. Kauffman” tells “Dr. Bennell”, that he is suffering from the same “Mass Hysteria” affecting Santa Mira.

The following night “Miles”, “Becky”, “Jack”, and his wife “Teddy” find duplicate bodies coming out of seed pods in “Dr. Bennell’s” greenhouse.



The group concludes that the people of San Mira are being replaced by duplicates as they sleep. “Miles” attempts to make a long distance call to get help from the military, but the operator, in an emotionless voice, tells him all the lines are both dead, and busy at the same time. “Jack” and “Teddy”, drive off to seek help in the next town.

The following morning ,”Miles” and “Becky”, watch through a window of his office. The two view farm trucks arriving, not with produce, but GIANT SEED BODS.



“Dr. Dan Kauffman”, “Jack Belicec”, and “Chief of Police Nick Grivett”, portrayed by Ralph Dumke, arrive at “Dr. Bennell’s” office. They are duplicates, and reveal that the seed pods are an extraterrestrial life form. That can duplicate any form of life, and have traveled through space, and came to the Earth at Santa Mira.

The argument made by the “Pod” version of “Dr. Kauffman”, is that humanity will lose all sense of emotions, and individuality, but create a simplistic, stress-less world.

A scuffle between “Miles”, and the three “Pod People”, takes place. “Miles” is able to knock the others out. An accompanied by “Becky”, the two escape into the streets of Santa Mira. Outside, the two pose as “Pod People”, until “Becky’ sees a dog almost hit by a car and screams. An alarm is sounded, and the two are now pursued by a mob made up of other Santa Mira residents.

The two get to “Miles’” car and drive into the countryside. They stop at a gas station and later discover two seed pods in the truck.





“Miles” and “Becky” make it to an abandoned mine ,and very exhausted go inside to hide from the “Pod People”.





“Miles” hears music, and leaves “Becky” to see where it’s coming from. He observes a large farm growing the seed pods and trucks leaving. Returning to “Becky”, he kisses her, and realizes she isn’t “Becky” anymore.



“Pod People Becky” now sounds the alarm, and near-by other “Pod People” start to converge, but “Miles” is able to escape to the highway. There he attempts to wave a car down, and sees a truck filled with seed pods. “Miles” frantically runs away screaming at the on-coming vehicles:

They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next!

At least that was the way that Don Siegel and Daniel Mainwaring wanted the picture to be.

However, re-enter Whit Bissell, and Richard Deacon. “Miles” finishes his story and the two doctor’s are ready to commit him. When a man is wheeled in on a gurney.

Ambulance Driver: We had to dig him out from under the most peculiar things I ever saw.

Dr. Hill: What things?

Ambulance Driver: Well, I don’t know what they are; I never saw them before. They looked like great big seed pods.

Dr. Hill: Where was the truck coming from?

Ambulance Driver: Santa Mira.

For Whit Bissell, his next science fiction appearance was once more on “SCIENCE FICTION THEATER” The April 27, 1956, episode was entitled “THE GREEN BOMB”. It was directed by the episode writer, Tom Gries. The writer and director of the Charlton Heston, Joan Hackett, and Donald Pleasence, 1967, western, “Will Penny”. In this episode, Kenneth Tobey portrayed government agent, “Frank Davis”, and Whit Bissell portrayed “Dr. Maxwell Carnavan”. Using stolen parts, a psychopath is building a nuclear weapon, and plans to detonate it somewhere within the United States.

Whit Bissell’s final appearance on the Ivan Tors series was on November 30, 1956, in “DOCTOR ROBOT”. Peter Hansen, billed as Peter Hanson, portrayed “Dr. Edgar Barnes”, and Whit Bissell portrayed “Fred Lopert.

Someone is tampering with “Dr. Barnes’s” massive, room-sized digital computer. Why, and is it for evil purposes? The answer is no, but it is “Fred Lopert”. He has been feeding the room size computer with surgical and medical data regarding a rare heart condition affecting his ailing wife to calculate the statistical odds of a risky operation. The operation is a success, and instead of being punished. “Fred” has shown the real application for the super computer.

Starting in, 1957, was the dawn of two-years of “Teenage Monster’s”, and Whit Bissell was the mad scientist in two of these. Both movies came from producer Herman Cohen. The following two movies are modified from my article, “I Was a Teenage HERMAN COHEN: Horror, and Science Fiction, on a 50 Cent Budget” found at:

https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2025/04/i-was-teenage-herman-cohen-horror-and.html

I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF released June 19, 1957

The original story and screenplay were by both Herman Cohen and Aben Kandel. Kandel was a professional boxer, and novelist, and was a screenplay writer since 1935. He had attended “New York University Law School”, served in the “United States Army” during the First World War, and joined the “Coast Guard Geodetic Survey” afterwards.

The motion picture was directed by Gene Fowler, Jr. Who began his motion picture work, in 1935, as a film editor, and started directing with the original, 1952, Dan Duryea television program, “China Smith”. Just before this motion picture, Fowler, Jr. directed 11-episodes of Duryea’s “New Adventures of China Smith”. He would follow this motion picture with the “B” Western, 1958’s, “Showdown at Boot Hill”, starring Charles Bronson and John Carradine.

Michael Landon portrayed “Tony Rivers”. This was 16-years before Landon starred on television’s “Little House on the Prairie”. Basically the young actor was appearing on television with an occasional motion picture prior to, and after this feature film. One of his notable “B” Western’s was based upon the “Kingston Trio” hit song “Tom Dooley”. That was turned into 1959’s, “The Legend of Tom Dooley”, set at the end of the American Civil War.

Yvonne Lime portrayed “Arlene Logan”. Lime was basically a television actress. She appeared in 12-episodes of televisions “Father Knows Best”, and in “The Hardy Boys in the Mystery of Ghost Farm”, on “The Mickey Mouse Club”. Her movies included, both 1958’s, “Dragstrip Riot”, and “High School Hellcats”. However, after she retired for acting in 1969, Yvonne Lime married major television producer Don Fedderson. After his death in 1994, she became a philanthropist.

Whit Bissell portrayed “Dr. Alfred Brandon”.

The following is modified from my article “Bridey Murphy: The 1950’s Hypnotism-Regression-Reincarnation Motion Picture Craze” found at:

https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2024/09/bridey-murphy-1950s-hypnotism.html

The Herman Cohen/Aben Kandel screenplay, could be described as James Dean’s, 1955, “Rebel Without a Cause”, meets Lon Chaney’s, 1941, “The Wolf Man”, with “Bridey Murphy” thrown in.

“Tony Rivers” is a troubled teenager who has problems with his father, gets into fights at his high school, and eats raw meat. “Detective Donovan”, portrayed by Barney Phillips, suggests he might want to speak to a “Dr. Alfred Brandon”, a psychologist, who works at the local aircraft plant, and is a practitioner of hypnotherapy.

Above left to right, Michael Landon, Charles Wilcox aka: Tony Marshall portraying “Jimmy”, and Barney Phillips portraying “Detective Donovan”. However, “Tony” refuses, and this concerns his girlfriend “Arlene”, and his father “Charles”, portrayed by Malcolm Atterbury.

The teenagers all hang out at an old house, they call the “Haunted House”, for a Halloween party.

In the middle of the teenage girls, above and below, is singer – dancer – actor Kenny Miller portraying “Tony’s” best friend, “Vic”. Miller sang in several teen movies of the 1950’s. Below, Kenny’s dance partner is Cynthia Chenault, billed as Cindy Robbins, portraying “Pearl”.

“Vic”, surprises “Tony” by touching him from the back. “Tony” turns, and reacts by starting to beat “Vic” up.He suddenly stops, and realizes that he does need professional help.

“Tony” now goes to “Dr. Brandon”, and after listening to his troubled life, instead of helping him. “Brandon” sees “Tony” as his perfect subject for his regression experiments, the “Bridey Murphy” connection. His assistant, “Dr. Hugo Wagner”, portrayed by Joseph Mell, objects, protesting that the regression experiment might kill the teenager.

“Dr. Brandon” believes that the only way for mankind to survive in the future earth, he sees, is to hurl us back to our primitive state. This is the same premise used the year before, in the “Columbia Pictures”, Sam Katzman production, 1956’s, excellent, “The Werewolf”.

“Brandon” has created a Scopolamine, aka: “Devil’s Breath”, based serum to regress a person to their “primitive states”. He lies to “Tony” , saying that the serum will relax him during hypnosis. Now starts the first of a series of sessions that are slowly taking “Tony” back to his childhood memories, and then beyond his birth.

