I remember this show only vaguely, but the theme song was a big hit with the school kids (I was in the 3rd grade when it came out) because we changed it as a joke on our friends. We'd sing: It's about time It's about space It's about time To slap your face (smack!) Then we'd run. Okay, it's juvenile, but we were only 8 years old! Nevertheless, that tune has stuck with me all these years. Did anyone else come up with this variation? For that matter, I believe the actual theme went: It's about time, it's about space, it's about two men in the strangest place...here is the tale of the brave crew, and through some very (ancient?) times they flew...past the fighting minuteman...past the armored knight...past the Roman warrior...to this ancient site. Let me know if I have that wrong, but I think that's how it was SUPPOSED to go, and no face slapping involved!
44 Reviews
Primitive humor: an interesting, unique premise that the writers had trouble expanding upon
JordanThomasHall2 February 2017
"It's About Time" (1966-67) was created by the late, great Sherwood Schwartz who gave us "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch". The fantasy comedy ran for 26 episodes in the vein of his "Gilligan's Island" with this series also about travelers sent off course and stranded in a jungle setting with absurd plots. Being produced at the same time, "It's About Time" shares some of "Gilligan's" sets, props, and incident music. And it's little surprise that star Jack Mullaney at times has Gilligan-like goofy traits with sayings and actions that mimic him.
Joe E. Ross with his rough-around-the-edges looks and primitive sense of humor ("Oooo Oooo") was great casting as Gronk. Imogene Coca as Shag/Shad, however, seems a waste of her talents, although she is predictably good in any role. Mike Mazurki is another piece of great casting, and Cliff Norton also does a fine job with the boss caveman role.
I'm watching the series for the first time (as a 26-year-old) in chronological order, but understand how it can get repetitious after a few episodes. Yet, it's still startling to see the complete role reversal of having the cavemen travel to the 20th century near the end, in an attempt to save the short-lived series.
Reflecting upon the series, it had an interesting, unique premise that the writers had trouble expanding upon. If not fully mined for laughs, it at least touched upon many of the funny situations that could arise from adjusting to 1 million years of life. It was hard to think of Frank Aletter and Jack Mullaney as stars when you had the established talents of Imogene Coca and Joe E. Ross, who eventually shifted into that role. Many of the episodes were repetitive, but some were absurdly funny.
I enjoy the matte shots (albeit simplistic), conveying the viewer to the prehistoric era. Starting off, the series has some funny dialogue and situational comedy. It's silliness is part of its fun. It's family friendly, and I can see how kids would enjoy it. If you allow the absurdity to be part of the enjoyment, it can be a fun series.
I'm 26, so for me, I grew up with the shows of 90s and loved them. Then the new millennium rolled around....and what happened? What are these distasteful, offensive shows on today, and why is it viewed as acceptable? I don't know what happened to the industry, but I can tell you what happened to me- I turned to television from the classic period. They are most certainly funnier, more well-written, wholesome, and some drive home important moral lessons. My wife is 23 and also loves classic shows and films. When we have children one day, we hope to share that love with them.
Joe E. Ross with his rough-around-the-edges looks and primitive sense of humor ("Oooo Oooo") was great casting as Gronk. Imogene Coca as Shag/Shad, however, seems a waste of her talents, although she is predictably good in any role. Mike Mazurki is another piece of great casting, and Cliff Norton also does a fine job with the boss caveman role.
I'm watching the series for the first time (as a 26-year-old) in chronological order, but understand how it can get repetitious after a few episodes. Yet, it's still startling to see the complete role reversal of having the cavemen travel to the 20th century near the end, in an attempt to save the short-lived series.
Reflecting upon the series, it had an interesting, unique premise that the writers had trouble expanding upon. If not fully mined for laughs, it at least touched upon many of the funny situations that could arise from adjusting to 1 million years of life. It was hard to think of Frank Aletter and Jack Mullaney as stars when you had the established talents of Imogene Coca and Joe E. Ross, who eventually shifted into that role. Many of the episodes were repetitive, but some were absurdly funny.
I enjoy the matte shots (albeit simplistic), conveying the viewer to the prehistoric era. Starting off, the series has some funny dialogue and situational comedy. It's silliness is part of its fun. It's family friendly, and I can see how kids would enjoy it. If you allow the absurdity to be part of the enjoyment, it can be a fun series.
I'm 26, so for me, I grew up with the shows of 90s and loved them. Then the new millennium rolled around....and what happened? What are these distasteful, offensive shows on today, and why is it viewed as acceptable? I don't know what happened to the industry, but I can tell you what happened to me- I turned to television from the classic period. They are most certainly funnier, more well-written, wholesome, and some drive home important moral lessons. My wife is 23 and also loves classic shows and films. When we have children one day, we hope to share that love with them.
It was too much like Gilligan's Island...
AlsExGal12 March 2023
...created by the same person who created Gilligan's Island, Sherwood Schwartz, at the same time Gilligan's Island was still on the air. Although I'm not sure it would have caught on had Gilligan's Island not been on the air.
Basically you have the two astronauts doubling for the Skipper and Gilligan although not in such an extreme relationship as those two had, with one astronaut just being jumpier and more scatter brained than the other.
Rather than a bunch of fellow castaways, the two astronauts have to deal with prehistoric man. And you have dinosaurs and man existing at the same time in this prehistoric world.
The topic got tired in a hurry and was cancelled after one season, even after the astronauts find a way to return to 1966 earth but end up bringing the cavemen with them.
