Lost in Space : First ep where they switched to farce?

First ep where they switched to farce?

Obviously it was in the first season, but does anyone remember which episode it was? Which was the first episode where Smith turned into a comic villain and the robot started having a wise-cracking personality?

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

The first episode where it's most obvious is "The Space Croppers" (space hillbillies). But I believe it moved gradually in that direction over several episodes.

How did the bumbling, cowardly Smith ever become a doctor and colonel in the military?

Continuity wasn't a strong point of this show.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

I remember seeing that episode a few months ago.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

I, too enjoyed the serious episode(s) and long lamented their change to "Doom of the week with ridiculous monsters". It wasn't until this year that I realized it all had to do with battling the campy "Batman" which was the RAGE at the time and absolutely owning LIS in the ratings. I found this out by watching "Decades" or WCBS.2, which I heartily recommend for vintage TV aficionados.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

The serious, more adult style episodes, were a lot more expensive to produce. Cheap crap costs a lot less to make than qualityusually. Look at everything nowadays. All garbage, but modern shows are cheaper to produce!

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

well, i'd say in the first 50 seconds of the very first episode broadcast (and every episode after it for the first & second seasons) when the "goofy animation" and the worst "cartoon theme" ever recorded begins :)

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Continuity wasn't a strong point of this show.
-'

Understatement of the last fifty years!

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

I have always thought that the final scene in the 5th episode was the first campy moment of the show. It's where the Robot is strumming a guitar while Dr. Smith sings a mournful version of "There's No Place Like Home". This scene ushers in the Warren Oates episode of a space cowboy complete with pretty much every 'Man from the west' stereo-type imaginable.

The fifth episode was the completion of the story line that was drawn out from the pilot to include Dr. Smith. Since he was was put into the script after the pilot had been completed, the writers had to flesh out multiple stories that involved the inserting of the Smith character and combining that with footage from the pilot. This got all the characters onto the season one planet.

At the point of this particular scene, Smith had already tried to scrub the mission, destroy the ship, screw up their first alien encounter, hi-jack the J2 and systematically kill everyone via the Robot, only to sort of save them by sending the Robot to warn them of the incoming excessive heat.

So now, what do you do with the character? Slowly from this point he was turned into an incompetent boob. Not quickly, but rather slowly over the next few episode, as the story lines became more fantasy than science fiction.

Great show, but I wish they stuck with the serious stuff for a little longer.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?



I wish they stuck with the serious stuff for a little longer.
I have a similar wish.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Very good observations! I'm catching the show on cable now and saw the episode before the one that ends with the robot playing guitar. Until that point, the show seemed much better than I had remembered. Then I saw the robot playing guitar and it once again reminded me of how silly the show was going to become.

It was interesting in that episode that Dr. Smith was right, since he stayed behind he wasn't subjected to the risk the rest of the family was by trying to head South.

It does seem odd that Dr. Smith wanted to see the rest of the family killed, then he would be all alone and doubtful he would know how to repair or pilot the ship to get out of there.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

"Jonny Hapgood" really let me down on the showless and less mystery, science and adventure, and more fantasy and 2 camera setups

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?


It does seem odd that Dr. Smith wanted to see the rest of the family killed, then he would be all alone and doubtful he would know how to repair or pilot the ship to get out of there.


You have to remember that Dr. Smith kept on clinging to the delusion that Aolus 14 Umbra was going to somehow come to his rescue, hence the reason he continually tried to kill the Robinsons and thus carry out his mission. By the end of Episode 5 where he sends the robot to save the family, I think he has FINALLY realized that they are not going to come to his aid.

Also, you have to remember that Smith only sends the Robot to warn the Robinson's AFTER he has found out that the Robot could not pilot the ship. He actually needs them to an extent now, hence "St Zachary the Third", LOL! He proceeds to convince them upon their return that he has seen the error of his ways. From this point forward, Smith is a defeated saboteur who will now play the incompetent oaf so that the family has less and less reason to suspect that he purposely sabotaged the ship.

