Project Tic Toc

PROJECT TIC-TOC: The Making of The Time Tunnel

by William E. Anchors Jr.

Edited by Flint Mitchell.

Imagine my excitement when this book arrived from Amazon, only to discover it was published by Alpha Control Press. I've bought books from them before and fought like hell to get what I paid for. They kept my money and then never sent the books. I had to pay for them twice because they were insistent that they never got my payment. (The checks for both orders did clear with the same endorsement on the back, proving they lied to me.) But shelving my disappointment of paying twice the price for their books, I discovered they are self-published by fan boys who want to do nothing but relish the fondness of the programs they watch every day on DVD. And not worth even half the price I shoveled out.

So when I got this book, I said to myself, "Oh, boy..." Well, shelving my disgust for the company and providing an honest review of this book. I am still disappointed. The blue prints of the Time Tunnel complex that was advertised are not originals, but reproductions from a modern-day illustrator. Some of the photographs are screen captures from the DVDs. Fifty-one of the two hundred and twelve pages (one fourth of the book) are dedicated to brief biographies of cast and crew such as birth dates and other movies they did. This includes writers, character actors and directors. You can get more from simply looking them up on imdb. About ninety percent of the episode guide consists of lengthy plot summaries from which I could gather myself simply by watching the episodes. If you are expecting behind-the-scenes trivia for each episode, forget it. The only thing of value is Flint Mitchell's foreword in the book, which I found well-written and an enjoyable read.

On more than one occasion I said that self-published books are many times better than the "authorized" editions or books put out on the same subject through a University Press. This is one of those examples that proves me wrong. This is clearly a self-published feat that should not be endorsed, in my opinion. Hopefully one day someone will do justice to The Time Tunnel. William E. Anchors Jr. certainly isn't that person. What surprises me most is why the Irwin Allen folks, who built a reputation for protecting their properties, hasn't put a stop to this book. This is clearly a copyright and trademark violation and the only thing this book accomplishes is turning people away from a TV show that deserves better attention. Stay away from this one.