The thing that I remember most about this show was the very catchy theme song that it had. It seems I'm not alone as many fellow reviewers are saying that they found it most memorable as well.
A few episodes, including the series premiere, show up on youtube from time to time.
Basically you have the two astronauts doubling for the Skipper and Gilligan although not in such an extreme relationship as those two had, with one astronaut just being jumpier and more scatter brained than the other.
Rather than a bunch of fellow castaways, the two astronauts have to deal with prehistoric man. And you have dinosaurs and man existing at the same time in this prehistoric world.
The topic got tired in a hurry and was cancelled after one season, even after the astronauts find a way to return to 1966 earth but end up bringing the cavemen with them.
The thing that I remember most about this show was the very catchy theme song that it had. It seems I'm not alone as many fellow reviewers are saying that they found it most memorable as well.
A few episodes, including the series premiere, show up on youtube from time to time.
I'm not crazy, what a relief!
rain7z17 July 2001
Mostly because of the theme song this TV show has stayed with me for 32 years. Yet, if I ever asked anyone else if they remembered it (singing the song in hopes of loosening a memory) they would look at me as though I was truly mad. It was a silly, stupid show ... like a mutant creation through the coupling of Gilligan's Island and Lost In Space ... and I loved it! I was nine, what did I know? Still, I would like to see it again to find out if the pictures in my head match.
Later in this forum someone calling themselves Mariner719 will mention that the rendition of the theme song was twisted among his/her peers to, "It's about time, it's about space, it's about time to slap your face." No fear Mariner719, I had equally bizarre peers. :)
Later in this forum someone calling themselves Mariner719 will mention that the rendition of the theme song was twisted among his/her peers to, "It's about time, it's about space, it's about time to slap your face." No fear Mariner719, I had equally bizarre peers. :)
Not the only one!
jlmooney117 December 2012
As others have said the theme song has stuck with me for over forty years now. I was seven and loved this show when it came out. When I've said something about the show to others they usually say I'm confused and thinking of the Time Tunnel but I remember the Time Tunnel as well. Then I'll sing the theme song and they really think I'm confused. And the Time Tunnel was totally different. A serious Sci-Fi drama not a comedy. Not on netflix or anywhere else that I can find but I would love to see it again. If anyone knows where this title can be found please post on this site. I know that file share sites have lots of old programs on them but they are dangerous. I downloaded The Invaders with Roy Thinnes (another Sci-Fi Favorite of mine and got a virus for my trouble.
The jokes date back to the Stone Age.
F Gwynplaine MacIntyre12 July 2007
I saw "It's About Time" when it was transmitted in Australia. At that time, the cheapest American sitcom ever made still had a much larger production budget than the most prestigious series produced in Australia ... but I still noticed the general cheapness and shoddiness of this (only vaguely funny) sitcom.
Produced by Sherwood Schwartz, who had previously created "Gilligan's Island", "It's About Time" was his attempt at a second bite of the cherry. Both sitcoms featured the premise of modern characters stuck in a primitive situation: in this case, two modern astronauts who somehow went yesterwards to the Stone Age. Both sitcoms even had theme songs which sounded similar. (By the way, the lyric to "Gilligan's Island" can be sung to the tune of "Amazing Grace", and vice versa. Who says this website isn't educational?)
"It's About Time" featured a lot of Flintstones-style jokes, with anachronistic cavemen. All the cavemen speak modern American English, with Borscht Belt accents but with varying degrees of 'primitive' syntax. ("Me no like.") When I saw this sitcom in Australia, I was much younger and naffer: I recall telling my stepmother that I was impressed that this show did NOT commit the error of depicting cavemen as co-existing with dinosaurs. My stepmother commented that the only reason this sitcom left out the dinosaurs was because their production budget couldn't afford any! I was embarrassed that I hadn't thought of this myself.
The leader of the cavemen (although only a supporting character) was played by Cliff Norton, a third-rate comic who managed to work with a lot of major American comedians (Sid Caesar, Steve Allen, Dick Van Dyke, etc.). His chief henchman was played by Mike Mazurki. I've never lived Mazurki, but he was perfectly cast as a caveman. For this show's purposes, the two main cave people were played by Joe E. Ross and Imogene Coca, as the cave couple who more or less sponsored the astronauts. This couple also had a son and daughter who were teens or pre-teens: much humour about the fact that a prehistoric teenager is almost identical to a modern teenager. This sitcom also reveals the little-known fact that all humans in the Stone Age were white.
Paralleling a similar situation in "Gilligan's Island", the two astronauts' spacesuits never got dirty nor torn, and they had an amazingly vast repertory of modern gadgets inside their tiny little spacecraft (which looked a lot like a Project Mercury capsule).
"It's About Time" may well deserve some recognition as (probably) the first fictional TV series which completely reversed its own premise ... most likely out of desperation. After a few unfunny episodes in the Stone Age, the two astronauts finally repaired their ship and set course for the twentieth century. (Did they reset the clocks?) I would've sworn that a Mercury space capsule without booster rockets isn't capable of attaining escape velocity, much less breaking the time barrier, but maybe I studied at the wrong time-travel academy. At the last moment, cave-folk Ross and Coca and their two teenagers all piled into the tiny little capsule. (Like Dr Who's Tardis, it's bigger on the inside than the outside.) They all ended up back at NASA in the 1960s.
