It's About Time (TV series)

 

Astronauts Mac McKenzie (Frank Aletter) and Hector Canfield (Jack Mullaney) travel faster than the speed of light, resulting in being sent back in time to prehistoric days where they have to adjust to living with a cave-dwelling family led by Shag/Shad (Imogene Coca) and Gronk (Joe E. Ross). Their children were 18-year-old Mlor (Mary Grace) and 14-year-old Breer (Pat Cardi). Tribe Chief Boss (Cliff Norton) and his right-hand man Clon (Mike Mazurki) were always suspicious of the astronauts.

Ratings were impressive for the first few weeks on the air, but they soon plunged. Show creator Schwartz concluded that three factors were the cause of the decline in audience interest:

• Repetition of the astronauts being in danger from dinosaurs, clubs, spears, volcanoes, and cavemen
• An unattractive look to the show (e.g., caves, dirt streets, etc.)
• The cave dwellers spoke a primitive form of English that was difficult to listen to^[1]

He retooled the series beginning with the January 22, 1967 episode, after 18 episodes set in prehistoric times, essentially reversing the premise that had been shown in the first half of the season. The astronauts repair their space capsule and return to 1967, with Shad, Gronk, and their children in tow. Boss and Clon make their final appearances in this episode, which also introduces two new supporting characters who remained with the show: Alan DeWitt as Mr. Tyler, manager of the apartment building where Mac and Hector live, and Frank Wilcox as General Morley, their commanding officer.

The prehistoric family begins adjusting to life in the 1960s, reacting to the unfamiliar surroundings and setting up a home in 20th-century Los Angeles. For example, Gronk and Shad had to learn to write their names and sign them for many salesmen who brought "presents" which had to be paid for later. Mac and Hector also had to convince their disbelieving superior that they really did travel in time and were not playing some sort of elaborate practical joke. Seven episodes were produced with this new premise before the series was canceled at the end of the season.

According to Pat Cardi, who played Greer, CBS considered reversing their cancellation decision after ratings improved during summer reruns; however, Imogene Coca and Joe E. Ross had already committed to other projects, officially ending the series.

 

• "The Stowaway" was originally scheduled to air January 15, 1967, but was pre-empted by an episode of Lassie after CBS revamped its prime time lineup following the first-ever Super Bowl which aired earlier that afternoon. This episode was set in prehistoric times and clearly predates the previous seven episodes. However, it did not air until April 2, 1967. In the show's current syndication reruns on certain networks – such as Antenna TV – this episode airs in its intended order, immediately preceding "20th Century Here We Come...".

On June 27, 2017, ClassicFlix released The Complete Series on DVD in region 1.^[2][3]

The TV series was adapted into a comic strip by Dan Spiegle, distributed by Gold Key Comics.^[4]

• Trog, a 1970 film about the discovery of a caveman in England
• Iceman, a 1984 film about an unfrozen caveman
• Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, recurring character on Saturday Night Live from 1991 through 1996
• Encino Man, a 1992 film about an unfrozen caveman
• Cavemen, a 2007 sitcom that aired on ABC

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to It's About Time (TV series).

• It's About Time at IMDb
• It's About Time Opening on YouTube