The Underwater City

Plot summary

Dr. Halstead (Carl Benton Reid) of the Institute of Oceanography hires Bob Gage (William Lundigan) to supervise the construction of an underwater city, if humans are going to blow themselves sky-high at some point in the future then it might be a good idea to have an escape hatch down at the bottom of the ocean. Gage falls in love with Dr. Halstead's niece, Dr. Monica Powers (Julie Adams). A series of underwater living units are carefully created and tested until it seems like they are ready for residents to move in. What no one considers is that the sea floor and the sea itself may not be as stable as they first seem.

Cast

Production

Originally shown in black and white in the theaters, it was later released to television in color. The filming was fraught with conflict, leading to a lawsuit by Neptune Productions against Columbia Pictures.

Alex Gordon recalls that his wife was inspired by an article in American Weekly magazine about scientists growing food on the ocean floor. Gordon also recalled that the original choice for Dr Halstead, Raymond Massey was replaced when he couldn't arrive in time to commence production. The film was originally supposed to be the first of a six-picture deal with Columbia for Gordon but the deal was dropped.

Comic book adaption