Production credits:
Producer Jill Sherman
Co-producer Robert Steinhauer
Created by James D. Parriott
Regular Cast:
Phineas Bogg Jon-Erik Hexum
Jeffrey Jones Meeno Peluce
Premise: Phineas Bogg was whisked away from his life as a 17th century pirate and was trained by members of an alien race known as the "Voyagers." Voyagers are a select group of men and women who travel through time by using a transporter device known as an "omni," a watch-like contraption with red and green lights to signify if history is on the right track or not. Voyagers are also equipped with guidebooks containing a compilation of history which instructs them about the proper course of time, and what to do when it deviates from its pre-destined direction.
Bogg ran into trouble when his omni (equipped only to travel to 1970) malfunctioned and took him to New York City in 1982. He landed on the 30th floor ledge of a tall skyscraper, outside the bedroom window of young Jeffrey Jones, a 12-year-old orphan who was living an unhappy life with his Aunt and Uncle. Bursting through the window, Bogg was promptly attacked by Jeff's dog Ralph, who managed to snatch away the Voyager guidebook. During the ensuing confusion, Jeff tumbled out of the window, only to be saved by Bogg using his omni. Unable to return to 1982, Jeff --a historical whiz -- remained with Bogg as an excellent replacement for the lost guidebook. They became the best of friends during their constant travels through time.
Voyagers (airdate: October 3, 1982). Bogg lands by mistake in Jeff's room in 1982 and the two are swept back in time without the all-important guidebook. They land in ancient Egypt and encounter Moses as an infant. They then travel to WWI France and discover that the airplane has not yet been invented, requiring a visit to the Wright brothers to set history straight, and a return trip to France that results in a deadly dogfight with the famous Red Baron. Guest cast: Wilbur Wright: Ed begley, Jr.; Orville Wright: Donal Petrie; Eddie Rickenbacker: Peter Frechette. Director: James D. Parriott.
Created Equal (airdate: October 10, 1982). The Voyagers land in 73 B.C. Italy, where they meet Spartacus, who, instead of leading the slave revolt in Capra, is being sent to Rome to die in the arena. Bogg and Jeff are bought as gladiators and follow Spartacus to Rome, where their escape attempt fails and they use the Omni to travel to Hannibal, Missouri. They encounter Harriet Tubman who should be working on the Underground Railroad, but instead is a slave. Bogg wins her freedom in a poker game while Jeff and a young Sam Clemens try to free her. Back in Rome, Bogg and Spartacus must fight to the death, but Jeffrey saves them with Cicero's chariot. Guest cast: Spartacus: Dan Pastorini; Harriet Tubman: Fay Hauser; Cicero: Jay Robinson. Director: Virgil W. Vogel.
Bully and Billy (airdate: Oct. 24, 1982). During the Cuban Revolution Jeff and Bogg discover that the rebels are losing the war because Teddy Roosevelt was killed by Billy the Kid years ago. On their way to 1889, they meet Ben Franklin, who is having problems getting his kite to fly. In 1889, the Voyagers join Billy's gang and save Roosevelt's life, and in the process Jeffrey learns a valuable lesson in hero worship. Back in Cuba, Bogg helps the rebels and meets Roosevelt again during his charge up San Juan Hill. Guest cast: Teddy Roosevelt: Gregg Henry; Billy the Kid: Frank Koppala; Rita: Gina Gallego. Director: Virgil Vogel.
Agents of Satan (airdate: Oct. 31, 1982). The Voyagers land in colonial Massachusetts and are captured, along with Ben Franklin's future mother, as witches. Bogg uses the Omni to narrowly escape being burnt at the stake, and ends up in the future to assist a young Harry Houdini, who has denounced magic and now believes in ghosts. The Voyagers help Harry escape from being buried alive and Bogg and Jeff return to Massachusetts. By using one of Houdini's mirror tricks, they put an end to the Salem witch hunts through the use of a ghost-like "witch." Guest cast: Abiah Folger: Jennifer Holmes; Harry Houdini: Michael Durrell; Francis Scott Key: Andy Wood. Director: Allan Levi.
