| Voyagers! | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Science fiction |
| Created by | James D. Parriott |
| Written by |
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| Directed by | |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Jerrold Immel |
| Opening theme | Jerrold Immel |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | James D. Parriott |
| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Eddie Rio Rotunno |
| Editor | George Ohanian |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 3, 1982 (1982-10-03) – July 10, 1983 (1983-07-10) |
Voyagers! is an Americanscience-fiction television series abouttime travel that aired onNBC from October 3, 1982, to July 10, 1983, during the1982–1983 season. The series starredJon-Erik Hexum andMeeno Peluce.
Phineas Bogg (Jon-Erik Hexum) is one of a society of time travelers called Voyagers, who with the help of a young boy named Jeffrey Jones (played byMeeno Peluce) from 1982, uses a hand-held device called an Omni (which looks like a largepocket watch) that flashes red when history is wrong and green when the timeline is corrected, to travel in time and ensure that history unfolds correctly.
Bogg and Jeffrey first met when Bogg's Omni malfunctioned and took him to 1982 (the device was not supposed to reach any later than 1970), landing him in the skyscraper apartment of Jeffrey's aunt and uncle, who were caring for him after his parents' deaths. Bogg's guidebook, which contained a detailed description of how history was supposed to unfold, was grabbed by Jeffrey's dog Ralph, and in the struggle to retrieve it, Jeffrey accidentally fell out his bedroom window and Bogg jumped out to rescue him by activating the Omni. With his guidebook stuck in 1982, Bogg (who, being more interested in girls than in history, apparently never paid much attention in his Voyager training/history classes) had to rely on Jeffrey, whose father had been a history professor, to help him. Jeffrey's knowledge proved invaluable; for example, in the first episode, Jeffrey ensured that babyMoses' basket traveled down theNile, where it was met by thePharaoh's daughter.
Phineas is a great womanizer and manages to fall for a beautiful woman in almost every episode. Whenever Jeffrey's wisdom was paired up against Bogg's stubbornness, Jeffrey usually wins out, to which Bogg would always mutter, "Smart kids give me a pain!" Anothercatchphrase used by Bogg as anexpletive was "Bat's breath!"[1] They develop a strong relationship and become a formidable team. In the course of their adventures together, they sometimes encounter other Voyagers whose missions happened to overlap with theirs.
As revealed later in the series, despite Jeffrey's age and the accidental circumstances of his first encounter with Phineas, he was always destined to become a Voyager.
Over theclosing credits of each episode, regular cast member Meeno Peluce said invoice-over: "If you want to learn more about [historical element from the episode], take a voyage down to your public library. It's all in books!"
Tom Shales ofThe Washington Post praised the series as "a live-action version of theMr. Peabody and Sherman cartoons on the delightful old 'Bullwinkle' show" and "largely a joy ride from start to finish."[1]
Voyagers! ran for one season of 20 episodes, broadcast opposite the top-rated60 Minutes. The series averaged a 17share.Voyagers! seemed likely to be renewed for a second season, butcontroversies in60 Minutes reporting led executives to believe that60 Minutes might successfully be challenged by a competing news program, instead.[2] NBC cancelledVoyagers![3] and replaced it with the news magazine programMonitor, which averaged only a 7 share.[2]David Letterman poked fun at NBC's cancellation of the series by airing a sketch on hisLate Night program titled "They Took My Show Away", a parody of anafter-school special in which the host comforts a boy who was aVoyagers! fan.[4]
| Season | Episodes | Start date | End date | Nielsen rank | Nielsen rating | Tied with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–83 | 20 | October 3, 1982 | July 10, 1983 | 95[5] | N/A | N/A |
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In 1985, following the death of series lead Jon-Erik Hexum, Universal re-edited several episodes of the show into atelevision film. EntitledVoyager from the Unknown, the story combined the pilot episode and "Voyagers of the Titanic" into one feature-length film. This version incorporates new video special effects, some voice-over dubbing for Hexum and Peluce's characters that changed, and added dialogue and new footage to include a supercomputer directing Voyager missions.
The opening begins with a narration and painted illustrations of Bogg receiving his guidebook on "Planet Voyager" by artist Jerry Gebr.
