Journey to the Center of Time

Journey to the Center of Time (1967) starring Scott Brady, Anthony Eisley, Gigi Perreau

Journey to the Center of Time deals with a small team of scientists, traveling through time after an accident. They deal with external perils, and an internal conflict.

Product Description 

Scientists on the verge of a breakthrough in time travel shouldn’t be placed under a deadline by a gruff new boss, but that’s exactly what happens in this odd adventure from exploitation director David L. Hewitt (The Mighty Gorga; The Girls from Thunder Strip). Scott Brady, Anthony Eisley, and Gigi Perreau star in this H.G. Wells inspired fable about what happens when you don’t take time traveling seriously. Also, look for 1970s heartthrob Lyle Waggoner (The Carol Burnett Show; Wonder Woman) as an alien!

Review

Journey to the Center of Time is an enjoyable popcorn movie. It’s a remake of The Time Travelers, where a group of scientists accidentally find themselves traveling through time because of a laboratory error. Some of the scenes are iconic. I frankly remember first seining it on aa television rerun, with a memorable scene that I’ve seen remembered for decades. Their Time Machine is traveling through a time tunnel, and another time ship is on a collision course. And the solution by the business owner is violent, and it comes back to bite him.

Mr. Denning: Doctor, young Stanton isn’t quite like his father. He hates to put the family money into anything that isn’t going up.
Mark Manning: Then why doesn’t he put it all into taxes? That’s the only thing sure to go up.
Dr. ‘Doc’ Gordon: You shouldn’t antagonize the man, Mark.
Mark Manning: He’s a pompous fool.

And Mark’s right. Stanton is a self-centered man, shortsighted and arrogant. its his insistence that the research team produce result that causes the accident. The accident propels them to the distant future, where a race of friendly aliens are looking for somewhere safe to live. But Earth is in the middle of a war that may wipe out all humanity. So our intrepid time travelers leave, and try to return to their own time, to warn humanity. But the best-laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

On the way, in their time tunnel, they’re on a collision course with another Time Machine. And Stanton panics, firing a laser at the other ship, destroying it and killing the crew. I won’t spoil anything, but I will mention that payback’s coming.

They overshoot, and go back to prehistoric Earth — and they’re stranded. The laser that’s at the heart of the machine depends on a ruby. And it’s cracked. So, either they will be stranded, or find another ruby. Which gives Stanton a chance to show his true colors, and lead into the eventual ending.

One thing that I frankly enjoyed over the original is that the ending is more hopeful. Karen and Mark are traveling through time by themselves, destination unknown:

Karen White: Mark, what will it be like?
Mark Manning: Another Earth, another time. Who really knows? We may be the Adam and Eve of a brave new world.

Trivia

• The scenes of cities being attacked from the air with conventional and nuclear weapons are taken from Invasion, U.S.A.
• The scene on the screen of the spaceship on the launch pad is from The Time Travelers.
• When the time-portal starts misbehaving, it briefly shows the rat-spider-crab from ‘Angry Red Planet‘.

Cast of characters

• Scott Brady (Gremlins) … Stanton
• Anthony Eisley (The Wasp Woman) … Mark Manning
• Gigi Perreau (Dance With Me Henry) … Karen White
• Abraham Sofaer (Twice Told Tales, Twice Told Tales) … Dr. ‘Doc’ Gordon
• Austin Green (The Story of Mankind) … Mr. Denning
• Poupée Gamin … Vina
• Tracy Olsen … Susan
• Andy Davis … Dave
• Lyle Waggoner (The Carol Burnett Show) … Alien