In Search of... (TV series): Difference between revisions
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| DirectedBy = | | DirectedBy = | ||
| WrittenBy = S: Hans Holzer; W: Hans Holzer & Robert L. Long | | WrittenBy = S: Hans Holzer; W: Hans Holzer & Robert L. Long | ||
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1976|12|20}}<ref>https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/television-this-week/docview/122806077/se-2?accountid=196403</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-the-in-search-of-episode/157097012/ | title=The "In Search of..." episode "Strange Visitors" aired in NYC on 12/20/1976 | date=December 19, 1976 }}</ref> | | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1976|12|20}}<ref>https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/television-this-week/docview/122806077/se-2?accountid=196403</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-the-in-search-of-episode/157097012/ | title=The "In Search of..." episode "Strange Visitors" aired in NYC on 12/20/1976 | work=Daily News | date=December 19, 1976 | page=344 }}</ref> | ||
| ProdCode = 703 | | ProdCode = 703 | ||
| ShortSummary = Strange Visitors: Was Oracle Chamber, which lies beneath New Hampshire's [[America's Stonehenge|Mystery Hill]], built by ancient [[Phoenicians]] who traveled to the continent thousands of years ago? Guests include Robert Stone, [[Hans Holzer]], and [[Barry Fell]]. | | ShortSummary = Strange Visitors: Was Oracle Chamber, which lies beneath New Hampshire's [[America's Stonehenge|Mystery Hill]], built by ancient [[Phoenicians]] who traveled to the continent thousands of years ago? Guests include Robert Stone, [[Hans Holzer]], and [[Barry Fell]]. | ||
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| DirectedBy = H.G. Stark | | DirectedBy = H.G. Stark | ||
| WrittenBy = Alan Lansburg | | WrittenBy = Alan Lansburg | ||
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1976|09|27}}<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|122887978}} |title=Television This Week |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/26/archives/television-this-week.html |work=The New York Times |date=26 September 1976 |page=D25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-the-in-search-of-episode/156859979/ | title=The "In Search of..." episode "The Bermuda Triangle" aired in NYC on 9/27/1976 | date=September 27, 1976 }}</ref> | | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1976|09|27}}<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|122887978}} |title=Television This Week |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/26/archives/television-this-week.html |work=The New York Times |date=26 September 1976 |page=D25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-the-in-search-of-episode/156859979/ | title=The "In Search of..." episode "The Bermuda Triangle" aired in NYC on 9/27/1976 | work=Daily News | date=September 27, 1976 | page=56 }}</ref> | ||
| ProdCode = 715 | | ProdCode = 715 | ||
| ShortSummary = The [[Bermuda Triangle]]: Probes a radio broadcast claim that the graveyard of ships and planes is actually a testing area for spacemen. Guests include Frank Flynn, Bob Spielman, Ray Smithers, and Carlton Hamilton | | ShortSummary = The [[Bermuda Triangle]]: Probes a radio broadcast claim that the graveyard of ships and planes is actually a testing area for spacemen. Guests include Frank Flynn, Bob Spielman, Ray Smithers, and Carlton Hamilton | ||
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| DirectedBy = H. G. Stark | | DirectedBy = H. G. Stark | ||
| WrittenBy = Hans Holzer & Robert L. Long | | WrittenBy = Hans Holzer & Robert L. Long | ||
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1976|10|04}}<ref>https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/television/docview/122860951/se-2?accountid=196403</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-the-in-search-of-episode/156860110/ | title=The "In Search of..." episode "Ghosts" aired in NYC on 10/4/1976 | date=October 4, 1976 }}</ref> | | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1976|10|04}}<ref>https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/television/docview/122860951/se-2?accountid=196403</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-the-in-search-of-episode/156860110/ | title=The "In Search of..." episode "Ghosts" aired in NYC on 10/4/1976 | work=Daily News | date=October 4, 1976 | page=48 }}</ref> | ||
| ProdCode = 704 | | ProdCode = 704 | ||
| ShortSummary = [[Ghosts]]: Studies specters and a [[parapsychologist]]'s theory that they are troubled earthbound souls in need of help. | | ShortSummary = [[Ghosts]]: Studies specters and a [[parapsychologist]]'s theory that they are troubled earthbound souls in need of help. | ||
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| DirectedBy = H. G. Stark | | DirectedBy = H. G. Stark | ||
| WrittenBy = Robert L. Long | | WrittenBy = Robert L. Long | ||
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1976|10|11}}<ref>https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/television/docview/122860207/se-2?accountid=196403</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-the-in-search-of-episode/156860410/ | title=The "In Search of..." episode "UFOs" aired in NYC on 10/11/1976 | date=October 11, 1976 }}</ref> | | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1976|10|11}}<ref>https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/television/docview/122860207/se-2?accountid=196403</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-the-in-search-of-episode/156860410/ | title=The "In Search of..." episode "UFOs" aired in NYC on 10/11/1976 | work=Daily News | date=October 11, 1976 | page=236 }}</ref> | ||
| ProdCode = 702 | | ProdCode = 702 | ||
| ShortSummary = [[UFO]]s: An evaluation of reports by people who have seen "saucers", and the growing body of evidence that America is regularly being visited by UFOs. | | ShortSummary = [[UFO]]s: An evaluation of reports by people who have seen "saucers", and the growing body of evidence that America is regularly being visited by UFOs. | ||
