Ark II
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| Ark II | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the Ark II DVD set |
|
| Genre | Science Fiction |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Norm Prescott Lou Scheimer |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | September 11, 1976 – December 18, 1976 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Ark II was a live-action science fiction series aimed at children that aired on CBS beginning in 1976 as part of its Saturday morning line-up.
Contents |
[edit] Production history
Only 15 half-hour episodes of Ark II were ever produced; however, these episodes were re-run by the CBS television network for several years.
[edit] Series overview
[edit] Opening credits
The opening credits for each episode summarized the show's backstory:
| “ | For millions of years, Earth was fertile and rich. Then pollution and waste began to take their toll. Civilization fell into ruin. This is the world of the 25th century. Only a handful of scientists remain. Men who have vowed to rebuild what has been destroyed… This is their achievement… Ark II, a mobile storehouse of scientific knowledge, manned by a highly trained crew of young people. Their mission: to bring the hope of a new future to mankind.
Ark II log, entry #1: I, Jonah, Ruth, Samuel and Adam are fully aware of the dangers we face as we venture into unknown, maybe even hostile, areas. But we’re determined to bring the promise of a new civilization to our people and our planet. |
” |
[edit] Plot
In “The Launch of Ark II”, the documentary filmed for the release of the DVD set, Lou Scheimer and others mention that the program was filmed during the summer of 1976 predominantly on location at what is now Malibu Creek State Park. The show starred Terry Lester as Ark II’s commander Jonah, Jean Marie Hon as Ruth, José Flores as Samuel, and a chimpanzee playing Adam. The cast is notable for its racial mix and the Biblical inspirations for the character names. The show’s setting was in the post-apocalyptic 25th century (specifically, 2476), after Earth’s civilizations were decimated by the effects of waste and pollution, falling back to a level comparable to the Dark Ages. Surviving scientists pooled their knowledge and resources, training three young people (and the chimp, who was capable of speech) to search for remnants of humanity, reintroducing lost ideas as they traveled the barren landscape in the high-tech Ark II.[1]
[edit] Technology
The series is best-remembered for its titular vehicle: a futuristic six-wheeled combination RV and mobile laboratory. The vehicle was built from a fiberglass body on a garbage/dump truck chassis by the Brukaber Group. It is sometimes incorrectly reported that the Ark II was built by Dean Jeffries, who constructed various fantastic vehicles for science-fiction films and television. These include the Landmaster for the film Damnation Alley, with which the Ark II is sometimes confused. The front end of the Ark II prop was later re-used as the nose portion of the Seeker spacecraft in the Filmation series Space Academy.
In addition, the series also featured futuristic inventions such as a jetpack called the Jet Jumper, and the Ark Roamer, a smaller, 4-wheeled all-terrain vehicle built by Brubaker from a modified Brubaker Box (a kit car using a Volkswagen Beetle chassis).
[edit] Guest stars
The series featured memorable guest stars, including Jonathan Harris, Malachi Throne, and, notably, Robby the Robot (as the title character built by Samuel in the episode “The Robot”). Also, a young Helen Hunt appears in the episode, "Omega." Actor Daniel Selby auditioned for the role of Samuel, but Jose Flores ended up winning the role.
[edit] Episodes
| Title | Original Airdate | Director / Writer(s) | # |
|---|---|---|---|
| "The Flies" | September 11, 1976 | Ted Post/Martin Roth | 101 |
| A group of feral children find ancient cannisters of poison gas.[2] | |||
| "The Slaves" | September 18, 1976 | Hollingsworth Morse/David Dworski | 102 |
| Jonah is captured by a local Baron while scouting a village. | |||
| "The Wild Boy" | September 25, 1976 | Hollingsworth Morse/Susan Dworski | 103 |
| The crew of Ark II befriend a feral child. | |||
| "The Robot" | October 2, 1976 | Ted Post/Chuck Menville, Len Janson | 104 |
| Samuels constructs a robot with limited artificial intelligence. | |||
| "Omega" | October 9, 1976 | Hollingsworth Morse/Bill Danch, Jim Ryan | 105 |
| The team discover an enclave enslaved by a rogue artificial intelligence. | |||
| "The Tank" | October 16, 1976 | Ted Post/Mark Jones, Michael Prescott, Robert Specht | 106 |
| The crew refits an old military tank as a farm tractor. | |||
| "The Cryogenic Man" | October 23, 1976 | Ted Post/Martin Roth | 107 |
| A cryogenically frozen man is revived. | |||
| "The Rule" | October 30, 1976 | Ted Post/Martin Roth | 108 |
| The team comes across a settlement which has discarded the elderly and the weak. | |||
| "Robin Hood" | November 6, 1976 | Hollingsworth Morse/Len Janson, Chuck Menville | 109 |
| An act of civil disobedience goes awry. | |||
| "The Drought" | November 13, 1976 | Ted Post/Martin Roth | 110 |
| The feral children episode 101 return to steal the Ark. | |||
| "The Lottery" | November 20, 1976 | Ted Post/Phyllis White, Robert White | 111 |
| The team encounter a community of "grasshoppers" as seen in the Ant and the Grasshopper. | |||
| "The Mind Group" | November 27, 1976 | Hollingsworth Morse/Robert Specht | 112 |
| The team runs afoul of a group of psionic children. | |||
| "The Balloon" | December 4, 1976 | Hollingsworth Morse/Peter L. Dixon, Robert Specht | 113 |
| The team evacuates a plague stricken village using a hot air balloon. | |||
| "Don Quixote" | December 11, 1976 | Ted Post/Robert Specht, Len Janson | 114 |
| A "modern" Don Quixote believes that the Ark vehicle is a dragon. | |||
| "Orkus" | December 18, 1976 | Henry J. Lange Jr./Robert Specht, Chuck Menville | 115 |
| After discovering a community of self styled "immortals", members of the crew begin to age rapidly. | |||
[edit] DVD Information
The DVD box-set for the series was released on November 7, 2006 [3]. Episodes are presented in production order.
Special bonus features include:
- Brand new half-hour documentary: “The Launch of Ark II”
- Two commentary tracks for episodes “The Flies” and “The Slaves,” featuring producers Lou Scheimer and Richard M. Rosenbloom; actress Jean Marie Hon-Trager; director Henry Lange; and writer David Dworski. Hosted by Andy Mangels
- Extensive photo gallery
- Art Gallery for proposed “Ark II” animated series
- Booklet with episode guide and trivia
- DVD-ROM features, including scripts for multiple episodes and series Bible
- Spanish language audio tracks
