Of all the stories written by prolific novelist Herbert George Wells, the one most often given a cinematic treatment is The Invisible Man. Like many classic books though, it has been more often used as a basis for inspiration than for a straight adaptation; the more faithful productions tend to have been on the stage. However, on tv…

It was actually upgraded to a different time slot before transmission after internal viewing at the BBC gave it a glowing report – the invisibility being much better realised and the general quality of effects and production more polished than expected – and was shifted to a normal mid-week drama time instead of the Sunday teatime slot it was supposed to occupy. It remains the best, and most faithful adaptation of the original to date.

The ‘inspired by’s

That is not to say that those that have drawn ‘inspiration’ from the original have been bad, though some have been better and more successful than others. The 1958-59 series starring Tim Turner as the voice of Peter Brady, the scientist who accidentally turns himself invisible while experimenting with the refraction of light, was very popular, and for the time exceptionally well realised. Producer Ralph Smart never actually credited the actors playing the body of the Invisible Man, and while many were stuntmen employed by the studio that made it – ATV - the main actor as Brady was Johnny Scripps, who saw out of a hole in Brady’s coat. Other characters in the series included Brady’s widowed sister Diane ‘Dee’ Wilson, played by the beautiful Lisa Daniely, and Brady’s young niece Sally Wilson, an early credit for Deborah Watling. After initially going on the run from the Government, Brady’s loyalty is confirmed to them and he is allowed to try and find a way to turn himself back, searching for an antidote, while taking on various missions at the behest of the Ministry.

This black and white film series lasted for two series each of thirteen episodes, with its last episode debuting in the London region on 5th July 1959. Thirty years later ITV bought the rights for a complete re-run of the series, and it has recently seen a release on DVD of 18 of the 26 episodes; whether the others will be released is unknown at this point, although a further release may be unlikely as the company that released it had certainly not contacted Deborah Watling for permission prior to the first DVD release, and when seen at a convention in late 2002 she was not best pleased!

Super Seventies

The basic premise of the story was not used again until the mid 1970’s, when there was an upsurge in America for ‘superhero’ shows i.e. series with a central character with super powers or abilities. The most successful at this point was The Six Million Dollar Man, which made a star of its lead Lee Majors, and produced various spin-off series including the almost as popular The Bionic Woman starring Lindsey Wagner. Other shows included Wonder Woman and The Man From Atlantis. Many of these shows, and the other action-adventure / sci-fi shows also on the go at the time hailed from Universal Studios, which was really making an impact in television in all the various genres.

The Invisible Man was dusted off by Universal in 1975, firstly as a tv movie, which later became the feature-length pilot episode for a series. The producer was Harve Bennett, who had a track record in the industry as both producer and writer on various series, his first being The Mod Squad in 1968. He had just produced the first season of the aforementioned Six Million Dollar Man for Universal and was offered the chance to develop and produce another project for them with co-writer Steve Bochco. Scouting around for possible ideas, Bennett saw the potential of the Wells book and decided that, suitably updated, it could be just what was needed. Universal agreed.

Similarities that were plainly visible

Comparing Bennett’s version with the ATV series, it is not difficult to see that both series really work under the same general premise, certainly as far as the pilot episodes are concerned. In his version, the scientist is Dr. Daniel Weston, who works for a private thinktank called the Klae Corporation. There he and his wife, fellow scientist Kate Weston, work on the science of tele-transportation, transferring objects by means of laser beams. During the course of their research, they do not manage to transmit objects, but they accidentally come across the method of turning objects – and people – invisible and further work produces a serum to reverse the process when they want; invisible objects reappear naturally after several hours. However, they are reluctant to reveal their discovery, fearing that it could be misused. When their hand is forced, they have to give a practical demonstration to their boss, the acerbic Walter Carlson and his assistant, amiable Rick Steiner. This makes Daniel invisible, proving the viability of the work beyond doubt. All Dan and Kate can hope is that Carlson will keep his word and keep it out of the hands of the military; he, of course, does not.