Worlds Apart (airdate: Nov. 7, 1982). The Voyagers are separated: Bogg is in Arabia with Lawrence of Arabia, while Jeff is stranded in the 1800's with Thomas Alva Edison. The Omni is in Jeff's possession and is broken, but he manages to get the light bulb invented. With the Omni finally repaired, Jeff returns to Arabia and unknowingly saves Bogg and Lawrence as they are being led to their deaths. A chase through the catacombs leads Lawrence, Medina, and the Voyagers to safety and Lawrence is reunited with his people. Guest cast: Lawrence of Arabia: Judson Scott ("V", "The Phoenix"); Thomas Edison: Steven Keats; J. P. Morgan: Robert Ackerman. Director: Ron Satloff.
Cleo and the Babe (airdate: Nove. 14, 1982). Cleopatra is accidentally taken from her time and lost in Prohibition Era Manhattan where she is taken in by the gangster Lucky Luciano. The Voyagers get Isaac Newton back on track and, in 1919 Florida, they help Babe Ruth to become a home-run hitter. Back in Manhattan, Luciano is going to use Cleopatra as bait to lure Babe Ruth into a trap. Luciano has a considerable amount of money bet against Babe hitting his 60th home run the next day, but Bogg and Jeff upset Lucianos's plans and Ruth hits his 60th home run. Guest cast: Michael Gregory, William Lucking, Andrea Marcovicci, Ken Swofford. Director: Bernard McEveety.
The Day the Rebs Took Lincoln (airdate: Nov. 21, 1982) Landing in 1863 Pennsylvania, the Voyagers find the South winning the Civil War because Abraham Lincoln had been kidnapped. An unplanned escape using the Omni takes Jeff and Bogg to London in the 19th century, where the Omni is stolen by Fagin and the Artful Dodger. With the help of Charles Dickens the Omni is retrieved, and in the process Dickens gets the idea for a new book. The Voyagers return in 1862 and prevent traitor Jane Phillips from kidnapping Lincoln, and later they attend the reading of the Gettysburg Address. Guest cast: Lincoln: John Anderson; Charles Dickens: Alex Hyde-White; Jane Phillips: Alexa Hamilton. Director: Harold McEveety.
Hickory and the Pirate (airdate: Nov. 28, 1982). After the Battle of New Orleans, Jeff and Bogg find the City in the hands of the British because the pirate Jean Lafitte had been hanged several years before, thereby changing history. After getting Lewis and Clark back on track, the Voyagers head to Nassau to convince Lafitte to give up pirating and to return to America. A hair-raising adventure with Black Bill Scraggins convinces him to do so, and after helping him win, Jeffrey gets a medal from "Old Hickory," Andrew Jackson. (Note: In this story Bogg's origins as a pirate are revealed.) Guest cast: Jean Lafitte: James Carroll Jordan; Andrew Jackson: Lance LeGualt; Scroggins: George Innes. Director: Peter Crane and Ernest Pintoff.
The Travels of Marco...and Friends (airdate: Dec. 3, 1982, special Friday showing). A trip to depression-era New York links Bogg and Jeff to a retired voyager; the greatest to ever live: Isaac Wolfstein. They take Isaac to an island to live out the remainder of his life, then land in Marco Polo's time only to find that Marco is not where he should be. To return things back to normal, Jeff and Bogg join Marco's caravan and Jeff manages to get caught by warriors who plan to sell him as a slave. Bogg returns to seek the advice of Wolfstein and ends up saving him from a nuclear test on the island. Bogg and Wolfstein return to Marco's time and save Jeff, then return Isaac to New York to have dinner with Albert Einstein, whose life they had saved earlier. Guest cast: Paul Comi, Michael Fox, Keye Luke, Mako, Paul Regina, Pat Renella, Manu Tupou. Director: Paul Lynch.
An Arrow Pointing East (airdate: Dec. 12, 1982). The Voyagers land in Sherwood Forest and meet an injured man...who shoots arrows at them! It turns out to be Robin Hood whom the Voyagers assist in an attempt to save Maid Marion. The Voyagers use the Omni to escape certain death, and travel to 1927, where they help Charles Lindbergh get the Spirit of St. Louis off the ground. Back in Sherwood Forest, Bogg and Jeff help a recovered Robin Hood save Maid Marion. Guest Cast: Robin Hood: Dan Hamilton; Charles Lindbergh: Jonathan Frakes ("Star Trek: The Next Generation"); Sheriff of Nottingham: Alex Rebar. Director: Ernest Pintoff.
