"Oh, the pain... the pain."
Did Star Trek's high quality help Lost in Space?
- Thread starter Talos IV
- Start date
"Oh, the pain... the pain."
First season LIS overall is just okay. It's tolerable and isn't completely ruined by the rising prominence of Jonathan Harris. Being in b&w also seems to lend the show a moodier atmosphere. But even at its best LIS simply wasn't on the same playing field as TOS. After that, though, LIS got really stupid.
I tried a LIS revisit awhile back. I got through the first season well enough, but after that it quickly became excrutiating and I simply couldn't continue. If the show had remained at least on the same level of the first season it would have been an achievement (within its own context), but letting Harris have free reign became embarassing.
I will also say that there was some nice model work and f/x efforts during the first season that helped make it tolerable. There are some things there that would have looked nice if done on TOS.
I think a big difference is that LIS starts off respectably, but incrementally lost its overall vision. It chose to pander increasingly to what seemed to be popular rather stick to its initial idea. TOS was far more consistent in sticking with its vision with the most obvious deviation being the overtly comedic episodes of the second season which Roddenberry soon put a stop to. For all the panning some might direct at TOS' third season it was a distinct return to a more serious minded sensibility. When I was a lot younger I was much more forgiving of "I, Mudd," "A Piece Of The Action" and "The Trouble With Tribbles," but over the years I've been less forgiving. "The Trouble With Tribbles" isn't too bad, but the other two simply go too far for my taste.
I tried a LIS revisit awhile back. I got through the first season well enough, but after that it quickly became excrutiating and I simply couldn't continue. If the show had remained at least on the same level of the first season it would have been an achievement (within its own context), but letting Harris have free reign became embarassing.
I will also say that there was some nice model work and f/x efforts during the first season that helped make it tolerable. There are some things there that would have looked nice if done on TOS.
I think a big difference is that LIS starts off respectably, but incrementally lost its overall vision. It chose to pander increasingly to what seemed to be popular rather stick to its initial idea. TOS was far more consistent in sticking with its vision with the most obvious deviation being the overtly comedic episodes of the second season which Roddenberry soon put a stop to. For all the panning some might direct at TOS' third season it was a distinct return to a more serious minded sensibility. When I was a lot younger I was much more forgiving of "I, Mudd," "A Piece Of The Action" and "The Trouble With Tribbles," but over the years I've been less forgiving. "The Trouble With Tribbles" isn't too bad, but the other two simply go too far for my taste.
At the time the series began, Harris had just finished 2 years as the hotel manager on The Bill Dana Show, which also featured Don Adams as the house detective, a proto-Max. Some of his fans from that show might have followed him.
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On the 'TOS better', it was probably my bias showing. I haven't seen those earliest episodes in maybe 30 years, and originally in first run, but do want to get the first season on dvd. I think the series originally lost me around episode 13 or so, when I'd only watch it afterwards because it was science fiction. And Marta Kristen. The bias is because I saw that black and white first season on a color tv.
I'm about to start a rewatch of both my TOS and Lost in Space DVD sets. I plan on watching one episode of both a day for the next two or three months, or however long it takes to go through them. I've been wanting to do this for a while in order to see about this" competition" between the two (but mostly I just want to watch my DVD sets again since it's been a few years).
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I think the only reason those first few episodes stand out is because they chopped up the original unaired pilot to use for action scenes. The miniature work was one of the biggest draws for me, it was the only thing I cared about in Allen's shows when I was 14. One or two episodes appeared to use the Jupiter II miniature as a prop with the actors.
I think Smith was intended to be killed off in the first season, but Jonathan Harris saved Smith's and his asses. His real coup was snagging that 'special guest star' billing in the main title. As a kid, I was like, "Who the foo is Jonathan Harris?!" I knew Guy Williams from Zorro, June Lockhart from Lassie, Angela Cartwright from The Danny Thomas Show, and Billy Mumy from The Twilight Zone. Harris had never registered with me, though he'd been in at least two other series.
You didn't remember that Harris and Cartwright had also done The Twilight Zone? Granted Mummy's were the more memorable, but still....
Come to think of it, I think Lockhart did an episode too, but I'm not 100% sure of that.
EDIT: Never mind. I just looked it up, and I guess she didn't.
Back in those days when I didn't pay much attention to actors' names, I tended to confuse Harris with James Millhollin. I know Harris did a TZ about a man taking a bet that he couldn't talk for a year ("The Silence"), but it was a secondary character, and I was only 10 when it first aired. I didn't start really matching names with actors until 13. Shatner didn't register with me until Star Trek.
"The Hungry Sea" is just a plot-thin survival adventure. Typical of Irwin Allen. The only point of interest is the scene where the Robinsons pray after safely crossing the ocean, which was one of the last attempts (so early, too) to show the characters as having more to them than just barking at explosions, aliens and Dr. Smith.
On the other hand, no matter how much some love to kick "The Alternative Factor" for being plot-challenged, its still miles ahead of the LiS episode, if for no other reason than the study of a man essentially threatening to destroy all creation to end the other Lazarus. That he's focused on himself (instead of any thoughts about the other universe as a whole) played into a larger concept of how far one will go when hobbled by self-hate and seemingly suicidal tendencies.
It seems that "The Alternative Factor" divides fans according to what we are looking for in Star Trek. I've found the same thing happens with another non-favorite of mine, "The Savage Curtain." It's not my thing. But I still watch both episodes.
Smith was always intended to be a regular, not a temporary character. Only decades after the fact did Bill Mumy start saying Smith was intended to be killed off, but Harrris always said "dark eyed villainy had no longevity. It was boring." By adding comedy, he kept it unboring for himself and gave the character more "interesting" and "entertaining" scenes.
Had they kept Smith deadly serious, odds are, Lost in Space would have simply been anout the same as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and The Time Tunnel; straightfoward, but still with paper thin plots and silver faces aliens. It wouldn't have been more intelligent, it just simply wouldn't have been a comedy.
They did and, arguably, it made more sense on Land of the Giants. Smith tried to kill them all a few times in the first few episodes, but he and Will, for no reason whatsoever, became good friends. Barry and Fitzhugh grew closer because they were the outcasts and Barry's late father was a Navy officer. Fitz masqueraded as one in the pilot and wore the uniform throughout the series. Barry was an orphan who had no father figure in his life, but Will had the perfect family. There was no reason for Will to latch on to Smith like that.
I think it's interesting that Season One of LiS has the peppier, more jovial credit theme over a darker, more serious tone, while Seasons Two and Three have a more straightforward, driving adventure style theme over a much more comedic tone. Of course both themes are by this jazz composer who went on to do soundtracks for movies about sharks, revolution in space, and little boys who befriend aliens.
Some of John Williams' cues are among his best work though. I don't know the names of any of them, but one was usually played every time a monster was lumbering around. Started with slow low strings in a 4-note motif, gradually building to a crescendo with horns and percussion. They were right up there with top Trek and Outer Limits scores.
I agree, the Williams scores were really some of the best TV music of the era. My favorite can be first heard in the third episode as the Jupiter 2 is crash landing.
The Lost in Space music is getting the same complete box set treatment Star Trek did in 2012. Later this year, it's all coming out. Much of it doesn't come up to Williams' level, but a great deal of it is still really fine music.
The Lost in Space music is getting the same complete box set treatment Star Trek did in 2012. Later this year, it's all coming out. Much of it doesn't come up to Williams' level, but a great deal of it is still really fine music.
Agree, you nailed it perfectly.
I have liked Lost In Space ever since I saw the reruns as a young boy in the '70s. Albeit, I must agree with your analysis of what happened and why.
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