These TV shows shaped my view of the world. In fact, I think they even had an impact on my career choice. Who says that TV is bad for you? As a young boy, these shows inspired my imagination and sparked my interest in all things technical. I fantasized about being an astranaut on the Jupiter Two, secret agent for U.N.C.L.E, and a crew member aboard the USS Enterprise. To this day, I just can’t get enough of movies involving submarines, space ships, and secret agents – guess this explains why. The Man From U.
N.C.L.E. was one of my all time favorites. This TV series ran from 1964 to 1968. U.N.C.L.E. stood for United Network Command for Law Enforcement. The two main characters were Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin. They reported to the British head of the organization, Alexander Waverly. Each week, they battled against T.H.R.U.S.H which stands for Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity. T.H.R.U.S.H. wanted to take over the world and would stop at nothing to accomplish their objectives. Napoleon and Illya had cool weapons and a secret communicator disquised as a pen. When calling headquarters, they would always begin by saying “open channel D”. Not sure what Channel D was but it sounded great. The DVDs for this series have recently been released — definitely worth seeing if you’re into 60’s TV culture.
Another one of my favorites was Lost in Space. This series was on from 1965 to 1968. The story revolved around the 
“Robinson Family”, the first family in space. Dr. Smith, the Project Physician tried to sabotage the expedition by programming the robot to destroy the ship on it’s maiden voyage. Unfortunately, he was trapped aboard the ship and reluctantly became a passenger. The damage he did caused the ship to be off-course and hopelessly, lost in space. The rest of the show would be spent trying to get back to earth. The robot was one of my favorite characters. ”Danger Will Robinson, Danger”, is the famous warning given by the robot on several occasions. Most of the eposides revolved around Dr. Smith screwing things up and subjecting the crew to new dangers and problems. I don’t think they ever made it back to earth but did come close a few times.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was a series about a futuristic nuclear powered submarine called the Seaview that aired from 1964 to 1968. The crew battled sea monsters, aliens, and bad guys. Using technology and ingenuity, the always managed to overcome adversity. One of my favorite additions to the show was the “flying sub”. This was a mini sub (2-3 people) that was able to fly as well as travel underwater. Apparently, the series was a movie first and developed enough of a loyal following to justify a TV show.
Last but not lease is one of the best and longest running. Star Trek has lasted for 40 years and morphed into many different TV shows and movies. The original series is my favorite which ran from 1966 to 1969. My hero was Captain James T. Kirk who lead the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701) into uncharted territory as they explored the universe each week. Their prime directive was to “seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before“. Very cool. I particularly liked their “phaser” weapons that used light beams to “stun” or “kill” depending on the setting — very humane.
Filed under: Entertainment, TV | Tagged: 60's TV, boy, captain kirk, David Mc Callum, drama, Entertainment, future, girl from U.N.C.L.E, lost in space, man from uncle, Movies, outer space, planets, Robert Vaughn, science fiction, space ships, space weapons, star trek, submarines, The 60s, underwater, uss enterprise, voyage to the bottom of the sea, William Shatner
