Brucey D
Originally conceived as a 'Swiss Family Robinson in space', this series ran for three seasons, starting out in B&W and then transitioning into colour in the second and third seasons. At the time TV executives assumed that it was a competitor for 'Star Trek' and whilst one might watch both shows, they really are very different.'Guest star' Jonathan Harris plays Dr Smith, and his antics provide much of the material in most episodes. The other actors, regardless of billing, have relatively minor roles, playing largely one-dimensional characters; they must have been bored stiff. The exception to this is provided by Will (Bill Mumy) and the robot, who have more to do. Interestingly, there are a similar number of Star Trek (TOS) episodes, and the costs per episode were comparable (Star Trek costing about 20-25% more); yet LIS looks a bit shonky and Star Trek, by and large, doesn't. Most of LIS is shot on the same sets, using various recycled props of various kinds. The Jupiter II sets were apparently incredibly expensive; I'd have to say it doesn't show. The music on LIS is a strong point though; here John Williams cut his teeth, and Alexander Courage contributed too.The premise of LIS is that the Earth is badly overpopulated, yet the family has three children. The plots mostly assume that they are 'lost' yet Earth appears to be relatively close-by; they quite regularly get close to it and then return to their starting point, ready for next week's episode. Space travel appears not to take very long. You would have to say that realism didn't play much of a part in the thinking of the show's creators.The problems with LIS though largely stem from the scripts; there is precious little in the way of drama or peril, and there is no sign of any exploration of deeper concepts or much curiosity as might befit true space explorers. In series 1 and 2 almost every week some new (and wildly improbable) character turns up, usually Dr Smith gets involved with them for his own selfish motives, comes unstuck, puts others in danger and gets rescued/survives somehow. Things are a bit different in series three, but against a background of rising costs, and poor audience demographics, it was too little, too late. Well, I say "danger, danger, Will Robinson! Same-y scripts, lacking in depth, are ruining what might otherwise have been a good show!"Like many U.S. series, there are too many episodes that were too much the same; like diner coffee, you can have nearly as much as you like, but it isn't really that good and you soon find that you don't really hanker for much more of the same. More is less; had they made half as many episodes, but each one well, it would have better show overall.
John Brown
I well remember watching this series when it was first aired in the UK sometime in the mid to late 1960s. Back then, it was different, fun, amusing and quite exciting to think of a family taking such a bold gamble and venturing out into deep space.Sadly, the years have taken their toll. After watching the first few episodes of a rerun I have to say that I find the whole thing bordering on the ludicrous. Even for the 1960s, much of the science is laughable and the way in which the supposed head of the expedition, Professor Robinson, allows the villain of the piece, the comically villainous Dr Smith, to do pretty much whatever he likes in his attempts to destroy mission, ship and family defies belief. The space ship wobbles around like a Frisbee and the sets are reminiscent of 'Crossroads' in their lack of solidity. A less likely group of astronauts is hard to imagine, wrapped up in their own little personal worlds and with none of the attributes of real spacefarers. The brilliant child, soppy sentimental girl, doting mother and potential young couple who might just become involved, simply don't cut it. As for the robot, he's a left over from 'Forbidden Planet' but has suffered a curious personality change, becoming alternately villain, friend and comedian. With a change of clothing and converting the 'spaceship' into a covered wagon, this would have been just the same as a series about pioneers in the wild west, and they wouldn't have needed to make much in the way of changes to scenery or scripts. When I was in my early teens I might have given this 7 or 8; today I can't bring myself to consider more than a 3, and that mostly out of nostalgia. It doesn't begin to compare with 'Star Trek' and really is a rather sad, silly and outdated offering.
