''Gemini Man'' is an American

action-adventure An action-adventure game is a video game genre, video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements f ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

series that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

in 1976. The third television series based on

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

' 1897 science-fiction novel ''

The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is an 1897 science fiction novel by British writer H. G. Wells. Originally serialised in '' Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a s ...

'', ''Gemini Man'' was created to replace the previous season's ''The Invisible Man'' using simpler and less expensive special effects.

Plot

The series starred

Ben Murphy Ben Murphy (born March 6, 1942) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Kid Curry in the ABC television series '' Alias Smith and Jones''. Early life Murphy was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to Benjamin R. Castleberry and Nadi ...

as laid-back, denim-clad, motorcycle-riding

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...

Sam Casey, who while diving to retrieve a fallen

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

spy satellite, was exposed to radiation in an underwater explosion, which rendered him invisible. The agency for which he worked, a high-tech government

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called Intersect (International Security Techniques), found a way to return him to visibility and control his new power by the use of a special wristwatch referred to as a "

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

stabilizer", which was invented by scientist Abby Lawrence (Katherine Crawford). Pressing a button on the digital watch would make him vanish, clothes and all, which was a helpful tool in his line of work, but he could only do this for 15 minutes per day or else he would die.

Reception

A pilot episode aired on May 10, 1976, and the series began airing on September 23 of that year. Casey's boss, Leonard Driscoll, was played by

Richard Dysart Richard Allen Dysart (March 30, 1929 – April 5, 2015) was an American actor. He is best known for his role as senior partner Leland McKenzie in the television series ''L.A. Law'' (1986–1994), for which he won a 1992 Primetime Emmy Award as O ...

in the pilot, and by

William Sylvester William Sylvester (January 31, 1922 – January 25, 1995) was an American actor, chiefly known for his film and television work in the United Kingdom. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he was a star of British B-movies in t ...

during the series. The show was cancelled after five episodes due to low ratings and relatively high production costs. Although 11 episodes were produced, the remaining six were not aired in the United States, although the entire series was seen in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

with somewhat greater success that led to a

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and hardcover

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based on the show. The eleven episodes were also shown, dubbed into

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

, in South Africa.

Cast

as Sam Casey * Katherine Crawford as Abby Lawrence *

as Leonard Driscoll * Quinn K. Redeker as Brighton

Episodes

Pilot

The pilot episode of Gemini Man was titled "Code Name: Minus One". The plot involves Sam Casey, a government agent for INTERSECT, who is caught in the explosion of a government underwater salvage operation. He finds himself capable of turning himself invisible. Genetic changes sustained in a radiation mishap Casey to turn invisible, but only for 15 minutes a day, but any longer and he'd be dead. He then sets out to use his new powers to prove that the explosion was sabotage. The pilot episode was directed by '' Alan J. Levi''.

Series

Television movie

Two episodes, "Smithereens" and "Buffalo Bill Rides Again", were re-edited into one 90-minute

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

titled ''Riding with Death'', released in 1981. The film used scenes from '' Colossus: The Forbin Project'' as

establishing shot An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes, the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. It is generally a long or extreme-long shot at the beginning of ...

s for sweeping computer-room scenes. The "Guardian" logo ("Guardian" was the

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

version of "Colossus") appears in at least one segment. Though not immediately verifiable, at least one segment uses the "Colossus" speaker/microphone. Production had to deal with Crawford departing the series by the latter episode, the length of time between filming (Sylvester had grown a thick, bushy mustache in the interim), and the appearance of an arch-villain in the second "half" who did not exist in the opening (covered by an overdub referring to the villain's elusiveness in the final minutes of the first segment). Both parts feature singer

Jim Stafford James Wayne Stafford (born January 16, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and comedian. While prominent in the 1970s for his recordings " Spiders & Snakes", "Swamp Witch", "Under the Scotsman's Kilt", " My Girl Bill", and " Wildw ...

as a trucker named Buffalo Bill, who befriends and helps Sam. In 1997, ''Riding with Death'' was featured in an eighth-season episode of movie-mocking television show ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...

''. Mike Nelson and his

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pals Pals () is a medieval town in Catalonia, northern Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of con ...

highlighted the thin connection between the two halves, and the general incoherence of the plot.

Home media

The complete television series was released as a region 2 DVD in the French territory in November 2013 by

Elephant Films Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''). ...

with two language tracks, French and English. The episodes are uncut.

References

External links

* * * * {{The Invisible Man 1976 American television series debuts 1976 American television series endings 1970s American science fiction television series American English-language television shows Fiction about invisibility Films scored by Lee Holdridge NBC television dramas Television shows based on British novels Television series by Universal Television Television shows set in North Carolina Mystery Science Theater 3000