The Westons are forced into a corner, and Dan decides to destroy his work. Sneaking back into the compound, he turns himself invisible for the second time and destroys his notes and the machinery, confident that he will become visible again after he has escaped. Unfortunately, although he does so while he is hiding from Carlson’s men, he suffers a reaction which even the serum does not reverse. Dan is forced to find shelter elsewhere, and comes upon a blind man who obviously cannot tell he’s invisible. At first it seems he’s succeeded in finding somewhere safe to stay put, but the man pulls a gun, and although he can’t see by luck he manages to graze Dan and force him to flee.

Flee he does to the local hospital, and the gallery above one of the surgical theatres where friend and plastic surgeon Nick Maggio is performing an operation. There he rests until Nick leaves and reveals himself - ! - to his friend.He enlists his help in creating a perfect mask for hi to wear out of a new substance, Dermaplex, that Maggio has developed, and by the morning Dan has his face back. He returns to Kate, and initially fools her into thinking he has returned to normal – until she touches his face. Once he has explained, he admits that he’s going to be forced to go back to Carlson – it’s the only way he can get his hands on the equipment and funds to try and reverse the process. He’ll just have to deal with any consequences later.

When he does, Carlson agrees to take him back, although he is unsure about Dan’s given reasons. Dan asks him to call off his men watching the house, but his boss says that he did that days before. When Dan returns home he finds Steiner is waiting – and is in the pay of another interested party. He and his henchman bundle Dan and Kate into a van with the intention of taking them out of the country, but Dan manages to divest himself of his clothes and mask and during the ensuing chaos, he and Kate escape in the van, followed by their kidnappers. After dropping Kate off and telling her to call Carlson for help, Dan continues on along the road. There is a crash as their kidnappers run into the dumped van on a winding mountain road, and it seems that Dan didn’t survive the explosion. But when Carlson arrives to take Kate home, and finds out that no body was found in the van, he suspects that Dan was invisible. A right hook out of thin air decks him and both he and Kate realise that Dr Daniel Weston is still very much in the land of the living, though on what terms he will be returning to work at the Klae Corporation are anybody’s guess…

Casting

For his leads, Bennett had a good idea of who he wanted, and was aware that well-known names could only aid the image of the show. The casting of unknowns – at least to the business – was not an option for Bennett or Universal to pursue.

For the part of Weston’s boss Walter Carlson, he hired and got former child star Jackie Cooper. Cooper was – and is – the only person in history to have received a Best Actor nomination for an Oscar in a major role before their 18th birthday (others have had Best Supporting Actor nominations), the role being the eponymous Skippy (1931). His greatest period in films was during the Thirties and early Forties, but on reaching adolescence, Cooper found his popularity waning. He made a move into television in 1948, first appearing in an episode of The Kraft Television Theater and made many guest appearances in other shows. His main television roles were firstly as Socrates ‘Sock’ Miller in The People’s Choice (1955-58) and then as Hennessey (1959-62), a show he also executive produced. In fact, despite still making guest appearances on a variety of shows, Cooper moved into directing and producing during the Sixties and Seventies, at one point being the executive in charge of production at Screen Gems, Columbia Studio’s television arm.

After the pilot for The Invisible Man, Cooper chose not to continue in the role, but continued to both act and direct. On the directing front he helmed episodes of shows such as Trapper John MD, Quincy, Magnum PI, Lou Grant and Cagney and Lacey, whilst on the acting front the role he would remain known for to cinema audiences would be as editor at the Daily Planet, Perry White, in the four Superman films starring Christopher Reeve. He retired in 1989 during his third wife’s illness, vowing not to return after working for 64 of his then 67 years in the industry, and has little to do with that part of his life now.

