Irwin Allen Filmography

Born:: June 12, 1916 in New York City, NY
Occupation:: Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Biography:: A one-time journalism student from New York, Irwin Allen went on to carve out a unique niche for himself in Hollywood as a maker of big-budget exploitation movies, which often made use of middle-level character stars and major actors in their declining years in vital supporting roles. After...Read More

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Outrage!

Crew: Producer

Actors: Beau Bridges, Robert Preston

Synopsis: Robert Preston stars as a family man who kills the man who raped and murdered his daughter. After confessing to the police, he is defended by an idealistic attorney played by Beau Bridges. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide Read More

1986
Beyond the Limit

Crew: Producer

Actors: Michael Caine, Richard Gere, Bob Hoskins, Elpidia Carrillo, Joaquim de Almeida

Synopsis: John Mackenzie directed this schematic adaptation of Graham Greene's best-selling thriller The Honorary Consul. Richard Gere stars as Dr. Eduardo Plarr, a brilliant doctor who has chosen to practice in the provinces rather than the teeming city of Buenos Aires because his father remains a Read More

1983
Code Red

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: In this action film, firefighters fight a series of arson fires and try to figure out who set them and why. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1981
The Memory of Eva Ryker

Crew: Producer

Actors: Natalie Wood

Synopsis: Donald A. Stanwood's original novel The Memory of Eva Ryker used the Titanic tragedy as its launching pad. This made-for-TV adaptation of Stanwood's book moved the action up some 27 years, motivating its plotline with the torpedoing of an Athenia-type luxury liner in 1939. The film flashes forward Read More

1980
When Time Ran Out

Crew: Producer

Actors: Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, William Holden, Edward Albert, Red Buttons

Synopsis: After producer Irwin Allen highlighted the dangers of fire in the Towering Inferno and the dangers of water in the Poseidon Adventure, he is back to fire again but this time it is within the earth, at least for awhile. This fairly routine disaster film is set on a resort island with a volcano that Read More

1980
Cave-In!

Crew: Producer

Actors: Leslie Nielsen, James Olson, Julie Sommars

Synopsis: You'd think that Irwin Allen had exhausted the "disaster" genre by 1979. Think again: 1979 was the year that Allen put together the made-for-TV movie Cave-In. Once again, a diverse group is trapped in a perilous situation; this time they're caught in an underground cave-in in an anonymous national Read More

1979
Hanging by a Thread

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: "Master of disaster" Irwin Allen was so confident of his talents in 1979 that he actually thought he could stretch out a suspense tale for a full 200 minutes. Originally telecast in two parts, Allen's Hanging by a Thread concerns a group of friends and tourists, trapped in a sightseeing tram that Read More

1979
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure

Crew: Director, Producer

Actors: Michael Caine, Sally Field, Telly Savalas, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden

Synopsis: Irwin Allen's second water-logged disaster film picks up where The Poseidon Adventure left off; Salvagers Michael Caine, Karl Malden and Sally Field enter the Poseidon to take what they can, unaware that evil salvager Telly Savalas and his henchmen lie in wait. When an explosion rocks the ship Read More

1979
The Swarm

Crew: Director, Producer

Actors: Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland

Synopsis: Killer bees migrate to the United States from Africa via South America in this disaster film produced and directed by the genre's chief architect, Irwin Allen, and written by Stirling Silliphant, scribe of The Poseidon Adventure. Haughty entomologist Brad Crane (Michael Caine) shows up at a secret Read More

1978
Flood!

Crew: Producer

Actors: Barbara Hershey

Synopsis: Having already exhausted the dramatic possibilities of fire with The Towering Inferno, producer Irwin Allen turns to water in the made-for-TV Flood! The film is set in a small community, conveniently (for the purposes of the plot) located near a huge earthen dam. As the flood waters rise and the Read More

1976
Time Travelers

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: A pair of scientists must travel through the Time Tunnel to search for the cure for a deadly epidemic. They land in late 19th century Chicago the night before the big fire. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide Read More

1976
Adventures of the Queen

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: The Queen is a luxury cruise ship, "played" by the Queen Mary in this made-for-TV thriller. The villain has it in for one of the ship's millionaire passengers. Accordingly, he (or she-we're not telling) plans to destroy the vessel and everyone on board. The producer of this all-star disasterfest Read More