I've often wondered what would have happened to Dr. Smith had they actually made it back to Earth. Wasn't it the third season that revealed that Smith already had the authorities on his trail when he and the robot went back in time? It implies that even had he sabotaged the ship and escaped as planned, that he still would have been caught and tried for treason.

One element I liked in the 1998 disaster of a Lost in Space movie was that Smith's employers never had any intention of paying him, purposely causing him to be trapped and thus dying along with the family.

- - - - - - -
I am not a fan. I just happen to enjoy movies. Fans are embarrassing.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Definitely episode Five. In order to utilise the existing footage of the Robinsons and Don traveling through the lake in the chariot, the writers had Smith and the Robot remain in the Jupiter 2.

The new footage of Smith and the robot shows them having their first comical tte--tte and the first of Smith's alliterative insults "you pusillanimous pip-squeak."

However, the stupidity really begins with episode six. Corn pipe smoking space cowboy Jimmy Hapgood arrives in what looks like a Mercury capsule (actually the recycled space probe from the VTTBOTS episode The Indestructible Man) who, using 1960s space technology, and no food supply, has traveled as far into space as the Robinsons. I'm assuming Warren Oates shot his agent shortly after this episode was aired.

The other staple of Dr. Smith's newfound effete persona appears at the end of episode seven, when for the first time, he looks into the camera and exclaims "oh, the pain."





What!!! No Gravy???

Check out the FAQ. http://tinyurl.com/cf6pvux

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?


Great show, but I wish they stuck with the serious stuff for a little longer.


Your comments were good, but the show was far from great. It really is one of the worst series of 60s, and there were some pretty bad ones.

It is well understood that they were trying to compete with Batman, but they did it soooooooo badly. The producers\writers of LIS had no sense of how to be campy like Batman, and its painful to watch most of the LIS episodes because they were attempting to be campy, as in "bad" but funny, yet its turn out to be very bad, and not funny.

I feel bad for the lead actors who signed up to do a serious show, and end up being supporting characters to moron doctor, a boy, and a robot. There rest were just there to feed lines to those three, and pick up weekly check. I can only image how tick off Guy Williams was having his show turn into garbage where he more-or-less say "Stop it Smith" a few times each episode, and has nothing else to do.

The same time LIS was in production, there were far better saturday morning shows than LIS.

My favorite nickname for LIS is "Loosers In Space"


Re: First ep where they switched to farce?


It is well understood that they were trying to compete with Batman

That's pretty interesting, they were competing with a show that didn't come out for another year!
How do you suppose they did that? It must have REALLY been sci-fi, to have time warped to 1966, seen that "Batman" would debut on ABC, the time warp back to 1965 to introduce dimwit Dr Smith to the show!
My favorite nickname for idiots that don't know what they are talking about is.megancraft.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?


That's pretty interesting, they were competing with a show that didn't come out for another year!
How do you suppose they did that? It must have REALLY been sci-fi, to have time warped to 1966, seen that "Batman" would debut on ABC, the time warp back to 1965 to introduce dimwit Dr Smith to the show!
My favorite nickname for idiots that don't know what they are talking about is.megancraft.


It was the second year when the show shifted toward being campy to compete with Batman. LIS was not attempting to be campy during the first season. For the later half of the 1st season, Dr. Smith was used as comic relief, with the leads actors still the focus of the episodes. In the second season, the leads were demoted to supporting characters.

Batman Premeired in Jan 1966, halfway through LIS's first season, and its my understanding was killing LIS in the ratings, thus when LIS season #2 went into production the decision had been made to shift LIS into being campy.

The producers\writers of LIS didn't understand camp humor, and what they created was juvenile humor. Batman was camp targeting an adult audience, not kids under the age of 10.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Other popular nicknames for other Irwin Allen series:

Losers at the bottom of the sea
Time Tunnel for losers
Land of the Losers.

I do fully understand that for millions of people, including myself, these shows are nostalgic, representing a time when TV was the main event of the evening. Being nostalgic does not change the quality of these shows which are so, soooo bad.