His replacement when the Invisible Man went to series was Craig Stevens, who made Walter much more of a likeable fellow, if not sometimes a little slow-witted or at least on the uptake. Stevens started his film career in the 1939 Frank Capra movie Mr Smith Goes To Washington, and continued in steady film employment from then on. His television career started in 1950 in an episode of The Lone Ranger, but it was not until 1958 that he truly found fame as private detective Peter Gunn, a series that ran for 4 years and also a film in 1967. Other tv roles included guest appearances in shows such as The Virginian, Marcus Welby MD, Alias Smith & Jones, Here’s Lucy and Harry O. After The Invisible Man he continued to work, appearing in shows such as The Incredible Hulk, The Love Boat, Dallas, Hotel and Murder She Wrote, but his last appearance was in a documentary about wartime film making in 1997 where he reminisced about his career during World War 2. Stevens died after a battle with cancer in 2000, aged 81.

For the part of Kate Weston, various actresses are said to have been tested, including some unknowns; Harve Bennett felt that as long as his leading man and other supporting players were strong, he could possibly take a chance on a less well-know actress. Although Lindsey Wagner is thought to have been one of those short-listed, the part went to Melinda Fee. Fee’s career was totally television-based, firstly appearing in My Favorite Martian in 1965. Other roles followed, including Mannix and Lost In Space, and what has been classed by some as the American version of the soap Crossroads, Love of Life. It was after appearing in the soap The Guiding Light for four years as Tracy Delmar – a soap which, incidentally, is still in existence today – that she was cast as Kate. Since it ended she has appeared in guest spots in various series including Knight Rider, The Young and the Restless, Santa Barbera and, ironically, The Bionic Woman opposite Lindsey Wagner as one of the bionic lady’s greatest enemies, a Fembot. Since the early Nineties, with an appearance in a Danielle Steel mini-series, Changes, Fee has dropped out of television acting.

Of course, these supporting roles would have been nothing without a ‘bankable’ leading man, and Bennett got just that. David McCallum needs no introduction, known for, if nothing else, Illya Kuryakin in The Man From UNCLE. His career though has taken many well-known and interesting parts along the way, beginning with the film Ill Met By Moonlight in 1957 before progressing through A Night To Remember (1959), The Great Escape (1963) and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965 as Judas Iscariot). His television credits up to The Invisible Man also made him an ideal choice as a leading man, including Sir Francis Drake, The Outer Limits, Perry Mason, Night Gallery and at the time, a major part as Flt. Lt. Simon Carter in the very popular Anglo-American series, Colditz with Robert Wagner. He also appeared in The Six Million Dollar Man, so if any prodding of Bennett’s memory was needed as to the versatility of the actor, there it was. After The Invisible Man, McCallum would, as he had before, divide his work between Britain and America, where he lives today. Productions in Britain included Kidnapped, the cult Sapphire and Steel with Joanna Lumley, Mother Love and Trainer, while those in America included Hart To Hart, The A-Team, Monsters, Murder, She Wrote, SeaQuest DSV, Babylon 5 and the excellent, but ill-received VR.5 as recurring character Dr. Joseph Bloom. As an actor, McCallum was always keen to play any tongue-in-cheek elements if they existed in a script, even if they were dead-pan. This is probably why his current project, at age 70, is Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigation Service; it takes nerve to play a pathologist called Dr Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard!

Production

While the series was produced along the same lines as any other of the time, photography was a prime consideration in making McCallum both visible and invisible, and it is to both his acting ability and the technical expertise of the crew that the changes worked as well as they did.All the sections where McCallum had to be invisible or partly invisible were filmed on video with him on a blue set wearing clothing of the same colour. When he was keyed into the action on the proper set, anything keyed in instead of the blue would show instead. This enabled him to look like he was only wearing his ‘mask’ and ‘gloves’; the rest of his body would be masked off by the blue bodystocking he would be wearing. For scenes where he had to literally remove his head, McCallum would wear a blue hood and the mask, and would remove the mask quickly, thereby making it look as if he had really taken his head off! Putting it back on called for clever acting on occasions from him, in that it would appear that the mask was lying on a desk and he would pick it up, supposedly wiggling into it; this was actually McCallum’s own head and convincing gesticulations on his part just made it look like he was manoeuvring it into place!