1975
The Swiss Family Robinson

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: This was the pilot for the 1975 TV series based on the novel by Johann Wyss. Martin Milner is the paterfamilias of the Robinsons, cast adrift on a tropical island and forced to forge their own society. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide Read More

1975
The Towering Inferno

Crew: Director, Producer

Actors: Carlena Gower, Carol McEvoy, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Richard Chamberlain

Synopsis: A skyscraper and an all-star cast go up in flames in Irwin Allen's classic disaster movie. To celebrate the construction of the Glass Tower, the world's tallest building, architect Doug Roberts (Paul Newman) and builder James Duncan (William Holden) hold a gala bash on the highest floors. Trouble Read More

1974
The Poseidon Adventure

Crew: Producer

Actors: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowall

Synopsis: The Poseidon, an ocean liner larger than the Queens Elizabeth and Mary combined, is charting its course on New Year's Eve. Just after midnight, Captain Harrison (Leslie Nielsen) spots the mother of all tidal waves. It is the last thing that Harrison and practically everyone Read More

1972
City Beneath the Sea

Crew: Director, Producer

Actors: Whit Bissell, Robert Colbert

Synopsis: Irwin Allen, praised in some circles as a science fiction genius and damned in others as a shameless schlockmeister, produced and directed this fanciful TV-movie. Set in the 21st century, the film concentrates on a group of colonists dwelling in a modernistic underwater city called Pacifica. The Read More

1970
Land of the Giants [TV Series]

Crew: Executive Producer, Show Creator

1968
Lost in Space: Revolt of the Androids

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: Will (Billy Mumy), Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris), and the robot encounter a super-powerful android, IDAK (short for Instant Destroyer and Killer) Alpha-12 (Don Matheson), who has been dispatched to destroy a runaway android. Having been damaged by his interstellar journey, and a little disoriented Read More

1967
The Ambushers

Crew: Producer

Actors: Dean Martin, Senta Berger, Janice Rule, James Gregory, Albert Salmi

Synopsis: In this, the third in the Matt Helm special-agent series, Dean Martin plays Helm who's called to save those aboard a hijacked U.S. spacecraft. Ambushers is generally regarded as the weakest of the Helm films, lacking inspiration at most levels. ~ All Movie Guide Read More

1967
The Time Tunnel [TV Series]

Crew: Producer

Actors: Robert Colbert, James Darren, Lee Meriwether

1966
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Sky's On Fire

Crew: Producer, Screen Story

Synopsis: The Seaview surfaces while on a mission in the Antarctic and finds the sky a raging inferno. Nelson (Richard Basehart) devises a plan to extinguish the blaze, which is roasting the southern hemisphere of the world and threatens to engulf the northern hemisphere as well, but he is opposed by a Read More

1966
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Death Ship

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: While on a test of new equipment -- for which only Nelson (Richard Basehart), Crane (David Hedison), and eight scientist-observers are aboard -- the Seaview loses all power nearly a mile below the surface. The 10 people aboard are trapped, unable to launch the Flying Sub and too deep to escape Read More

1966
Lost in Space [TV Series]

Crew: Executive Producer

Synopsis: As originally conceived by executive producer Irwin Allen, the weekly, 60-minute Lost in Space was to have been a relatively serious sci-fi opus called The Space Family Robinson. Set in 1997, the series focused on astrophysicist Dr. John Robinson (Guy Williams), his wife, Maureen (June Lockhart); Read More

1965
Lost in Space: No Place to Hide (Unaired Pilot)

Crew: Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Synopsis: The un-aired Lost in Space pilot "No Place to Hide" kicked around underground video collectors' circles for close to 20 years, but until its release, first through Columbia House on tape in the late '90s and later as part of the FoxVideo DVD set Lost in Space: Season 1, it wasn't available to Read More

1965
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Last Battle

Crew: Screenwriter

Synopsis: Admiral Nelson (Richard Basehart) is kidnapped by a group of latter-day Nazis and thrown into a POW camp, where he is held as part of a plot to re-establish the Third Reich using the Seaview. He becomes the de facto leader of the men he is held with, all celebrities in their respective fields Read More

1965
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Buccaneer

Crew: Screenwriter

Synopsis: The Seaview and her crew are taken by a group of modern day pirates. Their leader is a mad art collector who plans on using the submarine's speed and weaponry to steal Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, being transported to the World's Fair aboard an armed French vessel. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide Read More

