Reviewed by Alice Chapman Newgen

Watching the Season Two – Volume Two DVD boxed set of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" brought back old memories of this classic series from the 1960s. The three disc set is loaded with episodes of underwater adventure and beautiful ocean scenes that can be seen from the Seaview submarine. Richard Basehart (Admiral Nelson) and David Hedison (Commander Crane) starred in Irwin Allen's sci-fi TV show. Disc One contains episodes 46 to 51. Side A starts with "Terror on

Dinosaur Island." This show finds Admiral Nelson and Chief Sharkey (Terry Becker) struggling to survive against prehistoric animals on an island that has a tendency to rise and fall below sea level. Commander Crane races against time to get the men back safely on the Seaview. The original airdate for this episode was Dec. 26, 1965.The second episode on Side A is called "Killers of the Deep." This time it's Admiral Nelson who has to get Crane out a bad situation when the commander is held hostage. "Deadly Creature Below" and "The Phantom Strikes" are the other two shows on Disc One: Side A.Flip Disc One over and see two more adventuresome shows. "The Sky's on Fire" will leave the viewer wondering about what could happen if a catastrophic event like this should ever occur. Things really got hot when this show aired on January 23, 1966.The second and last program on Side B was aired on January 30, 1966. A scientist creates havoc on the Seaview when he insists on retrieving scientific data from a sunken ship in "Graveyard of Fear." Disc Two has episodes 52 to 55 on Sides A and B. It appears that the President of the United States is in peril in "The Shape of Doom." A massive whale has managed to swallow an atomic bomb that could definitely make big waves in this underwater adventure. Those of you who like ghost stories, "Dead Men's Doubloons" will get your attention. A pirate ship attacks the Flying Sub and Crane is held captive on the Isle of Death. There's more to this story than a pirate's curse.

Side B continues the drama in "The Death Ship" when the Seaview is sabotaged in an attempt to stop important talk efforts at a seven-nation peace conference. "The Monster's Web" was originally aired on February 27, 1966. The Seaview is trying to retrieve dangerous fuel cylinders on the ocean floor from a wrecked submarine. A humongous spider complicates things on episode 55. An unusual story about a mad scientist creating menacing specimens that are half fish-half men sets off Disc Three: Side A. In episode 56 a scientist will do whatever it takes to preserve his wacky experiments, even if people get killed in the process. This show was aptly named "The Menfish." On March 13, 1966 the sci-fi thrills continue when a super human android threatens Earth's existence in order to mine a powerful substance called Subterranium 116 from the planet's core. Time is running out for Commander Crane to stop the evil plot. "The Mechanical Man" takes place in the year 1978. James Darren and Arthur O'Connell have guest appearances on this program. The final episode in the second series was first seen on March 20, 1966. It is on flip side B of Disc Three. This one has a ghost related topic having to do with a deceased German WWI submarine commander named Krueger who wants to take over Crane's body. Nelson keeps getting forewarnings in his sleep from Krueger's girlfriend, Lani, who is also a ghost. She warns him that Crane is in danger. She wants to spend eternity with Krueger, but not at the cost of someone else's life. In "The Return of the Phantom" there may still be a happy ending for the lovers when all is said and done. Audio/VisualAll three DVDs are full frame, double-sided, closed captioned and in color. The special features are not closed captioned. Language is in English stereo, English mono and Spanish mono. Dolby digital subtitles are in English and Spanish. Special FeaturesDavid Hedison gives his opinions on a variety of subjects relating to the series. He talks about his thoughts on Irwin Allen, the show's actors and the scripts. Still images of the Seaview, Flying Sub, and episodic and publicity photos are included in the special features section on Disc Three, Side B. Final Words"Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" was on TV for four years. The actors were good at their roles. The visual effects were great for their time. The underwater scenes were stunning at times. Of course, watching the episodes today, I could definitely see that the monsters were fake-looking in their appearance and the island scenes were a bit cheesy. The plots were oftentimes about scientists, world disasters and monsters. We still have those types of shows today they are just on a higher scale of believability with added drama and visual effects. The boxed three disc collection of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" Second Season is worth getting for those individuals who like campy old shows with a supernatural and sci-fi spin.