CBS Television Distribution

In the Hawaii Five-O episode "A Long Time Ago," Danny finds himself tangled in a web of lies told by an ex-girlfriend who is now a... petty convict. Does it seem like Danny can't pick the right woman throughout the series? Maybe, but at least he tries to help this one after seeing her at the station.

But enough about Danny and his failed relationships, we're here to tell you that the actor who played Roy Crawford in the episode was also a doctor in this 1977 space visit gone wrong movie.

Does The Incredible Melting Man ring a bell? Burr DeBenning was Dr. Ted Nelson in this sci-fi horror which was an ode to science-fiction horror movies from the Fifties and Sixties, as you can tell by the title. Since it was released in the late Seventies, an era when the movie industry became more complex, and technology improved, it wasn't a hit with movie lovers.

According to IMDb, it's about an astronaut who transforms into a murderous gelatinous mass after returning from an ill-fated space voyage. Colonel Steve West (played by Alex Rebar) and two more astronauts were traveling to Saturn when they were exposed to a blast of radiation. West, seriously injured, was the only survivor.

When he awakes, he finds himself in a hospital back on Earth with... his skin melting! Here's where Burr DeBenning's character comes in. As Dr. Ted Nelson suggests, West is going insane, and the only way for him to survive and slow the melting is by consuming human flesh.

It's good that Captain Kirk wasn't on that spaceship! (haha, no laughs? Tough crowd. Alright, back to our regularly scheduled program.)

Anyways, West goes on a little flesh-eating journey, which, obviously, you can't do that. So that's the plot.

The role of Dr. Ted Nelson is completely different than DeBenning's Hawaii Five-O character, but, hey, at least he's got range.


Watch Hawaii Five-O on H&I

Fridays at 12 PM - 5 PM Eastern

By using our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy