Gemini Man
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
action/adventure
Adventure (genre)
The adventure genre, in the context of a narrative, is typically applied to works in which the protagonist or other major characters are consistently placed in dangerous situations...
drama series
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
that aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in 1976. This is the third of four weekly television series
The Invisible Man (TV series)
The Invisible Man may refer to the following TV series:*The Invisible Man , a 1958 UK series*The Invisible Man , a 1975 NBC series starring David McCallum...
based on the H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
science fiction novel, The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man is a science fiction novella by H.G. Wells published in 1897. Wells' novel was originally serialised in Pearson's Weekly in 1897, and published as a novel the same year...
.
Synopsis
The series stars Ben MurphyBen Murphy
Benjamin E. Murphy is an American actor. He is known for his role in the ABC television series Alias Smith and Jones, co-starring as Kid Curry, first with Pete Duel and later with Roger Davis.-Early life:...
as secret agent Sam Casey, who was injured in a diving accident which rendered him invisible. The agency, called INTERSECT, found a way to control his invisibility by the use of a wrist watch, referred to as a "DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
stabilizer". Pressing a button on the watch would make him invisible, which was a helpful tool in his line of work. He could however, only do this for 15 minutes per day or else he would become permanently invisible.
A pilot of the series aired on May 10, 1976, and the series began airing on September 23 of that year. Although 11 episodes were produced, only five were aired in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before the cancellation of the show although the entire series was seen in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Richard Dysart
Richard Dysart
Richard A. Dysart is an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as Leland McKenzie on the NBC legal drama L.A. Law....
played Leonard Driscoll in the pilot, and William Sylvester played Driscoll during the series.
Television movie adaptation: Riding with Death
Two episodes, "Smithereens" and unaired "Buffalo Bill Rides Again", were re-edited into one ninety-minute television movie titled Riding With Death, which was released in 1981.Riding with Death used scenes from Colossus: The Forbin Project
Colossus: The Forbin Project
Colossus: The Forbin Project is an American science fiction thriller film. It is based upon the 1966 novel Colossus, by Dennis Feltham Jones, about a massive American defense computer, named Colossus, becoming sentient and deciding to assume control of the world.-Plot:Dr. Charles A...
as establishing shot
Establishing shot
An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects...
s for sweeping computer room scenes. The "Guardian" logo ("Guardian" was the Russian version of "Colossus") appears in at least one segment. Though not immediately verifiable, at least one segment uses the "Colossus" speaker/microphone.
The film clumsily dealt with the dropping of Katherine Crawford (Abby Lawrence) from the cast by the latter episode, the length of time between filming (William Sylvester
William Sylvester
William Sylvester was an American television and film actor. His most famous film credit was Dr. Heywood Floyd in Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey...
had grown a thick bushy mustache in the intermittent time), and the appearance of an arch-villain in the second "half" who did not exist in the opening of the series (save for a clumsy overdub referring to the villain's elusiveness in the final minutes of the first segment). Both parts feature singer Jim Stafford
Jim Stafford
James Wayne "Jim" Stafford is an American comedian, musician, and singer-songwriter, prominent in the 1970s. Stafford is self-taught on guitar, fiddle, piano, banjo, organ and harmonica....
as a trucker named Buffalo Bill who befriends and helps Sam.
Mystery Science Theater 3000
In 1997, Riding With Death was featured in an episode of movie-mocking television show Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
. Mike Nelson and his robot friends highlighted the rather thin connection between the two halves of the "movie," and the general incoherence of the plot.
Episode list
The two hour pilot episode of the series, The Gemini Man, originally aired on May 10, 1976.- Smithereens (September 23, 1976)
- Minotaur (September 30, 1976)
- Sam Casey, Sam Casey (October 7, 1976)
- Night Train to Dallas (October 14, 1976)
- Run Sam, Run (October 28, 1976)
- Escape Hatch (Unaired)
- 8, 9, 10... You're Dead (Unaired)
- Targets (Unaired)
- Suspect Your Local Police (Unaired)
- Buffalo Bill Rides Again (Unaired, but used as part of Riding With Death)
- Return of the Lion (Unaired)