Merry Christmas, Bogg (airdate: Dec. 19, 1982). On Christmas Eve of 1776, the Voyagers are caught as rebels and discover that George Washington is serving on the wrong side. After correcting the situation, Jeff and Bogg land in Pittsburgh on Christmas Eve and aid Sam Gompers and Jeff's great-grandfather, who is Sam's lawyer. An Omni escape returns them to George Washington's time in order to stop a traitor and witness the crossing of the Delaware. Back in Pittsburgh, Bogg attempts to leave Jeff with his great-grandparents, but Jeff refuses to stay. Guest cast: Washington: Peter Donat; Sam Gompers: Joe Dorsey; Stephen Jones: John O'Connell. Director: Ron Satloff.
Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley Play the Palace (airdate: Jan. 9, 1983). Bogg and Jeff land in Russia in 1917, and find that Britain is involved in the Russian revolution a year too early because the British Princess Victoria had married a Russian duke. They travel to Britain in 1857 and "invade" a wild west show led by Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley. It turns out that the only way to stop the marriage is for the duke to lose favor with the Queen of England by coming in second in a shooting match with Annie Oakley! However, before the match can take place, Annie is kidnapped. After helping Albert Schweitzer deliver medicine to an African chief, the Voyagers rescue Annie and stop the wedding. Guest cast: Buffalo Bill Cody: Robert Donner; Annie Oakley: Diane Civita; Albert Shweitzer: Christopher Cary. Director: Allan Levi.
The Trial of Phineas Bogg (airdate: Jan. 16, 1983). The Voyagers land unexpectedly in a dark, forbidding place. The Omni is not functioning and they soon find themselves in an official Voyager courtroom. Bogg is on trial for breaking the Voyager code of ethics and his prosecutor is the sinister renegade Voyager named Drake. Using information from the Omni's memory bank, the prosecution obtains sufficient evidence to have Bogg banished. At the last moment, Drake is revealed as a fraud who had tampered with the Omni's records. He escapes by using his own Omni and accidentally takes Bogg and Jeff along. They make a quick stop that allow Bogg and Jeff to save Sam Houston from a firing squad, but in the meantime Drake escapes. The Voyagers are brought back to court where Jeff, because of his glimpse into the future, is made a Voyager. After leaving the courtroom they make an attempt to capture Drake, once again leaving their guidebook behind. Guest cast: Drake: Stephen Liska; Garth: Harry Townes; Sam Houston: William McLaughlin. Director: Sig Neufeld.
Sneak Attack (airdate: Feb 20, 1983). The Voyagers, after landing in the Phillipines in 1944, find that America is losing the war because MacArthur was killed at Pearl Harbor. They go to Hawaii one day before the attack and while attempting to warn MacArthur, accidentally take Jackie, an American intelligence officer back to 1860 Utah. There, they try to help young Bill Cody make a pony express delivery of drugs past a band of outlaws and on to Salt Lake City. An Omni escape takes Bogg, Jeff, and Jackie back to Hawaii, whre they finally save MacArthur. During their adventures, Bogg and Jackie fall in love, but they reluctantly part to help Buffalo Bill...with the aid of a 1941 motorcycle! Guest cast: Jackie Knox: Brianne Leary; Bill Cody: Ike Eisenmann ("Fantastic Journey," "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"); General MacArthur: Frank Marth. Director: Paul Stanley.
Voyagers of the Titanic (airdate: Feb. 27, 1983). The Voyagers land on the Titanic, April 14, 1912, and immediately Jeff wants to warn to captain of the upcoming catastrophe. While on their way to the bridge, several crewmembers chase them and Bogg is caught by security personnel. Afterwards Bogg is told by one of the passengers of another Omni on board with a passenger, and decides to find the owner. Meanwhile the ship hits the iceburg and Bogg rescues a captured Voyager named Olivia. The captors watch increduously as Jeff, Bogg, and Olivia disappear using the Omni. The three Voyagers land in Louis Pasteur's Paris laboratory where Jeff is bitten by a rabid dog. Bogg and Olivia help Pasteur perfect his rabies vaccine which provides the cure to save Jeff's life. After Jeff recovers, they all leave to finish Olivia's original assignment: to get the stolen Mona Lisa off the Titanic. While Jeff leaves in a lifeboat with Bogg's Omni, Olivia and Bogg finish the job. The next day they all meet in France, where they go their separate ways. Guest cast: Olivia Dunn: Tracy Brooks Swope; Louis Pasteur: Will Kuluva; Haggerty: Lee de Broux. Director: Paul Stanley.
