By David Flynn

A mid-1970s US tv science fiction drama series seemed to be more popular in Ireland and the UK than it was in its native country.

The story of a man who became invisible dates back to the late 19th century, and was featured in a novel by H.G. Wells. ‘The Invisible Man’ by Wells was first produced as a movie in 1933 and starred Claude Rains as the scientist who having made himself invisible, couldn’t return to the world of visibility. It also starred Gloria Stuart, who sixty-five years later was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the movie, ‘Titanic’.

There had been a couple of movie sequels to the successful 1933 production, and a 1950s television series. In 1975, Harve Bennett, who had a great tv and movie career, created and produced the television series,

The Invisible Man, which starred actor, David McCallum. Steven Bochco was co-creator.
David, who in the 1960s had starred in the hit series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., played Dr. Daniel Weston in The Invisible Man.

Daniel worked for the KLAE Corporation, which was doing experiments on teleportation. In the pilot episode of the series, he found a side-effect to his work, which turned objects invisible, and decided to try the new application to make himself invisible. However after a few tries, he could no longer appear visible.

While going around lost and invisible to others, Daniel visits his friend, plastic surgeon, Dr. Nick Maggio and manages to convince him that he still exists, although is invisible. Maggio was played by actor, Henry Darrow who is still remembered for playing Manolito in the 1960s tv western series, The High Chaparral. Maggio manages to make a mask and body suit to be worn by the invisible Dr. Daniel Westin.

The scenes of Daniel in every episode taking off his head and his limbs to become invisible were dramatic and humorous at times, and certainly nothing like it had been shown on television before.

Daniel continued to work for KLAE, along with his beautiful wife, Dr. Kate Westin, played by actress Melinda O. Fee. The Westins’ boss was Walter Carlson, played in the pilot episode by Jackie Cooper and in the subsequent series by Craig Stevens.

Continue reading in this week’s Ireland’s Own