|
Diver Dan - The live-action
children's marionette adventure DIVER DAN/SYN/1960 starred Frank
Freda as the intrepid ocean explorer Diver Dan who wore a deep
sea diving outfit and Suzanne Turner as Miss Minerva his mermaid
friend who lived beneath the waves of the Sargasso Sea.
Their nemesis was
Baron Barracuda and his stooge sidekick Trigger
Fish who lived in a cave by Teetering Rock. They were continually
hatching plans to take over the bottom of the sea.
Other fishy friends of Miss Minerva included: Finley
Haddock; Gabby the Clam; Gill-Espie, a bongo-playing beatnik
fish; Glow Fish who lived by the Bottomless Pit; Goldie the
Goldfish; Hammer-head Shark; Hermit Crab; Sawfish Sam; Doc
Sturgeon; Georgie Porgie; Scoutfish who sported an Indian tomahawk and feathers; Sea Biscuit
the Seahorse; and Skipper Kipper. Allen Swift provided the
voices for all the marionettes.
The DIVER DAN show was produced by Hal Tunis and Louis Kellman.
The program was inspired by the comic strip Fish Tales
created by John Ferlaine.
To achieve a real watery
experience, the show's cameras filmed the action through an
aquarium filled with real fish.
Filmed like a serial with
cliffhanger endings, the locally syndicated program consists of
104 episodes that ran seven minutes in length.
Puppeteers John Caracciolo, Martin Kreiner and Harold B. Taylor manipulated the
show's marionettes.
Miss Minerva, Trigger Fish & The Baron
"The Ballad of Diver Dan"
(written by Jack Sky)
Below in the deep there's adventure and danger;
That's where you'll find Diver Dan!
The sights that he sees are surprising and stranger
Than ever you'll see on the land!
He moves among creatures
Of frightening features:
Flashing teeth, slashing jaws,
Flapping fins, snapping claws!
He protects and he saves
His friends under the waves;
That's where you'll find Diver Dan!
External Links
Back to Top |