In real life, the two astronauts would have been debriefed and then gone on to their next mission. (Too bad that NASA's rules preclude them from getting a book deal.) In order to keep the series running, Sherwood Schwartz came up with this contrivance: modern scientists (very plausibly) wanted to study the Stone Age family, but (rather less plausibly) the cave family wouldn't trust any modern people except for their two astronaut buddies, so (very implausibly) NASA permanently reassigned the two astronauts to be the cave family's minders. Lots of unfunny sight gags: for instance, the astronauts instal the cave family in a very posh hotel suite, but the cave family sleep on the floor.
The original theme song -- recounting the plight of two astronauts trapped in the Stone Age -- was quite catchy, but somebody had to rewrite the lyric and the melody to reflect the switch in the premise once they got back to the present. Who cares?
Produced by Sherwood Schwartz, who had previously created "Gilligan's Island", "It's About Time" was his attempt at a second bite of the cherry. Both sitcoms featured the premise of modern characters stuck in a primitive situation: in this case, two modern astronauts who somehow went yesterwards to the Stone Age. Both sitcoms even had theme songs which sounded similar. (By the way, the lyric to "Gilligan's Island" can be sung to the tune of "Amazing Grace", and vice versa. Who says this website isn't educational?)
"It's About Time" featured a lot of Flintstones-style jokes, with anachronistic cavemen. All the cavemen speak modern American English, with Borscht Belt accents but with varying degrees of 'primitive' syntax. ("Me no like.") When I saw this sitcom in Australia, I was much younger and naffer: I recall telling my stepmother that I was impressed that this show did NOT commit the error of depicting cavemen as co-existing with dinosaurs. My stepmother commented that the only reason this sitcom left out the dinosaurs was because their production budget couldn't afford any! I was embarrassed that I hadn't thought of this myself.
The leader of the cavemen (although only a supporting character) was played by Cliff Norton, a third-rate comic who managed to work with a lot of major American comedians (Sid Caesar, Steve Allen, Dick Van Dyke, etc.). His chief henchman was played by Mike Mazurki. I've never lived Mazurki, but he was perfectly cast as a caveman. For this show's purposes, the two main cave people were played by Joe E. Ross and Imogene Coca, as the cave couple who more or less sponsored the astronauts. This couple also had a son and daughter who were teens or pre-teens: much humour about the fact that a prehistoric teenager is almost identical to a modern teenager. This sitcom also reveals the little-known fact that all humans in the Stone Age were white.
Paralleling a similar situation in "Gilligan's Island", the two astronauts' spacesuits never got dirty nor torn, and they had an amazingly vast repertory of modern gadgets inside their tiny little spacecraft (which looked a lot like a Project Mercury capsule).
"It's About Time" may well deserve some recognition as (probably) the first fictional TV series which completely reversed its own premise ... most likely out of desperation. After a few unfunny episodes in the Stone Age, the two astronauts finally repaired their ship and set course for the twentieth century. (Did they reset the clocks?) I would've sworn that a Mercury space capsule without booster rockets isn't capable of attaining escape velocity, much less breaking the time barrier, but maybe I studied at the wrong time-travel academy. At the last moment, cave-folk Ross and Coca and their two teenagers all piled into the tiny little capsule. (Like Dr Who's Tardis, it's bigger on the inside than the outside.) They all ended up back at NASA in the 1960s.
In real life, the two astronauts would have been debriefed and then gone on to their next mission. (Too bad that NASA's rules preclude them from getting a book deal.) In order to keep the series running, Sherwood Schwartz came up with this contrivance: modern scientists (very plausibly) wanted to study the Stone Age family, but (rather less plausibly) the cave family wouldn't trust any modern people except for their two astronaut buddies, so (very implausibly) NASA permanently reassigned the two astronauts to be the cave family's minders. Lots of unfunny sight gags: for instance, the astronauts instal the cave family in a very posh hotel suite, but the cave family sleep on the floor.
The original theme song -- recounting the plight of two astronauts trapped in the Stone Age -- was quite catchy, but somebody had to rewrite the lyric and the melody to reflect the switch in the premise once they got back to the present. Who cares?
Bring reruns back on this show....
firechief_104 May 2008
I agree, I remember this show and that SONG and I can remember a few episodes, MY neighbors told me about this show I was like 5 years old at the time when it first aired, and I had no idea what the heck they were talking about. But I watched it and saw a few episodes. I guess looking at the number of episodes maybe I saw all of them there weren't that many. I would at least like to find the song on the internet and hear it....once for laughs. From kids point of view it was a good, clean, wholesome, funny family show to watch, unlike many that are on today! Many shows today other then Star Gate SG1 are a bit racy, Smallville is and show on the Disney channel even many cartoons. This wasn't.
Whimsical, Charming series from the Wonderful, Campy 60's
Enrique-Sanchez-567 September 2001
I think a LOT more people remember this series than you think. Everyone over 40 I ask remembers it clearly and NO ONE has forgotten the spritely, catchy musical theme. "It's about time, It's about space, It's about people in the strangest place...."
Amazing that something should hold OUT in one's mind after SO MANY years without exposure to it. It must have been a great series for your average 9-10 year old kid.
If SCI-FI.com won't bring this back...at least TVLAND should!
I can close my eyes and see Gronk (Joe E. Ross) grunting and grimacing (ooh..ooh!).
Clean entertainment folks, a rare commodity.
Amazing that something should hold OUT in one's mind after SO MANY years without exposure to it. It must have been a great series for your average 9-10 year old kid.
If SCI-FI.com won't bring this back...at least TVLAND should!