I've read that CBS turned down Gene Roddenberry's pitch for Star Trek in favor of LIS. In hindsight, its hard to understand how anyone would make that decision given the long term success of Star Trek and the Billions the brand has made for paramount studios.


I loved how Batman lampooned LIS with "Same bat time, same bat channel"

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Space Cowboys, Space Pirates, Space Share Croppersall signs that the writing was going towards the pre-teen crowd

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

That's a good point.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Starlog Magazine claimed it was the ep Ghost in Space the Juiga board one the invisible monster "Uncle Thadeus"

(pardon spelling)

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

That sure was a farce. My mom and I have laughed for decades about when Smith kept saying, "Hear my voiiiiice" LOL

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?


Starlog Magazine claimed it was the ep Ghost in Space the Juiga board one the invisible monster "Uncle Thadeus"


YES.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

I've always felt the first five episodes are the best watch for good ol' sci fi feelings.

I do recall when I first started watching this show, it seems I recall an episode where Smith was in his striped nightgown and stocking cap and the Robinsons all just seemed to run around him, wanting him to do something as the ship tottered about.

I would love to know what episode that was from. To me, that was one of the earliest moments it seemed apparent the show was deliberately giving over to Dr. Smith foolishness.

I'm sure there was earlier moments, or more like 'comical' parody attempts that went too far.

I consider Warren Oates as the Space Cowboy to be one of the earliest bad episodes.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

I think Smith's transformation actually begins in the 4th episode, "There Were Giants In The Earth."

In the opening, he threatens Major West with a soup ladle and says "Threaten violence will you? Stand back, sir, or I'll drum on your noggin 'till it rings like the Canterbury Chimes!"

Shortly thereafter, in the aftermath of the Robot's attack on Will, he befuddles the Robinsons by proclaiming his need for "orange bitters" in order to make crepe Suzettes.

This is also the episode in which we get a long sequence devoted to fleshing out Smith's character by showing him shirking work at every opportunity while claiming to be preoccupied with other demands on his time.

The writer of this episode, Carey Wilber, has talked at length about the calculated steps he took to transform the character into something that would be more interesting to watch and have more longevity than a one-dimensional villain. In the beginning, the transformation was not Jonathan Harris' idea, but he certainly ran with it.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Well, Smith wasn't even THAT much of a one dimensional villain in the early episodes. Jonathan Harris brought a certain flair to his performance, having stated in interviews that the character on paper was humorless and boring. Irwen Allen loved those small little bits that Harris brought to the role, telling him to "do more!" (Jonathan's own words). This is what really lead to Harris having a lasting role on the show, and thus what led to Carey Wilbur trying to create a new role for the Smith character.

- - - - - - -
I am not a fan. I just happen to enjoy movies. Fans are embarrassing.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

We have to remember that high camp Batman was kicking everybody's arse in ratings at the time, thus heavily influencing the directions both LIS and STOS took in departure from their respective creators' original intent.

_______________________
Guacamole in my choos

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

An interesting find on the new Blu-Rays of "Lost in Space" is an unused second season theme by Warren Baker.

This theme conveys a much more light-hearted sensibility than either the first season theme (which was utliumately used in the second season) or the third season theme, both by John Williams.

In fact, the unused theme sounds more appropriate for a light family sitcom. It has no sense of adventure, danger, or technology to it.

This really indicates that they knew exactly where they were taking the show in the second season, but, apparently, this new theme was too much for them.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Sounds like a sucked but appropriate theme, and I would love to hear it somewhere. You can't blame them for bringing John Williams back though.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Lost in Space's journey into Farce - Part 1


LIS is a long time fav show and the "where it switched to Farce" question can be a hard one for some.

For me it's simple, because I accept Irwins writers had no real idea of science or even that 'Solar Systems" were NOT called "Galaxies", a common mistake in the show.

I also accept Irwins shows were on budget restraints so effects shots were re-useable "Kitset shots ie lkive action scene, cut to shot of chariot crossing some terrain back to live action.

