Hello Down There (1969)

Hello Down There (Dir: Jack Arnold, 1969). 

Frank Miller (Tony Randall) and his family must spend 30 days in a prototype house located 90 feet below the surface of the ocean, or Frank loses his job. In tow are his daughter's fiance and brother who along with the Miller kids make up the bubblegum pop quartet Harold and the Hang-Ups.

As a boy I was always intrigued with the idea of living underwater. Science fiction movies such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Richard Fleischer, 1954) and City Beneath the Sea (Irwin Allen, 1971) were firm favourites. While there are sci-fi elements to the concept of a family living in an experimental undersea home, they go sadly unexplored. Instead the movie’s focus is on cosy domesticity and generation-gap gags. This gives the movie the air of a 1960s US TV sitcom, unsurprising perhaps, as director Jack Arnold was responsible for multiple episodes of Gilligan's Island (1964-1967) and The Brady Bunch (1969-1974). More surprising is that Arnold was also the man who gave the world the sci-fi masterpieces It Came from Outer Space (J. Arnold, 1953) and The Incredible Shrinking Man (J. Arnold, 1957). Little of the ingenuity and originally of those classics is evident here. 

Even the efforts of a very talented cast amount to little in a comedy where more jokes miss than hit. The subtle comic talents of Tony Randall are wasted in this broadest of comedies. As the water phobic Mrs Miller, little is asked of Janet Leigh other than to accidentally fall into the ocean and scream a lot. Accomplished comedy players Jim Backus, Ken Berry and Roddy McDowall offer solid support but the material is just not up to standard. The movie provides an early role for Richard Dreyfuss as Harold, the lead singer and guitarist with the Hang-Ups. To his credit, he makes the best with what he has to work with, but this is really lacklustre stuff. Hang in there Richard, American Graffiti is only four years away...

As you would expect from Flipper creator Ivan Tors, the are plenty of antics with friendly dolphins and a pet sea lion. For thrills there is a shark attack and potentially deadly hurricane. However, the audience never feels the family are in real danger, such is the movie's lightweight tone.

Until about a week ago I was blissfully unaware of the existence of Hello Down There. It seems largely forgotten now and probably with good reason, in spite of the presence an A list cast and a talented director. The movie does, admittedly, have a fun concept, but unfortunately nobody involved in production bothered to make it funny.

I would hesitate to say I didn’t enjoy Hello Down There. While it is not especially good, it is odd enough to be oddly entertaining! Possibly I am being over critical of something meant as lighthearted entertainment. But considering the talent involved it is hard to view it as anything but a disappointment.