I can close my eyes and see Gronk (Joe E. Ross) grunting and grimacing (ooh..ooh!).
Clean entertainment folks, a rare commodity.
It's About Sherwood Schwartz
fivefids29 July 2006
I remember watching this show every Sunday evening during the 1966/67 TV season. I still remember the theme song as most who have seen it do. I recently bought the dubbed DVD set on ebay as I wanted just to see this show again. What amazed me the most after having not seen it in 40 years since it originally aired, is how much of it I remembered. I always remembered the characters - Heck, Mac, Gronk, Shad, Breer, Mlor, Boss and Clon. In fact, there is a fellow I encountered at work who is of French origin and his first name is Shadd. I could not help but remember this show every time I had connected with this person. Of course, when I mentioned the show to others, they just thought I was strange as no one else remembered it. As a result of watching this show I became very intrigued by cave men and did a lot of reading on the topic. At 6 years old, it did not occur to me that cave people likely did not speak in 20th century English as they did on this show. I recently viewed all 26 episodes and I was amazed by how many lines, scenes and characters I remembered from 40 years ago. The power of television! After viewing the show again it is so obviously Sherwood Schwartz. It is remarkable how much it parallels his other show Gilligan's Island which was in its third season run when this show was on. It's About Time used the same sets, the same background music, the same effects music and the exact same bumper music as Gilligan's Island. The character of Heck is clearly modeled after the character of Gilligan. Heck's speech, mannerisms and physical comedy are dead-ringers for Gilligan. Schwartz even used many of the same story lines and synopsis for this show that were used in episodes of Gilligan's Island - the belief that evil spirits turned a person into a monkey (actually, it was a chimpanzee), the women leaving the village because their work is not appreciated, primitive people's superstitions, a volcano threatens the village (same footage used!), the village holding an election, using modern technology to frighten primitive peoples etc. Seems the writers didn't have to work very hard on this one. I remember recognizing the space capsule in the episode of Gilligan where the cosmonauts land on the island, as being the same one used in this show. I also recall the dinosaur scenes which I thought were very realistic in 1966. Upon seeing them again, they're cheesy and contrived and clearly borrowed from low-budget movies. Even as a 6 year old, I knew that there was never a time when people and dinosaurs both inhabited the earth - the dinosaurs were gone before the first people appeared but I didn't care, I liked the show and watched every week. The thing I remembered most though, is when Heck and Mac brought Gronk, Shad, Breer and Mlor back to the 20th century! I remember Gronk clubbing a Volkswagon Beetle and Breer being laughed at in school (where all the kids were white, well groomed, hair combed and nicely dressed, ah the 1960s...) and picking up the pointer to use it as a spear. I also remember Gronk and Shad trying to get back to "Heck and Mac's cave" in a "car animal." All of this is on the DVD set and much the same as I remembered. I must admit, Sherwood Schwartz did have a knack for educating viewers. It was this show where I first heard, and learned the terms "Prehistoric", "20th Century", "Primative" and "BC" (in the days before politically correctness). For those who haven't seen it in a while, the copies currently being sold on ebay are not good quality but are definitely watchable. I can tell you, the show is typical Sherwood Schwartz so if you liked the Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island (come on, admit it, I know many of you did), you'll definitely like this one. If you didn't then you likely won't. It is pretty much the same show as Gilligan's Island, just a different setting, but an interesting setting to be sure. I too remembered the term "Gnook" from that episode and still think of it when I see a small dog. Glad I got see this again. It's About Time is likely the only show to actually become one of the props used in the show; a time capsule. It is not only very Sherwood Schwartz, it's also very 1960s. All good fun in this reviewer's opinion.
I thought I had imagined it...!
anubis-456 May 2006
It is indeed a pleasure to read that someone else in this VAST UNIVERSE has heard of, and remembers the comedy series "It's About Time", for I thought that I was the only one...
I mentioned it to my Dad the other day, and he couldn't recall it....(I am 55 and he is 80!!) All I really remember is the two astronauts, stuck in the time-shift which brings them back to ancient civilization, and the fact that "over the hill" and "other side of valley" were significant.
The laughs then sort of come at you, like an episode of "F Troop", but it is still a long time ago...
The theme ("It's About Time, It's About Space,.....") has also stuck in my head over the years, and I would love to see it on DVD.
I am not THE ONLY ONE....
I mentioned it to my Dad the other day, and he couldn't recall it....(I am 55 and he is 80!!) All I really remember is the two astronauts, stuck in the time-shift which brings them back to ancient civilization, and the fact that "over the hill" and "other side of valley" were significant.
The laughs then sort of come at you, like an episode of "F Troop", but it is still a long time ago...
The theme ("It's About Time, It's About Space,.....") has also stuck in my head over the years, and I would love to see it on DVD.
I am not THE ONLY ONE....
It had all the elements that a guy growing up in the 1960's could want.
hindle087222 January 2007
This CBS sitcom ran only one season from September 11, 1966 until August 27, 1967 and starred Jack Mullaney and Frank Aletter as two sixties astronauts who break the time barrier and end up in prehistoric times. 'It's About Time' had all the elements that a kid growing up in the 1960's could possibly want. At least all that this shy, egg headed ape who had an unusual sense of the ironic and a penchant for the ridiculous could want. It had space and time travel, the theory of relativity, dinosaurs, cavemen and strangely compelling images of robustly proportioned cave women being dragged by their hair into darkened caves. Whatever for, I couldn't possible tell. But it did seem like an very stimulating pastime.
