Has anyone around here been a fan of Lost in Space? It was actually one of my first shows I watched as a Kid, before I watched Star trek. If there any people around here who like it, what are your memories of it? Favorite episodes, characters?
Lost in Space
- Thread starter MurphyCooper
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Yes. TRIP THROUGH THE ROBOT had the most exciting ending. THE ANTIMATTER MAN is as great as they say. Penny all the way.
I saw June Lockhart once in '98, Cartwright twice, and Mark Goddard three times over 20 years. Lockhart's 100 now....and Goddard, Mumy and Cartwright all wrote two books each on their LIS experiences..Mumy and Cartwright jointly.
I saw June Lockhart once in '98, Cartwright twice, and Mark Goddard three times over 20 years. Lockhart's 100 now....and Goddard, Mumy and Cartwright all wrote two books each on their LIS experiences..Mumy and Cartwright jointly.
I like the recent remake a lot more than the original.
The other Forbidden Planet knock-off? I've heard of it. 
It gives the distaffs much more to do, inside and outside the ship. And I like the sleek look of the newer, silenter Robot.
And then there was the Swiss family parentage.....The other Forbidden Planet knock-off? I've heard of it.
Robot was much, much more interesting. I wished there was more when it ended.
I liked season 1 of the original, though more in the early episodes than later on as Dr. Smith became more dominant. Season 3 had its moments, but most of seasons 2-3 was dire. The movie was pretty dire too. But the Netflix reboot was a terrific show, everything the original aspired to be and then some. They're the ones who finally got it right.
My favorite first-year episode with Michael J. Pollard and the mirror had great spooky cinematography by Conrad Hall. (Or televisionography.)
"Videography" is the word if it's shot on videotape, but since Lost in Space was shot on film, "cinematography" is fine.
Quite correct on the cinematography vs. videography distinction. And my understanding is that an individual credited as "Cinematographer" on a movie or TV series is more likely to be telling the gaffer how he wants the lighting, than physically operating the camera.
Never seen so much as a single episode of Lost in Space. I only recently watched YouTube videos of the first and third season "opens," purely for the sake of hearing examples of what John Williams was doing at that time.
In fact, I think the only thing Irwin Allen ever did, to which I've ever paid any attention, is probably Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Which I only saw in strip syndication. I found it entertaining, if hokey. I'd say that the comments on Lost in Space to be found in both TMOST and TWOST have probably permanently prejudiced me against any version thereof.
Never seen so much as a single episode of Lost in Space. I only recently watched YouTube videos of the first and third season "opens," purely for the sake of hearing examples of what John Williams was doing at that time.
In fact, I think the only thing Irwin Allen ever did, to which I've ever paid any attention, is probably Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Which I only saw in strip syndication. I found it entertaining, if hokey. I'd say that the comments on Lost in Space to be found in both TMOST and TWOST have probably permanently prejudiced me against any version thereof.
Yes, the cinematographer is the person designing the shots, not necessarily executing them. Same as how the set designers and set builders are different people.
Billy Mumy is a decent actor.
Still, I find classic Will Robinson to be regularly obnoxious....even when I myself was Will's age.
Doctor Smith IS Jonathan Harris, and vice versa. Not that John would leave people to die a la Smith, but both seem to monopolize the oxygen in their scenes. I feel the classic Robot is funnier than Smith could ever be, because he would surprise you on certain occasions. So I enjoy one-third of the Will/Smith/Robot troika and perhaps two-thirds of their actors.
''Special guest star'' indeed. In truth, a highly-overpaid all-too-predictable regular. But Kurt Kaznar took note and followed his example 2 years later.
Still, I find classic Will Robinson to be regularly obnoxious....even when I myself was Will's age.
Doctor Smith IS Jonathan Harris, and vice versa. Not that John would leave people to die a la Smith, but both seem to monopolize the oxygen in their scenes. I feel the classic Robot is funnier than Smith could ever be, because he would surprise you on certain occasions. So I enjoy one-third of the Will/Smith/Robot troika and perhaps two-thirds of their actors.
