Sea Hunt

SEA HUNT-1958-1961-I like to watch old TV shows just to see the guest stars, usually “stars” before they became famous. Sea Hunt is loaded with them. I was amazed to learn that 155 episodes were produced over a six year period. It was a popular show! 

Lloyd Bridges starred as Mike Nelson, an expert scuba diver who besides having solo adventures also helped out the government by being a commodore in the US naval auxiliary. He was also the only actual “regular” in the series cast although there were reoccurring characters played by Ross Elliot, Russ Conway and a few others. Oldest son Beau played the same character in two episodes. Mostly Nelson solved mysteries and fought cold war spies, hijackers and smugglers. He also found time to prevent murders and help third world countries try to acclimate themselves to their new found democracy. There are a few shows dealing with sea monsters and mermaids but in the end there was always a rational explanation. Some unusual stories involved the discovery of an underground marijuana farm, tainted fish that made people who ate them violent, the hunt for a deadly gas created by the Nazis and the training of “aquanettes”, female astronauts who one day planned to walk on Venus! Nelson was likable, clever and strong and the best in his business. Very little got by him. Besides thugs and spies he sometimes tangled with sharks and alligators and even an octopus. Every episode took Nelson under some type of body of water: ocean, lake, lagoon, the Everglades. One exception was the first episode with son Beau where Nelson saved his character from flooding in the sewer system! Younger son Jeff appears in one episode. 

It was a comic book too!

The show was syndicated by ZIV (Science Fiction Theater) but played in prime-time over CBS. Filmed mainly in Florida with some scenes done in The Bahamas, Ivan Tors was the executive producer and later seasons featured stunt diving by Ricou Browning (THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON). Bridges directed at least one episode himself. The show was still popular when it ended its run. Apparently syndicated shows running in prime time became less attractive to the networks. I've also read a story that the demise of the show was caused by Bridges quitting because he felt the stories were becoming to focused on on land espionage than underwater intrigue. 

Some guest stars: 

Leonard Nimoy-5 times         Robert Conrad-2 times      
Maris Wrixon                         Whit Bissel
Ross Martin-2 times               Ted Knight 

Laura Lawson-3 times            Joi Lansing        
King Moody-3 times              Myron Healy

John Marley-2 times              Robert Clarke                          
Morris Ankrum                      Brett Halsey

Larry Hagman                        Mari Blanchard                          
Gregg Palmer                         John Anderson

Steve Ritch                             Peter Breck

Bruce Dern                             George Becwar

Jack Nicolson                         Joyce Meadows

Victor Buono                          Ken Curtis

Paul Birch                              Thomas Henry
Robert Montgomery               Robert Quarry        

                                               

                         

Thanks for reading! 

Final note: Mike Nelson's favorite TV show was "Dempsey of the Deep".