Unfortunately, because the rest of an episode was produced on film, as with every other American adventure series, these videotaped sections then had to be filmed from a monitor and edited back into the rest of the episode – the process known as ‘telerecording’ – and the quality of the picture noticeably dipped during these sections somewhat spoiling the illusion. A shame, as the photography itself, supervised by Enzo Martinelli, was first class, and only the 1984 BBC series – which was completely done on video – surpassed it until much later when computerised effects were of sufficient quality and cheap enough to be used.

Writing and directing were also of a sufficiently high and uniform standard. Steven Bochco wrote further episodes of the series along with other writers such as James D. Marriott, and directors included Alan J. Levi. Story editor Seeleg Lester had written for various series, and was a consultant on two popular shows, The Outer Limits and Perry Mason; he would also provide episodes for the series.

While Bennett had co-created the series along with Bochco, he left to continue with other work for the studio – namely producing The Bionic Woman - and maintained only executive control over the series. The role of producer went to yet another Outer Limits stalwart, the late Leslie Stevens. He had worked in the capacity of director, writer and producer on various series and films prior to The Invisible Man, including Stoney Burke, The Virginian, The Name Of The Game and McCloud. Taking over from Bennett, he continued the format as established in the pilot and built on it. The Westins – the name changes slightly for some reason, probably an error by the series titles designer – hire themselves under the name of the ‘Klae Resource’ to almost anyone who comes calling, with payment for the Resource’s services being channelled into Dan and Kate’s research into a reversal of the invisibility process.

Fade out

Despite interesting plots including locating a reclusive millionaire (The Klae Resource), the theft of paintings despite a state of the art alarm system (The Fine Art Of Diplomacy) and helping a defected scientist return home despite the objections of his daughter (Barnard Wants Out), after an initial good reaction – probably due to McCallum’s performance and the effects – the series lost ground in the ratings and was cancelled after 13 episodes. All were broadcast in Britain, but the episode An Attempt To Save Face – where Nick Maggio is asked to perform a facelift on an Eastern Bloc dictator in order to keep him popular and in power - went unscreened in America. The Invisible Man became one of oh-so-many mid-season casualties of the notorious ratings wars. The reaction of the ‘moral majority’ didn’t help either; letters from concerned viewers – presumably with little else to do – complained that Kate spent far too much of her time with a naked invisible man, a risible comment in the extreme.

Turn me off, turn me on

However, it was not the end of the saga. Inbetween seasons on the spin-off hit, The Bionic Woman, Harve Bennett’s production company was asked to rework The Invisible Man’s format into a new series – it is unclear why the company that co-produced The Invisible Man itself with Universal, Silverton Productions, was not involved, although this could have something to do with the new series no longer featuring David McCallum. While Bennett acted as Executive Producer once more, Leslie Stevens wrote the pilot script, Alan J. Levi was assigned to direct and Enzo Martinelli was brought in again as director of photography; in essence therefore this was a virtual continuation of the McCallum series.

The reworked series that would come from the 95 minute pilot movie, which was titled Code Name Minus One in America but had the series title The Gemini Man when it appeared in the UK, did away with many of the problems posed by the original format. In the pilot, a Russian ‘weather’ satellite ditches into the ocean and the US Navy, in association with a civilian recovery vessel from Royce Industries and security specialists Intersect, attempt to recover it as it thought to be a top secret weapon. However, saboteurs on board the Royce vessel attach a bomb to the satellite which explodes in the face of Intersect diver and agent Sam Casey just as he finds it. Sam is recovered, and his colleagues Dr Abigail ‘Abby’ Lawrence and boss Leonard Driscoll are astonished to find that although his wetsuit seems to be occupied, they cannot see him! With Sam’s condition critical, Driscoll immediately orders him to be taken back to Intersect’s laboratory where Abby and her team fight to stabilise his life functions. Sam recovers, but at this point they have no way of knowing if they can do anything about the field of invisibility that surrounds his body, and unless they can he will die. It is touch and go, as Abby and Leonard hook him up to the stabilising machine, but it works.