After a small party at the “Haunted House”, “Tony” drives “Arlene” home. Later, another teenager, “Frank”, portrayed by Michael Rougas, is taking a shortcut through the woods, near the “Haunted House”, to his home, and is killed. “Detective Donovan” and “Police Chief P.F. Baker”, portrayed by Robert Griffin, are reviewing photos of “Frank’s” body, and notice that the fatal wounds all appear to be from fangs.

Later, the police department janitor, “Pepe (also spelled in some reviews as Pepi)”, a native of the Carpathian Mountains, portrayed by Vladimir Sokoloff, convinces “Police Officer Chris Stanley”, portrayed by, pre-Walt Disney’s television’s, “Zorro”, Guy Williams, to let him see the photos of “Frank”.

“Pepe” tells “Chris” stories of people in the Carpathian mountains that turn into wolves at night. He believes the local police are dealing with such a person, but “Chris”, dismisses the idea of a werewolf as the killer.

At another session with “Dr. Brandon”, “Tony” thinks there’s something wrong with him, but the doctor reassures him otherwise. At school, “Tony” meets with “Principal Ferguson”, portrayed by Louise Lewis. She tells him of “Dr. Brandon’s” positive report on his behavior, and that she is recommending “Tony” to attend State College. “Tony” leaves the Principal’s office, and is passing the gym. Where a girl named “Theresa”, portrayed by Dawn Richard, is practicing by herself. When, suddenly, the school bell rings, and this triggers “Tony’s” transformation into a scientifically created werewolf. A premise from the movie “The Werewolf”.

The “Teenage Werewolf” kills “Theresa”, and flees the high school. However, witnesses tell “Detective Donovan”, that by the werewolf’s clothing, it seems to be “Tony”. Only believing the murderer is wearing a Halloween costume, “Chief Baker”, issues an all-points bulletin for the arrest of “Tony Rivers”.

“Detective Donovan” next confronts “Dr. Brandon”, believing that he has something to do with what has happened to “Tony”. “Brandon” denies any connection, and states that his sessions with the teenager are just therapeutic.

Meanwhile, a local newspaper reporter named “Doyle”, portrayed by Eddie Mar, interviews “Charles Rivers”, “Arlene” and her parents. All in the hope he’ll get a clue to “Tony’s” hiding place. While, “Chief Baker” and “Donovan” set a trap in the woods. Where they now, both presume, the werewolf is in hiding. Watching the dragnet from those same woods, in his werewolf form, is “Tony”, but he’s attack by a dog let loose by the police to find him, and kills it without revealing himself to his trackers.

“Tony” wakes up the next morning as “Tony”, and goes into town. At a telephone booth he calls “Arlene”, but when she answers, he doesn’t say a thing, and hangs up. The police are in her house, but cannot trace the call. Next, “Tony” heads for “Dr. Brandon’s”, finds him, and begs for help. “Brandon” is obsessed with what he has done, and wants proof to show the world. He asks the troubled teenager to lay down, gets out a movie camera to film the transformation. Then lies once more to “Tony”, that he will help him through hypnosis.

“Tony Rivers” is once again injected and “Dr. Alfred Brandon” watches the transformation.

“Tony” is still asleep under “Brandon’s” hypnosis, when the telephone rings, suddenly alert, the werewolf kills both “Dr. Brandon” and “Dr. Wagner”. While, breaking the camera, and exposing the film in the process.

Alerted that “Tony” was spotted at “Dr. Brandon’s”. “Detective Donovan”, and “Officer Stanley” break into the locked doctor’s office. The werewolf starts to go for the two, they shoot him, and the dying werewolf turns back into “Tony Rivers”.

While, the movie ends with “Detective Donovan” speculating about “Dr. Brandon” interfering with the realms of God.

There would be seven more roles for Whit Bissell until he appeared in his next “Teenage Horror” movie.

I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN released on November 23, 1957

I direct my reader to the name of the screenplay writer on the above poster, upper right bottom, Kenneth Langtry. Never heard of him? Langtry was actually a pen name created by the combination of producer Herman Cohen and writer Aben Kandel.

Herbert L. Strock directed the motion picture. Strock directed three films that made up a trilogy by producer Ivan Tors. The three films are 1953’s, “The Magnetic Monster”, 1954’s, “Riders to the Stars”, and 1954’s, “GOG”. My article is “Ivan Tors’ ‘Office of Scientific Investigation Trilogy” at”

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2016/07/ivan-tors-office-of-scientific.html

Whit Bissell portrayed “Professor Frankenstein”. He is identified as a direct descendant of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s “Victor Frankenstein”, but what that relationship, i.e. Great Grandson, is never revealed.

Phyllis Coates portrayed “Margaret”. In 1951’s, “Superman and the Mole Men”, and the 1st-24-episodes of the television series, “The Adventures of Superman”, Coates was reporter “Lois Lane”. In 1952, she was in the “Second Red Scare” motion picture, “Invasion U.S.A.”, with actress Noel Neill, the 1948 and 1950 cliff-hanger “Lois Lane”. Who would replace Coates in the television series.

Robert Burton portrayed “Dr. Karlton”. Character actor Burton started on-screen acting with the forgotten Janet Leigh comedy, 1952’s, “Fearless Fagan”. His work can be found in films such as 1952’s, “The Bad and the Beautiful”, director Don Siegel’s, 1954, “Riot in Cell Block 11”, 1955’s, “The Last Command”, 1959’s, “Compulsion”, 1962’s, “Sweet Bird of Youth, 1962’s, “The Birdman of Alcatraz”, and the original, 1962, “The Manchurian Candidate”. Along with numerous television appearances.

Gary Conway portrayed “Bob” and the “Teenage Monster”. This was Conway’s 1st-motion picture, he followed it portraying “Jarl” in my favorite director Rodger Corman title, 1957’s, “The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent”. From 1964 through 1965, he was Gene Barry’s partner, on television’s “Burke’s Law”.

The Thin Plot:

“Dr. Karlton” is one of the American doctor’s attending a lecture by visiting British medical lecturer, “Professor Frankenstein”.

“Karlton” is talked into assisting the lecturer in his work, now relocated to the United States. He meets “Professor Frankenstein’s” secretary, and girlfriend (?), “Margaret”, who keeps callers to the house, away from the basement laboratory. Which is really a combination laboratory and morgue, and with the arrival of “Dr. Burton”. “Frankenstein” shows his new assistant human body parts in drawers, designed to keep them separated and categorized. “Frankenstein” has an inside garbage disposal, a pet alligator in a lower pit.

There is a terrible traffic accident near “Frankenstein’s” home, and before anyone else can arrive. “Professor Frankenstein” removes the body of the male teenage driver, and takes it to his basement laboratory. There, the two doctors remove a mangled arm and leg and replace it from “Frankenstein’s” spare parts drawers. Next, the two doctors energize the dead body with electricity and bring it back to life with a heavily bandaged head.

There is a line delivered by Whit Bissell, keeping a straight face, to his teenage monster, that film critic Leonard Maltin, in his “Leonard Maltin’s TV Guide 2009”, called “Immortal”:

Answer me! You have a civil tongue in your head! I know – I sewed it in there!

Suspicious secretary “Margaret” is overly curious about what is really going on in the basement? She goes down the stairs and meets the teenage monster, but doesn’t say a thing about it to the professor.

The next night, the “Teenage Frankenstein” escapes the laboratory, and takes a night walk outside of the house. The curious, once handsome teenage boy, looks through a house window, sees a young woman, enters the house, and by accident kills her.

The next day, “Margaret”, angry with the professor, tells him she knows the monster murdered the young woman.

“Dr. Karlton” has been sent out of town on an errand, and the professor tells “Margaret”, as she knows about the teen monster, that he needs her assistance with his creation.

The professor rethinks the potential problem with “Margaret”, has the “Teenage Frankenstein” kill her, and drops her body to the alligator to feed upon. Next, he tells his creation that they need to get him a new handsome face.

The two drive to lovers lane, so that the boy can select one.

There they see a couple, the boy is named “Bob”, and the monster kills both the girl and “Bob” to obtain a new face.

After a successful surgery, “Professor Frankenstein” has transferred “Bob’s” face to his creation and the “Teenage Frankenstein” appears very pleased with the result.

