Camelot

Tag Area: Fictional Setting
Feature Film

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

We may never see this first movie adaptation of Twain’s story, since only three of the eight silent reels are known to still exist. The Yankee in this version is Martin Cavendish, who after reading Twain’s book, is knocked on the head by a burglar and slips into the time of Camelot. The result is high comedy coupled with a romantic interest and replete with motorcycles, explosions, Model T Fords, telephones, indoor plumbing, and lassos at a jousting tournament. As we did for Twain’s original, we classify the story as science fiction for the Yankee’s attempts at bringing modern technology to the distant past. And yes, the hero predicts a solar eclipse to save his life.

One review at Silent Hollywood indicates that the ending has Martin awakening from a dream and there is no explicit mention of actual time travel. With this in mind, we’re marking the time travel as debatable. Oh, and Mark Twain himself appears in the film, played by Karl Formes. —Michael Main
All this nobility stuff is bunk.
A portrait of Mark Twain surrounded by portraits of Harry Myers and five other actors from the 1921 movie.
  • Science Fiction
  • Romance
  • Comedy
  • Debatable Time Travel
Feature Film

A Connecticut Yankee

This version of Twain’s story borrows some sf tropes from Shelley’s Frankenstein (a mad scientist) and Kipling’s “Wireless” (recovering sound from the past), although all that is small potatoes next to Will Rogers’ folksy wit. His character—Hank “Martin—is tossed back to Camelot when a bolt of lightning and a suit of armor knock him over at the mad scientist’s lab, and at the end, he returns via a similar timeslip. In between, we get one-liners, tommy guns, tanks, cars, characters that are eerily familiar from Martin’s present-day life—and a lot of time to debate whether this version has a real timeslip or is just a dream. —Michael Main
Think! Think of hearing Lincoln’s own voice delivering the Gettysburg address!
A big-headed Will Rogers, in a suit of armor, rides a 1930s car past a princess and a castle.
  • Science Fiction
  • Comedy
  • Debatable Time Travel
Novelette

The Land Where Time Stood Still

Twentieth-century American Ronald Stratton and Arthurian damsel Elaise find themselves in a land with people from all ages as well as predators from the 400th century.

This may be the earliest use of something akin to a “wheel of time.” —Michael Main
Time’s all mixed up. It’s as if the universe were the rim of a great wheel, whirling through Time. As if, somehow, we have left that rim, shot inward along different spokes whose outer ends are different years, far apart, and reached the wheel’s axis where all the year-spokes join. The center point of the hub, that doesn’t move at all through Time, because it is the center. Where there is no Time. Where the past and the present and the future are all one. A land, in some weird other dimension, where Time stands still.
A red, bug-eyed future man and a modern-day man with ray guns hold off a Neanderthal, a Roman Centurion, and others.
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

Bing Cosby’s delightful portrayal of the Yankee Hank Martin (why not Morgan?!) begins in 1912 after he’s already returned from Camelot. He’s just traveled to England and sought out the very castle of his 6th-century musical adventures, where he proceeds to tell his story to the master of the castle.

Based on Hank’s knowledge of the castle and its displays, the time travel definitely occurred in this version, with both the travel back and travel forward caused by clonks on the head. And based on the ending, Hank might not have been the only traveler through time. —Michael Main
Docent: Kindly notice the round hole in the breastplate, undoubtedly caused by an iron-tipped arrow of the period.
Hank Martin: [shakes head and grunts] . . . I mean, well, that happens to be a bullet hole.
Bing Crosby in modern garb, places a protective hand around medieval Rhonda Flemming
  • Eloi Honorable Mention
  • Science Fiction
  • Comedy
  • Music and Musicals
  • Audience: Families
  • Definite Time Travel
Comic Book

Journey into Mystery #81

There Dwells a Dragon

Young Tommy’s father steps into a fog at the zoo and emerges in Camelot where there’s a dragon to be slain. —Michael Main
Can it really be that I’ve gone back into . . . the past??!
No image currently available.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: YA and Up
  • Debatable Time Travel
Novel

Cherryh’s Alternate Realities #1

Port Eternity

Living an isolated life on the spaceship Maid of Astolat, Lady Dela and her crew of cloned servants designed in the image of Arthurian legends are pulled into a parallel dimension, but despite the title of this first book in Cherryh’s Alternate Realities series, there is no actual time travel. —from publicity material
Then it was as if whatever was holding us had just stopped existing, no jolt, but like sliding on oil, like a horrible falling where there is no falling.
Two images of an Arthurian knight: one in a suit of armor, and the other in a space suit.
  • Science Fiction
  • No Time Phenomena
Feature Film