''Special guest star'' indeed. In truth, a highly-overpaid all-too-predictable regular. But Kurt Kaznar took note and followed his example 2 years later.
Harris was given that billing because he was added to the cast after the pilot, and all the other actors' credit positions were already contractually locked in. The only place left for him was at the end, but that would've meant getting lower credit and lower pay than the child actors. So crediting him as a "special guest star" let them pay him like a featured player, which was how they compensated for the unavoidably low credit placement. After all, series TV back then was largely anthology-like, the stories often driven more by the guest stars than the regular cast, so the guest stars were considered almost as central as the leads. (Look at shows like Star Trek and Batman '66 and you'll see that the credit order tends to be lead actors first, then the main guest stars, then the lower-tier regulars, then the lower-tier guest stars.)
So it wasn't about aggrandizing Harris. It was about making sure the rest of the cast kept the credit ranks and salaries they were entitled to, without shortchanging Harris in the process.
I'm not sure if that was the first time it was done, but it's become a common practice for special billing at the end of the credits to be second only to lead billing. A similar example was when Michael Shanks returned to Stargate SG-1 after a year away. The two regulars who'd been below him had been bumped up to second and third billing, and nobody wanted to demote them, so Shanks got a special credit, "And Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson," to compensate for putting him last.
As for Land of the Giants, Kaznar's placement wasn't his idea. Irwin Allen wanted to try to replicate Dr. Smith's breakout popularity by introducing a similar "special guest" antagonist character and the preteen boy he bonded with and hoping lightning would strike twice.
I also wondered why the only character name mentioned in the credits was always Penny's.....perhaps to compensate for getting less pay than Will's?
I also wondered why the only character name mentioned in the credits was always Penny's.....perhaps to compensate for getting less pay than Will's?
Well, no, getting "as [Character]" as part of your credit means getting paid more, because it's a special credit that way. Cartwright was a bigger name than Mumy thanks to her roles in The Danny Thomas Show and The Sound of Music, plus she was older than Mumy, so presumably her agent got her a prestige credit and the bigger salary that came with it. Credits are never just honorary (except for "Special Thanks" credits, which is where superhero movies stick the names of all the comics creators that aren't getting paid for the use of their characters and storylines).
In fact, Cartwright was last in the original billing order, so her "And Angela Cartwright as Penny" credit must've been the same kind of thing I was talking about, special last billing as a prestige credit. Come to think of it, that must be why they had to do the "special guest" credit instead for Jonathan Harris -- because Cartwright's "last place" billing was already locked in, so they had to do something different for him.
If we believe Marc Cushman (I'll wait for any snickering to subside) and the pay-related documents copied for his first of three LIS books, Cartwright received less then Mumy, who received more than Kristen but less than Goddard.
While Guy Williams (like Rob Morrow decades later), was not at first the highest paid actor (in 1990) in his TV ensemble (thanks to financial agenting by co-star Barry Corbin) despite his top billing.
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Loved the series as a kid and when I rediscovered it as a teen on various cable stations, I was thrilled. Practically obsessed. I hadn't seen the earliest first season episode before so when Superstation WTBS Atlanta finished the 3rd season and went right to the beginning again, I was floored at how serious it all was.
As I grew older, I found myself unable to watch a whole lot of the color episodes - and even some of the latter half of the first season was sketchy, already showing signs of things to come (with Space Hillbillies being the harbinger).
Favorite episodes of the first season - the first five, Invaders from the 5th Dimension, The Sky is Falling, Return from Outer Space, The Keeper, The Challenge, A Change of Space, Lost Civilization and Follow the Leader.