Meanwhile, the agents on the Royce Industries payroll, Dr Schyler and his assistant Rogers, are dismayed to hear that Sam has survived, and working on Royce to put pressure on Driscoll. They pay Intersect a visit and while Royce is discussing with Driscoll what happened and arranging to investigate their respective operations, Schyler and Rogers pay Abby and Sam a visit. Before they reach them, Abby swaps the mains-powered stabiliser for a portable model that looks just like a digital watch. It allows him to go invisible for short periods of time – up to 15 minutes per day - and Sam decides to play a prank on Driscoll. He goes invisible as Schyler and Rogers arrive, leaving Abby to bluff it out. Royce appears with Driscoll and calls them off and they leave, but Abby has to reactivate Sam’s watch, as he’s overestimated his recovery and can’t turn it back on. However, the following day is different. Sam has remembered the bomb on the side of the satellite, and more importantly, that it was a type manufactured by Royce Industries. All three go to see Royce and Sam presents his theory with Driscoll’s backing. Royce, however, isn’t feeling well enough to listen to them and orders them to be escorted from the building. Abby and Leonard leave, but only after Sam has gone invisible in order to have a snoop round on his own.

Schyler puts pressure on Royce to make sure that he and his corporation are not made scapegoats with the Government over the sabotage. He suggests that the owner go in person to Washington in order to cover their backs and initiate the investigation on his terms, making sure that Driscoll and Intersect are sidelined. Royce accepts the advice and Schyler and Rogers arrange for Royce’s plane to be fuelled. The invisible Sam has seen the whole exchange and tries to get out to warn Driscoll, but is spotted and makes a run for it. After loosing his pursuers on the Royce campus, he disguises himself as a mechanic and does some more snooping, learning that Schyler has had the plane fuelled only to take it as far as Denver. Fearing for Royce’s life, Sam manages to make a call to warn Driscoll and Abby what is happening, but has to abandon it before he can give them any details.; they, however, are on their way. He manages to get in to warn Royce about the murder attempt, but the man doesn’t believe him and calls for security. He leaves for the plane and the guards try to eject Sam, but he has none of it and fights his way free of them, trying to get on the plane. Abby and Leonard catch up and warn him of the time factor; he has used over half his time of invisibility for that day.

Sam manages to get on the plane before it takes off and hides in the toilet so he can become visible again. Schyler and Rogers leave Royce in his office at the rear of the plane, and they brief the rest of the crew who are in on the attempt; when a routine altitude warning is passed over the intercom, oxygen masks will fall for them to use and the captain will start thinning out the oxygen. This will cause Royce to suffer a fatal heart attack, and will leave Schyler in position to take over the corporation. Sam is able to gain access to Royce’s office, and after demonstrating his invisibility and explaining what has been happening, Royce comes to trust the agent. Sam leaves him alone just long enough to secure portable oxygen equipment for Royce and himself to use. The plane levels off and the pilot turns off the cabin air, turning on the emergency supply masks for the crew to use. Rogers decides to check on Royce, and finds Sam in there with him, using the portable supply. Sam is forced to go invisible and manages to sabotage their masks. The crew order the pilots to turn on the main supply again, but Sam puts them out of action and secures the flight deck door. Rogers tries to shoot his way in, but instead smashes one of the windows in the main cabin causing the plane to depressurise and veer off course. Sam manages to wrestle the plane back under control and turns it around.

