1 9 5 9 (USA)
13 x 30 minute episodes
This early sci-fi series starred Marshall Thompson as 6’2″ secret agent Mel Hunter who was shrunk to approximately 6 inches tall after being exposed to the radiation effects of a new rocket fuel while infiltrating a secret missile launch site behind the Iron Curtain.
While his physical appearance remained the same, a medical report stated that Mel now possessed “superhuman manual dexterity coupled with agility and reflexes many times faster than normal: somewhere between a hummingbird and a mongoose”.
Unable to determine what ingredient caused the shrinkage or how to reverse the process, the government classify Mel’s condition as top secret.
“The problem is to keep him classified and alive,” said Commissioner H.G. Hall (John Gallaudet), Mel and Bill’s superior (whom they call “Chief”)
Mel subsequently travelled around in the briefcase of his counterespionage agent partner Bill Winters (Arthur Franz).
Mel and Bill were assisted by Miss Brown (Marcia Henderson), a pretty FBI agent who worked with them out of Bill’s apartment (3B) at 37 Lynley Drive in Washington DC.
World of Giants was a syndicated series never seen on a network, and only 13 black and white episodes were filmed.
All the props (telephone, pencils, garden sprinkler, windows etc) were built at 12 times normal size, making this one of the most expensive TV shows of its time.
Mel Hunter
Marshall Thompson
Bill Winters
Arthur Franz
Miss Brown
Marcia Henderson
Commissioner H.G. Hall (“Chief”)
John Gallaudet
Episodes
Special Agent | Time Bomb | Teeth of the Watch Dog | Death Trap | Gambling Story | Chemical Story | Feathered Foe | The Pool | Rainbow of Fire | The Smugglers | Unexpected Murder | Panic in 3B | Off Beat