“Dr. Karlton” has returned and “Professor Frankenstein” informs him of his plan to present his creation to the United Kingdom scientist’s that thought him insane. To get his creation to the United Kingdom he plans to cut him up and reassemble the teenager in England.

With the help of “Dr. Karlton”, the two attempt to place the “Teenage Frankenstein” on an operating table, sedate him, and proceed to divide “Bob” up. However, he fights the two, and throws “Frankenstein” into the alligator pit, as “Karlton” runs for help.

With the arrival of “Dr. Karlton, and two police officers. The frightened teenager backs into the electrical panel, the movie turns into, color, as he is electrocuted.

“Dr. Karlton” tells the two police officers how he cannot forget that other face, and the color movie segment, shows the audience that face.

Next, Whit Bissell had a very limited on screen role in a movie that is almost a copy of 1953’s, “The Neanderthal Man”, starring television’s “Superman’s”, “Inspector Henderson”, Robert Shayne. That doesn’t seem to have any connection to either the studio’s that made them, or producer’s, writer, director, crew and cast.

MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS released December 17, 1958

The producer on this picture for “Universal International”, was Joseph Gershenson. Gershenson started producing in 1940 with a Johnny Mack Brown “B” Western. In 1944 he produced the Boris Karloff, and Susanna Foster, “The Climax”, that started out as a sequel to 1943’s, “Phantom of the Opera”, but was changed by the studio’s executives. He also produced, 1945’s, “House of Dracula”, and would produce the cult vampire Western, 1959’s, “Curse of the Undead”, starring Eric Fleming and Michael Pate.

This picture directly followed “The Space Children” for director Jack Arnold. My article is “Jack Arnold ‘It Came From Outer Space’ to ‘The Mouse That Roared’: His 1950’s Films” found at:

https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2022/09/jack-arnold-it-came-from-outer-space-to.html

The screenplay was written by David Duncan. Who wrote the English language version of 1956’s “Rodan”, both 1957’s, “The Monster That Challenged the World”, and, “The Black Scorpion”. Plus seven episodes of the 1959 television series “Men Into Space”, and in 1960, George Pal’s version of H.G. Wells’s, “The Time Machine”.

Arthur Franz portrayed “Professor Donald Blake”. Franz had appeared in 1951’s, “Flight to Mars”, and 1953’s, “Invaders from Mars”. He would follow this picture with appearance’s on the 1959 television series, “Men Into Space”, and six episodes of the television series, “World of Giants”. My article is, “Arthur Franz: John Wayne, ‘Hey Abbott’, Martians, and a Neanderthal Man (1947 through 1959)”, and may be read at:

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2022/05/arthur-franz-john-wayne-hey-abbott.html

Joanna Moore portrayed “Madeline Howard”. Moore had fifth billing in the Audie Murphy, “B” Western, 1958’s “Ride a Crooked Trail”, and followed this picture with roles on television programs.

Troy Donahue portrayed “Jimmy Flanders”. The unknown Donahue was appearing on television shows, but in 1959 he had seventeenth billing in 1959’s “Imitation of Life”, starring Lana Turner, John Gavin, and Sandra Dee. However, that was a very minor role, and he was back to television appearances, until his next motion picture, 1959’s “A Summer Place”, starring Richard Egan, Dorothy McGurie, and Sandra Dee. This time sixth billed Donahue was paired with Dee and his career as a teen heartthrob began. Like, Rock Hudson, hiding his sexuality from his public image.

Above, Donahue with Nancy Walters as his girlfriend “Sylvia Lockwood”.

Whit Bissell portrayed “Dr. Oliver Cole”. The supporting actor was in, perhaps, five scenes. He serves the purpose of being “Professor Blake’s” sounding board over his theory, and being his protagonist.

Above right, Whit Bissell, above left is Alexander Lockwood portraying “Professor Gilbert Howard”. “Howard” is the “President of the University”, and the father of “Madeline”.

The Basic Screenplay:

Science Professor “Dr. Donald Blake“, at Dunsford University, receives a coelacanth, they still are actually found as of this writing, and confirms to “Jimmy Flanders” that the species is millions of years old without evolutionary change.

“Dr. Blake” lectures his students, that man is the only creature that can decide to go forward, or backward, and that:

“unless we learn to control the instincts, we’ve inherited from our ape-like ancestors, the race is doomed.”

After his class is finished, “Dr. Blake” is putting the coelacanth away, and scratches himself on its teeth. He accidentally sticks his bleeding hand into the water containing the fish.

As he is getting into “Molly Riordan’s”, played by Helen Westcott, seen above, car, to be dropped off at his home. “Dr. Blake” feels ill, and passes out. “Dr. Blake’s” fiancée, “Madeline Howard”, and her father, “Dr. Gilbert Howard”, arrive at “Dr, Blake’s” to speak to him, but find the body of “Molly” hanging in a tree. While, “Blake” is on the ground moaning, and the inside of the house is in shambles. The two call the police, and “DetectiveLieutenant Mike Stevens”, played by Judson Pratt, and “DetectiveSergeant Eddie Daniels”, played by Ross Elliott, arrive on the scene.

The detectives find a deformed hand print on a window, and “Dr. Blake’s” tie clip in “Molly’s” hand. However, the doctor cannot remember anything after entering her car. The two detectives take “Dr. Blake” downtown to the police station to continue questioning him.

“Lieutenant Stevens” concludes that someone is attempting to implicate “Dr. Blake” in “Molly’s” murder, and must hold a grudge against the doctor. For the doctor’s protection, he is assigning “Daniels” as “Blake’s” bodyguard. After informing “Blake”, that “Molly” died from fright.

Back in his lab, “Dr. Blake” shoos away a small dragonfly, that had landed upon the coelacanth.

“Jimmy Flanders”, “Dr. Blake’s” student lab assistant, has arrived, and the two hear a high-pitched sound. Followed by “Jimmy” and “Blake”, being attacked by a prehistoric dragonfly.

The two first attempt to capture the dragonfly with a net, but when it lands upon the coelacanth, “Blake” stabs it with a knife. “Jimmy” leaves, and while examining the body. “Dr. Blake” fails to notice that the dragonfly’s blood has dripped into his pipe. Lighting up his pipe, the doctor feels ill again, and as the dragonfly shrinks back to its normal size, a huge hairy hand comes down upon it. Next, “Jimmy’s” girlfriend, “Sylvia Lockwood”, is killed outside the lab, and the police find huge footprints and conclude they’re from “Molly’s” murderer.

However, “Dr. Blake” now learns that the coelacanth was exposed to gamma rays to preserve its blood plasma, and speculates that’s why the dragonfly grew. Even more, “Blake”, now speculates that somehow, he was turned into a Neanderthal man for a short period by the blood. He takes two-weeks leave from the “University”, and goes to the “Howard’s” cabin with some of the coelacanth blood to run some tests upon himself. “Blake” sets up a camera, and injects himself with the blood, and proves his theory. As he changes into the “Neanderthal Man”.

After searching the cabin for something familiar. The Neanderthal now grabs an axe and leaves the cabin, as “Madeline” is on the road heading for the family cabin. Before she can reach it, “Madeline” is run off the road by the fright of the Neanderthal Manin her car’s headlights. A local forest ranger, “Tom Evans”, portrayed by Richard H. Cutting, arrives, and sees the Neanderthal carrying off an unconscious “Madeline”. He calls the Dunsford police for help, as he purses the two.

“Madeline” wakes up, and starts to struggle with the Neanderthal. She is able to break free, and “Tom Evans” shoots at it, but is himself, killed by the thrown axe with the deadly accuracy of the Neanderthal Man.

The Neanderthal collapses, and transforms back into “Dr. Blake”. “Blake” returns to the cabin, and finds the shaken “Madeline”, and as she watches. “Professor Donald Blake” develops a photograph he took, and hands it to “Madeline”. The photo is his answer to her question:

Why is the Neanderthal Man wearing his clothing?

“Detective Lieutenant Stevens” and now, “DetectiveSergeant Powell”, portrayed by Phil Harvey, arrive with “Madeline’s” father at the cabin. “Dr. Blake” says he knows where to find the murderer, and will lead the three there, but as they walk. “Dr. Blake”, explains to “Dr. Howard”, what has been happening. As “Dr. Howard” watches, “Dr. Blake” injects himself, goes into the forest, turning into the Neanderthal. The Neanderthal man starts to chase “Dr. Howard”, but is killed by the two detectives. As they watch in awe, the dead neanderthal man turns back into “Dr. Blake”.