I think you will all agree, they just aren't making T.V. like this anymore.
I think you will all agree, they just aren't making T.V. like this anymore.
Short lived comedy sitcom from the mid-1960's from the producer of Gilligan's Island
rcj536515 March 2011
It made have been labeled as one of the worst sitcoms of the mid-1960's. The short-lived series "It's About Time" ran for one season on CBS-TV producing 26 episodes in color for Gladysya-Redwood Productions in association with the CBS Television Network and United Artists Television. "It's About Time was produced by the same people who brought you "Gilligan's Island",under the creative brainchild of executive producer Sherwood Schwartz. The series starred Jack Mullaney and Frank Aletter as the two astronauts whom after their space capsule made a wrong turn somewhere in outer space,and cracked the time barrier. Astronauts Lt. Hector Canfield(Mullaney),and Captain "Mac" MacKenzie(Aletter) discovered that they were headed back to a world quite different from the one they had left. However,they landed in a swamp smack in the middle of the prehistoric Stone Age,and not far from a tribe of friendly cave dwellers. Among their new prehistoric neighbors were a friendly couple,Shad(Imogene Coca),and Grunk(Joe E. Ross),and their two children,Mlor(Mary Grace),and Breer(Pat Cardi),and their suspicious chief Boss(Cliff Norman),and his wife,Mrs.Boss(Kathleen Freeman).
This was basically a standard silly concept of a show that was basically designed for its target audience. "It's About Time" audience were mainly kids and older children,which basically got some good laughs and outrageous comedy from its two main characters who each week got into one mischief situation after another with Aletter in the Alan Hale,Jr.role(as the skipper),and Mullaney in the Bob Denver role(as Gilligan). The episode with the main characters in the prehistoric world were just as corny and laughable as they were and they prove it. One episode of the series that was telecast on January 22,1967 changed all that titled "20th Century,Here We Come!". This was the episode where the astronauts finally got there spaceship repaired,and managed to return to the 20th century,bringing back Shad,Gronk and their children with them. As for the astronauts adjusting to the prehistoric period,their counterparts Shad and Gronk had more trouble adjusting to living in modern day Los Angeles,aka 1967. Even more trouble and hijinks ensues when they have encounters with the superintendent of their apartment building Mr. Tyler(Alan DeWitt),and their supervisor at work at the Army base,General Morley(Frank Wilcox).
When it premiere on September 11,1966,the series "It's About Time" was placed on CBS' Sunday night lineup where the show replaced "My Favorite Martian",after four seasons. The show came on after the long-running animal series "Lassie"(which was still on the air and dominating the Nielsens on Sunday nights). Because of the low ratings that this series got,the series was on Sunday nights opposite NBC's "The Wonderful World of Disney",and the ABC action-adventure science fiction laced series "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea",which brought it to its death knell. After 26 episodes,the series was canceled on April 2,1967. To this day,whatever happened to this series? Out of the original cast members after this show ended,only actor Frank Aletter went on to bigger and better things,most known for his portrayal of Professor Irwin Hayden on the Hanna-Barbera live-action serial "Danger Island" which was part of the live action-animation "The Banana Splits Show".
This was basically a standard silly concept of a show that was basically designed for its target audience. "It's About Time" audience were mainly kids and older children,which basically got some good laughs and outrageous comedy from its two main characters who each week got into one mischief situation after another with Aletter in the Alan Hale,Jr.role(as the skipper),and Mullaney in the Bob Denver role(as Gilligan). The episode with the main characters in the prehistoric world were just as corny and laughable as they were and they prove it. One episode of the series that was telecast on January 22,1967 changed all that titled "20th Century,Here We Come!". This was the episode where the astronauts finally got there spaceship repaired,and managed to return to the 20th century,bringing back Shad,Gronk and their children with them. As for the astronauts adjusting to the prehistoric period,their counterparts Shad and Gronk had more trouble adjusting to living in modern day Los Angeles,aka 1967. Even more trouble and hijinks ensues when they have encounters with the superintendent of their apartment building Mr. Tyler(Alan DeWitt),and their supervisor at work at the Army base,General Morley(Frank Wilcox).
When it premiere on September 11,1966,the series "It's About Time" was placed on CBS' Sunday night lineup where the show replaced "My Favorite Martian",after four seasons. The show came on after the long-running animal series "Lassie"(which was still on the air and dominating the Nielsens on Sunday nights). Because of the low ratings that this series got,the series was on Sunday nights opposite NBC's "The Wonderful World of Disney",and the ABC action-adventure science fiction laced series "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea",which brought it to its death knell. After 26 episodes,the series was canceled on April 2,1967. To this day,whatever happened to this series? Out of the original cast members after this show ended,only actor Frank Aletter went on to bigger and better things,most known for his portrayal of Professor Irwin Hayden on the Hanna-Barbera live-action serial "Danger Island" which was part of the live action-animation "The Banana Splits Show".
I loved this show when I was 8!
axellaj25 September 2004
I really enjoyed this show when I was 8 years old! And as someone mentioned, one day it simply disappeared, without a trace.
Would I still love it now? Who knows? Time travel is always an interesting concept (even as goofy at it is here), and transporting cave people (who speak English!) to "modern" times would probably still be funny... But I used to love "Gilligan's Island" back then, and can't stand it now, so it's hard to say.
Still, it brings back good memories.