1965
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Human Computer

Crew: Screenwriter

Synopsis: The Seaview is assigned for tests of a new super-computer, with Crane (David Hedison) as an observer, alone aboard the ship. But once underway, he discovers that he's not alone on the submarine, and that something is terribly wrong with the computer and the test. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide Read More

1965
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Doomsday

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: The Seaview is crossing the equator, its crew enjoying a light moment or two without a major mission at hand, when a war alert comes through. The sub's failsafe device is unlocked and Nelson (Richard Basehart) and Crane (David Hedison) prepare for a nuclear missile launch, when the ship's missile Read More

1965
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Cradle of the Deep

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: Dr. Janus (John Anderson) is the surviving member of a scientific team that has made a potentially miraculous discovery -- a means of starting and accelerating cellular evolution, seemingly at will. In order to get the cell samples he needs to complete his experiments, he enlists the aid of Read More

1965
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: No Way Out

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: Nelson (Richard Basehart) and Crane (David Hedison) are assigned to conduct a top Communist agent to the West, so that he can defect -- but their plan is betrayed and the man they're helping is wounded. He gets aboard, but unbeknownst to all concerned, the enemy has placed a trained assassin Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Sky is Falling

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: The Seaview is ordered into the regular navy as the flagship of Admiral Tobin (Charles McGraw), who has been assigned to hunt down a UFO that was seen submerging at sea. Tobin plans to greet the invader with force, while Nelson (Richard Basehart) and Crane (David Hedison) prefer a more cautious Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Magnus Beam

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: A Middle Eastern country has acquired a mysterious ray weapon that successfully knocks down an American spy plane. Seaview is ordered to investigate, and Crane must make contact with the country's political underground. But the country's leader, General Gamal (Malachi Throne), is more devious and Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Turn Back the Clock

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: The Seaview rescues a survivor (Nick Adams) from an Antarctic expedition who seems to be suffering tropical exposure, and claims to have seen live dinosaurs. Nelson (Richard Basehart) and Crane (David Hedison) find a prehistoric veldt, filled with creatures presumed to have been extinct for Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Submarine Sunk Here

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: The Seaview accidentally runs into a derelict mine field and is sent to the bottom. The sub has no power and no chance of making repairs, and is too deep for any rescue effort -- except for her own deep submersible diving bell, which is in New London being repaired. While Nelson {Richard Basehart) Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Hot Line

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: The Soviet Union launches a satellite carrying a nuclear reactor that goes out of control and comes down off the coast of California. The Seaview is assigned to pick up a pair of Russian technicians equipped to deactivate the reactor -- but the distrust between the two sides may doom the mission. Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Village of Guilt

Crew: Director, Producer

Synopsis: The Seaview is called upon to investigate a series of bizarre deaths in the North Sea. They find a Norwegian village living in fear, and a few people who aren't telling what they know, and a murderer lurking somewhere nearby. They follow a trail of clues that leads them to an aging research Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Price of Doom

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: When a scientist team at Ice Station T is mysteriously killed, the Seaview must investigate the cause. Complicating the mission are three not-wholly-welcome guests -- Dr. Reisman (David Opatoshu), a brilliant but personally unpleasant researcher who once worked for Hitler's government; Julie Lyle Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Eleven Days to Zero

Crew: Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Synopsis: In the series' opening episode, audiences are introduced to the super-submarine Seaview, built, owned and operated by the Nelson Institute of Marine Research headed by Vice Admiral Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart). An assassination attempt on Nelson kills the commander of the Seaview on the eve Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Season 01

Crew: Producer, Show Creator

Actors: Richard Basehart, David Hedison, Robert Dowdell, Del Monroe, Paul Trinka

Synopsis: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, created and produced by Irwin Allen and based on his 1961 movie of the same title, told of the adventures of the Seaview, an advanced nuclear-powered research submarine, designed and built by retired admiral Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart), the founder Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The City Beneath the Sea

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: The Seaview is assigned a mission in the Aegian Sea, to investigate a series of research ship disasters, and an attempt to destroy the sub. Captain Crane (David Hedison) goes undercover in a small seaside village and finds that someone is prepared to kill anyone who asks (or answers) too many Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Mist of Silence

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: Nelson (Richard Basehart) and the Seaview are sent to rescue an embattled Latin American president from his country, where he is being held by his own military. But the mission turns out to be a trap laid by the junta -- with help from a major military power hostile to the U.S. -- to embarrass the Read More