However, while all the saboteurs are unconscious, Royce and Sam’s problems are not over yet. Sam has to land the 707 jet, something he’s never done although he has flown smaller aircraft. Secondly, and more importantly, his stabiliser has become damaged in the fight; it’s malfunctioning and when Sam manages to get in contact with her through Los Angeles control tower Abby admits she can’t tell how long he has left. Flicking in and out of visibility, Sam has to fight to land the jet, aided by a pilot back at Royce airport. But he does so, and Abby and Driscoll manage to get to him just barely in time, correcting the malfunction and returning Sam to visibility.

The problems it solved were many. Firstly, Universal felt that the format worked better with more of an action base, as with its other successful series of the time; the McCallum series had been more cerebral and certainly other than the invisibility effects that required the star to be at least partly seen, there was relatively little action content requiring the star as, after all, Daniel Westin was a scientist first and foremost, not a secret agent, pilot or general action man. With the new series, Sam Casey could be that agent, able to ride motorbikes, fly choppers and aircraft and, of course, have big fights!

Secondly, this time the ‘moral majority’ couldn’t have a go at the series for having a naked, invisible star. It is clearly established in the pilot movie that a field of invisibility surrounds Sam’s body making what he is wearing invisible as well as himself; in fact, get too close to him as Abby does when she first discovers the invisible effect and the fingertips of her radiation suit gloves disappear! And being visible because of the stabiliser for most of the time also helped allay any fears.

Thirdly, the time element also the dramatic potential of any plot, especially if the stabiliser were damaged as in the pilot. Sadly, damage was never to occur again as a plot device.

New faces to go with the old hands

While most of the production team would be lifted lock, stock and barrel from The Invisible Man, The Gemini Man had a whole new cast. For the pilot movie, Leonard Driscoll was played by Richard Dysart, a supporting actor best known for various B-movie roles but later for playing Eisenhower in Churchill And The Generals and for the role of Leland McKenzie in the popular series L.A. Law. In the series that followed the role went to William Sylvester, another supporting actor who had appeared in various American and British series including The Saint, Bonanza, Banacek, The High Chaparral and Danger Man. His main claim to fame was as Dr Heywood Floyd in 2001: A Space Odyssey, a role later played by Roy Scheider in the sequel 2010 (1984). The Gemini Man was his last major credit, with only a couple of minor roles to follow. He stopped acting on television and film in the early 1980’s and died, days before his 73rd birthday, in 1995.

The part of Dr. Abigail ‘Abby’ Lawrence went to Katherine Crawford. Two years younger than her predecessor, Crawford had much more television experience, having first appeared in The Virginian in 1962, a series she would return to on many occasions. Other credits included Wagon Train, Destry, Arrest and Trial, It Takes A Thief, Marcus Welby M.D. and with David McCallum in The Man From UNCLE! At the same time as her debut in the series, she also appeared prominently in the successful period mini series Captains and the Kings, but it would seem that neither series did much for her career. In fact, apart from a further appearance in Marcus Welby M.D, her television and film career ended not long after.

Again, as with The Invisible Man, Bennett was able to engage a guaranteed ‘draw’ as his leading man, in this case Ben Murphy. Murphy had, like Crawford, started out in The Virginian and appeared in various series including It Takes A Thief, The Outsider and The Name Of The Game, his first film role was a minor part in The Graduate. However, it was in 1971 when he landed the role of outlaw Jed ‘Kid’ Curry in the popular western series Alias Smith and Jones with the late Pete Duel that he really hit the big time on television. This was short-lived, as the series ended after the apparent, but never proved suicide of his co-star, and Murphy was back on the usual circuit of guest appearances. However, he was one of a small range of American actors around at the time who had both the acting ability, charm and physical dexterity needed in a leading man for an action series, and he was just what Harve Bennett required. Since The Gemini Man finished, he has continued to guest in series ranging from Trapper John M.D, Matt Houston and The Love Boat through to Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, the remake of The Twilight Zone, Murder, She Wrote, JAG and The Winds Of War. His main series appearances include Lottery and Dirty Dozen: The Series as Lt. Danko, but his most recent appearance at the age of 61 is as a vicar in an episode of The Drew Carey Show early in 2003! Clearly, his career at least has survived the test of time, unlike his co-stars.

