New release: Early Cold War TV series World of Giants (1959) coming to Blu-ray in October! Research for my upcoming Spy Vibe book uncovered many shows and films which have been largely lost to time. Some are so obscure that only partial stories, isolated episodes, or brief clips remain, and whatever exists can only be found among collectors or as snowy copies on Youtube. One such example, until now, is World of Giants (W.O.G.) from the late 1950s! The premise will sound familiar to fans of Gerry Anderson's The Secret Service (1969): A miniaturized secret agent is left behind in an attache case by his partner inside various installations, where he then carries out covert spy missions. Only 13 episodes were made, which will all appear for the first time on home-video this fall. Although the show wasn't super-stylish, I think it's significant, along with ITC's The Invisible Man (1958-1960), as an important early stepping stone toward the genre-bending vibe of the the 1960s Spy Boom. Indeed, it was this kind of addition of fantasy and sci-fi elements that really elevated spy stories into the imaginative realm of James Bond, The Wild Wild West, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Pushing this envelope gave the stories a fun, pulpy flair, while packaging them in the modernist gloss of seductive technology. It's also interesting to look at World of Giants within the context of the era's fixation on stories about miniaturization, gigantism, and the unexpected results of radiation and scientific experiments. In addition to the aforementioned Invisible Man and Secret Service, a close cousin was Irwin Allen's Land of the Giants (1968), featuring a group of adventurers trapped in an oversized world, where they became involved in intrigue against an authoritarian government. Other projects in this vein included The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), "Four O'Clock" (The Twilight Zone, 1959), The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1960), The Phantom Planet (1961), “Calling Charlie Queen” (Super Car, 1962), "Planet of the Giants" (Doctor Who, 1964), “Tom Thumb Tempest” (Stingray, 1965), Gulliver’s Travels Beyond the Moon (1965), The Beatles Help! (1965), Fantastic Voyage (1966), "The Night of the Raven" (The Wild Wild West, 1966), "My Incredible Shrinking Master" (I Dream of Jeannie, 1967), The Adventures of Gulliver (1968) and "Mission... Highly Improbable" (The Avengers, 1968), and Tom of T.H.U.M.B (1966-1969), not to mention the countless riffs on The Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) involving giant creatures. You can still see World of Giants on Youtube, so I suggest Spy Vibers check it out before ordering. Remastered clip HERE. If you've seen Sea Hunt, also produced by Ziv in the same era, you'll notice a similar approach to straightforward sets, lighting, camera work, and the use of voice-over narration.
From the press release: "Now available for the first time on Blu-ray from ClassicFlix—the fantastic science fiction-espionage TV series World of Giants! During a secret mission behind the Iron Curtain, a freak accident involving an exploding rocket shrinks American agent Mel Hunter (Marshall Thompson, Daktari) to the size of six inches. But instead of ending his career, it turns out to be to his, and "The Bureau's", advantage as the pocket-sized operative is able to infiltrate areas closed off to the average G-man. Hunter is aided by his full-sized partner Agent Bill Winters (Arthur Franz, The Sniper), gal Friday Miss Brown (Marcia Henderson, The Glass Web) and Bureau Commissioner Hall (John Gallaudet, Perry Mason). Touting a $4,000,000 budget, CBS tapped prolific production company Ziv TV to produce World of Giants (WOG) which started shooting in early 1958—with an expected fall network debut. Production was later halted when CBS was unable to obtain sponsorship for WOG causing the network to delay the series premiere a full year. But when shooting wrapped in 1959, World of Giants was still without a sponsor and CBS scrapped the idea of network distribution entirely which allowed WOG to go into first-run syndication starting in 1961. WOG's high production values allowed Ziv to hire such luminary sci-fi directors as Nathan Juran (20 Million Miles to Earth), Jack Arnold (Creature from the Black Lagoon) and Byron Haskin (The War of the Worlds), as well as involve famed production designer and art director Robert Kinoshita—known for his creation of iconic sci-fi robots such as "Robby the Robot" (Forbidden Planet) as well as for art direction on TV series' such as Lost in Space. World of Giants - The Complete Series includes all 13 episodes produced by Ziv and features guest stars including Peggie Castle, Gavin MacLeod, Tom Brown, Berry Kroeger, Bill Walker, Pamela Duncan, Ziva Rodann, Douglas Dick, Maria Palmer, Narda Onyx, Edgar Barrier, Nestor Paiva, Gregg Palmer and Allison Hayes." More info at ClassicFlix and Blu-ray. If ClassicFlix is reading this, please consider also reviving these other rare programs: Five Fingers, Amos Burke, Richard Diamond Private Detective, Mr. Broadway, T.H.E. Cat, and Australia's Hunter.
Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Tiki Events, Cold War Classical, Paul at 81, 007 Comic Exhibit, Exotikon Event, Bond 60th Event, The Baron Blu-ray, Mission: Impossible in 4k, Jane Bond Strip, SV Radio: The Man Called Flintstone, Lupin III 50th, SV Radio: OSS117, McCartney 1964, Spy Vibe Radio: Hunter, Spy Vibe Radio: Gao Dalli CID 999, Bond Beatles 60th, William Klein R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio: M Squad, Spy Vibe Radio: Mr. Broadway, Agent King, Spy Vibe Radio: John Kling, Spy Vibe Radio: Unknown Man of Shandigor, Danger Man Podcast, Spy Vibe Radio: Dr. Mabuse, Bowie Day, Interview: Girls Guns Gadgets, Shandigor Blu, Shag Palm Springs, New Bond Novel, Hi-Fi Book, Judex Serial Blu, UFO Comics, Interview: John Buss, ITC Magazine, Interview: Kaiser Marionettes, Belmondo R.I.P., 007 Corgi Event, Space 1999: The Vault, Shag Eames Lounge, Firecracker Exotica, Spy Vibe Radio: Lola Albright, Tikyaki 5-0, Godzilla Scores, Mid-Century Village, Spy Vibe radio: Nicola Conte, Men's Adventure Quarterly, Billy May Frenesi, Gary Numan, Spy Vader Spy, Chris Barber Legacy, Phantom Retrospective, Astro-Man, Spy Vibe Radio: Batman, James Bond Lexicon, Ray Cathode, Spy Vibe Radio: Johnny Staccato, Matt Helm Blu, Cold War Auction, Avengers Francavilla Prints, Avengers 60th Event, Irma Vep Blu, Avengers Keel Design, Ronnie Scott's Doc, The Avengers 60th Design, Art of Pan Books, John Le Carre R.I.P., Sean Connery R.I.P., New 007 Vinyl, Burke's Law Ska, Dieter Rams Complete, 2-Tone Doc, Spy Vibe Radio: Vendetta Part 2, Diana Rigg R.I.P., Moog Micky Dolenz, Beetle Bailey 70th, RSD Spies Vinyl, Ian Fleming Tribute, Fellini Box Set, Spy Vibe Radio: Vendetta, The Saint Podcast Bonus, The Saint Podcast, Barber Lotus, Trad Roots, Morricone R.I.P., Fleetway Spy Designs, John Steel Casebooks, ITC Podcast: The Persuaders, Dazzle Ships, Spy Vibe Radio: Raumpatrouille, Remembering Richard Sala, Crime & Spy Jazz books, Numan is FAB, Bruce Lee Blu, RSD Vinyl Spies, James Bond's DB5, UFO CD Set, Spy Vibe radio: Phantom Agents, Steranko is Revolutionary!, Interview: The Saint I Ain't, Diabolik Interview, New 007 Song, Diabolik Figures, Diabolik Sounds, Diabolik Set Design, Diabolik Park Ride, Danger Diabolik Blu, Count Arthur Strong, Honey West Title Cards, Bowie Day, Neil Innes R.I.P., Claudine Auger R.I.P., OHMSS at 50, Italian Job 50th OST, Charles Schulz Modern, Paul Desmond, Python 50th, Randall Hopkirk 50th, Thunderbirds Day, Lazenby Returns to MI6, Dr. John R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio: Lupin III, Lupin Ska, Spy Vibe Prime, Zigomar Translation, The Village: Part 1, Monkey Punch R.I.P., Bubble Girl 63, ITC Soundtracks, Spy Vibe Radio: Public Eye, UFO Prime, Spaceship to Mars, Modesty Blaise Companion, Spy Vibe Radio: Fantomas, George Day, Fantomas Blu, Dark Shadows Doc, Bedazzled Blu-ray, Mary Quant Exhibit, Laika Calypso, Lost in Space Japan, Spy Dust Calypso, Atomic Cafe, John Barry Mono, Interview: John Barry Book, Land of the Giants Score, Spy Vibe Radio: Upperseven, Mabuse Propaganda, Bond Beatles Day, Spy Vibe Radio: Liquidator, Diabolik LP, Fab Dresses, Eurospy Music Collection, Beetle Bailey in West Berlin, Why Mort Walker?, Spy Vibe radio: The Beatles Help!, Avengers Critical Guide, The Spotnicks, Benny Spies, James Pond 0017', Satire Stones, Annette Andre Book, Spy Vibe Radio: Get Smart, Caine: My Generation, Interview: Ian Ogilvy, Horror of Party Beach, Sylvie Vartan Renown, Ringo At 78, Dark Shadows Strips, Spy Vibe Radio: Flint, Archie Batman 66, Beatles Pac-Man, Spy Vibe Radio: Jerry Cotton, The Invaders, 007 Horowitz Book Tour, The Prisoner Interviews Vol 1, British Underground Press, Interview: Fab4 Mania, Bond Cocktail Book, Spy Smasher, Spy Vibe Radio: Peter Gunn, Agent Zero M, New Prisoner Comic, Dr. No Villains Edition, Spy Vibe Radio: Danger Diabolik, Dr. No 60th, Oy-Oy-Seven, Spy Vibe Radio (UFO), Cold War Comic Strips, Mission to India, Mort Walker Celebration, Peter Wyngarde Celebration, Ian Fleming Publications 2017-2018, Interview: Ed Hulse 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