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| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|10|04}} | | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1979|10|04}} | ||
| ProdCode = 831 | | ProdCode = 831 | ||
| ShortSummary = [[The Amityville Horror]]: A dream house in a lovely suburb becomes a nightmare when the owners discover an evil presence. The house was the site of a [[Ronald DeFeo | | ShortSummary = [[The Amityville Horror]]: A dream house in a lovely suburb becomes a nightmare when the owners discover an evil presence. The house was the site of a [[Ronald DeFeo Jr.|family massacre]] in 1974, which would inspire the [[The Amityville Horror (1979 film)|1979 movie]] and its [[The Amityville Horror (2005 film)|2005 remake]]. | ||
| LineColor = FF6666 | | LineColor = FF6666 | ||
}} | }} | ||
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== Homages == | == Homages == | ||
The style of the original ''In Search of...'' has been paid homage to and parodied by many productions. Examples include ''Mysteries in History'', a show-within-a-show that plays a part in the plotline to ''[[Men in Black II]]'' (the faux series is hosted by [[Peter Graves]] in the film; coincidentally, Graves once co-starred with Nimoy in ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]''). Two other examples are ''Truth from Legend'' and ''Fact from Myth'', two nearly identical series existing in alternate universes for which "mini-episodes" were created for [[YouTube]] as part of the [[viral marketing]] campaign for the two-part video game ''[[BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea]]''. The series also served as inspiration for ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'', whose directors [[Eduardo Sánchez (director)|Eduardo Sánchez]] and [[Daniel Myrick]] watched the show as children.<ref>{{Cite journal | | The style of the original ''In Search of...'' has been paid homage to and parodied by many productions. Examples include ''Mysteries in History'', a show-within-a-show that plays a part in the plotline to ''[[Men in Black II]]'' (the faux series is hosted by [[Peter Graves]] in the film; coincidentally, Graves once co-starred with Nimoy in ''[[Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series)|Mission: Impossible]]''). Two other examples are ''Truth from Legend'' and ''Fact from Myth'', two nearly identical series existing in alternate universes for which "mini-episodes" were created for [[YouTube]] as part of the [[viral marketing]] campaign for the two-part video game ''[[BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea]]''. The series also served as inspiration for ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'', whose directors [[Eduardo Sánchez (director)|Eduardo Sánchez]] and [[Daniel Myrick]] watched the show as children.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=McDowell |first1=Scott Dixon |last2=Myrick |first2=Daniel |author-link2=Daniel Myrick |date=2001 |title=Method Filmmaking: An Interview with Daniel Myrick, Co-Director of 'The Blair Witch Project' |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/20688362 |journal=[[Journal of Film and Video]] |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=140–147 |jstor=20688362}}</ref> | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 00:35, 16 June 2025
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox television
In Search of... is an American television series that was broadcast weekly from 1976 to 1982, devoted to mysterious phenomena. It was created after the success of three one-hour documentaries produced by creator Alan Landsburg: In Search of Ancient Astronauts in 1973 (based on the 1968 book/ 1970 film Chariots of the Gods? by Erich von Däniken), In Search of Ancient Mysteries (1974), and The Outer Space Connection in 1975 (later adapted into popular paperbacks written by Landsburg), all of which featured narration by Rod Serling, who was the initial choice to host the spin-off show. Serling died before production started, and Leonard Nimoy was then selected to be the host.[1] The series was revived with host Mitch Pileggi in 2002 and again in 2018 with Zachary Quinto for the History channel.
The original series was shown in Australia in the 1980s under the title Great Mysteries of the World, with each episode having an introduction and conclusion presented by television presenter Scott Lambert.
Format
Each episode of the program explored a general or specific topic in one of several general categories as given in the opening titles: Extraterrestrials, Magic & Witchcraft, Missing Persons, Myths & Monsters, Lost Civilizations, and Special Phenomena (changed to Strange Phenomena from season 3 onward).[2] The program conducted investigations into the controversial and paranormal (e.g., UFOs, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster). Additionally, it featured episodes about mysterious historical events and personalities such as Anna Anderson, the Lincoln Assassination, the Jack the Ripper murders, infamous cults (e.g., Jim Jones), and missing persons, cities, and ships (e.g., Amelia Earhart, Jimmy Hoffa, D. B. Cooper, the Mary Celeste, the Titanic, the lost Roanoke Colony). Each episode's opening credits included a verbal disclaimer about the conjectural nature of the evidence and theories to be presented:[3]
The program included interviews, reenactments, and host segments including Nimoy on location or in studio, and each episode featured voiceovers by Nimoy. The music was composed by Laurin M. Rinder and W. Michael Lewis. A soundtrack album was released on AVI (American Variety International) Records in 1977.[4]
Nimoy wrote an episode about the turbulent life of artist Vincent van Gogh, having earlier played the artist's brother Theo in a one-man show.[5] As part of his research, Nimoy found records in the archives of the hospital where Van Gogh was treated that suggested that he suffered from epilepsy rather than insanity.