The second season, though, did have some gems and Irwin Allen knew how to make a spooky show for kids. While I would have preferred Mr. Nerim portrayed as an alien rather than an old prospector with a mule, Blast off into Space was solid and the last half is classic Lost in Space. The Ghost Planet is great and was the one I remembered most from childhood (primarily for the "double-one-five" bit), but also loved episodes like Wreck of the Robot, Deadly Games of Gamma 6 and Prisoners of Space. Anything with strong family/ John Robinson involvement would usually be a little better. But that second season was really the pits and came off like cheap children's theater - not to insult children's theater, I did my share. Some good, some not.
That season (1966-67) was when Irwin Allen was stretched thin with three shows on the air. LIS and Voyage were both doing some of their worst stories while Irwin devoted most of his energies to The Time Tunnel while developing Land of the Giants.
When Time Tunnel was cancelled, Irwin put more effort into his remaining shows while working on the first season of Giants - originally intended as a mid-season replacement but held back for the 68-69 season.
The third season of LIS was much better at the start. Irwin invested money in new model effects and the introduction of the Space Pod, another "where did THAT come from" addition that I loved. They also downplayed Smith to some degree, which was welcome after the overindulgences of year 2, gave more for the family to do and added more drama - or at least more action.
Condemned of Space, Visit to a Hostile Planet and Hunter's Moon were solid. Flight into the Future was also fun and I really enjoyed Space Creature for it's claustrophobic all-spaceship setting and a rare glimpse at evil Smith. Then things got rocky again for a bit as the ol' Smith was coming back into the fore - no way Jonathan Harris was gonna accept being marginalized for long and really, he and the robot were the draw. It's not like the Robinson's were actually all that interesting. But by this time, Guy was yawning his way through episodes and being pushed even further back. It gave Mark Goddard more screen time and his near homicidal rages at Smith were a highlight. Williams and Lockhart (the best actor in the cast and wasted in this series) were famously written out of two late season episodes for bad behavior - a act that bothered neither of them.
Still, more gems were to be found. Anti-Matter Man (considered one of the best of the run) is a great Guy Williams showcase - one that Harris dismissed when asked mostly because he's hardly in it. Williams overacts shamelessly, and it's not really "good" but it's a shinign bright spot because the episodes leading up to it were just so bad and aside from some weird side trips to silliness, the episode is startlingly dark (Evil John was planning to brain Will with a pipe apparently, but still mercilessly bludgeons the robot). Target Earth was also fine and The Time Merchant was a lovely fantasy and a look back into LIS history, with the series actually acknowledging the robot had changed over the series. Harris got to so some genuine acting instead of his usual mugging.
After that, the series ranges from guilty pleasure to downright awful. The Promised Planet is ridiculous as is Flaming Planet, but - again - they have strong family involvement. So does The Great Vegetable Rebellion, which - like Spock's Brain - is the knee-jerk pick for when someone has to name a worst episode. It's not. I reserve that for second season's Mutiny in Space. But it's also not good. It's bizarre and the music is the dregs, but it's just so off the hook, it feels like a fever dream by writer Peter Packer, who reportedly "didn't have another goddamned idea in my head."
So I would say I find just under half of the episodes still watchable, but mostly the series is a pretty tough go. Of the four 60's Irwin Allen shows, it's ranks third on my list.
1. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
2. The Time Tunnel
3. Lost in Space
4. Land of the Giants
As I grew older, I found myself unable to watch a whole lot of the color episodes - and even some of the latter half of the first season was sketchy, already showing signs of things to come (with Space Hillbillies being the harbinger).
Favorite episodes of the first season - the first five, Invaders from the 5th Dimension, The Sky is Falling, Return from Outer Space, The Keeper, The Challenge, A Change of Space, Lost Civilization and Follow the Leader.
The second season, though, did have some gems and Irwin Allen knew how to make a spooky show for kids. While I would have preferred Mr. Nerim portrayed as an alien rather than an old prospector with a mule, Blast off into Space was solid and the last half is classic Lost in Space. The Ghost Planet is great and was the one I remembered most from childhood (primarily for the "double-one-five" bit), but also loved episodes like Wreck of the Robot, Deadly Games of Gamma 6 and Prisoners of Space. Anything with strong family/ John Robinson involvement would usually be a little better. But that second season was really the pits and came off like cheap children's theater - not to insult children's theater, I did my share. Some good, some not.
