Remembering the Forgotten 1959 World of Giants

The syndicated World of Giants (Sept. 5--Nov. 28, 1959) was the most expensively made television series of its day. The 13 30 minute black and white World of Giants was inspired by the success of the 1957 film, The Incredible Shrinking Man, along with a plethora of other tiny people B movies.

In this early fusion of the spy genre and science fiction, Mel Hunter (Marshall Thompson) was an intelligence bureau agent who, while spying at a missile site behind the Iron Curtain, suffered from a strange residue shower after a rocket filled with experimental fuel exploded. His molecular structure changed, and he shrank to six inches in height and was endowed with reflexes "somewhere between a hummingbird and a mongoose." He was paired with normal sized agent Bill Winters (Arthur Fronz) and used his unique gift in secret missions. Each episode opened with the narration:

“You are about to see one of the most closely guarded secrets and one of the most fantastic series of events ever recorded in the annals of counter-espionage. This is my story. The story of Mel hunter, who lives in your world, a world of giants.”

In another narration, Hunter told viewers:

"It was up to me to be careful 3600 seconds of every hour. I couldn't expect the rest of the world to live my way. To the rest of the world, my problems are not a matter of life and death. The Bureau guards many fantastic secrets. But none quite so fantastic as Mel Hunter - me. Following my escape from a nightmare behind the Iron Curtain six months ago, I watched along with 14 doctors and 17 scientists and saw myself shrink to the size of a six-inch ruler. The shrinking had stopped. The scientists were still hoping, still working on my case, and I was still a special agent ... a kind of special special agent."

In an uneven mix of special effects and anti-Communist propaganda, World of Giants played it straight with the little agent as fearful of daily life as the Reds. Falling pencils were as deadly as the dogs who growled and threatened hunter while he scurried under doors, up rose bushes, and lifted giant phone receivers. He lived in a luxurious dollhouse, exercised on a tiny gymnastics bar, and was carried around in a special briefcase equipped with a trapdoor over which was his built -in seat and seat belt. But he also suffered from nightmares taking him back to the mission that changed his life and showed considerable jealousy when his partner had romantic encounters.

For the series, producer William Alland discovered new uses for trick photography, notably split-screen filming, which helped reduce the costs of creating props. The program was shot entirely in Hollywood. Jack Arnold, who had directed two Alland productions as well as The Incredible Shrinking Man, directed some episodes.

Marshall Thompson, later Dr. Marshall Tracy of TV’s Daktari was perfectly cast, but no one could take his predicament seriously. As one producer noted, it’s difficult to believe your country could collapse if the hero can’t escape a playful kitten. No one could accept the notion of J. Edgar Hoover briefing a micro-agent in his office. Both intentional and unintended humor appeared in the visuals and dialogue as in one scene where a scientist asked hunter what he most wanted. “A five inch girl,” was the reply. When the series ended, scientists were looking for a cure, but no cure could help a series based simply on a gimmick.

Not released on DVD, you can see a number of clips from the show at YouTube including:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrdrW...