City Beneath the Sea (1971 film)
1971 science fiction television film directed by Irwin Allen
City Beneath the Sea is a 1971 adventure science fiction television movie and television pilot for a proposed series by Irwin Allen featuring Stuart Whitman and Robert Colbert. It began as a conceptual 10-minute demonstration reel as a means to sell the plot and concept to television studios. The concept was not bought initially, and a few years later Allen produced it as a two-hour television movie for NBC. The two-hour movie failed to gain the response necessary for a series. In the UK it was shown theatrically in 1972 as One Hour To Doomsday.
It was released in DVD form as part of the Warner Archive Collection.
Storyline
On June 12, 2053, a futuristic oil rig explodes somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Retired admiral Michael Matthews is busy in his New York City office administering various engineering projects in different parts of the world. He receives a telephone call from the president of the United States. After much debate and against his will, he is reactivated at his old rank as administrator of Pacifica, an underwater city which he designed. His escort, commander Woody Patterson, arrives to escort him back to Pacifica.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “City Beneath the Sea (1971 film)” is 1971 science fiction television film directed by Irwin Allen. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through City, Beneath and film, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “1971 science fiction television film directed by Irwin Allen” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q12107758. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1971, 1972 and 2053.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “City Beneath the Sea (1971 film)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow City Beneath the Sea (1971 film) primary sources, City Beneath the Sea (1971 film) archive and City research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “City Beneath the Sea (1971 film)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.