If you look close the terrain the chariot is travelling in rarely matches the surrounding shots. In one episode you leave the Robinsons leaving the cave, which was a shot of the chariot turning a corner past a rock with a Matte painting of the cave over the top.

The VERY NEXT SHOT is the same shot without the matte painting of the cave, haha.

Only ever 4 same shots with meteors.

Always the same rocket missle passing the ship

Always the same terrain in crashed landings

Always the exact same planet for every planet shot after season 1 (twice in same episode for 2 diff planets, even)

This isn't farce, its the budget conscious restraints the series had to work with, without which the series would not have been possible (and can be upgraded later, as per Star Trek TOS)

Bad science aside and over-used stock shots aside, I relate farce to the BLATANT absurdity of the stories ie when the writers gave common sense away for some kind of visual / experiencial impact that is obviously ridiculous.

Think Cowboys, Hillbillies, Traders in space, Kings, Wooden Dragons, Fairy tale story ideas and cliches, Pirates, Ghosts, Police departments, justice system cliches, space miners, Airport Control setups, Space hermits with fake birds, Zoos, Circuses, department store managers, space arabic thieves, western gunslingers, Gambling mafias, space fighting ringmasters, Norse Gods and vikings, Knights, Superman androids, Magicians in space, Toymakers (a-la Santa Clause), Amazonian feminists, lookalike robots civilizations, space prisoners and wardens, Lighthouses in space, space hippies and beatniks, mexican banditos, Hotel setups, princesses, Beauty pagents, and everybodys favourite talking carrot with a human face cut in it.

All presented with every earthbound cliche in existence.

PURE CHEESE! (and still enjoyable for what they were, even the carrots good for a laugh, aye Mark Goddard, haha!.)

But the show was meant to be serious, aside from bad science references etc (Hey Galactica TOS got just as bad at times, they had westerns too)

Q: So where did it first REALLY jump the shark and start with farce!

A: No 6 - "Welcome Stranger"

This was Smith's first episode actually interacting with the Robinsons as part of the group.

The Robot playing the guitar at the beginning of "Welcome Stranger" was not farce. If the Robot could be programmed to do things, as is a Robot's concept, then thats not silly.

The family out to find the visitor was kool and had some believable suspense. Not a bad start.

When the the group looks up at the new arrival, unseen by us at that moment and Don goes "It Can't be!!"

THATS fine:

It could have been followed by the sight of something really cool and different and part of a good story.

LOST in Space was a good show for the 60's up until the edit point at the end of that scene.

Lost in Space "Jumped the Shark", no question about it, right there at that edit point.

THAT EDIT POINT was 'THE MOMENT OF CHANGE for "LOST IN SPACE"

For the scene directly after that edit point was a silver clad, hillbilly styled rural minded, brain-dead 'Cowboy' cliche who's word of greeting was a robust "Howdy" delivered with the full yokel mentality of meeting a new neighbour in 'them thar hills'.

Beverly Hillbillies Guest Stars had come to "Lost in Space" and started a trend that changed the show forever.


Meeting a traveller from Earth on this planet was not farce, I mean if other travellers had left earth on exploration missions and got lost, why not.

The story of that traveller returning to Earth with the kids was even believable, considering the situation and parents concern for their wellbeing, not knowing what was going to happen.

If they felt the visitor had a good chance, then fair enough.

Even Smith plotting to go back with the visitor himself wasn't over the top.

So what was the farce elements.

1/ - The COWBOY approach complete with cliche cowboy lingo and hillbilly mentality.

A/ - He missed a Saturn landing Saturns a huge gravity gas Giant and the idea of landing there is ridiculous to start with. So the premise here is silly throwaway farce in itself.

All that travel in such a small ship that was simply an Earth Standard small capacity rocket cone that had no superior propulsion capability (like hyperdrive).

It was a simple Rocket that wouldn't have managed evenm the 3 day standard trip to the Moon, let alone casually wandering from solar system to solar system.

Hapgoods manner is pure comedy cheese, a live-action "Hillbilly Bear" or "Beverly Hillbillies "guest star cousin" or something similar.