I have never seen reruns of it, but it wasn't even a full 'season' worth of shows (back then, 39 episodes a year was the norm, leaving 13 weeks open for "summer replacement" shows). I don't know why only 26 episodes were made. It must've rated pretty poorly at the time.
Here are the original, and amended, theme songs:
It's about time, it's about space, About two men in the strangest place. It's about time, it's about flight - Traveling faster than the speed of light. This is the tale of the brave crew As through the barrier of time they flew. Past a fighting minuteman, Past an armored knight, Past a Roman warrior, To this ancient site. It's about caves, cavemen too, About a time when the earth was new. Wait'll they see what is in sight! Is it good luck or is it good night? It's about two astronauts, it's about their fate, It's about a woman and her prehistoric mate.
It's about time, it's about space, About two men in the strangest place. They will be here right on this spot No matter if they like it or not. How will they live in this primitive state? Will help ever come before it is too late? Will they ever get away? Watch each week and see! Will they be returning to the 20th Century? It's about time for our goodbyes To all these prehistoric gals and guys. IT'S ABOUT TIME!
When the show's concept changed mid-season and the cave people moved to 20th century New York, the theme song changed as well:
It's about time, it's about space, About cave-people in the strangest place. It's about time, it's about flight- Traveling faster than the speed of light. About cave-people and the brave crew As through the barrier of time they flew. Past a Roman warrior, past an armored knight, Past a fighting minuteman to this modern site. It's about time for you and me To meet these people from 1,000,000 BC. It's about two astronauts and how they educate A prehistoric woman and her prehistoric mate.
It's about time, it's about space, About cave-people in the strangest place.
They will be here with all of us, dodging a taxi, car or bus. Where will they go? What will they do In this strange place where everything is new? Will they manage to survive? Watch each week and see. Will they get accustomed to the 20th Century? It's about time for our goodbyes To all these prehistoric gals and guys. IT'S ABOUT TIME!
Would I still love it now? Who knows? Time travel is always an interesting concept (even as goofy at it is here), and transporting cave people (who speak English!) to "modern" times would probably still be funny... But I used to love "Gilligan's Island" back then, and can't stand it now, so it's hard to say.
Still, it brings back good memories.
I have never seen reruns of it, but it wasn't even a full 'season' worth of shows (back then, 39 episodes a year was the norm, leaving 13 weeks open for "summer replacement" shows). I don't know why only 26 episodes were made. It must've rated pretty poorly at the time.
Here are the original, and amended, theme songs:
It's about time, it's about space, About two men in the strangest place. It's about time, it's about flight - Traveling faster than the speed of light. This is the tale of the brave crew As through the barrier of time they flew. Past a fighting minuteman, Past an armored knight, Past a Roman warrior, To this ancient site. It's about caves, cavemen too, About a time when the earth was new. Wait'll they see what is in sight! Is it good luck or is it good night? It's about two astronauts, it's about their fate, It's about a woman and her prehistoric mate.
It's about time, it's about space, About two men in the strangest place. They will be here right on this spot No matter if they like it or not. How will they live in this primitive state? Will help ever come before it is too late? Will they ever get away? Watch each week and see! Will they be returning to the 20th Century? It's about time for our goodbyes To all these prehistoric gals and guys. IT'S ABOUT TIME!
When the show's concept changed mid-season and the cave people moved to 20th century New York, the theme song changed as well:
It's about time, it's about space, About cave-people in the strangest place. It's about time, it's about flight- Traveling faster than the speed of light. About cave-people and the brave crew As through the barrier of time they flew. Past a Roman warrior, past an armored knight, Past a fighting minuteman to this modern site. It's about time for you and me To meet these people from 1,000,000 BC. It's about two astronauts and how they educate A prehistoric woman and her prehistoric mate.
It's about time, it's about space, About cave-people in the strangest place.
They will be here with all of us, dodging a taxi, car or bus. Where will they go? What will they do In this strange place where everything is new? Will they manage to survive? Watch each week and see. Will they get accustomed to the 20th Century? It's about time for our goodbyes To all these prehistoric gals and guys. IT'S ABOUT TIME!
I too have had this show's jingle in my head!
tennisfolks8 January 2007
I have never been to a support group or a UFO abduction meeting, but after reading the comments on this show in IMDb I feel as though I am now among kindred spirits. Hello, my name is $@$ and I too am a "It's About Time-aholic".
That darn theme song for this show has literally been bugging me for 30+ years. I would sing the first few lines to my wife, my brother and law, friends, neighbors, (most of which would grab their kids and run in their houses), and I have inquired into perfect strangers-all in an effort to learn the source of the song. I COULD NOT get it out of my head and I was desperate as to learn what show of which it originated. I could remember watching it as a kid, but I could not for the life of me remember the show's name. Tonight, on Ebay of all places, a good Samaritan has "shown me the light" by giving me IMDb site for this show. I just want to publicly thank him for this gesture, and I can now sleep in peace! "It's about Time" was wacky, funny, stupid, and very entertaining. I wish I knew what channel it came on back in 1966 and I would start a letter writing campaign to bring it back or at least get it syndicated on a DVD....This is why I love IMDb....a site simply full of information for young and old.