Next for the character actor was the supernatural television program “ONE STEP BEYOND”. The episode was entitled “BRAINWAVES”, first shown on October 6, 1959. Whit Bissell portrayed “Captain Will Fielding”, of a United States Navy warship during the Second World War in Japanese waters. “Captain Fielding” suffers a severe injury, and it will be up to alcoholic, “Pharmacist Mate Harris”, portrayed by George Grizzard, to perform surgery. Standing by is “Lieutenant Commander Stacey”, portrayed by Tod Andrews, television’s “The Grey Ghost”, and the 1957, Horror movie, “From Hell It Came”.

Standing left is Tod Andrews, operating on Whit Bissell is George Grizzard.

“Pharmacist Mate Harris” is being instructed on the surgery by “Captain and Doctor, Clyde Madison”, portrayed by Raymond Bailey on board the “Athena”. The operation is successful and “Harris” finishes up.

THE EXPECTED TWIST IN ANY EPISODE OF “ONE STEP BEYOND” PROGRAM:

Halfway through the surgery, the “Athena” was sunk by the Japanese, and “Captain Madison” went down with the ship. So, WHO WAS INSTRUCTING “PHARMACIST MATE HARRIS”? Who insists he was still in communication with “Madison” on the “Athena”.

On December 30, 1959, Whit Bissell appeared in an episode of a program designed to realistically show the future of the “United States Air Force” with their backing. The program was called “MEN IN SPACE”, and this episode was entitled “CHRISTMAS ON THE MOON”, and Whit Bissell portrayed, Comet Expert, “Professor Oliver Farrar”. The series had the recurring leading roles of “Air Force Colonel Edward McCauley”, portrayed by William Lundigan, and his wife, “Mary McCauley”, portrayed by Joyce Taylor, “Antilla”, in producer George Pal’s, 1961, “Atlantis the Lost Continent”. In this episode is Keith Larsen, portrayed astronomer, “Dr. Nichols”. Among his television roles, was starring in four, one-season, television series, “The Hunter”, “Brave Eagle”, “Northwest Passage”, and “The Aquanauts”.

The story has “Colonel McCauley” accompanying comet expert, “Professor Farrar”, and astronomer, “Dr. Nichols”, to an abandoned observatory located eight miles from the main Lunar Base to clearly observe a passing comet. Once there two events take place:

First, “Professor Farrar” is stricken with an acute appendicitis and the medical rescue team is delayed as a result of a meteor shower caused by the comet’s debris field.

Second, “Dr. Nichols”, who doesn’t believe in God, Christmas, or miracles, must face his skepticism. He goes outside of the observatory to get a piece of the fallen icy comet to use as a makeshift cold compress to help save “Professor Farrar’s” life. Thereby, leading to the atheist doctor finding faith and believing in miracles.

The following year, Whit Bissell had a small role in what has become a classic Science Fiction motion picture.

THE TIME MACHINE premiered in Rome, Italy, on May 25, 1960. The motion picture did not come to the United States until July 22, 1960, with a premiere in Chicago, Illinois.

The motion picture was produced and directed by George Pal. My article on the creator of the “Puppetoons”, 1950’s, “Destination Moon”, and 1953’s, “War of the Worlds” is “A FAN REMEMBERS GEORGE PAL: From ‘Puppetoons’ to ‘Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze”at:

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2017/07/a-fan-remembers-george-pal-from.html

The original story was published in 1895, by Herbert George “H. G.” Wells. My article is “H. G. WELLS On the Motion Picture and Television Screens” at:

http://www.bewaretheblog.com/2019/06/hg-wells-on-motion-picture-screen.html

The screenplay play was written by David Duncan. Duncan had written the English dialogue for the 1956, Toho Studio’s. “Sora no Daikaijū Radon, (Giant Monster of the Sky Radon’), released in the United States in 1957, as “Rodan”. His screenplay’s include 1957’s, “The Monster That Challenged the World”, 1958s, “The Thing That Couldn’t Die”, 1958’s, “Monster on the Campus”, and also in 1960, “The Leech Woman”.

The Three Main Roles:

Rod Taylor portrayed “George”. This section of my article has been revised from my other article, “Rod Taylor: Robert Louis Stevenson to Alfred Hitchcock”, found at:

https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2024/08/rod-taylor-robert-louis-stevenson-to.html

Alan Young portrayed both “David Filby” and his son, “James Filby”. In 1958, Young co-starred with Russ Tamblyn, Terry-Thomas, Pete Sellers, and the “Puppetoons”, in George Pal’s, “Tom Thumb”. From 1961 through 1966, Alan Young portrayed “Wilbur Post”, co-starring with a talking horse, on television’s “Mr. Ed”.

Yvette Mimieux portrayed “Weena”. She was basically a television actress at this time, but just before this role. Mimieux had 4th-billing in the crime drama, “Platinum High School”, starring three names going back to the 1940’s, Mickey Rooney, Terry Moore, and Dan Duryea. However, she followed this motion picture with 1960’s, “Where the Boys Are”, in 3rd-billing, behind Dolores Hart, and George Hamilton.

The Four Supporting Characters:

Sebastian Cabot portrayed “Dr. Philip Hillyer”. Cabot had just portrayed “Mr. Pip” aka: “The Devil”, in the April 15, 1960, episode, “A Nice Place to Visit”, on “The Twilight Zone”. After this feature film, he continued with several television appearances.

Tom Helmore portrayed “Anthony Bridewell”. Television actor Helmore had just appeared in an episode of the Ray Milland crime series, “Markham”, and followed this motion picture with an appearance on the television series “Thriller”.

Whit Bissell portrayed “Walter Kemp”. Bissell had just appeared in the May 6, 1960, “Incident of the 100 Amulets”, on the television western, “Rawhide”. He followed this feature film with May 26, 1960, “Bentley and the Beach Bum”, episode of television’s “Bachelor Father”.

Above left to right, Whit Bissell,Rod Taylor, Sebastian Cabot, Tom Helmore, and Alan Young

Doris Lloyd portrayed “Mrs. Watchett”. Between 1920 and 1967, British actress Doris Lloyd appeared in 203 roles. Her films included George Arliss’s, 1929, “Disraeli”, director James Whale’s, 1931, “Waterloo Bridge”, 1941’s, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, 1943’s, “Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman”, 1944’s, “The Lodger”, the 1946 production of W. Sommerset Maugham’s, “Of Human Bondage”, and 1954’s, “The Black Shield of Falworth”.

The George Pal – David Duncan Screenplay:

The story starts on, January 5, 1900, with four friends, “Walter Kemp”, “Dr. Philip Hillyer”, “Anthony Bridewell”, and “David Filby” arriving for dinner at their friend, “George’s” home. The same group spent, December 31, 1899, celebrating the coming New Year with “George” at his home, but tonight, he’s absent at the called dinner time. His housekeeper, “Mrs. Watchett”, says she hasn’t seen him since he went into his laboratory after they left the previous diner together. It should be noted that their host is always referred to as “George”, but the screenplay and cast listings shows him as “H. George Wells”. I leave my reader to fill in the complete missing first name.

The four guests are served dinner, and still no “George”. When suddenly, in the doorway, between his laboratory, and the dinning room, he appears.

“George’s” clothing are torn, as if he was in a fight and fire, and his face is covered with ash. He sits down at the dinner table, and begins to tell, what three of his four friends will just consider a fantastic and unbelievable tale.

It starts after their previous dinner together, as the five talk about the year to come, and a new century. On the dinning room table sits a small closed wooden box.

When they seem finished with discussing really nothing at all. “George” brings up the subject of “Time”.

He goes to the wooden box, opens it, and removes something from inside.

“George”, now, explains what he calls “The Fourth Dimension”, but his friends are skeptical of such an idea. Next, “George” takes a cigar and places it in the passenger seat, pressing one of the levers, there is a whirling noise, the model disappears, and three of his friends think it is a magicians parlor trick, but can’t locate the model “Time Machine”. The three do not believe “George”, that it is still occupying the same space, but in a future time. While, “David Filby” doesn’t speak, but takes everything in.

Everyone seems to have left, and “George” starts to go toward his laboratory. However, “Filby” is still in the room sitting in a chair. He speaks up, and before he leaves, having a feeling about what was said that night, “David” asks “George”, not to leave the house, a smiling “George”, promises to his friend that he will not leave the house. “David Filby” leaves, and “George” goes to his laboratory, where a full-size “Time Machine” awaits him.

