• Source: Hello Down There

Hello Down There (rereleased in 1974 as Sub-A-Dub-Dub) is a 1969 American comedy-adventure film starring Tony Randall and Janet Leigh that was released by Paramount Pictures. It was produced by George Sherman and Ivan Tors and directed by Jack Arnold and Ricou Browning (underwater sequences). The screenplay was written by John McGreevey and Frank Telford.




Plot


Fred Miller must prove that his new design for an underwater home is viable by convincing his family to live in it for 30 days. His son and daughter are members of an emerging rock band, and they invite the two other band members to live with them during the experiment. Their temporary home, which Miller dubs the "Green Onion," is 90 feet below the surface of the ocean and is filled with modern appliances and amenities for housewife Vivian, all designed by Miller. A large opening in the floor provides direct access to and from the sea.
The group are soon joined by a live-in seal named Gladys and a pair of dolphins that stay close at hand and fend off sharks. The family is confronted by many obstacles, including a rival designer from Undersea Development, Inc. who begins to cause problems.
Meanwhile, the band's single has gotten the attention of record executive Nate Ashbury, who wants to sign them. He books them for a televised performance on The Merv Griffin Show without first communicating with them. After learning that they are living under the sea, he schemes to bring Griffin and the TV crew down to the Green Onion, but the navy is alerted to the sound of the music and becomes suspicious.




Cast


Tony Randall as Fred Miller
Janet Leigh as Vivian Miller
Jim Backus as T.R. Hollister
Ken Berry as Mel Cheever
Roddy McDowall as Nate Ashbury
Richard Dreyfuss as Harold Webster
Charlotte Rae as Myrtle Ruth
Kay Cole as Lorrie Miller
Gary Tigerman as Tommie Miller
Lou Wagner as Marvin Webster
Bruce Gordon as Adm. Sheridan
Lee Meredith as Dr. Wells
Frank Schuller as Alan Briggs
Arnold Stang as Jonah
Harvey Lembeck as Sonarman
Merv Griffin as Himself
Henny Backus as Mrs. Webster
Pat Henning as Reilly
Jay Laskay as Philo
Bud Hoey as Mr. Webster
Charles Martin as Chief Petty Officer
Frank Logan as Captain
Andy Jarrell as Radioman
Lora Kaye as Lori Miller (Secretary)




Production


Hello Down There was filmed from October to December 1967, with interior scenes shot at Ivan Tors Studios (now known as Greenwich Studios) in Miami, Florida. The underwater sequences were photographed at Ivan Tors Underwater Studios in The Bahamas. Tors had been successful producing a number of scuba-diving and animal themed television series, including Sea Hunt and Flipper.
In 1974, the film was re-released as part of the "Paramount Family Matinee" series.




Reception


In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic A.H. Weiler called the film an "amiable mishmash" and wrote: "Mr. Randall, looking woebegone and harried, berates his nervous spouse: 'You can't ignore 71 per cent of the earth's surface simply because it's under water.' In the case of 'Hello Down There', it should definitely be ignored."
A Daily News review was also lukewarm, calling Hello Down There a "typical, routine family comedy for general audiences" while praising the underwater photography as well as the seal and dolphins "... who seem to act more sensibly than the adults."




Critical appraisal


Biographer Dana M. Reemes, in his Directed by Jack Arnold (1988) writes:

The picture attempted something rather difficult in those days [of the late 1960s], a G-rated family picture designed to cut across all age groups and bridge the “generation gap” The premise was, to say, at least unusual…There are a few underwater thrills with sharks and dolphins…The whole thing adds up to highly improbable light entertainment.




Music soundtrack


The film features the following songs:




Home media


Hello Down There was released on February 22, 2005 as a Region 1 DVD by Paramount Pictures. The film was made available again on June 25, 2013 as a manufactured-on-demand DVD-R through the online Warner Bros. Archive Collection.




See also


List of American films of 1969
List of underwater science fiction works




References






Sources


Reemes, Dana M. 1988. Directed by Jack Arnold. McFarland & Company, Jefferson, North Carolina 1988. ISBN 978-0899503318




External links


Hello Down There at IMDb
Hello Down There at AllMovie
Hello Down There at the TCM Movie Database
Hello Down There at Rotten Tomatoes

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