TIME TUNNEL book, Autographed by the Stars

SIGNED BY JAMES DARREN AND ROBERT COLBERT, and the author! That's three autographs!

In 1964, Irwin Allen created a 45-page synopsis of a program he titled “The Time Tunnel.” Seeking a new series to add to his already successful lineup of television programs which included Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and Lost In Space, Allen called upon a talented list of writers, directors and actors to bring The Time Tunnel to life.

The Time Tunnel was by no means a superb product of Friday night entertainment. If the plot holes were not as large as the tunnel itself, viewers noticed the same props from Allen’s other television programs popping up on the show. Fan boys to this day still debate whether the futuristic episodes involving space aliens were better than the historic adventures, but few would deny that Lee Meriwether made a lab coat look sexy. Meriwether herself recalled how the cast received letters from school teachers who used The Time Tunnel to stimulate interest in history in the classroom. So why did a show so successful last a mere 30 episodes? That is one of the questions this book hopes to answer.

This tome was written for the purpose of documenting the entire history of The Time Tunnel, with detail level so comprehensive it is hoped to be considered the one book that all fans will find themselves consulting when they have any question about the series that needs answering. Dates of production, location shooting, production costs, differences between first and final draft of the scripts, memories from cast and crew, exclusive never-before-published behind-the-scenes photos, music cues, trivia, inside jokes and much more!

ALSO INCLUDED IN THE BOOK
* Plot summaries for second season and first season proposals that were scripted but never filmed.
* Deleted scenes for many of the episodes.
* Storyboards for scenes that were never shot or ended up on the cutting room floor.
* Details about “The Ghost of Nero” (flashback scene and the ghost itself) which was produced and then scrapped after special effects were already paid for.
* Conception sketches of what the Time Tunnel could have looked like before construction began.
* Bloopers such as which episodes you can see the microphone on the screen!

January 2024: Our hot water heater leaked in the basement and we lost a number of autographed books. That made the number of autographed books extremely limited. All the ones signed by Darren, Colbert and Meriwether are now gone. All we have left are the ones signed by Darren and Colbert (and myself).