No credibility or believability factor whatsover in the Hapgood character.

2/ The Robot Component disassembly scene. .. This was pure and deliberate comedy farce lampooning a surgical operation complete with surgical cliches. It was a comedy setup with no credibility whatsoever.

If the episode had been played with a believable character of "Michael Rennie" style quality with a believable back story and plausable mechanics, like.

A new Hyperdrive travel test ship capable of covering vast distances (like the ship in "Change of space) and the astronaut decided he liked the exploration it afforded, and had realistic methods of securing food, fuel and shelter (even a tent setup with forcefield protection for campsites and a good supply of concentrated proteins), would have made the story workable and one that would have stood up in a good series.

And dropping the 'operation" thing altogether. A simple removal of the part needed would have been sufficient without the cliched cheese.


THIS is the episode that paved the way for the next silly spoofs and the descent into farce as they not only DID this episode they got away with it and that was an invitation to writers they could arite this sort of thing for the show.

Jonathan's comedy bit's for Smith also accelerated the trend - If Jonathan had played Smith like Fitzhugh in Land of Giants - ie flawed person in a believable way things would have been very different as this was another 'invitation' for writers to 'ham it up'.

And so the rot started..

"No 9 - The Oasis" was the next farcical outing with silly plot devices.

1/ The chariot and jet pack could have been used to search for water as the chariot was in other episodes, rather than long family hikes in the blazing sun ON FOOT!

2/ OK the fruit making Smith AND HIS CLOTHES grow, the effect could have been an 'enlarging field' that encompassed clothing also, not too far out of the way

but the script was full of references to "Jack and the Beanstalk" style of giant right down to boot-stomping.

And Smith didn't even walk around as a giant.

Maureen spoke to him later in the story and he was still standing IN THE SAME SPOT.

This could have been a reasonable story if handled better and the deliberate catering to fairy-tale influences hadn't been used.

In fact the story outline gave good philosophical insights into Smiths character "injustice Collector" and all that. the story had some great moments and was a pivotal story in the presentation of Dr Smith.

This could have led to him being shown as a "Fitxhugh style" charactor, ie person with flaws, if it had kept on that trail and avoided the blatant comedy / farce schticks Jonathan would introduce and get away with.

No 11 - "Wish Upon a Star"

Idea was interesting, a bid 'Kiddie fairy tale moralizing in approach, but not too bad


No 12 - "The Raft"

Starting to stretch things. OK the"Space Pod" idea didn't materialize til later (and this episode proves the pod was BUILT by John and Don between seasons 2 and 3 as it clearly didn't exist here in any form)

The raft idea was , yeah, OK, but the whole "Cast off" gimmick was childish. The serious approach was gone for this one.

Rest was OK except for the nature of the "Skunk Tree Monster" wanting Smith and Will to tend it's garden.

I mean, not much else can be said but this angle was straightup silly"kiddies corner" stuff.

No 13 - "One of our dogs is Missing"

Ok, the story itself was all good, the execution showed up the budget constraints but story was all good. Just the setup of some scenes

1/ - The ship broken into idea was dumb in the way it was shown, ie the mutant knew how to get the food and it ripped the cans in half resulting in jagged "comic book" tears with no warping or crushing of the metalI meanCome on..

That scene was purely a live-action cartoon schtick. Yogi and Boo boo could have appeared in frame there.

2/ - the mutant pulling the lower viewport shutters apart was plain silly. These things could withstand fasr heavy meteors and this critter just pulls them open. More - cartoon" stuff.

3/ - smith and the guns, no comment, it was a silly comedy farce schtick and nothing more. A plot device childishly handled to create the Robinsons as weaponless.

The mutant could have been more belivably resistant to lasers.

4/ The "Mulberry bush" style chase and fight with the mutant, unbelivable, unrealist, cartoon schtick farce.

5/ Smith thinking the dog was an invader - so childishly approached. His nervousness of the aliens in Sky is Falling was realistic paranoia, but not this!