That darn theme song for this show has literally been bugging me for 30+ years. I would sing the first few lines to my wife, my brother and law, friends, neighbors, (most of which would grab their kids and run in their houses), and I have inquired into perfect strangers-all in an effort to learn the source of the song. I COULD NOT get it out of my head and I was desperate as to learn what show of which it originated. I could remember watching it as a kid, but I could not for the life of me remember the show's name. Tonight, on Ebay of all places, a good Samaritan has "shown me the light" by giving me IMDb site for this show. I just want to publicly thank him for this gesture, and I can now sleep in peace! "It's about Time" was wacky, funny, stupid, and very entertaining. I wish I knew what channel it came on back in 1966 and I would start a letter writing campaign to bring it back or at least get it syndicated on a DVD....This is why I love IMDb....a site simply full of information for young and old.
Everyone remembers this show that no one remembers....
horrorfilmx16 December 2006
I found the common thread through most of the member comments for IT'S ABOUT TIME to be hilarious: three pages of comments from startled people who all thought they were the ONLY ones who remember the show! And everyone can still whistle the theme song. The thing that captivated me about this show when I was a kid were the dinosaurs, lifted mostly from the movies DINOSAURUS! and THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN. In fact in one scene where a tyrannosaurus (from DINOSAURUS!) is supposed to be trying to attack some cave men hiding in a cave you can clearly see that it's actually digging away at the entrance to a mine, complete with supporting timbers and a sign warning people to keep out. Later on when (I assume) the show wasn't doing too well in the rating and the producers decided to bring cave people back to the future in a sort of BEVERLY HILLBILIES scenario I quickly lost interest. The only other things about the show that really stand out in my memory are the goofy cast of cave people (Mike Mazurki, Joe E. "Ooh! Ooh!" Ross, Imogene Coca, and a sort of prehistoric Daisy Duke who always wore nylons under her animal skins) and the fact that one of the two astronauts (I think if was Frank Aletter, although I'm not sure) had to dye his hand blonde because the producers didn't want two brunettes in the leads.
You know, that's a lot to stick in one's memory after forty years!
I could easily see this show being resurrected as a big budget theatrical comedy (replacing "cheesy" stop-motion dinos with cheesier CGI effects), with Tom Arnold as the leader of the cave family and Will Farrell and Greg Kinnear as the astronauts. Ugghhhh.......
You know, that's a lot to stick in one's memory after forty years!
I could easily see this show being resurrected as a big budget theatrical comedy (replacing "cheesy" stop-motion dinos with cheesier CGI effects), with Tom Arnold as the leader of the cave family and Will Farrell and Greg Kinnear as the astronauts. Ugghhhh.......
I too am not crazy!!
kitties-29 September 2006
I can still sing this damn theme song!! I was beginning to think I was insane...but finally I found the series in the IMDb. Like so many, I saw it when I was a kid and I loved it---I would like to see it again now and find out what it was REALLY like. I only remember some visual flashes, primarily Imogene Coca (I think it was her?) and a big dinosaur bone or skeleton... I think even back then I knew enough not to take it seriously, but I watched it religiously. Won't someone bring it back to TV, or publish it on a DVD or something? I also remember guys in space suits, and that I thought the dialogue between the spacemen and the cavemen was hilarious. I think I remember my parents laughing as well, so perhaps this was one of those shows, like Bullwinkle, that could be enjoyed on two levels...on the face of it by children, and on another level by adults? Dinosaurs and Space were really big back then.
Love this show!
Nicolab45326 April 2007
I so want to see this show again. I was also 9 years old when I saw it and the theme song has stuck in my head all this time! I sure wish sometime would put it on-line or on DVD or something! Imogene Coca was a riot as the cavewoman! I've tried singing the song to people to try to make them remember and I've had people look at me like I'm insane too! "It's about time, it's about space, it's about (something something something) the human race)" What were those missing words? It's definitely obvious that Gilligan's Island came from the same mind and sense of humor! If anyone ever hears about this show being out on media please let all of us "boomers" know about it!
Our Favorite Childhood Memory
rstoppe31 December 2003
My sister was 8-9, I was 7-8, and my bother 5-6 when the show ran and we still talk about it today. We got so into the show that our father threatened to ban us from it. I became Boss, my sister Shadd and my brother Grunk. It was our reversion to cave man language that almost led to the ban. The show disappeared without any notice or information. We were devastated. We maintained our characters for several years after the show and we still call each other Shadd, Boss and Grunk sometimes today.
We are 45, 44, and 42 now. Between us we have 7 children ages (18, 17, 17, 15, 12, 3, and 1). For years we have told them about the show and no could find information on it. Worse, none of our friend had heard of the show either. So finally I did an exhaustive Internet search and found lots of cool information including this site. From the comments on the show, CBS missed the boat for not running it longer. Like another favorite Star Trek, I believe the loyalty of the viewers would have generated grass root support to be enjoyed by generations. It would have been another Gilligan Island in reruns - but for only 26 episodes.
In my search I found someone with 20 of 26 episodes. I paid to have them duplicated and should receive them this week. We are having an It's About Time party on Jan 10th, 2004 with all the kids required to attend under penalty of no future support or food. I will let you know with a posting how it went. Also I will list the episodes that I have.
Emails about the show are welcome!
Rick Stoppe, Natick MA
We are 45, 44, and 42 now. Between us we have 7 children ages (18, 17, 17, 15, 12, 3, and 1). For years we have told them about the show and no could find information on it. Worse, none of our friend had heard of the show either. So finally I did an exhaustive Internet search and found lots of cool information including this site. From the comments on the show, CBS missed the boat for not running it longer. Like another favorite Star Trek, I believe the loyalty of the viewers would have generated grass root support to be enjoyed by generations. It would have been another Gilligan Island in reruns - but for only 26 episodes.
