Phrases like, “Danger Will Robinson” and “were doomed, doomed, doomed” were uttered by the characters in the 1965 TV show, Lost in Space. I couldn’t wait every week to see what was going to happen to the Robinson family, its handsome pilot Don West, the funny Dr. Zachary Smith and their always helpful robot. Each week, I waited to see if they fought off the creatures that attacked them from the previous show’s cliffhanger.Taken from Wikipedia:
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series that ran for three seasons, airing between September 15, 1965 and March 6, 1968. The first season was shot with black and white film, the rest in color. In 1998.. The show focused on the Robinson family and Jonathan Harris as Dr. Zachary Smith, whose cowardly character provides the comic relief of the show.
The series is a space-age adaptation of the novel Swiss Family Robinson. The astronaut family Robinson, accompanied by a military pilot and a robot, set out to colonize Alpha Centauri from overpopulated Earth. Their 1997 mission is immediately sabotaged by Dr. Zachary Smith, who slips aboard the spaceship Jupiter 2 and reprograms the robot to destroy the ship and crew. Smith is trapped aboard, saving himself by prematurely reviving the crew from suspended animation. They save the ship, but consequent damage leaves them lost in space. Eventually they crash on an alien world, later identified as Priplanis, where they must survive a host of adventures. Smith (whom Allen intended to kill) remains through the series as a source of comedic cowardice and villainy, exploiting the forgiving (or forgetful) nature of the Robinsons.
At the start of the second season, the repaired Jupiter 2 launches again, but after two episodes the Robinsons crash on another planet and spend the season there. In the third season, they travel to other worlds in attempt to return to Earth or to settle Alpha Centauri. The show delivered a visual assault of special effects, explosions, monstrous aliens, spaceships, and exotic sets and costumes drenched in the bright, primary colors that were typical of early color television.
The Storyline: In 1997, the Earth suffers from overpopulation and natural resource depletion. Professor John Robinson (Guy Williams), his wife, Maureen (June Lockhart), their children, Judy (Marta Kristen), Penny (Angela Cartwright), Will (Billy Mumy) and their friend and pilot, Major Don West (Mark Goddard), are chosen to travel on the Jupiter 2 to Alpha Centauri to search for a habitable planet for mankind to colonize.
After the Robinsons are placed in suspended animation, but before the launch, foreign agent Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris) sneaks aboard on a sabotage mission. He reprograms the ship's robot (voiced by Dick Tufeld) to destroy the ship shortly after it leaves Earth. He becomes trapped during launch, however, and his extra weight throws the Jupiter 2 off course, causing it to encounter a meteor storm. The robot's rampage causes the ship to become lost.
The Robinsons are often placed in danger by Smith, who is by turns a villain or an indigent. In the second and third seasons, Smith's role assumes a less evil overtone - although he continues to display many character defects. In "The Time Merchant", Smith travels back in time to before the Jupiter 2 launch, changing his fate. He learns that without his weight altering the ship's course, it would be destroyed. In an act of redemption, Smith elects to remain on board, thus saving the Robinsons' lives.
Allen produced a series pilot, "No Place to Hide." After CBS accepted the series the characters Smith and the Robot were added. The ship was redesigned with a second deck, and named the Jupiter 2. (It had been the Gemini 12.) For budget considerations, a good part of the pilot episode was reworked into the early series episodes. According to Lockhart, the show was intended to be called "Space Family Robinson", but Disney would not release the copyright. CBS was also offered Star Trek at around the same time, but it was turned down in favor of Lost In Space.
The first season emphasized adventure. It chronicled the daily adventures that a pioneer family might well experience if marooned on an alien world. These included dealing with dangerous native plants and animals, and off-world visitors. In the first season, only the special effects shots were filmed in color, in anticipation of reusing shots in color.
During the first two seasons, episodes concluded in a "live action freeze" anticipating the following week, with the cliff-hanger, "To be continued next week!." There was little ongoing plot continuity between episodes, except in larger goals; for example, to get enough fuel to leave the planet. For the third season, the episode would conclude and then a "teaser" for "next week's exciting adventure!" would show highlights from the next episode just before the closing credits began.
After cancellation, the show was successful in reruns, and syndication for many years, most recently on FX and Sci-Fi Channel.
Stylistically, the series was of high quality, featuring what was expected for space travel at the time; eye-catching silver, tapered space-suits, laser guns and spectacular props and sets. We all know that in 1997 this never happened.
In 1998,Lost in Space was made into a feature-length motion picture, starring William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Matt LeBlanc, Gary Oldman, Jack Johnson, and Lacey Chabert. Instead of it being 1997 future like the show, for obvious reasons, the movie featured the year 2058 and had basically the same storyline as the show. Well, it started out that way, then got real weird and lost its appeal. The show, however, will always remain a favorite of mine when I was a young girl.
