Lost in Space


Lost in Space is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968, on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 Johann David Wyss novel The Swiss Family Robinson. The series follows the adventures of the Robinsons, a pioneering family of space colonists who struggle to survive in the depths of space. The show ran for 84 episodes over three seasons. The first season comprised 29 one-hour episodes, filmed in black and white. The 29th episode, however, had a few minutes of color at the end. Seasons 2 and 3 were shot entirely in color.

Series synopsis

Overview

On October 16, 1997, amidst overpopulation on Earth, the United States is gearing up to colonize space. The Jupiter 2, a futuristic saucer-shaped spacecraft, stands on its launchpad undergoing final preparations. Its mission is to take a single family on a five-and-a-half-year journey to an Earth-like planet orbiting the star Alpha Centauri.
The show's ensemble cast focused on the Robinson family, which also consists of a married couple, John and Maureen, and their three children: Judy ; Penny ; and Will. John is a professor. The family is accompanied by U.S. Space Corps Major Donald West. The Robinsons and Major West are to be cryogenically frozen for the voyage, and they are set to be unfrozen when the spacecraft approaches its destination.
Dr. Zachary Smith, a physician working for Alpha Control, which is conducting the launch, is revealed to be a saboteur working on behalf of an unnamed nation or organization, with which he communicated under the code name Aeolis-14-Umbra. After disposing of a guard who catches him aboard the spacecraft, Smith reprograms the Jupiter 2s B-9 environmental control robot to destroy critical systems on the spaceship eight hours after launch. To his horror, however, Smith becomes trapped aboard, and after launch his extra weight throws the Jupiter 2 off course, causing it to encounter asteroids. This, plus the robot's rampage, causes the ship to prematurely engage its hyperdrive, and the expedition becomes hopelessly lost in the infinite depths of outer space.

Season 1

The first season begins as the Robinson family and their pilot are about to set out from Earth for a planet circling the star Alpha Centauri. Dr. Smith saves himself from the post-launch crisis of his own making by prematurely reviving the crew from suspended animation. The ship survives, but the damage caused by Smith's earlier sabotage of the robot leaves the crew lost in space. The Jupiter 2 crash-lands on an alien world, later identified by Will as Priplanus, where they spend the rest of the season and survive a host of adventures. Smith remains with the crew and acts as a source of comedic cowardice and villainy, exploiting the eternally forgiving nature of Professor Robinson.

Season 2

At the start of the second season, the repaired Jupiter 2 launches into space once more, to escape the destruction of Priplanus following a series of cataclysmic earthquakes. The Robinsons crash-land on a strange new world, to become planet-bound again for another season.

Season 3

In the third season, a format change was introduced. In this season, the Jupiter 2 travels freely in space in seven episodes, visiting a planet but leaving at the end, or encountering an adventure in space. They visit new worlds in several episodes, with both crash and controlled landings, as the family attempts to either return to Earth or else at least reach their original destination in the Alpha Centauri system. A newly introduced "Space Pod" provides a means of transportation between the ship and passing planets, allowing for various escapades. This season had a different set of opening credits and a new theme tune, which had been composed by John Williams as part of the show's new direction.

Cast and characters

Main cast

  • Professor John Robinson - The expedition commander and the father of the Robinson children. Robinson is an astrophysicist who also specializes in applied planetary geology.
  • Dr. Maureen Robinson - A biochemist who is often seen preparing meals, tending the garden, and helping with light construction while adding a voice of compassion.
  • Major Don West - The pilot of the Jupiter 2 whose military training and discipline is relied upon by the castaways.
  • Judy Robinson - The eldest of the Robinson children, she is in her early twenties and shares a mutual attraction with Major West.
  • Penny Robinson - The middle child. An imaginative 11-year-old who loves animals and classical music. Early in the series, she acquires a chimpanzee-like alien pet which she names Debbie and is usually referred to as the "bloop" for the sound it makes.
  • Will Robinson - The youngest child. A precocious 9-year-old in the first season, he is a child prodigy in electronics and computer technology.
  • Dr. Zachary Smith - Acting as Alpha Control's flight surgeon in the first episode, he is later referred to as a "doctor of intergalactic environmental psychology", an expert in cybernetics and an enemy agent. Smith's predominantly selfish actions, cowardice, schemes, and laziness frequently endanger the expedition, but his role assumes less sinister overtones in later parts of the series. Young Will and the Robot are often foils to Dr. Smith's outlandish behavior.
  • The Robot - A B-9 model, class YM-3, environmental control robot who has no given name. The machine was endowed with superhuman strength and futuristic weaponry, and additionally often displays human emotions. The Robot was designed by Robert Kinoshita.