What was up with the title, anyway?
Was the "One of our Dogs is Missing" title a reference to the fact the Dog, established as existing, just vanished.
I'm guessing the hungry mutant had a bit of "Pooch Suzette" and no-one wanted to deal with that happening.
The fact the title reflects the missing dog after the story itself is at least funny.

There was probably another reason for the title, maybe someone could explain it to me.

Sad as the episode was refreshingly different and could have been really good without the farce, cartooning and if an actual bit of professional believability was applied to the script.

The show is starting to 'resonate' with other shows of the time at this point, like "Beverly Hillbillies' and "Green Acres"

But a few clunker scripts in 60's TV is to be expected.

The next episode is where it really starts going downhill is a strongly obvious sense.


14 - "Attack of the Monster Plants"

This story could have been a really good one.

carnivorous plants dragging people into pits, not over the top.


Smith not rushing for help even if scared, what was up with that?

He ambles along and casually tells Will to take the rope to his father.

This was just lazy writing by a writer who couldn't be bothered to come up with a plausible reason to get Smith banished. Simple as that. LAME!

There was no reason for Smith to take this approach - It was ridiculous.

The duplicating cyclamen that fed on mineral ore - Not too out of the way with a bit of good execution and decent writing.

The stuff Smith had that was duplicated was pure farce and 'lifestyle cliche'

Shaving kit???, Really???
Smith was an accidental stowaway who had every intention of getting off the ship after programming the Robot to destroy the mission. are we to believe he PACKED FOR THE TRIP (later eps had him with a suitcase with cliche travel stickers even)

Judy getting duplicated OK - proper writing could have handle that and it was great for Marta to get something to do for a change.

The plants around the ship idea was kool. I found it refreshing.

The STUPIDITY came in with Smiths blackmail takeover attempt and the fact that the ROBINSONS were going to let him get away with it appeared so stupid it put the scene on a matching par with mad's "loused up in Space" parody

The rots setting in good at this point and the Smith character is fast descending into farce-cartoon cheesiness that would resonate perfectly with Batman and Robins camp lines "Holy takeovers Penguin I mean Dr smith"


This seemed to be a test-run as Smith dropped this kind of camp silliness for the next few episodes.

16 - "The Keeper"

This story held up well and part 1 could have been standalone single episode with 'Part 2' an apparent 'Tack on" to the part 1 story.


Michael Rennie was great as the zookeeper who didn't understand humans need for freedom and was keen on the kids as exhibits.

The silly stuff was at the end, forgetting the budget driven animals escape of same 3 aliens over and over with a flying bat thing from Wish apon a Star added. That part was budget. Not holding that against Irwin at all as it's simply all they could do.

Its the execution of the animal escape scene that is pure comedy-farce.

Smith goes in and in a supposed attempt to steal the ship just waves his hands over any which controls as though he was not only going to get airborn but effortlessly get back to earth

Its more like his "here are some pretty ones" button pushing approach in his later face schticks.

Cartoonish again.

OK - 1 dumb scene but the overall premise of the whole story was OK enough.

However.

This was the turning point for the series and where the "Alien of the Week "Guest Star" runthroughs started.

No 18 - "The Sky Pirate"

This is the direct descendant of the silliness started in Welcome Stranger, in fact its "Welcome Stranger" re-written with a pirate instead of a cowboy.

The opening alien ship approaches and lands, the crew go off to check it out resonated with the opening of "Welcome Stranger" and was pretty good, except the scenery of the trek to the visitor's ship wasn't as interesting, just desert and rocks rather than 'Welcome's" bush trek style.

This time the farce was even more deliberate and was present in the buildup.

A silly farce comedy routine with Smith before he sees a 'two headed shadow" that didn't even match what was next.

The pirate appearance was same as the cowboy but deleivered with Pireate cliche quivering style - purce farce but Albert Salmi did well with his character, as warren did with his cowboy, its just what the characters WERE and the setup behind them that was lame.


Unlike Hapgood Tuckers premise and setup was more acceptable.