The show also spawned at least six spin-off books, all written by Landsburg with forewords by Nimoy: In Search of Lost Civilizations, In Search of Extraterrestrials, In Search of Magic and Witchcraft, In Search of Strange Phenomena, In Search of Missing Persons, and In Search of Myths and Monsters, with an additional book that collected the best segments from these existing volumes.[6]
In 1978, Landsburg produced a Bigfoot documentary using portions of two In Search of... episodes ("The Monster Hunters" and "The Yeti") called Manbeast! Myth or Monster, based on his book In Search of Myths and Monsters. Though Nimoy had written the foreword to Landsburg's book, he did not narrate this documentary.[7]
Reruns of the In Search of... series aired during the early 1990s on the A&E Network. In the later 1990s, the show aired on another of the A&E Television Networks' properties, the History Channel. The licensing agreement with MCA Television/Universal Domestic Television expired in the early 2000s, ending the show's run. When the show aired on A&E, a re-recording of the original theme music was used plus a new alternate theme. The original opening titles were also modernized. In this incarnation virtually all of Nimoy's on-camera appearances in the series were replaced with reused footage, so viewers could hear Nimoy but not see him.
A short-lived revival of the show, featuring Mitch Pileggi, aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2002.
In January 2018, it was announced that Zachary Quinto, who, like Nimoy, stars as Spock in the rebooted Star Trek films, would host the revived version of the show on History Channel.[8] On March 27, 2019, History Channel announced the series was renewed for a second season.[9]
Episodes
Template:Ambox Template:Series overview
Specials
Three specials hosted by Rod Serling aired from 1973-1975. Template:Episode table
Original Series
The original series ran for six seasons, hosted by Leonard Nimoy.
Season 1 (1976–1977)
Season 2 (1977–1978)
Season 3 (1978–1979)
Season 4 (1979–1980)
Season 5 (1980–1981)
Season 6 (1981–1982)
Sci-Fi Channel revival (2002)
A revival of the series aired on The Sci-Fi Channel for one season, hosted by Mitch Pileggi.
History Channel revival (2018–2019)
A second revival of the series aired on The History Channel for two seasons, hosted by Zachary Quinto.[10]
Season 1 (2018)
Season 2 (2019)
Home media releases
In February 2012, it was announced that Visual Entertainment, under license from Universal Studios, had acquired the home video rights to the original series for the United States and Canada. In Search of: The Complete Collection was released in Canada and the U.S. on December 11, 2012, from VEI's website.[11]
The 21-DVD set includes all 144 installments hosted by Leonard Nimoy. Also included are two Rod Serling specials: In Search of Ancient Astronauts and In Search of Ancient Mysteries which aired prior to the start of the regular Nimoy series. Three Landsburg specials The Outer Space Connection (1975), Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle (1978), and Manbeast! Myth or Monster (1978), are not included. VEI also included all eight episodes of the short-lived 2002 series hosted by Mitch Pileggi.[12]
Homages
The style of the original In Search of... has been paid homage to and parodied by many productions. Examples include Mysteries in History, a show-within-a-show that plays a part in the plotline to Men in Black II (the faux series is hosted by Peter Graves in the film; coincidentally, Graves once co-starred with Nimoy in Mission: Impossible). Two other examples are Truth from Legend and Fact from Myth, two nearly identical series existing in alternate universes for which "mini-episodes" were created for YouTube as part of the viral marketing campaign for the two-part video game BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea. The series also served as inspiration for The Blair Witch Project, whose directors Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick watched the show as children.[13]
See also
Other series using a similar title:
References
External links
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- ↑ Release catalog number AVL 6008 by American Variety International Records Distributing Corp. 9220 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90069.
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- History (American TV channel) original programming
- 1976 American television series debuts
- 1982 American television series endings
- 2002 American television series debuts
- 2002 American television series endings
- 2018 American television series debuts
- 2019 American television series endings
- First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
- A&E (TV network) original programming
- Syfy original programming
- Television series by Universal Television
- Television series by Fremantle (company)
- Paranormal television
- UFO-related television
- Pseudoarchaeology
- Pseudohistory
- American English-language television shows
- American television series revived after cancellation
- Television series by Alan Landsburg Productions