"Far out in the cosmos there exists a planet known as Voyager, where the mystery of travel into space and through time has been solved. It is inhabited by a race who call themselves Voyagers. Their purpose is to keep constant surveillance on history. These people have a time machine device, the Omni, which will take them into the past, present or future. As each Voyager graduates he is given an omni and a guidebook. One such graduate Phineas Bogg, who was assigned as a field worker to operate in certain time zones."
The re-edited telefilm was issued on VHS by MCA Home Video in 1985. It was the only official release ofVoyagers! on home video in the US until the DVD release in 2007.
On July 17, 2007,Universal Studios Home Entertainment released all 20 episodes ofVoyagers! on DVD in Region 1.[6] It was released in Region 2 on October 29, 2007.
All 20 episodes are also available in the United States by streaming throughAmazon Prime Video.
As of September 2024, the series is available onThe Roku Channel.[7]
| No. | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Voyagers" | October 3, 1982 (1982-10-03) | |
Time traveler Phineas Bogg accidentally goes to New York City in 1982 using a hand-heldtime machine known as an Omni. There, he meets 11-year-old Jeffrey Jones, whose parents have died. When Jeffrey falls out a window, Bogg goes after him and they both disappear. Bogg cannot bring Jeff back to 1982, because Bogg's Omni only has circuits up to 1970. (Bogg was only able to go to 1982 because his Omni had malfunctioned.) In saving Jeffrey's life, Bogg was unable to retrieve his guidebook (a book that told how history should have happened) in 1982, so in 1450 BC, Jeff helps Bogg as a Voyager by putting baby Moses in the Nile River inAncient Egypt, but in France, an alternate ending to World War I is taking place in 1918, without airplanes. They meet an aspiring US actress played byFaye Grant. They both go back in time to 1903 inKitty Hawk, North Carolina, and there, Bogg angers Jeffrey when he says something about his father. Later, Jeffrey sadly tells Bogg about how his mom and dad died. He cries when he says he could not get anyone to stop. Bogg tells Jeffrey not to blame himself and covers Jeff up, whereupon Jeff falls asleep. The two then travel toDayton, Ohio, and inspire theWright brothers to invent the first airplane, theWright Flyer. Next, they jump ahead in time, making sure theAllies have airplanes in World War I—battlingthe Red Baron in an aerial dogfight along the way. Then, they go to England, on October 14, 1066, in the middle of theBattle of Hastings. | |||
| 2 | "Created Equal" | October 10, 1982 (1982-10-10) | |
The issue ofslavery is focused on as the Voyagers end up in Italy in 73 BC during agladiator training session overseen byCicero. They meetSpartacus and are thought to be slaves, but they escape toMissouri in 1847. There, they meet 12-year-oldSamuel Langhorne Clemens and end up helpingHarriet Tubman with theUnderground Railroad. They then return toAncient Rome and free Spartacus so he can rally his fellow slaves back inCapua. | |||
| 3 | "Bully and Billy" | October 24, 1982 (1982-10-24) | |
The Voyagers end up inSantiago, Cuba on July 1, 1898, during theSpanish–American War, but the Spanish are winning, becauseTheodore Roosevelt and theRough Riders are not there to help becauseBilly the Kid had killed Roosevelt in 1880. After helpingBenjamin Franklin with his kite inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 10, 1752, they time travel to 1880 and team up withBilly the Kid's outlaw gang to prevent the future U.S. president from being shot in theAmerican Old West. | |||
| 4 | "Agents of Satan" | October 31, 1982 (1982-10-31) | |
Jeffrey and Bogg land inSalem, Massachusetts, on November 13, 1692, during theSalem witch trials—but the Salem witch trials were supposed to end on September 14, 1692. Bogg and Jeff must prevent the mother ofBenjamin Franklin, Abiah Folger, from being hanged. Bogg, however, is himself tried and sentenced as an Agent of Satan, to be burned at the stake, but Jeffrey uses the Omni to send them both toBoston in 1924. There they meetHarry Houdini during aséance and then go toBaltimore, Maryland, to return the lyrics of thenational anthem toFrancis Scott Key in 1814, just before stopping acharlatan who tries to kill Houdini in 1924; they then go back to 1692 and stop the witch trials for good. | |||
