I had a bad night with my allergies; but it would have to be a very bad night indeed, if this hokey old TV series couldn’t lift my spirits.
In Search Of ran from 1977 to 1982 with Leonard Nimoy as the host. Because he became a major star by playing Mr. Spock on Star Trek, we tend to overlook the rest of his long TV career. This included his stint on In Search Of.
This show had everything! As World War II paratroopers used to say, “It’s foolish but it’s fun.” Missing persons, lost cities, UFOs, cryptozoology… and a neat disclaimer reminding viewers that “this series is based in part on theory and conjecture.” Lots and lots of conjecture! And by no means was it nothing but hooey. After all, for example, Amelia Earhart really did disappear on an attempted flight across the Pacific.
But the thing that really made it go was Nimoy. He had just the right amount of gravitas–no mean feat for an actor best known for pointy ears and the Vulcan nerve pinch. They came out with a remake in 2018, but without Leonard Nimoy it just didn’t work.
And you can watch all the episodes on YouTube! Next time you’ve got insomnia, have a little fun with In Search Of.
Nimoy had a lot going for him. He was skilled as an actor, had a great voice, and the fact that he played on Star Trek made him familiar to a great deal of the earth’s population. He came across as intelligent and credible. Gravitas is a good word to describe it.
He’s also wonderful as Samuel in a movie about King David (can’t recall the title).
Looked it up and found it: “David,” starring Nathaniel Parker as David and Leonard Nimoy as Samuel.
Well, he was Jewish, so that makes sense.
I remember that show but not individual episodes. And, yes, I watched it because it was hosted by Mr. Nimoy. I’ll have to look through YouTube to see the old episodes.