Saturday, July 28, 2012

Forgotten TV Heroes: Man from Atlantis

Dork Note: I spent a summer in our pool trying to swim like a friggin' "Man from Atlantis" dolphin. All I got for my trouble was a back ache.

Clipped from Wikipedia:
Man from Atlantis is a short-lived American science fiction television series that ran for 13 episodes on the NBC network during the 1977–1978 season, following four successful television films that had aired earlier in 1977.


History:
The series stars Patrick Duffy as an amnesiac man given the name of Mark Harris, believed to be the only surviving citizen of the lost civilization of Atlantis.[1] He possesses exceptional abilities, including the ability to breathe underwater and withstand extreme depth pressures, and superhuman strength. His hands and feet are webbed, his eyes are unusually sensitive to light, and he swims using his arms and legs in a fashion suggestive of how a fish or marine mammal uses its flippers. Following his discovery, he is recruited by the Foundation for Oceanic Research, a governmental agency that conducts top secret research and explores the depths of the ocean in a sophisticated submarine called the Cetacean.


Fun Fact:
On the 12th episode, a new female lead character replaced Elizabeth Merrill, Dr. Jenny Reynolds, played by actress Lisa Blake Richards. The last episode did not feature any female lead character.


Fun Fact::
The "Foundation for Oceanic Research" headquarters building was represented by the Point Fermin lighthouse in San Pedro, California.


Novels and Comics:
In 1977, Dell Publishing published a novelization titled Man from Atlantis #1, written by Richard Woodley, which was followed by Man from Atlantis #2: "Death Scouts" from the same author. The line continued unnumbered with Killer Spores (1977) and Ark of Doom (1978), also by Woodley, the latter being the retitled novelizaton of "The Disappearances".
In 1978, Marvel Comics published seven issues of a Man From Atlantis comic book, written by Bill Mantlo with art by Frank Robbins and Frank Springer.
Toys: Kenner began development on a Man From Atlantis line of action figures and toy vehicles in 1977, but it never proceeded past the prototype stage.


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