The "Time Travelers" appears to be a failed attempt by producer Irwin Allen to revive his old "Time Tunnel" TV show in the 1970s. The plots are very similar—though in this latter version there was no fancy tunnel nor the facility that housed it—it was more of a 'poor man's version'. Now this is not to say that it's a bad film at all—it's a very good made for TV movie and I wish it had resulted in a new series.
In this film, two doctors from the present go back in time. The reason is not because of idle curiosity but because there is an outbreak of a deadly fever and doctors of 1975 are so far powerless to cure it. However, back just before the Great Chicago Fire, an obscure doctor did seem to have some success in treating this same illness—and these two men are determined to discover his secret (which had, incidentally, burned up with him in the fire.
Richard Basehart stars as this 19th century doctor and the rest of the cast was made up mostly of unknowns. The production values are decent—about what you'd expect for a made for TV film or pilot. Most importantly, the writing was quite good—with an intriguing story, decent dialog and a few nice twists. While it's not brilliant or super-original, it is a nice look into what might have been had the film gotten the attention of the network big-wigs.
In this film, two doctors from the present go back in time. The reason is not because of idle curiosity but because there is an outbreak of a deadly fever and doctors of 1975 are so far powerless to cure it. However, back just before the Great Chicago Fire, an obscure doctor did seem to have some success in treating this same illness—and these two men are determined to discover his secret (which had, incidentally, burned up with him in the fire.
Richard Basehart stars as this 19th century doctor and the rest of the cast was made up mostly of unknowns. The production values are decent—about what you'd expect for a made for TV film or pilot. Most importantly, the writing was quite good—with an intriguing story, decent dialog and a few nice twists. While it's not brilliant or super-original, it is a nice look into what might have been had the film gotten the attention of the network big-wigs.