Merlin and the Sword

  • by David Wyles, directed by Clive Donner
  • (at limited theaters, Davao, Phillipines, 5 January 1985) [We’re uncertain whether this debut in the Philippines had the title “Merlin and the Sword” or whether that title was not introduced until the later VHS tape. We also don’t know whether the Philipines release was the full CBS broadcast from later in 1985 or was the shortened version for the VHS (or possibly some other cut).]
When Katherine Davidson falls into an underground ice cave beneath Stonehenge, she finds that Merlin and his lover Niniane have been trapped there for a millennium, whereupon Merlin and Niniane proceed to show Katherine the story of how Morgan le Fay trapped them. —Michael Main
Love cancels all curses, love breaks all spells. Love is a magic greater than any wizard or witch, warlock or shaman.
Edward Woodward (as Merlin) raises both arms amid a montage of Malcolm McDowell (as Arthur), Candice Bergen (as Morgan Le Fay), and othe Camelot residents.
  • Fantasy
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 1*

Christmas in Camelot

On Christmas Eve, Jack and Annie’s tree house transports them to King Arthur’s castle in Camelot. They arrive to find that all is not well in Camelot, Merlin has been banned, and all magic use is forbidden. Many of the bravest knights have been lost on a mysterious quest to the Otherworld. The Christmas feast is interrupted by a knight, who sets a challenge to find the knights and break the curse. He demands to know “Who will go?” Annie, naturally, accepts. She and Jack set out on a quest to the Otherworld, to bring back magic and joy to Camelot. —based on fandom.com
Draped in a flowing red cape, young Jack clings to his sister Annie who clings to the nect of a white, flying stag with a castle in the background.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Debatable Time Travel
Early Chapter Book

Geronimo Stilton nel tempo 1

Viaggio nel tempo

  • Time travel
  • The Journey through Time
  • by unknown authors
  • (Piemme, 2002)
Holey cheese! Geronimo Stilton never expected to set paw inside a time machine. But when Professor von Volt invited him and his family to travel, they soon discovered how the dinosaurs became extinct, how the Great Pyramid of Giza was built, and what like was like at King Arthur’s court. —based on publicity material
I rettili attaccarono tutti insieme i gettarono a terra Trappola. Gli azzannarono un polpaccio con le zanne affilate come quelle dei piranha, e chissa come sarebbe andata a finire se non fossi arrivato io agitando un osso: — Via di qui! Viaaaaaaa!

I dromaeosaurus, colti di sorpresa, arretrarono e si diedero a una fuga precipitosa.
translate Suddenly, the pack attacked all at once. They threw Trap on the ground, and one of the grammed his arm with sharp fangs. Who know what wouldhave happened if I hadn’t furiously waved the bone and should at the top of my lungs.

“Go awayyyyyyyyyyyy!” I yelled. “Scram!”

Taken by surprise, the Dromaeosaurs retreated and swiftly took flight.
Geronimo Stilton and his mouse family peer out the porthole of the Mousemover 3000.
  • Mystery and Crime
  • Audience: Children
  • Definite Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 2*

Haunted Castle on Hallow's Eve

In their magic tree house, Jack and Annie are again transported to King Arthur’s realm, where invisible beings, giant ravens, and mistaken magic spells have a duke’s castle in an uproar on Halloween night. —based on fandom.com
Young Annie and Jack stare up at turret of a spooky castle with a full moon in the night sky behind.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Debatable Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 3*

Summer of the Sea Serpent

Jack and Annie travel in their magic tree house to the land of the mystical selkies to seek a magical sword for Merlin. —based on fandom.com
Stranded on a small rock in a rough sea, Annie and Jack bravely hoist a heavy sword toward a menacing sea serpent.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Debatable Time Travel
Novelette

Magic Tree House: Merlin Mission 27*

Night of the Ninth Dragon

When a mysterious note invites them to Camelot, Jack and Annie travel in the magic tree house to the magical kingdom where they must find a lost dragon. —based on fandom.com
Young Annie and Jack face a fierce dragon at the edge of a volcanic caldera brimming with lava.
  • Fantasy
  • Audience: Children
  • Debatable Time Travel