    Guest stars

During its three-season run, a number of actors made guest appearances:
Jonathan Harris, although a permanent cast member, was listed in the opening credits as a "special guest star" in every episode of Lost in Space.

Production

Props

Props and monsters were regularly recycled from other Irwin Allen shows. A sea monster outfit that had been featured on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea might get a spray paint job for its Lost in Space appearance, while space monster costumes were reused on Voyage as sea monsters. The clear round plastic pen holder used as a control surface in the episode "The Derelict" turned up regularly throughout the show's entire run both as primary controls to activate alien machinery, and as background set dressing; some primary controls were seen used in episodes such as Season 1's "The Keeper ", "His Majesty Smith", and Season 3's "A Day At The Zoo", and "The Promised Planet".
Computers and tape drives were often depicted in various episodes using the Burroughs 205 commercial products. Spacecraft models were also routinely re-used. The forbidding derelict ship from season 1 was redressed to become the Vera Castle in season 3. The fuel barge from season 2 became a space lighthouse in season 3. The derelict ship was used again in season 3, with a simple color change. Likewise the alien pursuer's ship in "The Sky Pirate", was lifted from the 1958 film War of the Satellites, and was re-used in the episode "Deadliest of the Species".
Filming took place at 20th Century Fox Corp. studios and stages, Los Angeles. For season 1 & 2 Stage 11 and Stage 6 were used. Due to budget cuts in 3rd season the Jupiter 2, campsite and lower deck were shifted to Stage 17. Stage 11 was used for planet exterior, cave and various alien planet sets.

Character development

Despite being credited as a "special guest star" in every episode, Smith became the pivotal character of the series. The show's writers expected Smith to be a temporary villain who would only appear in early episodes. Harris, on the other hand, hoped to stay longer on the show, but found his character to be boring, and feared it would also quickly bore viewers. Harris "began rewriting his lines and redefining his character", by playing Smith in an attention-getting, flamboyant style, and ad-libbing his scenes with ripe, colorful dialogue. By the end of the first season, the character was established as a self-serving coward whose moral haughtiness and contrasting deceitfulness, along with his alliterative insults largely aimed at the Robot, were staple elements of each episode.

Catchphrases

Lost in Space is remembered for the Robot's oft-repeated lines such as "Warning! Warning!" and "It does not compute". Smith's frequent put-downs of the Robot were also popular. Harris was proud to talk about how he used to lie in bed at night dreaming them up for use on the show. "You Bubble-headed Booby!", " You Cowardly Clump!", "You Tin-Plated Traitor!", "You Cackling Cacophony", "You Blithering Blatherskyte", and "Traitorous Transistorized Toad" are but a few, alongside his signature lines: "Oh, the pain... the pain!" and "Never fear, Smith is here!" One of Harris's last roles was providing the voice of the praying mantis Manny in Disney's A Bug's Life, who also says the line "Oh, the pain... the pain!" near the end of the film.
The catchphrase "Danger, Will Robinson!" originates with the series, when the Robot warns young Will Robinson about impending threats. It was also used as the slogan of the 1998 film, whose official website had the address "www.dangerwillrobinson.com".

Legal issues

In 1962, Gold Key comics, a division of Western Publishing Company, began publishing a series of comic books under the title Space Family Robinson. The story was largely inspired by The Swiss Family Robinson but with a space-age twist. The film and television rights to the comic book were then purchased by noted television writer Hilda Bohem, who created a treatment under the title Space Family 3000.
Intended as a follow-up to his first successful television venture, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Allen quickly sold his concept for a television series to CBS. Concerned about confusion with the Gold Key comic book, CBS requested that Allen come up with a new title. Nevertheless, Hilda Bohem filed a claim against Allen and CBS Television shortly before the series premiered in 1965.
An agreement was reached with Gold Key which allowed them to subtitle their comic "Lost in Space".
Additional legal challenges appeared in 1995, when Prelude Pictures announced its intention to turn Lost in Space into a motion picture.