User Reviews

Although a bit of a take-off on "The Fugitive", I loved this show back in the 60's. Christopher George was very believable in this part, and the weekly stories that underpinned his constant running from the multimillionare "Maintland" were pretty good, not great, but good. I found it a very original show for the time and there was a lot of action in it.

(for some reason these cast credits don't include the fact that Don Knight was the main agent responsible for nabbing Christopher George). I think if this series had had a bigger budget and a network that believed in it, it would have run 4 or 5 years and we'd be watching it in syndication today.

Like many ABC television shows of the late 60s and 70s, "The Immortal" began its like as an installment of "The ABC Movie of the Week". Often the network would show pilot movies and if they did well, they'd green light the series. Or, they'd do this to introduce the series. This was the case with shows such as "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" as well as "The Six Million Dollar Man"...and "The Immortal"...which was a short-lived series starring Christopher George.

When the film begins, a very rich but sick old man (Barry Sullivan) is in a plane crash. When he receives a blood transfusion, however, he recovers remarkably quickly...too quickly. The doctor on the case (Ralph Bellamy) investigates and the trail leads to Ben Richards (George). It seems that he has unusually powerful blood and he's immune to all illnesses and he also should expect an amazingly long lifespan! However, the rich old man is NOT a nice guy--and when he learns about Ben's special gift, he decides to kidnap him and hold him prisoner so that he can keep receiving this 'gift'. After all, the benefits of the transfusion are short-lived and the old guy realizes that he can also live for a very, very, very long time if he keeps Ben alive and keeps draining him periodically. He also might be willing to let other rich and powerful men have Ben's blood! Not surprisingly, Ben eventually escapes and then spends the rest of the film on the run...with the millionaire's goons always in pursuit.

This is a really neat idea and it left me wanting to see the TV series. Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to see it and only the pilot is available now on YouTube. Too bad...the premise is great...and a bit like "The Fugitive".

Quinn Martins Fugitive series was so good, that another company took a stab at using fiction to create the same show with a different twist. They took James Gunn novel about a guy born with a genetic defect, that he never ages, & the problems that creates in his life every time someone bad found out about that & tried to chase him down because they wanted some of his immortality.

Christopher George fresh from his WW2 series splash on the Rat Patrol became the guy. Of course he is still human & can be killed, but once rich people found out they could use his blood to stay young, they were chasing him just as fast as the police chased Richard Kimble.

The reason this did not get past the first season is that they did not get the dramatic scripts that the Fugitive got. The format was kind of limited too. Last but not least, the show failed to create much of a stir in the ABC line-up. The late 60's were not real pretty for ABC. They often got a lot of press with high concept shows like this one & the Second Hundred Years, but the shows lacked the quality to really hook the audience.

While this show was done pretty well & George showed a lot more acting in this than he did as a Rat Patrol member, it just did not catch on though there is a show I recall where Be Richards (George) mocks his main rich pursuer, Mr. Maitland pretty well. I am not sure I'd want to be afflicted with this type of immortality. It seems to me it is a big crutch as if I had it, with my luck, I'd wind up hooked to a bunch of tubes at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.

I remember this short lived series as a kid but the image and concept have stayed with me ever since. I'll never forget the doctor telling 43 year old Ben Richards, "by human standards, you're almost immortal". Then he does that escape sequence in a Mustang Shelby and I was hooked. Speed and sci-fi, what a combination.

I was in my early teens when this show aired. First was the ABC-TV Movie Of The Week that started it all. I was in heaven! Having read James E. Gunn's book "The Immortals", I was intrigued with the story line. Television, as a whole, has problems with sci-fi, but for people like me who don't like the mindless idiocy of sit-combs, and the dull conversation of talk shows, programs like this are priceless. I would love to see an updated version, but would sadly miss Chris George as the lead character. I have searched the web for references to this show, and have really found very little. This site is important in the fact that it carries so much info on the show. I now have a complete listing of episodes, air dates, and cast and crew info. There have been several attempts to resurrect the series, but not enough episodes of the original were done to facilitate it being aired in syndication. What a shame...

Christopher George plays an ace auto mechanic and test-driver for a wealthy corporation whose donated blood not only saves his aged boss's life...it temporarily rejuvenates the tyrannical tycoon, making him look and feel younger; turns out George's blood has total immunity against diseases and also stalls the aging process, making him a hot commodity amongst dying millionaires! TV-movie adapted from James Gunn's book "The Immortals" also served as the pilot for a short-lived television series the following year, for which Christopher George returned as Ben Richards. The acting stand-outs in this feature are Barry Sullivan as rich ogre Jordan Braddock and Ralph Bellamy as his moral doctor. Emphasis on plot-development and characters over action may try some viewers' patience, yet crack director Joseph Sargent wisely allows the yarn to unfold carefully, assuredly. Result is an enjoyable adventure tale with fine production values and a solid cast.

I saw this TV-movie pilot 50 years ago, when I was 13. I found the concept intriguing. I didn't remember much else, but after just re-watching the video, I was very impressed. Lots to like here! Starting with the star, Christopher George. Tremendous screen presence and magnetism, just like in his very good series, Rat Patrol. All the casting was exceptionally good. The dvd print is good and sharp, if not quite A+ (Mannix is the gold standard, IMO). Carol Lynley is terrific and of course a great beauty! Good dramatic tension and well paced. The relationship between Chris and Carol is a strong plus.

I tried to watch a friend's Vid of The Immortal tonight. I couldn't. It hurt too much. It was SO much a cliché hunk of nothing soap opera I had to turn it off.

Ben Richards, the brave race car driver who is immune to all of life's diseases. The evil old man Braddock wants to imprison him to vampire his blood so he will stay young forever. Sylvia, the soft focus blonde girlfriend of Ben who can't quite take it all.

I have seen worse, but most of it was made specifically for children. I remember enjoying it when it was first on, but I was an eight year old child then. It seemed interesting and adult then. Now, it's just painfully badly written.