“H. George Wells” sits himself in his “Time Machine”, contemplates what he is about to do, and slightly pushes the lever forward, and then pulls it back.

What follows is a group of stop-motion animated sequences as the “Time Traveler” and the audience experiences the idea of moving forward in time. “George” notices a dress shop window across from his house, and watches the progress of time as the dresses are changed in a Timelapse sequence.

“George” decides to stop in 1917, leaves the “Time Machine”, exits his boarded up house, and takes a walk. It is now that he sees “David Filby”, only to find out it is his son “James Filby”, who is a soldier in a World War. “George is told that “David” is dead, his house and land are paid for by “James’s” father through a trust he administered. “David” had believed that “George”, who disappeared on New Year’s Eve, 1899, was coming back.

Their talk finished, “George” thanks “Jamie”, a name he called “James” as a small child, walks back to his house, and the “Time Machine”. Leaving a perplexed “James Filby” wondering about the man in old style clothing that knew his father, and his secret name.

Back in the “Time Machine”, “George” moves forward, and the machine starts to rock, he stops it, only to find out that the year is 1940, and the city is being bombed in another war. Disillusioned by what he is seeing, “George” pushes forward to the year 1966. (For my reader, keep in mind that year was only six past the motion picture’s release year, and it desired impact on the audience).

“George” is comely walking from the lawn area, where his house once stood, and is now a park memorial for himself. Suddenly, he hears sirens wailing and people in panic heading for underground shelter’s.

An old air raid warden approaches, and tells “George” to hurry to an underground shelter. The man turns out to be “James Filby”, who becomes even more confused, as he realized the man is the one, not aged, from 1917.

“George” realizes it is yet another war, but one with atomic powered satellites containing atom bombs. He runs back to the park area and just makes it to his “Time Machine”. He pushes the lever forward as the atomic bombs are exploding causing volcanoes to appear and lava to encase him.

As fast as the hot lava moves around him, it cools from the speed the “Time Machine” is traveling at, and then it starts to break away from age. The “Time Machine” suddenly just stops, tips over, and throws “George” out.

“George” regains consciousness, and finds himself in a lush green area in front of a sphinx. Next, he turns the “Time Machine” back up, and sees the date is reading October 12, 802701.

“George” starts to walk through the lush foliage, hears voices, and sees a group of young people beside a river.

As he approaches, “George” sees a girl fall into the water and not one young person moves to help her. Not wasting time, he goes into the water, rescues the girl, and brings her out.

While, at the sphinx, a sound system appears, and a siren starts to wail, that sounds almost like the one’s “George” heard in 1966.

The girl gets up as if in a trance, joins the other young people walking toward the sphinx and the siren sound.

“George” fellows the group as they enter the sphinx, but the siren stops. The girl is outside the now closed entrance to the sphinx and with the others does not look like she’s in a trance anymore.

They all start to walk away and toward a broken roof, domed structure, and “George” follows them into it.

“George” finds the girl and learns her name is “Weena” and her people are called “Eloi”. To his questions, he learns they do not work, only play, their food just appears for them to eat, and they know almost nothing of their history. “George” asks don’t they have books? He learns the “Eloi” do not know how to read, but a young man takes “George” and “Weena” to a library. The curtain falls to dust as “George” moves it to reveal shelves of books, but they also turn to dust as he can runs his hand through whole shelves without any resistance.

Outraged at what mankind has become, “H. George Wells”, decides to return to his own time. Taking a torch, with “Weena” following, he returns to the sphinx, only to find that someone has dragged the “Time Machine” inside and the entrance doors are shut. “Weena” explains that the “Morlocks” live in there, as one jumps out from hiding, grabs “Weena”, but “George’s” torch drives it off.

The following day “Weena” shows “George” cone shaped air shafts that the sounds of machinery can be heard from beneath their feet.

Next, “Weena” takes him to see, or hear the talking rings. Which makes no sense to her, but tells “George” of the 326-year-war between the East and the West. Which led to people living underground, but some returning to the surface when the radiation levels dropped and becoming the “Eloi”. However, the still unanswered question is, why are there no adults among them?

With the doors shut, the only way “George” can get into the sphinx is to climb down one of the air shafts, he starts, but the sirens start again and he climbs out. Once again he observe the “Eloi” in their trance like state entering the sphinx through its open doors and one of them is “Weena”. He rushes to get to her, but the doors shut him out.

Next, not one “Eloi” will help “George”!

So, he now climbs down a shaft to discover piles of bones and the answer to why there are no adults. The “Eloi” are the food source of the “Morlocks”, who were once as human as the people they now eat.

Underground, “George” locates”Weena”, is able to get her away from the “Morlocks”, and several other “Eloi” join behind them, for their protection, but they still haven’t the will to fight back.

Then, one “Eloi”, young man follows “George’s” action, and strikes a “Morlock”, which leads to all of them going against their nature, surprising the “Morlocks”.

Under “George’s” direction, fires are being set, as he urges the “Eloi” to climb to the surface. While the “Morlocks” are engaged in fighting the fires. On the surface, he tells the “Eloi” to find wood and other burnable materials and toss them down the air vents, causing the fire within the “Morlock” community to expand.

The next morning, the sphinx’s doors are open, the “Morlock’s” all appear dead and “George” is able to get to his “Time Machine”. However, before he can get into the seat, a few surviving “Morlock’s” attack the time traveler. He is able to get into the seat and puts the control lever in reverse returning to his home, but because of being moved inside the sphinx, the “Time Machine” is outside his house in the falling snow.

The story returns to the beginning, as “George” now finishes his story, his three friends remain skeptical,- – – –

– – – -but “George” produces a flower “Weena” gave him. Amateur botanist “Filby”, admits he has never seen, or knows of such a flower to be in England, and especially not during winter.

Outside his house, “George’s” skeptical friends all leave after their good-byes, and happy new years have been said.

However, “David Filby” stops after the front door has been closed, and goes back into the house to find both, “George” and his “Time Machine” gone. “Filby” notices that the “TIME MACHINE” had been outside in the snow, and was dragged back inside the laboratory, putting it outside the sphinx.

Next, “Mrs. Watchett” tells “Filby”, that only three books are missing from “George’s” bookcase. “David Filby” seems to know which ones “George” would have taken to start life all over for the “Eloi”..

When asked by the housekeeper, if “H. George Wells” will ever return. “Filby” tells her not to worry, because:

“HE HAS ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD!”

It would be Three-Years-Before, Whit Bissell was in another Science Fiction production. Considered by some reviewers of the overall program, as having an “Orwellian Themed” opening and closing.

Every episode started with the television picture blurring, and a voice saying:

“There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur, or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: There is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to… The Outer Limits.”

December 2, 1963 was the episode, “NIGHTMARE”, on “THE OUTER LIMITS”. Whit Bissell portrayed the “Commanding General”. James Shiegta portrayed “Major Jong”, Ed Nelson portrayed “Colonel Luke Stone”, Martin Sheen portrayed “Private Arthur Dix”, and John Anderson portrayed the “Ebonite Interrogator”.

Above Whit Bissell portraying the “Commanding General”, with Willard Stage portraying his “Chief of Staff”. Below the same two actor’s with John Anderson’s “Ebonite Interrogator”.

The story revolves around an accident by a peaceful alien race from the planet “Ebon”. However, this was a nuclear attack, and the “Commanding General” sends a group of soldiers to fight on the “Ebonite’s” home world. However, the group will be captured and tortured.

However, unexpected deaths occur during the interrogations, but the reveal is that this was all a test by the Earth. The “Ebonite’s” agreed to assist the Earth’s “Commanding General” to see if the Earth’s troops remained loyal and showed valor under intense interrogation and psychological stress. The “Ebonites”, being a peaceful race ask that the test’s end IMMEDIATELY. They criticize the test as being an immoral and an inhumane way to test loyalty. The test will end, but one last Earth solider is still killed before that.

Joseph Stefano’s screenplay ends with the words:

“The exploration of human behavior under simulated conditions of stress is a commonplace component of the machinery called war. So long as Man anticipates and prepares for combat, be it with neighboring nations or with our neighbors in space, these unreal games must be played, and there are only real men to play them. According to established military procedure, the results of the Ebon maneuvers will be recorded in books and fed into computers for the edification and enlightenment of all the strategists of the future. Perhaps they will learn something.”

