Citizen-Spy

The Irrelevant Expert 65
The show’s connection to nuclear paranoia films wasn’t just a matter of
coincidence; William Alland—producer of the films Tarantula, Creature from
the Black Lagoon, and It Came from Outer Space—produced several of the later
episodes, and Jack Arnold, who had directed the latter two Alland productions
as well as The Incredible Shrinking Man, directed some episodes as well. Though
World of Giants has occasionally been cited as a British production of William
Alland Productions, the show was conceived and shot entirely in Hollywood by
Ziv. This confusion is understandable, likely due to the inconsistent records of
Ziv in its final year and the thin distribution record, as well as to the fact that
Alland was a rather high-profile producer by Ziv Television standards. 46 Though
Alland’s participation improved the production values (to reduce the production’s
use of cumbersome and expensive oversized sets, he brought in Universal
Pictures’ special-effects cinematographer, Stan Horsley, who instead used matte
shots to represent the miniature agent), the high production costs and dubious
narrative hook led to a quick termination.
The series begins not long after Mel’s accident; the two agents remain
together as espionage partners, with Bill becoming Mel’s principal source of
comfort and protection. The two are sent on a variety of missions, generally