In my search I found someone with 20 of 26 episodes. I paid to have them duplicated and should receive them this week. We are having an It's About Time party on Jan 10th, 2004 with all the kids required to attend under penalty of no future support or food. I will let you know with a posting how it went. Also I will list the episodes that I have.
Emails about the show are welcome!
Rick Stoppe, Natick MA
I remember this show as well
alumni721 September 2007
I don't remember much about the show at all, except that I used to watch it with my sister. I was 7 years old in 1966 and she was 9, and all I recall is that some nights we were anxious to finish dinner early to go watch it. Thank goodness for our patient and understanding parents. I don't remember any details except for the first 2 lines of the theme song (It's about time, it's about space") - in my mind I figured the next line must have ended in "human race" so it would rhyme, but obviously I was wrong there. I can't share my memories with my wife - she was only 3 when the show was on - so it's nice to finally find other people who also remember the show - although you all seem to remember it more clearly than I do. Still, I'd be interested in buying it if it ever came out on DVD, and I would definitely be up for watching it on TVLand. I'm giving the show 10 stars - I can't recall much about the show itself now, but the memories that come back by just thinking about the show are definitely 10-star memories.
I remember it very well.
rokuteam20 April 2021
As an 8 year-old, I really enjoyed this show. My friends and I would parody the theme: "It's about time. It's about space. It's about your ugly face." We got a kick out of that.
When I saw National Lampoon's Vacation, I remembered Imogene Coca from this show.
It was the first ssho that got me started enjoying time travel movies (the next was Time tunnel). I remember the first part focused on the astronauts being stranded in prehistoric times and making friends with the cave people. Then they figured out how to return to the present time and brought their cave dweller friends with them. This ended up being two separate fish-out-of-water type stories in the same series that was only about a year long.
When I saw National Lampoon's Vacation, I remembered Imogene Coca from this show.
It was the first ssho that got me started enjoying time travel movies (the next was Time tunnel). I remember the first part focused on the astronauts being stranded in prehistoric times and making friends with the cave people. Then they figured out how to return to the present time and brought their cave dweller friends with them. This ended up being two separate fish-out-of-water type stories in the same series that was only about a year long.
It's About Time
helencamp0012 September 2005
I remember watching this show as a child of about 11 or 12 and even remember the theme song, although I do get mixed up in the words from the original story and the spin off story when the 'primatives' return to the present. I don't remember any of the episodes except I know I just really enjoyed the show. My children think I'm crazy when I am prompted by one of them saying "It's about time...." and I start to song the theme song - "It's about time, it's about space, it's about 2 people in the strangest place, etc.etc.....". It was really a nonsense show but good for a few (clean) laughs, something that is sadly missing on today's TV.
It's About Time for The Croods
trashcart17 April 2013
Man, I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers this corny TV show. I was 10 years old in 1967 and still remember parts of the theme song. I can see lots of similarities to Giligans Island, both in the sitcom and theme song. Yesterday I saw the animated movie, The Croods, and the combination of present-day lingo with a prehistoric cave man family made me think of the old sitcom series, It's About Time. Sure wish I could find the series on DVD or somewhere on TV as re-runs. Wonder if I would still enjoy it as much as I remember it from 45 years ago, but then again I still get a kick out of silly shows such as Gilliagan's Island and the Beverly Hillbillies.
It's About Time.....wasn't that bad of a show.
toko195912 February 2014
I remember watching this show also as a kid. I was saddened that they didn't continue it at the time. I too have been waiting/looking for it to show up on TV Land or something eventually, but it hasn't. I think TV LAnd should run it some Saturday or Sunday in the future as an all day marathon type thing. After 40+ years, I'd like to see it again myself. I found it quite funny & it had some good actors of the day portraying the astronauts and the cave man clan. Plus all the dinosaurs & volcanoes always kept my interests as a young person in 2nd grade. This, just like Gilligans Island never ran enough episodes. They were good shows to a person of THIS generation, that maybe the OLDER generations didn't like. You know, the Sinatra, Gary Cooper, & John Wayne generation. I do suppose it was cornball/stupid to those folks, but to a kid like me, I waited for it to come on each and every week.
Not a total failure
noah.phelps4 March 2001
In reply to the comment that this series was a failure, I must disagree. It not only lasted a whole season, it came back for part of another. In the second season, the astronauts and the two main cave-characters repaired the spaceship and returned to the present. I can't remember if the second series lasted the entire season, but I enjoy both the episodes in the past and in the present. These are, of course, the reminiscences of a 43 year old man remembering the long ago days of his 9th year of life. I have several times asked the SCI-FI channel to consider running the episodes to see if they would seem the same today as that time 35 years in the past.
WOW!! Glad to see so many of us aren't crazy!!
ladibugcrazi11 October 2007
Hey, I hate to repeat what has already been said, but' Boy, I thought I was losing it for so many years!! I started thinking I was dreaming of this show....and all I could remember was that jingle that played at the start of the show!! No one could ever remember what the heck show I was speaking of either! Well, it's nice to know us 40 somethings are not headed to the loony bin after all, huh?? Hope to see this show on the TV Land channel one day just to satisfy all of us, and bring back what was obviously some good memories from our childhood. This show had brought many good feelings as a child to remember it from so long ago..especially the theme song. Obviously, we were all a bit too young to keep all the details in the back of our minds unfortunately. I wonder with all the messages on this board, someone will bring it back at least for one time showing, just like for the anniversary of the first showing, maybe???
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