Major malfunction

Considering the fact that most of the problems caused by the original format were ironed out in the new one by Bennett, Leslie Stevens and Steven Bochco, it is ironic that in America, The Gemini Man was given even less chance to prove itself than its predecessor. Out of a total of 11 episodes that were made, only 5 were shown. Heavy competition on the other networks were blamed for its poor showing, however that showing was more attributable to the scheduling it received and the lack of faith on behalf of the studio executives. It beggars belief that time and again those that hold the purse strings at the companies pull the plug before a series can find and consolidate its audience; these days it’s even worse, with some shows only lasting two episodes before being pulled from the line-up. However, in the 1970’s, the fact that only five were shown is amazing – especially since the other six were complete and paid for! Ironically, had some of the later episodes been shifted forward instead of a couple of those that were shown, it may have garnered more audience share because, as with many series of the time, the stories became better the further on they went.

That is not to say that the episodes shown were a disaster on the script front. The first two, Smithereens and Minotaur, were excellent pieces of action-based escapist drama in the Six Million Dollar Man mould that was doing so well at the time; Minotaur, while featuring the robot/mad scientist story of old, at least had an enemy that could spot Sam even when he was invisible, and thus was a format-breaker in that the agent couldn’t rely on his invisibility to win the day. The major mistake was following these two strong episodes with the two weakest of the whole series – including those unscreened. One – Sam Casey, Sam Casey – featured a double substituting himself for Sam in order to find out secrets, one of the oldest stories in the book and unfortunately one of the most boring (although Murphy makes of it as much as he can). The other – Night Train To Dallas – basically gave the ‘moral majority’ a stick to beat them with again; a train full of schoolgirl swimmers and an invisible man? Oh dear! What’s more, this time Mr Casey is cheeky, happy-go-lucky and unattached, whereas at least Dr Westin was married – not the best storyline to use if you’re frightened of what happened before! Also, the main plot of protecting one of the girls was another old one that wasn’t particularly engaging.

If some of the later episodes had been substituted in their place, such as Eight, Nine, Ten – You’re Dead about a young boxer being forced to through fights to protect the life of his elderly coach and mentor or Return Of The Lion, where Sam flies an exiled dictator back into his home country to return him to power, even though he himself objects to both the man and his policies and is left for dead by him when their chopper is shot down, although these plots had been done in variations before, they were much stronger storylines in their own right, more engaging and probably could have given the series a boost it needed to cushion against the other weaker episodes shown which would have been pushed back in transmission order. Unfortunately, they weren’t.

Also, unlike its predecessor, The Gemini Man had something which was marketable by way of merchandise – Sam’s stabiliser. At that point, digital watches were very much a novelty and rarely seen, and if produced and marketed, it could have been a big seller with adults and children – I doubt David McCallum masks and gloves would have gone down as well! However, and for no apparent reason, the original watch was replaced after about three episodes with a much less solid – but much more normal (as we know them today) – digital watch. This change of design would have scuppered any tie-in with manufacturers making a product; indeed a prototype by Seiko was thought to have existed, based on the original version, but it never saw production as Gemini Man merchandise.

Line of sight

The Invisible Man has been seen complete since its original run in the UK on BBC1 in 1989, but has not been seen since except on the Sci-Fi Channel along with The Gemini Man, which also clocked up a complete run. Invisibility has continued to be used as the premise for series since, on both sides of the Atlantic including The Vanishing Man with Neil Morrisey in the UK in the late Nineties and The Invisible Man starring Vincent Ventresca in the States in 2000. Whether the series recounted above get a repeat terrestrial run in the near future remains unknown, but it would be nice if they did because both were and are very watchable in their own right, and it was only through the usual studio politics of ‘Ratings! Ratings! Ratings!’ that denied them the chance to turn from invisible flops into visible successes.

article copyright PPS / M.Hearn 2004