He was an alien abductee from the western days and his description of ship travel implied a drive as represented in change of space way better and more within-story plausable than Hapgoods was in Welcome Stranger.

The rest of the episode was pure 60's comedy farce in pure cartoon, 60's rural comedy, "Gilligan's Island" "Walt disneyland{" styles.

Well delivered pirate cliches and a boys admiration and hero worship of 'a p[irates life" that resonates with the "every boy wants to run away and join the circus" style of approach.

The episode had some kool bits like the alien ship and the future forecaster and a bit of reasonable family concern of wether or not they have a tomorrow to be foretold

but otherwise a retread of the Welcome Stranger" outing

This was Lost in Space's 2nd FULL FARCE story (previous farces were particular scenes within otherwise OK stories)

The Trend has Started.

No 19 - "Ghost in Space"

The basic idea was OK, Smith's detonation of an explosive releasing an angry force that wrecks havock

Something good could have been done with that idea.

But instead we get Full Farce episode No 3 - Smith running around conducting seances and calling up spirits and catering to that idea which WASN't meant to be the real case, but having things flying around the ouija table - nope, the whole story was played as a joke.

No 20 - "War of the Robots"

Sory was OK for the idea of finding a robotoid from an alien civilization.

Having in replace the Robot and the robot getting jelous was stretching things a lot.

Once again a story that could have been OK if handled decently in the writing but it got cliches with 'family inclusion" cliched jelousies that would have more suited a sitcom show.

The story was the robot's "oasis" story where it had been decided to allow the Robot to have a sense of awareness and a personality and this was meant to be the first solid representation of it.

This is the first story where the Robot got "talky" and has human styled character lines.

The Idea of the Robot evolving to be self-aware and have a personality is not silly at all.

Other shows took this lead, Data on TNG and many others.

We have software today that can learn a user's inflections.

Its NOT far fetched that the Robot becomes self aware and develops feelings.

It was clearly stated that accumulation of experiences allowed this particularly in the later "Ghost Planet" story in the opening teaser.

The robot was written to be able to sense personality presences, recognise the familiar and also the unfamiliar, "Minds emit waves.." as presented in episode 8, Invaders from the 5th dimension. The Robot can sense personalities, think "warning: Alien Presence approaching"

Being that aware of personalities would have resulted in quick absorbtion of traits and becoming self-aware. THATS not farce, it was a good plot element, but, like Smith it went too far when Robot eventually spoke like any other character, often becoming as silly as Smith in some scenes.

This part was OK.

Its just the execution of the story was childish and cliched.

I wouldn't call it a farce episode but with was an episode that gave way to a bunch of farce and cliche approaches.

No 21 - "The Magic Mirror"

This wasn't farce but was a little childish.

The idea of a boy trapped in a spooky dimension that existed behind reflections (and could see outwards through mirrors) was good enough if it had been handled better.

It was a good LIS story but it could have been a bit more mature in approach - it was filmed with a childs point of view and was fair enough, kind of another go at the "My friend Mr Nobody" style of approach.

It wasn't as good as 'Mr Nobody" but was a good enough story

The silliness was the mirrors in the "Dimension of lost bits and pieces" just happened to be tuned in to the Robinson campsite mirrors.

Smith became an effeminate fairy in this one which foreshadowed his season 2 persona.

The stories were getting a bit childish in places at this point, but I won't examine that in depth here, subject here is the pure farce.

No 23 - "The Space Trader"

The 4th Pure Farce story

A space trader sets up on the planet and uses artificial storms to drum up business. says it all.

The cliched outrageousness, outside of the farce story itself, was the representation of Smiths inclusion by way of throwing a ball around with the family to represent him as being a member of the group.

It was off-beat, out of character and a blatantly silly plot device. This wasn't how the Robinsons had fun and it just didn't work as any kind of "Robinson campsite life".

Farce the story was, not even attempting to be realistic, and a true 60's comedy outing, the story is at least good fun, as was Welcome Stranger and Sky Pirate.


