Man from Atlantis: Complete Television Series and Complete TV Movies Collection – DVD Review

By Anne Brodie Aug 2, 2011, 13:46 GMT

Mysterious mer-man Mark Harris washed ashore on the nations TVs in early \'77 and quickly became a breakout hero. America fell hard for Atlantean amnesiac; generating big ratings for the Man from Atlantis pilot movie and its three subsequent follow-up TV movies. Starring newcomer Patrick Duffy and overseen by Robert Justman (Adventures of Superman; Star Trek; Then Came Bronson; Probe/Search); the original TV movies easily swim between the parallel genres ...more

Alert! Camp gem from the70s!

Long before Dallas was a TV state of mind, Patrick Duffy was a slight, handsome, unknown chosen to play the last citizen of Atlantis who happens to wash up on a California shoreline in an unlikely series called Man from Atlantis. 

During the course of millennia under the waters that flooded his mythical home, he adapted to it, developing the ability to breathe and dwell in the oceans.  He was an innocent with big, lost eyes, swimming endlessly with perfect ease in a yellow bathing suit he picked up along the way. 

A scientist from the Foundation for Oceanic Research spots him tangled on the shore and has him taken to the lab,  there she studies him, and develops a protective bond.  When the staff feeds information into the room sized computer at the facility it spits out a card telling her the creature is probably the last man left from the legendary sunken civilization of Atlantis.

She doesn’t seem terribly shocked and nurses him back to the point where he can exist on dry land.  She has a crush on him.

The oceanographers poke and prod him and realize that he has wonderfully useful qualities like super human strength, the ability to withstand high pressure and the ability to breathe underwater.  He is inquisitive and fast learner, in fact he picks up colloquial English in record time, a few days.  They name him Mark Harris. 

Harris is driven by curiosity and as it happens, a sense of justice.  This impresses the scientists who train him to be a kind of undercover, underwater detective.  If there is a leak in the ocean and giants are guarding gold there, he’ll find it.  If a siren is being held captive by evil pirates, he’ll rescue her.  If there is an underwater tunnel that leads to other dimensions, he’ll find that too.

Who knew there could be so many underwater storylines?  Carnivals, sirens, big bad sponges, man ‘o wars, mud worms, creatures from the deep and criminals from the surface frequently use the water to hide their dastardly deeds.  A magic hawk statue and a microwave attack against earth from under the water threaten our planet until Harris gets on the case. 

There’s an imp whose very touch causes mental confusion, ritual sacrifice, a bizarre encounter with Romeo and Juliet in old Verona, Italy, underwater cities, a Wild West version of Harris and, a nut intent on melting the polar ice caps.  You get the idea.   Very strange, mind-bending stuff. 

Stories are stretched out over sixty minutes, reminding us that life on TV was slower thirty four years ago.  Audiences apparently would accept far-fetched plotlines that they wouldn’t today. The show is original, kind of crazy and steeped in seventies attitudes, culture and style. 

The supporting cast includes Belinda J. Montgomery as Dr. Elizabeth Merrill, Alan Fudge as C. W. Crawford Jr., both of the Foundation for Oceanic Research and cool guest stars like Billy Bart, Neville Brand and Victor Buono.

Man from Atlantis made history as the first American TV series to be shown in China in 1980, as The Man from the Bottom of Atlantic and was a hit in Britain.  What’s the appeal?  Well, beautiful oceans, weird plots and good bad guys aside, many tuned in to watch Patrick Duffy in a wet bathing suit save the day.  Admit it.

Visit the DVD database for more information on Man from Atlantis: Complete Television Series and the Complete TV Movies Collection. Each collection is available separately from the Warner Brothers Archive Collection.