Irwin Allen (June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was a television and film producer nicknamed "The Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genre. He was also notable for creating a number of memorable and popular television series.
Allen was born in New York City. In 1952, he won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for The Sea Around Us, which was based on Rachel Carson's best-selling book of the same name. Carson was so disappointed with Allen's final version of the script that she never again sold film rights to her work.
Allen's film credits include the 3-D film Dangerous Mission (1954), The Animal World (1956), the critically-panned The Story of Mankind (1957), The Big Circus (1959), The Lost World (1960), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), which later became the basis of his TV series of the same name, and Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962).
In the 1960s Allen moved into television as a producer and was responsible for series such as:
In the 1970s Allen returned to cinema screens and was the most popular name associated with the decade's fad for the disaster film genre. Allen produced the hugely successful The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974), which he also co-directed. He directed-produced The Swarm (1978), and produced/directed Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979) and When Time Ran Out (1980).
In the late 1970s/1980s Allen sporadically returned to tv with mini-series like The Return of Captain Nemo/The Amazing Captain Nemo (1978) and a star-studded version of Alice in Wonderland (1985). He was planning on making a star studded musical version of Pinocchio, but a decline in health caused an early retirement in 1986 after his last film made.
Irwin died from a heart attack in 1991 at the age of 75.
A graduate of New York's Columbia School of Journalism, Irwin Allen was a magazine editor, the producer/director of a radio show and the owner of an advertising agency before entering film production in the 1950s. His documentary, Sea Around Us, The (1952), won an Academy Award. A successful TV series producer ("Time Tunnel, The" (1966), "Lost in Space" (1965)), Allen was nicknamed "The Master of Disaster" in the 1970s due to the tremendous success of his two special effects-laden epics, Poseidon Adventure, The (1972) and Towering Inferno, The (1974).
Although originally a journalist by trade, Allen had always loved the movies and had wished to be a part of them. In the process, he became one of the biggest names in show business during the 1970s, producing and directing some of its most popular films. After working in magazines and advertising, he produced the documentary Sea Around Us, The (1952). This excellent film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary, and he decided to branch out into commercial film. His spoof of history Story of Mankind, The (1957) was a critical and commercial disaster, but he scored box office success with Big Circus, The (1959) and Lost World, The (1960), a remake of a silent classic, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961). As the 1960s emerged, he became interested in science fiction, and scored considerable success. The TV takeoff of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1964) struck a cord with TV audiences, and so did "Lost in Space" (1965), "Time Tunnel, The" (1966) and "Land of the Giants" (1968). However, it was during the 1970s that Allen became became a household name. Noting the massive box office success of_Airport (1970)_, he immediately branched out into disaster movies and was able to obtain star-studded casts. Poseidon Adventure, The (1972), about passengers abroad a capsized cruise liner, was one of the biggest box office hits of the year, and its theme song, "The Morning After" by Maureen McGovern won an Academy Award for Best Song. He followed up that triumph by producing and co-directing the smash Towering Inferno, The (1974), about a group of people trapped in a burning skyscraper, which also drew huge audiences and profits. In his personal life, at that time he fell in love with actress Sheila Matthews, whom he married in 1974. He returned briefly to television with the series "Swiss Family Robinson" (1975), but the familiar story only lasted two seasons. It was then that his popularity was at its peak, and he had become known as "The Master of Disaster." He then produced and directed the killer bee film Swarm, The (1978). In spite of a big budget and star-studded cast, the poor special effects and dialog made it a complete flop. The following year, he made produced and co-directed Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979), which audiences found dull and implausible. In 1980, he attempted a comeback with When Time Ran Out... (1980), about tourists and natives struggling to escape a volcano eruption. The film drew attention when Mount St. Helens in Washington state erupted during its release, but the lavishly financed film was a box office disaster. After three expensive films lost vast sums of money, Allen was never able again to make films on such a grand scale. He remained active in the entertainment industry during the 1980s, however. He designed a special effects ride at the Universal Studios Theme Park, and also produced some TV mini-series. He passed away in 1991. His widow helps run a website dedicated to his memory.
Irwin Allen started in journalism before thrilling two generations as, firstly, the king of 1960s science fiction tv, then secondly, as "The Master Of 1970s Disaster" movies. His tv work is less talked about so this Biography will centre more on his tv work. Irwin Allen's 1960s material and 1970s material both fit under the headings of disaster or style over substance. Granted, the tv material was often intended for younger viewers (however the first season of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was more or less adult), while the 1970s films were made for all ages. The style in Irwin's sci-fic tv came from talented actors such as Richard Basehart as Admiral Nelson and Dick Tufeld doing a great robot voice. Also the style in the striking miniature effects of spaceship Jupiter 2 and submarine Seaview. Let us not forget the attention grabbing scores from cinema legends Leith Stevens and John Williams. The substance, or should I say the characterisation, was often missing and Irwin Allen was mostly responsible for that. Irwin was not a family man, his 20th Century Fox co-workers were his family, so small talk heard in The Waltons would not be welcome in an Irwin production. So when actors and writers requested a love interest or deeper characters on submarine Seaview or spaceship Jupiter 2, Irwin - "The Big Kid" - would not have it for a second. Irwin was too busy standing on the corner of the set yelling "more explosions!". With the exception of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea year one, the bulk of Irwin tv was best enjoyed, or best understood, by males who were young at heart. Irwin Allen has gone on record as saying that Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea episodes Jonah And The Whale and The Terrible Toys were his two favourites of the 110 episode sub series. "Jonah" is of motion picture quality - with strong disaster movie roots - so it is not too hard to understand Irwin's love of this hour. As for "Toys", a show dealing with Seaview explosions, old Hollywood stars getting another go and killer toys running around the Seaview. I think Irwin's love of "Toys" says a lot about this "Big Kid". A tv show called The Fantasy Worlds Of Irwin Allen (1995) says even more about Irwin and his need to "get that monster in" his shows. Today, Irwin Allen's Lost In Space (1965-68) is more popular than Voyage/Sea, but it should be remembered that Irwin gave Jonathan Harris script control of the Dr Smith character. So, in a way, a lot of Lost In Space is more a Jonathan Harris production than Irwin production. The Time Tunnel (1966-67) was the least popular of the big four Irwin tv shows but it still plays in re-runs with a big internet following. Land Of The Giants (1968-70) lasted one season longer than Time Tunnel but played more as another version of Lost In Space...which some like. Disaster movie The Poseidon Adventure (1972) was rich in characterisation but the more cold blooded follow up - The Towering Inferno (1974) - seemed to cash in on Irwin's 1960s style over substance or style over characterisation. Irwin Allen died in 1991 at a time when he was making phone calls to Jonathan Harris about making a remake, or follow up, to Lost In Space.