| 5 | "Worlds Apart" | November 7, 1982 (1982-11-07) | |
After a badly worn-out Omni nearly strands them in Siberia, Bogg and Jeff become separated in the Middle East in 1917 during the conflicts between Arab tribes and Ottoman Turks. Jeffrey barely escapes with the Omni. Bogg meetsLawrence of Arabia (Judson Scott), and they are imprisoned by Turks but escape with the help of an Arab woman named Medina. Meanwhile, in Menlo Park, New Jersey (October 19, 1879), Jeffrey helpsThomas Alva Edison (Steven Keats) with the invention of the (practical incandescent) electric light. Edison dismantles the Omni and, though unable to learn its secrets, he does manage to repair it. Jeffrey then reunites with Bogg in Aqaba, then travel back to 1879 on December 31 to witness Thomas Edison demonstrate incandescent lighting to the public for the first time. | |||
| 6 | "Cleo and the Babe" | November 14, 1982 (1982-11-14) | |
InRome, Italy, on March 15, 44 BC, Bogg and Jeff meetCleopatra on theIdes of March whereJulius Caesar is assassinated in theRoman Republic on the Senate Floor. But when they help her escape toEgypt, they end up with her being lost in New York City on May 21, 1927. Jeff notices thatYankee Stadium is not there, becauseBabe Ruth never got traded to theYankees. They go and meetIsaac Newton in England, 1669 to help him solve the riddle ofgravitation just before going toBoston, Massachusetts, in 1919 to make sure Ruth becomes a hitter with theBoston Red Sox. On September 29, 1927, they findCleopatra, but they realize that they also have to protectBabe Ruth from crime bossLucky Luciano so that Ruth can hit his 60th home run on September 30. | |||
| 7 | "The Day the Rebs Took Lincoln" | November 21, 1982 (1982-11-21) | |
Bogg and Jeff are captured by theConfederate States Army on November 19, 1863, inGettysburg, Pennsylvania, because the South is winning theAmerican Civil War. They learn that the Confederates kidnappedAbraham Lincoln on April 18, 1862, in Washington, D.C., but after escaping the camp, they go toLondon, England in 1832 where they meetCharles Dickens. Back in Washington, a presidential liaison betrays Lincoln, but the Voyagers bring Lincoln'shijacked presidential carriage back underUnion control. | |||
| 8 | "Old Hickory and the Pirate" | November 28, 1982 (1982-11-28) | |
InNew Orleans, Louisiana, of 1815, theWar of 1812 has not ended and the British control the city. Bogg & Jeff helpMeriwether Lewis andWilliam Clark in theNorthwest Passage in 1803 just before they go tothe Bahamas in 1798 to keepJean Lafitte from being convicted ofpiracy in his future. There they encounter a group of pirates led by Black Bill Scroggins and after a swashbuckling scuffle on the beach, Lafitte goes to New Orleans and the Voyagers jump ahead to theBattle of New Orleans and meet GeneralAndrew Jackson. | |||
| 9 | "The Travels of Marco...and Friends" | December 3, 1982 (1982-12-03) | |
In New York, on December 11, 1930, the Voyagers saveAlbert Einstein (Nathan Adler) and his wife from a falling desk. They then meet Isaac Wolfstein (Michael Fox) , an old retired Voyager, whom Bogg recognizes as the legendary "Wildman Wolfstein." But when Isaac asks to go to an island in theSouth Pacific, they end up helpingClara Barton in 1870 France during theFranco-Prussian War, before going to July 1, 1946, on one of theMarshall Islands. After leaving Isaac on an island, Bogg and Jeff go to China on August 13, 1275. There, they meetKublai Khan and there he tells them thatMarco Polo and the Polo brothers have not come yet with theHoly Oil fromJerusalem; they then go toPersia in 1272 to keep the Polo brothers from mysteriously disappearing. Bogg then goes back and retrieves Isaac from a nuclear testing site inBikini Atoll; both then go to theStrait of Hormuz where, with Isaac's help, Bogg frees his young companion from theKaruna, a group ofMongolslave traders. | |||
| 10 | "An Arrow Pointing East" | December 12, 1982 (1982-12-12) | |