Which is followed by the voice of the opening speech saying:

“We now return control of your television set to you, until next week at this same time, when the Control Voice will take you to… The Outer Limits.”

I doubt if Whit Bissell listened to Frankie Avalon’s opening song. While the credits rolled on the 1961 original movie:

Come with me, come with me
On a voyage to the bottom of the sea
In a sea of blue-green
We will find love

At the bottom of the sea

Unbelievable, inconceivable
Fantastic it will seem
But we’ll be the first, the very first
To live such a strange new dream
There we’ll be lost and free

On our voyage to the bottom of the sea
On our voyage to the bottom of the sea

But on November 21, 1965, Whit Bissell took a:

“VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA”

The episode’s title was “The Peacemaker”. The “Seaview”, commanded by “Admiral Nelson”, portrayed by Richard Basehart, and “Captain Crane”, portrayed by David Hedison, aka: 1958’s “The Fly”, is sent, by “Admiral William Connors”, portrayed by Whit Bissell, to observe a possible nuclear test by the Chinese.

Apparently, three defecting scientists, have created a proton bomb that is no bigger than a milk cartoon, although some sites say no larger than a suitcase.

When it was exploded, the blast covered 20-square-miles, and two of the scientist’s are killed. The third scientist is “Everett Lang”, portrayed by John Cassavetes, wants to defect back to the United States ,and the “Seaview” is ordered to rescue him.

Now, there are two problems for “Admiral Nelson”. The first, is when “Lang” reveals there is a very big version of the bomb on the ocean floor. However, “Lang” volunteers to help disconnect the bomb. However, the two, is that “Everett Lang” wants to use bomb to force peace on the world. Instead of deactivating the bomb, he rigs a remote control on it,

One can argue if the following belongs in this article, but television’s- – – –

– – – –“I DREAM OF JEANNIE”, had an October 24, 1966 episode, entitled the “FASTEST GUN IN THE EAST”. “Major Anthony Nelson”, portrayed by show co-star, Larry Hagman, while watching a western on television, wishes that he lived back in the “Old West”. “Jeannie”, portrayed by Barbara Eden, grants his wish.

In that episode, “Tony” finds himself as a the Marshall of the Western town of “Gopher Junction”, and he goes up against a gang of outlaws, cattle rustles, and just thieves. All within the program’s 24-minute running time. The subplot has “Georgia Sheridan’s”, portrayed by Stephanie Hill, brother, “Eddie”, portrayed by Eddie Firestone, wrongly accused of cattle rustling. The rustlers are actually led by Whit Bissell’s, “Horace Sedgwick”.

I mentioned Whit Bissell had been in an episode of the television series “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”. That program was produced by Irwin Allen, and now he found himself, as one of the stars, of Irwin Allen’s, “THE TIME TUNNEL”.

My article on the producer begins:

“Before he took us on a “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” and let us go through “The Time Tunnel” to a “Towering Inferno”. Producer, Director, and Writer, Irwin Allen, told us about his Dark Fantasy Science Fiction, “THE STORY OF MANKIND”!”

The article is “IRWIN ALLEN: The Story of ‘THE STORY OF MANKIND”, found at:

https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2022/11/irwin-allen-story-of-story-of-mankind.html

The television series ran from September 9, 1966 through April 7, 1967, for a total of 30-episodes. Whit Bissell portrayed either “Lieutenant General Heywood Kirk”, or “French General Querque”, for all 30.

The other cast members for all 30-episodes are:

James Darren portrayed “Dr. Tony Newman”. Teen heart throb, Darren, had been just seen in, “The Mechanical Man”, an episode of “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”, on March 13, 1966.

Robert Colbert portrayed “Dr. Doug Philips”. He had last been seen in “The Forests of the Night”, January 2, 1966, on television’s “The F. B. I.”.

John Zarema portrayed “Dr. Raymond Swain”. Zarema was just seen in “When a King is a Pawn”, the December 22, 1966, episode of television’s “Daniel Boone”.

Lee Meriwether portrayed “Dr. Ann MacGregor”. Meriwether had just been seen on television’s “Batman”, portraying “Lisa Carson”, but she also portrayed “Cat Woman” in 1966’s, “Batman: The Movie”.

According to the Kevin Burns television special, “The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen”, September 30, 1995: “Project Tic-Toc”, is a top-secret U.S. government effort to build an experimental Time Machine, known as “The Time Tunnel”. That name is due to its appearance as an elliptical passageway. The base is a huge, hidden underground complex in Arizona, 800 floors deep, with 12,000 specialized personnel.

Each week “Tony” and “Doug” are trapped in time,. going back in history, and forward to the future. As the “Project Tic-Toc” attempts to get them back. The two in the past, based upon actual events, must be careful not to say even a sentence that could change that event and history.

On October 24, 1967, Whit Bissell was seen in “DARK OUTPOST”, an episode of the science fiction television series, “THE INVADERS”. Staying in the Military, Bissell was now, “Army Colonel Harris”, or was he?

Roy Thinnes portrays “David Vincent”. On August 27, 1969, the star of this alien science fiction series. Would star in the motion picture, “Doppelgänger” aka: “Journey to the Far Side of the Sun”. Which seems to be a larger version of the “Twilight Zone”, March 14, 1963’s, “The Parallel”.

The plot has “David Vincent” sneaking on board an alien flying saucer. He is knocked unconscious during take off and wakes up in a room with a Professor and his Students.

The flying saucer’s destination is a remote medical base, operated by “Army Colonel Harris”, below, who turns out to be one of “The Invaders”. The base is to allow aliens to recuperate.

What, in my opinion, is the most fun episode of Gene Roddenberry’s “STAR TREK” was “THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBILES”, December 29, 1967. In the story, Whit Bissell portrayed “Mr. Lurry”, the “Manager of Space Station K-7”.

At the instructions of “Federation Under Secretary, Nilz Baris”, portrayed by William Schallert, “Lurry”, summons the “USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)” to the station.

Upon arrival, “Larry” gives “Captain Kirk”, portrayed by William Shatner, “Baris’s” order is to supply security guards for quadrotriticale grain stored on the station.

“Kirk” authorizes shore leave, and “Lieutenant Nyota Uhura”, portrayed by Nichelle Nichols, encounters shifty “Cyrano Jones”, portrayed by Stanley Adams. He gives “Uhura”, an adorable, purring ball of fur, called a, “Tribble”. She takes the “Tribble” on-board the “Enterprise”.

Other crew members sees the “Tribble” and purchases them from “Jones”. At this time, a “Klingon” ship arrives, under the command of “Captain Koloth”, portrayed by William Campbell, to enjoy the space station, which is a neutral recreational spot for all species.

What follows is a brawl between the “Klingon’s” and the “Enterprise’s” crew, and “Kirk” canceling shore leave.

That action worries “Under Secretary Baris”, in fact in his mind , it hasreached the terrifying prospect that the “Klingon’s” would get the grain. He also imagines that “Cyrano Jones” is a “Klingon” agent. However, now, real, “Trouble with Tribbles” begins. As they start to multiply and both “Dr. ‘Bone’s’ McCoy”, portrayed by DeForrest Kelley”, and “Mr. Spock”, portrayed by Leonard Nimoy, become concern.

In the end, all the”Tribbles” on “Space Station K-7” are transported by “Scotty”, portrayed by James Doohan, to the “Klingon” space ship, and he has the closing line saying that:

“they’ll be no tribble at all.”

TRIVIA: Both William Shatner and James Doohan, on 1950’s Canadian television, co-starred in the Canadian version of the children’s program, “The Howdy Doody Show”.

Moving forward to January 18, 1970, unlike the “Star Trek” episode, finds Whit Bissell portraying the major character of “Dr. Krane”, in “THE SECRET CITY OF LIMBO”, on Irwin Allen’s, “LAND OF THE GIANTS”.

The very basic plot line, finds Don Marshall’s, “Dan Erickson”, Deanna Lund’s, “Valerie”, and Kurt Kazner’s, “Alexander B. Fitzhough”, seeing a giant, mysterious saboteur, who fires a strange gun that causes an explosion injuring “Fitzhough”. The three takes refuge in a cave, but finds a teleporter machine. Using the machine, the three Earthling’s find themselves in the underground city of “Limbo”.

There they meet “Dr. Krane”, a sympathetic scientist who only wants peace in his underground city. “Krane’s” group’s leader is “Taru”, portrayed by Malachi Thorne.