raysond
Interesting points here on the commemoration of the show's 50th anniversary. First off, it was creator-producer-director Irwin Allen's second television series after the phenomenal success of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea",and his first weekly television series for CBS. "Lost In Space" was the first big-budget, prime-time science fiction/fantasy action-adventure series for television that originally aired on its Wednesday night time slot in prime-time. "Lost In Space" ran for three seasons airing from September 15, 1965 until March 6, 1968 producing 83 episodes. Only the first season was in black and white producing 29 episodes that ran from September 15, 1965 until April 27,1966. The next two seasons of the series produced 54 episodes in color(Season 2 consisting of 30 episodes and the third and final season 24 episodes)that ran from September 14, 1966 until March 6, 1968 for Irwin Allen Productions/Twentieth Century-Fox Television and the CBS Television Network."Lost In Space" had a top-cast of well known and respected actors that included Guy Williams("The Legend of Zorro"), June Lockhart("Timmy and Lassie"),Jonathan Harris("The Third Man",and "The Bill Dana Show"), Mark Goddard("Robert Taylor's The Detectives",and "Johnny Ringo")and Marta Kristen("The Man From UNCLE"),and two of the best child actors of the era Billy Mumy("The Twilight Zone"),and Angela Cartwright("Make Room For Daddy").Throughout it's impressive three season run and 83 episodes(more episodes than Star Trek on NBC)it was usually the highest- rated show in its time slot(going up against NBC's The Virginian and usually coming in neck to neck with Batman on ABC,believe it or not). The series boasted top name writers for some of the episodes ranging from Peter Packer to Carey Wilbur, Barney Slater, William Welch, Allen Balter, Jack Turley, Robert and Wanda Duncan, Herman Groves, Irwin Allen, and William Read- Woodfield. Top name directors ranging from Don Richardson, Sobey Martin, Nathan Juran, Ezra Stone, Harry Harris, Sutton Roley, Jus Addiss, to Leo Penn, Irving J. Moore, Leonard Horn, Alvin Ganzer, Paul Stanley, and Alexander Singer.Big name guest stars ranging from Albert Salmi, Michael Rennie, Kurt Russell, Warren Oates, Michael J. Pollard, Gerald Mohr, Henry Jones, Malachi Throne, Liam Sullivan, Vitina Marcus, Strother Martin, along with Mercedes McCambridge, Francine York, Sherry Jackson, Kevin Hagen, Daniel J. Travanti, Arte Johnson, Alan Hewitt, Lyle Waggoner, Al Lewis, and Richard Basehart. Spectacular art direction by William Creber(of Fantastic Voyage and Planet of the Apes),make-up by John Chambers(Planet of the Apes),and an iconic Robot designed by Robert Kinoshita(Forbidden Planet and Fantastic Voyage),and ultra-cool theme songs and music by John Williams(of Star Wars and Jaws fame). It had alien chimps(Debbie the Bloop in Season 1),one-eyed cyclopeses,and even talking carrots. What made the series stand out was it's cliffhangers during the first 2 seasons with the family facing constant peril and danger where it left viewers in suspense("To Be Continue...NEXT WEEK...Same Time, Same Channel)until the next episode and so much more. The format cliffhangers from the first 2 seasons would change over by the show's third and final season.Getting to the episodes and let me say that the show's first season opens with five dramatic and suspenseful episodes that rival some of the best science fiction stories out there ranging from the pilot episode "The Reluctant Stowaway" to "The Derelict". Then there were the other three that also stood out from "Island In The Sky","There Were Giants In The Earth",to "My Friend, Mr. Nobody", the two-part episode "The Keeper",and "The Hungry Sea" where the first season hits a road bump with "Welcome Stranger" which was very dramatic in its impact. Then the show takes a lurching turn in "The Sky Pirate". Season 2 picks up where the Season 1 left off this time in color with several good episodes ranging from "The Prisoners of Space","Trip Through The Robot",and "The Ghost Planet". The third and final season of the series saw "The Anti- Matter Man", "Hunter's Moon", "Visit to a Hostile Planet",and "Condemned of Space" stood out as the best episodes of the series. The worst episodes that came out of Lost In Space's three-year run consisted of the worst of them all "The Great Vegetable Rebellion",and from there the episodes got even worst and some outrageously over the top and ridicious ranging from "The Thief of Outer Space", "The Space Croppers", "Princess of Space", "Castles of Space", "The Questing Beast", "The Girl From The Green Dimension", "Space Beauty", "West of Mars", "The Curse of Cousin Smith",and "Mutiny In Space".When "Lost In Space" was abruptly canceled in the Spring of 1968 after three seasons and 83 episodes the powers that be over at CBS didn't waste any time in finding a replacement on it's Wednesday night prime time schedule for the 1968-1969 season which was the another action/adventure series from creator-producer Ivan Tors called "Daktari" that eventually replaced "Lost In Space".