That season (1966-67) was when Irwin Allen was stretched thin with three shows on the air. LIS and Voyage were both doing some of their worst stories while Irwin devoted most of his energies to The Time Tunnel while developing Land of the Giants.
When Time Tunnel was cancelled, Irwin put more effort into his remaining shows while working on the first season of Giants - originally intended as a mid-season replacement but held back for the 68-69 season.
The third season of LIS was much better at the start. Irwin invested money in new model effects and the introduction of the Space Pod, another "where did THAT come from" addition that I loved. They also downplayed Smith to some degree, which was welcome after the overindulgences of year 2, gave more for the family to do and added more drama - or at least more action.
Condemned of Space, Visit to a Hostile Planet and Hunter's Moon were solid. Flight into the Future was also fun and I really enjoyed Space Creature for it's claustrophobic all-spaceship setting and a rare glimpse at evil Smith. Then things got rocky again for a bit as the ol' Smith was coming back into the fore - no way Jonathan Harris was gonna accept being marginalized for long and really, he and the robot were the draw. It's not like the Robinson's were actually all that interesting. But by this time, Guy was yawning his way through episodes and being pushed even further back. It gave Mark Goddard more screen time and his near homicidal rages at Smith were a highlight. Williams and Lockhart (the best actor in the cast and wasted in this series) were famously written out of two late season episodes for bad behavior - a act that bothered neither of them.
Still, more gems were to be found. Anti-Matter Man (considered one of the best of the run) is a great Guy Williams showcase - one that Harris dismissed when asked mostly because he's hardly in it. Williams overacts shamelessly, and it's not really "good" but it's a shinign bright spot because the episodes leading up to it were just so bad and aside from some weird side trips to silliness, the episode is startlingly dark (Evil John was planning to brain Will with a pipe apparently, but still mercilessly bludgeons the robot). Target Earth was also fine and The Time Merchant was a lovely fantasy and a look back into LIS history, with the series actually acknowledging the robot had changed over the series. Harris got to so some genuine acting instead of his usual mugging.
After that, the series ranges from guilty pleasure to downright awful. The Promised Planet is ridiculous as is Flaming Planet, but - again - they have strong family involvement. So does The Great Vegetable Rebellion, which - like Spock's Brain - is the knee-jerk pick for when someone has to name a worst episode. It's not. I reserve that for second season's Mutiny in Space. But it's also not good. It's bizarre and the music is the dregs, but it's just so off the hook, it feels like a fever dream by writer Peter Packer, who reportedly "didn't have another goddamned idea in my head."
So I would say I find just under half of the episodes still watchable, but mostly the series is a pretty tough go. Of the four 60's Irwin Allen shows, it's ranks third on my list.
1. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
2. The Time Tunnel
3. Lost in Space
4. Land of the Giants
Good!
The chief of the hillbillies went on to possess Regan in THE EXORCIST. Many of you likely know this.
Kurt Russell was quite the alien punk in ''The Challenge.''
God knows where John and Maureen were in those 3rd year episodes like ''Space Beauty'' and much of ''Junkyard of Space.'' Perhaps they were fornicating. That might actually explain a few things.
Watched it for the first time about a year ago. The first season was definitely the best, and the tone of the show was very serious. Then season two was when things started to get campy, and the storylines predominantly revolving around Smith and Will Robinson, to the detriment of the other cast. And the suspension of disbelief as to why the Robinsons constantly put up with Smith's antics (many of which almost got the family killed) was just ridiculously silly. But season three was the worst, with the focus on making the show some half-assed action-oriented thing while still pounding on the camp. And Smith's over-the-top characterization became too much to handle. It was hard enough to get through season two, but I stopped halfway through season 3 because I knew things were just not going to get any better.
I will say this, though: the Robot was the real star of that show.
I will say this, though: the Robot was the real star of that show.
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