They’re fighting the evil fascist above ground military force of “General Aza”, portrayed by Joseph Ruskin.

Dr. Krane actively works behind the scenes to safeguard his society’s secrets and help the stranded space travelers survive the impending conflict.

Above, Whit Bissell with Peter Jason portraying “Mylo”.

Once more, Irwin Allen came into the work of Whit Bissell. In 1967, Allen created a 10-minute conceptional reel to sell his proposed new television series, but no studio was interested. However, in August 1970, filming began on a two-hour movie-of-the-week, at “20th Century Studios”.

CITY BENEATH THE SEA was first shown on television on January 25, 1971. While a theatrical version premiered that year in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Austria, and West Germany.

The screenplay was by John Meredyth Lucas. He was a television producer, director, and writer. His writing began with Richard Boone’s 1955 television series, “Medic”, with he also directed. Among his writing are the English language versions of the Toho Studio’s, 1962’s, “Gorath”, and 1965’s, “Frankenstein vs Baragon (Frankenstein Conquerors the World)”. Just before this screenplay, Lucas wrote four episodes of “Star Trek”, and produced ten.

Irwin Allen directed the film, in 1968, Allen directed the 17-minute forgotten short, “The Man from the 25th Century”, starring James Darren. Another unsold television series, and a spin off of “Lost in Space”.

Stuart Whitman portrayed “Admiral Michael Mathews”. He was just seen in the television movie, 1970’s, “The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever”. He followed this made-for-television movie with Lee Van Cleef’s, 1971, “Captain Apache”.

Robert Wagner portrayed “Brett Matthews”. Wagner had just finished the run of his television series “It Takes a Thief”.

Rosemary Forsyth portrayed “Lia Holmes”. Forsyth was just seen in the Jackie Gleason and Maureen O’Hara’s, 1970 comedy, “How Do I Love Thee?”.

Robert Colbert portrayed “Commander Woody Patterson”. Colbert was just seen in an episode of television’s “Death Valley Days”, “The Duke of Tombstone”, on April 21, 1970.

Burr DeBenning portrayed “Aguila”. DeBenning is probably best known for portraying the title character in the 1977’s, “The Incredible Melting Man”.

Richard Basehart portrayed “The President of the United States”. Had just appeared on “Gunsmoke”, in the January 4, 1971 episode, “Captain Sligo”.

Joseph Cotton portrayed “Dr. Ziegler”. The co-star of Orson Welles’s, 1941 “Citizen Kane”, and 1942’s, “The Magnificent Ambersons”. Had just been seen in the Diane Baker and Gene Barry, 1971, crime drama, “Do You Take This Stranger?”

Whit Bissell portrayed “Professor Holmes”. Bissell had just appeared in “Remember Chris Gatley?”, December 14, 1970, on the forgotten television series, “The Young Lawyers”.

This was one of Irwin Allen’s all-star disaster films, but on the budget of a television movie. The story opens on June 12, 2051, when a futuristic oil rig explodes somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Retired “Admiral Matthews” receives a call from the “President of the United States”, and against his will. He is reinstated and put in charade of the underwater city of “Pacifica”.

Whit Bissell’s “Professor Holmes” investigates the death of his son “Bill Holmes”, portrayed by Larry Pennell. The Professor, will discover that the “Murder” of his son, was part of a cover-up involving thieves. At the same time, “Professor Holmes” advises “Admiral Michael Matthews”, about the risks of storing radioactive material, “H128”, in the underwater colony. Neither knows, that “Matthews’s” brother, “Brett Mathews”, may involved in the thefts.

Above, Rosemary Forsyth as “Bill’s” widow, “Lia Holmes”, and Whit Bissell as her father-in-law.

Add to the above story lines, an approaching planetoid that is disrupting the Earth’s tides and climate heading to crash on “Pacifica”. All these subplots, are tied together to gold shipments that are essential to keeping the power plants that run the undersea city going in an one-hour and thirty-eight-minute motion picture.

Next, Whit Bissell moved to director Richard Fleischer, the son of animator Max Fleischer, the creator of “Betty Boop”, “Popeye the Sailor”, and made the classic, 1940’s,”Superman” cartons.

SOYLENT GREEN premiered April 18, 1973 in Los Angeles

The screenplay by Stanley R. Greenberg, was loosely based upon the novel, “Make Room! Make Room!”, by Harry Harrison.

As I mentioned, the director was Richard Fleischer, who had directed the Orson Welles’s, in 1959’s, “Compulsion”, directed Walt Disney’s 1954, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, the 1966, “Fantastic Voyage”. Along with filming all the American sequences in 1970’s, ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!”.

Charlton Heston portrayed “Detective Robert Thorn”. Heston had just been in the 1972 version of author Jack London’s, “Call of the Wild”. My article is “CHARLTON HESTON: The Original “INDIANA JONES?”, to read at:

https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2019/07/charlton-heston-original-indiana-jones.html

Leigh Taylor-Young portrayed “Shirl”. Taylor-Young had just been seen in the comedy Mafia movie, 1971’s, “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight”, and followed this picture by going back to television appearances.

Edward G. Robinson portrayed “Sol Roth”. Robinson was last seen in the Israeli made, 1972 drama, “Lo B’Yom V’Lo B’Layla (Neither by Day Nor by Night)”. Robinson’s next on-screen appearance was also his last. He was uncredited as himself, in the made-for-television, 1974, “Mooch”. The story of a dog that comes to “Hollywood” to become a movie star. Edward G. Robinson had passed away the year before his last movie’s release.

Whit Bissell was 13th-billed portraying “Governor Henry C. Santini”. He had just appeared in an episode of Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether‘s, television series, “Barnaby Jones”, entitled “Murder in the Doll’s House”, on March 23, 1973. Bissell followed this motion picture with an episode of William Conrad’s television program “Cannon”, “Perfect Alibi”, on Halloween, October 31, 1973.

The Very Basic Futuristic 1940’s Murder Plot with a Twist:

“Detective Robert Thorn” is investigating the murder of the wealthy “William R. Simonson”, portrayed by Joseph Cotton. Who was a member of the “Soylent Corporation’s” board. Helping solve “Thorn’s” case’s, is “Sol Roth”, who shares their overcrowded New York City apartment. The aging “Roth”, known as “The Book”, is a retired college professor.

By appearances, the storyline fits any murder mystery written by Hammett, Chandler, or even, Earle Stanley Gardner. However, this is 2022 New York City, on an Earth after Global Warming has destroyed most of the livable areas, and is an extremely over populated . His investigation will take “Torn” toward finding out the secret behind the “Red” and “Green” food produced by the “Soylent Corporation”. However, before that occurs, the Governor of the State of New York, “Henry C. Santini”, will order his “Chief of Security, Captain Donovan”, portrayed by William Smith, to “ASSASSINATE”, “Robert Thorn”. The secret must be kept.

Premiering on November 7, 1975, was “THE PSYCHIC KILLER”. Whit Bissell had 7th-billing portraying “Dr. Paul Taylor”. This extreme low budget, and over looked horror/science fiction entry, was about an ex-mental patient, “Arnold James Masters”, portrayed by Jim Hutton. Who is using astral projection to destroy the people he believes have wronged him.

This is one of those movies filled with old actors looking for a little income. Besides, Whit Bissell and Jim Hutton. The movie featured Julie Adams portraying “Dr. Laura Scott”, Nehemiah Persoff portraying “Dr. Gruber”, Neville Brand portraying “Lemonwski”, Aldo Ray portraying “Detective Lieutenant Dave Anderson”, and Rod Cameron portraying “Dr. Commanger”. Additionally, the motion picture was both directed and narrated by actor Ray Danton, of 1960’s, “The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond”, and 1961’s, “The George Raft Story”.

On December 17, 1977, in “THE BIONIC WOMAN”, episode, “Over the Hill Spy”, Whit Bissell portrayed “Wolfe”. The story is about bringing an old “Office Strategic Service’s” agent out of retirement. Bissell is just one of the “Guest Stars” whose role is incidental to the actual plot.

Based loosely upon the H. G. Wells novel. This made-for-television-movie is produced by the same group that owns “Classic Illustrated Comics”.

THE TIME MACHINE first shown on November 5, 1978

Wallace C. Bennett adapted the Wells novel and wrote the screenplay. Speaking of time travel, Bennett wrote the story for 1984’s, “The Philadelphia Experiment”.

Henning Schellerup directed, he had 39-credits as a Cinematographer, and his 17-credits as a director include 1972’s, “The Black Bunch”, 1973’s, “Black Ally Cats”, 1980’s, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, starring Jeff Goldblum, and 1981’s, “The Adventures of Nellie Bly”, starring Linda Purl and Gene Barry.

John Beck portrayed “Neil Perry”. He had just appeared in “Reunion in Terror”, May 25, 1978, an episode of the television series, “What Really Happened to the Class of ’65”. Beck followed this movie portraying “Samson”, to, Ann Turkel’s, “Delilah”, in “Samson and Delilah”, November 14, 1978, on the television series, “Greatest Heroes of the Bible”.

Priscilla Barnes portrayed “Weena”. Barnes had just appeared in the 1978 movie, “Texas Detour”. She would follow this picture by starring in the television series “American Girls”, that lasted for 7-episodes.

Whit Bissell portrayed “Ralph Branly”. Bissell had just portrayed “Uncle Bill Graves” in the made-for-television-movie, 1978’s, “Donner Pass: The Road to Survival”.

The Basic Plot:

“Neil Perry” is a scientist working for the defense contractor “The Mega Corporation”. According to his senior co-worker, “Ralph Branly”, “Perry” is one of “Mega Corporations” most reliable contributors. He demonstrates his skill by rapidly correcting the course of a runaway satellite that was about to hit and wipe out Los Angeles, saving the city. That skill as given him the funds to build his “Time Machine”.

However, senior to even “Branly”, “Henry Haverson”, portrayed by Parley Baer, and the “Chairman of the Board”, written in the screenplay as “J. R. Washington”, but strangely pronounced as “J. R. Worthington”, portrated by Andrew Duggan, want the completion of the “Anti-Matter Bomb” completed before the start of the “Time Machine”.

The early completion of the power module gives “Perry” an early completion of his “Time Machine”.

So, over the weekend, “Neil Perry” travels in time, and on Monday, report his travels to the three other men. Unlike the novel, or the 1960 motion picture, this “Time Machine” does not remain in the same place it started from.

“Perry” will travel to the 1692, Salem, Massachusetts, and is accused of being a witch. He is able to escape, and finds himself in 1871, during the California Gold Rush. It takes a bank Robbert, becoming a distraction for “Neil’s” to escape from the jail he was placed in.

“Neil Perry” return to his office at “Mega Corporation” to find that “Mega Corporation” latest weapons are causing major environmental damage. He decides to go into the future to get information to stop the use of these weapons and save the future from Global Devastation. He witnesses the Earth’s fiery destruction and stops in October 2025, with extremely high radiation levels.

As “Neil” travels forward, he witnesses the return of a fertile environment and discovers during the fiery wars. Mankind went underground and divided eventually into two societies, the “Eloi” above ground, and the “Morlock’s” below ground. “Perry’s” arrival is during the time that the “Morlock’s” harvest members of the “Eloi” for food,

“Neil Perry” befriends a “Eloi” young woman named “Weena”. “Neil” helps “Ariel”, portrayed by John Hansen, and other fight off the “Morlock’s”. They place plastic explosives at all the exit from the “Mrolock’s” underworld. Thereby trapping them forever.

“Weena” show’s him a museum exhibiting the technology from the Earth’s past. “Perry” shocked to see the “anti-matter” weapon on display with a card with his name on it. A video about the “Mega Corporation” clearly puts the destruction of mankind on “Perry” and the others. He now returns to his past and confront’s “Branly”, “Haverson”, and “Worthington”, over what he has discovered. That does not stop “Haverson” and “Worthington’s” plans, but “Branly” resigns from “Mega Corporation”.

“Neil Perry” now returns to the future and “Weena”.

On December 28, 1978, Whit Bissell portrayed “Harper”, in producer Jack Webb’s, science fiction program, “PROJECT U. F. O.”, in the episode entitled, “THE I-MAN INCIDENT”. The program’s stories are based upon actual cases from the United States Air Force’s “Project Blue Book”. Just like Webb’s radio and television program “Dragnet”≥ Had been based upon actual “Los Angeles Police Department” cases.

For those few of my readers unfamiliar with “Project Blue Book”. The following article looks at the United States Air Force’s investigation, and the flying saucer they built. Supposedly upon what they found at “Roswell, New Mexico”.

“FLYING SAUCERS: U.S. Air Force Project 1794 and as Seen in 1950’s Science Fiction Motion Pictures”. The “Truth is Out There, Special Agent Fox Mulder”, at:

https://www.bewaretheblog.com/2021/12/flying-saucers-us-air-force-project.html

The episode was written by Buck Houghton. Who produced the first three-seasons of Rod Sterling’s, “The Twilight Zone”.

The episode was directed by Dick Moder. Among his television directing work are 14-episodes of “The Six Million Dollar Man”, and 6-episodes of “Wonder Woman”.

The series starred Edward Winter portraying “Air Force Captain Ben Ryan”, and Caskey Swaim portraying “Air Force Staff Sergeant Harry Fitz”.

The Very Basic Plot Line, and I could not locate specific photos from this episode.

During a stormy night along the California coast, an Air Force Interceptor aircraft is launched to identify an unknown radar contact. But, as he nears the airborne object, all contact with the pilot of the Interceptor is lost. Further down the coast, an impressionable girl, “Cindy Harper”, portrayed by Pamelyn Ferdin, encounters a UFO which emits a signal that she then mimics as a musical phrase. Whit Bissell is identified as a close member of “Cindy’s” family, but the relationship is not specifically identified.

The musical phrase is confirmed by “Captain Ryan” and “Staff Sergeant Fitz” to be the “I-Man Signal” beamed toward a distant galaxy 15 years earlier. Leaving the two investigators with compelling evidence that the “I-Man” signal was received by an Alien Civilization and they came to Earth to return the message.

According to the website, “Military Gogglebox”:

“The episode wraps up with the series’ signature Project Blue Book postscript disclaimer. It notes that while the Air Force officially concluded UFOs did not pose a threat to national security, this specific file remains officially classified as “Unidentified.”

Jack Webb based this story on:

The Kinross Incident (1953): An Air Force F-89C Scorpion interceptor jet vanished over Lake Superior while pursuing an unidentified radar return. Neither the jet nor its two radar personnel were ever found, making it one of the most famous real-life Blue Book disappearances. This story is found on the website, “Open Skies Project” at:

https://www.openskiesproject.org/news/kinross-incident

Whit Bissell appeared in two-episodes of the television series “THE INCREDIBLE HULK”.

“KINDERED SPIRITS”, was first shown on April 6, 1979. Whit Bissell portrayed “Professor Williams”. “Williams” is heading a group of scientists digging for ancient artifacts in a cave on Native American Land. They discover painting of a prehistoric “HULK”, and “David Banner”, portrayed by Bill Bixby joins the group, hoping to find a prehistoric cure to his modern day “HULK”. There’s a cave in, and “David” becomes the ‘Hulk” to save everyone.

PROMETHEUS: PART II”, was first shown on November 4, 1980. In this episode, he was not in Part One, Whit Bissell portrays “Dr. John Ziederman”, part of the “Prometheus Project”. This was a guest starring role in after a group of scientists find “David Banner” in a half-Hulk state.

In Part One, a meteor crashes in Utah, just as “David” is transforming from the “Hulk”, and the meteor’s gamma radiation stops the transformation. In Part Two, the “Military Prometheus Group” has both “David”, and a piece of the meteor to trigger his complete transformation into the “Hulk” for their study. The piece of meteor finishes the transformation process, not to “Banner”, but the “Hulk”, but “David Banner” becomes himself and is imprisoned in the project’s underground facility. Along with “David”, is the blind woman, “Katie Maxwell”, portrayed by Laurie Prange, who befriended him in the first part. The “Hulk” will be studied by Whit Bissell and others. However, reporter “Jack McGee”, portrayed by Jack Colvin, from the first part, shows up, and helps “David/Hulk” escape. After which, the “Hulk” destroys the entire “Prometheus Project’s” underground base, and in the process also frees “Katie”.

On March 5, 1996, character actor Whitner Nutting Bissell, passed away.

During his life he was married three times. First to actress, Adrienne Marden, they had two children, but their marriage ended in divorce. His second wife was to Dilys Mary Shan Jukes, they had one child, but their marriage ended with her death. Whit Bissell’s final marriage was to Jennifer Raine, they had no children, but their marriage also ended with her death, three-years before his passing.