MEMORIES:
PHOTOS:
Cast:
Diver Dan...Frank Freda
Miss Minerva...Suzanne Turner
Voices...Allen Swift
Miss Minerva...Suzanne Turner
Voices...Allen Swift
Release History:
1960 - ? syndicated
John Perlaine designed the TV show Diver Dan after his comic strip “Fish Tales.” One of the most unique and innovative shows in the early years of television, the series was shot through a fish tank, giving the action the appearance of really being underwater. Puppets interacted with real fish to create an authentic and one-of-a-kind look.
In the story, Miss Minerva is a wise and kind mermaid who rules this kingdom under the sea. She is being threatened by Baron Barracuda, who wants to overthrow her. It’s Diver Dan who comes to save the day, swimming around from the kingdom of Atlantis to the Baron’s lair. Diver Dan had 104 adventures, each lasting a few minutes before their cliffhanger conclusion.
All the characters on the show, other than Dan and Minerva, were some sort of marine life, including the Baron, his sidekick Triggerfish, and good guys Scoutfish, Finley, Sawfish Sam, Hermit the Crab, Sea Biscuit the Seahorse and Doc Sturgeon. Allen Swift, a voice artist who was a regular on popular shows Howdy Doody and King Leonardo provided the voices for every character in the series.
Diver Dan never got national exposure, so it never reached the popularity of Howdy Doody or Kukla, Fran and Ollie. But it’s definitely a lost treasure of early TV.
