In the days where there were only three major channels, Operation Prime Time was an effort to create network quality programming for small independent stations. I can remember several films that aired locally from this effort, including Yogi’s First Christmas, the Rankin/Bass Jack Frost special, Solid Gold and The Girl, The Gold Watch and Everything. With the launch of the Fox Network, most of the independents all switched to that network and there was no further need for OPT.

This was directed by Kevin Connor, who has some pretty fun movies in his resume, including Motel Hell, The House Where Evil Dwells, From Beyond the Grave and The Return of Sherlock Holmes and plenty of others.

Written by Pat Fielder (The Monster That Challenged the World, The Vampire) along with Richard M. Bluel and Hugh Benson, who often were producers.

It’s a great idea — at some point in World War II, the gigantic ocean liner RMS Goliath was sunk by torpedos, along with its entire crew and 1,860 passengers. 42 years later, however, a crew led by oceanographer Peter Cabot (Mark Harmon) discovers that the ship is still intact, with 337 survivors and their descendants living in an air bubble utopia. Then again, if you consider a world with mandatory contraception and physical abuse utopia, then maybe it’s not for you. Leading the ship is John McKenzie (Christopher Lee), who saved many of them during the original accident.

Oh yeah — the Goliath also has sensitive documents from President Roosevelt, with Admiral Wiley Sloan (Eddie Albert) demanding that Cabot’s team destroys the top secret letters.

You also get Alex McCord from Airwolf, Emma Samms, John Carradine as an actor who replays his same movie over and over again*, Robert Forester, Frank Gorshin, Duncan Regehr, Kirk Cameron, John Ratzenberger and more.

*That movie is The Black Knight, which starred Peter Cushing.

You can watch this on YouTube.