Pursuit (airdate: March 6, 1983). As a birthday present to Jeff, Bogg takes him to a gate to watch the launch of the Apollo 11. Instead, they find that the Russians made it to the Moon first because Werner Von Braun was turned over to the Soviet Union by a traitor in 1945. In 1945 Austria, the Voyagers make contact with Von Braun and his group of engineers and convince them to turn themselves over to the Americans. Bogg discovers that Erika, one of the engineers, has been forced by the Nazis to be a traitor. Bogg saves her brother from the Gestapo and Von Braun and his group escape to the American lines, setting history straight and putting the Apollo 11 on schedule. Guest cast: Werner Von Braun: David Olivier; Erika: Monique Van de Van; Otto: Bo Brundin. Director: Alan Myerson.
Destiny's Choice (airdate: March 13, 1983). The Voyagers land in 1928 Hollywood and are promptly arrested for crashing a movie set. They are "rescued" by Veronica Bliss, the star of the movie. However, the Omni is taken away from them by the studio people since it is believed to be a prop. The security personnel believe that Bogg is attempting to sabotage the movie: the first "talkie" called "Destiny's Choice," directed by Wild Frank Roosevelt! At the set the following day jeff retrieves the Omni and Bogg saves Roosevelt from the real saboteur, a friend of Veronica's. They make a final stop in 1924 New York to convince Roosevelt to leave show business and to return to politics. Guest cast: Veronica Bliss: Bonnie Urseth; FDR: Nicholas Pryor; Sam: Oliver Clark. Director: Paul Stanley.
All Fall Down (airdate March 27, 1983). Bogg and Jeff land in an isolated part of New Jersey, 1938, where they find Joe Louis training for his rematch against Max Schmeling. To stop Joe from giving up the fight, Bogg becomes his sparing partner. A lucky punch by Bogg nearly knocks Joe out and makes him want to quit even more. An Omni escape from the hostile fighting-ring workers takes the Voyagers to 1970 where they stop a would-be airplane highjacker and, after gas knocks everyone else out, Jeff must land the huge 747 jumbo-jet. Back in 1938, Bogg and Jeff convince Joe to fight and Jeff trains him like Rocky Balboa. Schmeling is defeated by Joe Louis and history is back to normal. Guest cast: Joe Louis: Sam Scarber; Stewart: Robert Lyons; Jack: John Hancock. Director: Ron Satloff.
Barriers of Sound (Airdate: June 12, 1983). The Voyagers land in 1890 Texas at the impending birth of Dwight Eisenhower, and discover that the telephone has not yet been invented. They go back to 1875 Boston, and Bogg saves the life of a deaf young woman. At Boston Universtiy they locate Alexander Graham Bell and find that he is not working on the phone because of a lack of funds. >From an old movie, Jeff remembers that Bell received his money from his fiancee, a deaf girl named Mabel Hubbard. He also realizes that he and Bogg must get Bell and Mabel to fall in love, but in the process Bogg falls in love with Mabel and decides to marry her. In the end, Jeff convinces him to leave her and sets history straight. Traveling several months ahead in the future they find that the phone has been invented and that history has been corrected. They then return to Texas and aid Mrs. Eisenhower's delivery, now with the aid of a telephone to call for a doctor. Guest cast: Mabel Hubbard: Lou Mulford; Alexander Graham Bell: Kenneth Gilman; Watson: Linwood Boomer. Director: Bernie McEveety.
Jack's Back (airdate: July 10, 1983). The Voyagers land in 1880 London, and save a young woman from a crazed killer. The woman turns out to be Nellie Bly and the would-be killer is supposedly Jack the Ripper. Nellie and the Voyagers are taken to the home of Arthur Conan Doyle, who is suffering from a writer's block, while Nellie is able to complete her famous trip around the world in record time. Guest Cast: Drake: Stephen Liska; Nellie Bly: Julia Duffy ("Wizards and Warriors"); Arthur Conan Doyle: Michael Ensign. Director: Dean Zanetos.
Source: "Epi-Log," Issue #1, Summer 1990