After arriving just fromHawaii, Bogg and Jeff help a woundedRobin Hood in theSherwood Forest in England in 1194 and learn fromLittle John andFriar Tuck that theSheriff of Nottingham is holdingMaid Marian captive. When the Sheriff's soldiers trap the Voyagers, they jump toNew York, on May 19, 1927. OnLong Island, they helpCharles Lindbergh make his historic flight from New York to France in theSpirit of St. Louis. They then go back to helpRobin Hood rescue Maid Marian in 1194 before going back again to France on May 21, 1927, to see "Lucky Lindy" land in France...from a distance. | |||
| 11 | "Merry Christmas, Bogg" | December 19, 1982 (1982-12-19) | |
InTrenton, New Jersey, on December 24, 1776,George Washington is on the wrong side during theAmerican Revolution one day before he is supposed to win theBattle of Trenton, so the Voyagers go toMount Vernon, Virginia, in 1746 to keep him from joining theRoyal Navy as a teenager. Then inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 24, 1892, they meet Jeffrey's own great-grandfather, Stephen Jones, who is friends withSamuel Gompers. Bogg & Jeff then go back to 1776 again just before theBattle of Trenton and witnessWashington's crossing of the Delaware. Back in 1892, Stephen Jones convinces Bogg to leave the orphaned Jeff with him and his wife. Jeff, however, begs Bogg not to leave him and they stay together. | |||
| 12 | "Buffalo Bill and Annie Play the Palace" | January 9, 1983 (1983-01-09) | |
In England, 1887, the Voyagers must prevent a wedding between England'sPrincess Victoria and Duke Michael of Russia.Queen Victoria has invitedBuffalo Bill andAnnie Oakley to perform aWild West show. A shooting competition had been arranged between the Duke and Annie, but the Duke's men kidnap Oakley to avoid the possibility of the Duke losing. Outnumbered, Bogg and Jeff time jump into Africa, in 1913. There, they help Dr.Albert Schweitzer treat a dying chief, but awitch doctor believes that the Voyagers areslave traders. Schweitzer's aid arrives with the medicine in time to save the chief's life, and back in England, they free Oakley from the Russians in time for her to beat the Duke at the shooting match. They then expose the kidnapping to the Queen, who breaks off the marriage alliance with the Russians. | |||
| 13 | "The Trial of Phineas Bogg" | January 16, 1983 (1983-01-16) | |
The Voyagers appear in an empty courtroom with a non-functioning Omni. A defense attorney named Susan claims Bogg has violated the Voyager Code and will be put on trial by Voyager Drake (Stephen Liska), a tough prosecutor. Three judges take the bench, and Bogg is charged with endangering Jeff's life. However, evidence ofperjury during the trial is discovered, showing that Drake had tampered with the Omni Memory Recorder. When Drake attempts to escape with his Omni, the Voyagers grab him and end up in theTexas Revolution inMexico in 1836. Drake escapes somewhere in time while Bogg & Jeff helpSam Houston and the Texan rebels. Susan then brings them back and a judge tells them that Jeff's destiny was to be a Voyager. He gives Bogg his Omni, but they go back to work and disappear before he can give them a new Guidebook. | |||
| 14 | "Sneak Attack" | February 13, 1983 (1983-02-13) | |
InPearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 6, 1941, Jackie Knox, an Army Intelligence Officer, follows the Voyagers and steals the Omni, bringing them toUtah, on April 10, 1860. They find an injured teenageBill Cody, who was riding forThe Pony Express but was attacked by outlaws. Bogg convinces Jackie that Voyagers help people in history. But when Jeff decides to make the Pony ride and gets ambushed, the trio jump back to Hawaii on the morning of December 7. During theAttack on Pearl Harbor, Jackie saves the life of GeneralDouglas MacArthur. They then use a 1941 motorcycle for the Pony ride in 1860 in order to outrun the bandits. | |||
| 15 | "Voyagers of the Titanic" | February 27, 1983 (1983-02-27) | |
Bogg & Jeff land in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on the deck of theRMSTitanic on April 14, 1912. While Jeff tries to warn the captain withMolly Brown, Bogg meets a man named Haggerty, who is not a Voyager, but has an Omni. It belongs to Voyager Olivia Dunn, who is trying to get theMona Lisa off the ship. The three Voyagers then jump to 1884, France, where a dog bites Jeff and gives himrabies.Louis Pasteur then works on a vaccine and Jeff fully recovers. They all go back to theTitanic, and Bogg finds Haggerty in the boiler room, where they get theMona Lisa just as the ship goes underwater. In Paris, April 15, 1912, Jeff (who had left separately) believes that they died until they show up and explain that they had to bring the stolen painting back to the home ofVincenzo Peruggia. | |||
