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Movie or Show Details

Ark II
Television
11 Sep 1976 - 18 Dec 1976
United States
English
Shown on CBS by Filmation
The Flies
Orkus
I liked this show because of the cool RV.  I later realized all of the Bible names used.  Adam a chimpanze.  Whatever.
Science Fiction; Future; Childrens
See Description
Ark II was a live-action science fiction series aimed at children that aired on CBS beginning in 1976 as part of its Saturday morning line-up.

The show starred Terry Lester as Ark II's commander Jonah, Jean Marie Hon as Ruth, José Flores as Samuel, and a chimpanzee playing Adam. The cast is notable for its racial mix and the Biblical inspirations for the character names. The show's setting was in the post-apocalyptic 25th Century, after Earth's civilizations were decimated by the effects of pollution, falling back to a level comparable to the Dark Ages. Surviving scientists pooled their knowledge and resources, training three young people (and a chimp, capable of speech) to search for remnants of humanity, and reintroduce what had been lost, as they travelled the barren landscape in the high-tech Ark II.

The series is best-remembered for this titular vehicle: a futuristic six-wheeled combination RV and mobile laboratory. The vehicle was built from a fiberglass body on a garbage/dump truck chassis by the Brukaber Group. It is sometimes incorrectly reported by the Ark II was built by Dean Jeffries, who constructed various fantastic vehicles for science-fiction films and TV shows. Most notably, Jeffries constructed the Landmaster for the film Damnation Alley, from the same era as 'Ark II'; the two vehicles are often confused. The front end of the Ark II prop was later re-used as the nose portion of the Seeker spacecraft in the Filmation series Space Academy.

In addition, the series also featured futuristic inventions such as a jetpack, and the Roamer. The latter was a smaller, 4-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, built by Brubaker from a modified Brubaker Box, a kit-car using a Volkswagen Bus chassis.

The series featured memorable guest stars, including Jonathan Harris, and most notably Robby the Robot (as the title character, built by Samuel in the episode "The Robot."

Only 15 half-hour episodes of the series were produced, however these episodes were replayed by CBS for several years.

The opening credits for each episode summarized the show's backstory:
"For millions of years, Earth was fertile and rich. Then pollution and waste began to take their toll. Civilization fell into ruin. This is the world of the 25th century. Only a handful of scientists remain. Men who have vowed to rebuild what has been destroyed...This is their achievement...Ark II, a mobile storehouse of scientific knowledge, manned by a highly trained crew of young people. Their mission: to bring the hope of a new future to mankind.
"Ark II log, entry #1: I, Jonah, Ruth, Samuel and Adam are fully aware of the dangers we face as we venture into unknown, maybe even hostile, areas. But we're determined to bring the promise of a new civilization to our people and our planet."

- From Wikipedia
English
Terry Lester as Jonah
Jean Marie Hon as Ruth
Jose Flores as Samuel
CBS - Distributor
Filmation Productions - Production Company
Links
Seasons / Episodes
1
11-Sep-1976
2
18-Sep-1976
3
25-Sep-1976
4
02-Oct-1976
5
09-Oct-1976
6
16-Oct-1976
7
23-Oct-1976
8
30-Oct-1976
9
06-Nov-1976
10
13-Nov-1976
11
20-Nov-1976
12
27-Nov-1976
13
04-Dec-1976
14
11-Dec-1976
15
18-Dec-1976
Songs
Opening Theme
Title: Ark II


Added: 27-May-2002     Last Update: 24-Jan-2007







Presented: 06-May-2024 01:48:08

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