1964
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Fear Makers

Crew: Producer

Synopsis: The shakedown cruise of the Seaview's sister ship, the Polidor, ends in tragedy when the new ship is lost with all hands. Nelson (Richard Basehart) and Crane (David Hedison) must determine if it was a design failure or some other problem that caused the wreck. The Seaview repeats the dive with two Read More

1964
Five Weeks in a Balloon

Crew: Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Actors: Red Buttons, Fabian, Barbara Eden, Cedric Hardwicke, Peter Lorre, Herbert Marshall

Synopsis: With Five Weeks in a Balloon, 20th Century-Fox hoped to cash on the success of the studio's earlier Jules Verne adaptation Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959). The plot is set in motion when 19th-century explorer Fergusson (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) volunteers to head a balloon expedition to Read More

1962
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

Crew: Director, Producer, Screen Story, Screenwriter

Actors: Walter Pidgeon, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, Peter Lorre, Robert Sterling, Michael Ansara

Synopsis: Walter Pidgeon is the nominal star of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, portraying Admiral Harriman Nelson, the designer of the submarine Seaview, a glass-nosed research submarine. The sub embarks on her shakedown cruise under the polar ice cap as the movie begins. Upon surfacing, however, the crew Read More

1961
The Lost World

Crew: Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Actors: Michael Rennie, Jill St. John, David Hedison, Claude Rains, Fernando Lamas

Synopsis: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story of an expedition to a remote plateau rumored to be the home of prehistoric beasts, already the basis of a 1925 sci-fi classic, is again brought to the screen in Irwin Allen's lesser version. Claude Rains stars as Professor Challenger, who leads a team of fellow Read More

1960
The Big Circus

Crew: Producer, Screenwriter

Actors: Victor Mature, Red Buttons, Rhonda Fleming, Kathryn Grant, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre

Synopsis: Victor Mature, in one of his last leading man performances, plays Hank Whirling, the owner of a financially shaky circus who is trying to get back on his feet, despite cutthroat competition from a rival organization. He also has a younger sister (Kathryn Grant) to watch out for. After arranging Read More

1959
The Story of Mankind

Crew: Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Actors: Ronald Colman, Hedy Lamarr, Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Peter Lorre, Dennis Hopper, Chico Marx

Synopsis: Future "Master of Disaster" Irwin Allen produced this curious but inarguably fascinating adaptation of Henrik Willem Van Loon's best- selling historical volume. A Celestial Tribunal has been convened to decide the fate of the Earth after the invention of nuclear weapons, with The Devil (Vincent Price Read More

1957
The Animal World

Crew: Director, Producer, Screenwriter

Synopsis: Irwin Allen followed up his well-received documentary The Sea Around Us with the equally entertaining Animal World. The film begins with a thumbnail history of life on earth, then shows the audience how ancient habits and instincts die hard. Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen, the team responsible Read More

1956
Dangerous Mission

Crew: Producer

Actors: Victor Mature, Piper Laurie, William Bendix, Vincent Price

Synopsis: The 3D melodrama Dangerous Mission starts off with a bang when innocent Piper Laurie inadvertently witnesses the murder of her gangster boss. Though she doesn't get a particularly good look at the killer, she knows she's dead meat if she remains in town. Thus, Laurie skeedaddles to Montana's Read More

1954
The Sea Around Us

Crew: Director

Synopsis: Based on the best-selling book by Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us is a superior underwater documentary. Produced by future "master of disaster" Irwin Allen, the film offers footage culled from several marine expeditions all over the world. The film's basic thesis: That mankind may someday face Read More

1952
A Girl in Every Port

Crew: Producer

Actors: Groucho Marx, Marie Wilson, William Bendix, Don DeFore, Gene Lockhart

Synopsis: The unique comic talents of Groucho Marx, William Bendix and Marie Wilson are hardly exploited to their fullest in RKO's A Girl in Every Port. Groucho and Bendix play Benny Linn and Tim Dunnevan, respectively, a couple of scheming sailors who embark upon one get-rich-quick scheme after another. Read More

1951
Where Danger Lives

Crew: Associate Producer

Actors: Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue, Claude Rains, Maureen O'Sullivan, Charles Kemper

Synopsis: Faith Domergue, the latest of Howard Hughes' protegees, made her film debut in 1950's Where Danger Lives. Domergue plays Margo Lannington the wife of Frederick Lannington (Claude Rains), an elderly millionaire possessed of a sadistic streak. Robert Mitchum co-stars as Jeff Cameron, a poor soul who Read More

1950

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