| 16 | "Pursuit" | March 6, 1983 (1983-03-06) | |
Bogg brings Jeff toCape Canaveral, Florida, to see the firstMoon landing—but the space program of the United States does not exist; German rocket technology was given to the Soviet Union at the end of World War II, but not to the United States. This means Bogg and Jeff have to go to Austria on May 1, 1945, in order to ensure rocket scientistWernher von Braun surrenders to American forces. Bogg tries to warn von Braun that one of his scientists is a spy for theNazis before they finally meet Americans and he gives them his rocket plans. Then they go to July 20, 1969, and see theApollo 11 Moon landing on television asNeil Armstrong utters his famous quote, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind." | |||
| 17 | "Destiny's Choice" | March 13, 1983 (1983-03-13) | |
InHollywood, 1928, the Voyagers end up on a closed set of the firstsound film. When Jeff points out that the director isFranklin D. Roosevelt, they know all is wrong in Tinseltown. They go to Roosevelt's home inHyde Park, New York, in 1924 to keep him from mailing out a script and get known in Hollywood, but his wife,Eleanor, is at odds with Roosevelt's mother who is ashamed of hispolio. Posing as a handyman, Bogg helps Roosevelt use crutches and convinces him not to depend so much on others. This allows Roosevelt to make an important public speech, move up in politics and, eventually, become President. | |||
| 18 | "All Fall Down" | March 27, 1983 (1983-03-27) | |
On June 21, 1938, inPompton Lakes, New Jersey, the Voyagers seeJoe Louis training for aboxing match. When Bogg knocks down Louis in a practice bout, he decides to quit boxing. Fearing the coaches will hurt Bogg, Jeff time jumps them to an airplane overNevada in February 1970. There, anaircraft hijacker releases gas which knocks everyone out except for Jeff. Anair traffic controller then helps him land theBoeing 747 with future presidentJimmy Carter on board. Back in 1938, they convince Louis not to listen to claims of racial superiority about his opponent,Max Schmeling. Bogg & Jeff help train Louis and on June 22, Louis wins against Schmeling and retains his title of "Heavyweight Champion Of The World." | |||
| 19 | "Barriers of Sound" | June 12, 1983 (1983-06-12) | |
InDenison, Texas, on October 14, 1890, Bogg and Jeffrey discover that the telephone has not been invented. If the telephone is not invented, thenDwight D. Eisenhower will not be born, as there will then be no medical assistance. Thus, they travel toBoston, in 1875, where Bogg saves the life of a deaf woman, namedMabel Hubbard. They findAlexander Graham Bell, but his invention, thetelephone, does not work. Jeff realizes that Mabel will be Bell's wife and arranges a meeting, but Mabel and Bogg fall in love with each other instead. To avoid compromising his mission, Bogg reluctantly breaks Mabel's heart; he and Jeff then go to March 7, 1876, where Bell andThomas A. Watson are working on the phone. When Bell injures himself and screams, "Mr, Watson! Come here, I want you!" Watson, hearing Bell's voice on the telephone, jumps for joy, knowing they succeeded. Back inTexas, in 1890, Bogg and Jeff help guarantee the birth ofDwight Eisenhower by getting assistance from a doctor on the phone. | |||
| 20 | "Jack's Back" | July 10, 1983 (1983-07-10) | |
In London, November 19, 1889, an American journalist namedNellie Bly (Julia Duffy) is attacked by a man, but the attacker vanishes when Bogg and Jeff appear. When her friend SirArthur Conan Doyle (Michael Ensign) begins to question Bly about her attacker, she suspects Bogg is the infamousJack the Ripper and gets the police.Inspector Lestrade ofScotland Yard arrests Bogg, and the Voyagers realize renegade Voyager Drake was Bly's attacker. After they escape from Lestrade, they find Drake about to kill Bly and Doyle in order to "ruin history," but Bogg and Jeff stop him before he vanishes in time. | |||