Continued in part 2

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

You Forgot that Angela Cartwright was not in War of the Robots

Billy Mumy was not in Magic Mirror

Also Welcome Stranger also was the springboard fore reused shots (Spaceship taking off) Music the heart to heart themeThe Robot's themes The fight theme AND the first appearence ofalien plants in the series SO WHY IS THE GREAT VEGTABLE REBELION SO BAAAD?

AsI once state the showspremise in almost every ep was soild it's what they did with it that ruined it

I should mention that in Great Vegtable Rebellion Penny has one of her best lines about plants being alive so why should hey not scream in pain on an alien world?

oooooh the pain

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?


No 20 - "War of the Robots"

Sory was OK for the idea of finding a robotoid from an alien civilization.

Having in replace the Robot and the robot getting jelous was stretching things a lot.

Once again a story that could have been OK if handled decently in the writing but it got cliches with 'family inclusion" cliched jelousies that would have more suited a sitcom show.

The story was the robot's "oasis" story where it had been decided to allow the Robot to have a sense of awareness and a personality and this was meant to be the first solid representation of it.

This is the first story where the Robot got "talky" and has human styled character lines.

The Idea of the Robot evolving to be self-aware and have a personality is not silly at all.

Other shows took this lead, Data on TNG and many others.

We have software today that can learn a user's inflections.

Its NOT far fetched that the Robot becomes self aware and develops feelings.

It was clearly stated that accumulation of experiences allowed this particularly in the later "Ghost Planet" story in the opening teaser.

The robot was written to be able to sense personality presences, recognise the familiar and also the unfamiliar, "Minds emit waves.." as presented in episode 8, Invaders from the 5th dimension. The Robot can sense personalities, think "warning: Alien Presence approaching"

Being that aware of personalities would have resulted in quick absorbtion of traits and becoming self-aware. THATS not farce, it was a good plot element, but, like Smith it went too far when Robot eventually spoke like any other character, often becoming as silly as Smith in some scenes.

This part was OK.

Its just the execution of the story was childish and cliched.

I wouldn't call it a farce episode but with was an episode that gave way to a bunch of farce and cliche approaches.


One line from this show which amused my brother and me

When the smoke-screen was employed and the Robinsons couldn't see what was happening, the Robot's whereabouts were questioned and Don suggested looking on the ground. Now, THAT was funny!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

What was up with the title, anyway?
Was the "One of our Dogs is Missing" title a reference to the fact the Dog, established as existing, just vanished.
I'm guessing the hungry mutant had a bit of "Pooch Suzette" and no-one wanted to deal with that happening.
The fact the title reflects the missing dog after the story itself is at least funny.


Maureen said something about dogs being used as occupants of the capsules in the early days of space travel. I took the meaning to be a reference to one of the space program dogs. The Our would refer to the Space Program like the title of a memo describing a mission with a dog on it that went out of orbit or something like that.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

The title, "One of Our Dogs is Missing," is a play on the title of the 1942 WWII film "One of Our Aircraft Is Missing." Though not so well known in the US today, it is considered one of the best British films of the period. It received two Oscar nominations - one for writing and one for special effects.

The title is indeed a reference to the idea that the wrecked spacecraft carrying the dog went missing, presumably in the late 1950 to early 60's when the Soviets launched numerous dogs into space on suborbital and orbital flights. How such a spacecraft could have made it to Priplanus, let alone carrying a living 50-year-old dog inside is not explained.

[Maybe the spacecraft was scooped up by the same aliens who scooped up Captain Tucker in 1876. He survived for over a century because the aliens kept him frozen most of the time.]



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_space_dogs

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

How such a spacecraft could have made it to Priplanus, let alone carrying a living 50-year-old dog inside is not explained.


Ha! Perhaps the spacecraft went through a black hole or something!

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Or what happened to the dog at the end..


My guess he keeps the monster underground hence both died when the planet blew up in season 2 premiere

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Or what happened to the dog at the end..

I knowthat really bugs me. I guess they thought we wouldn't remember about the dog by the next episode. Even though there were episode cliffhangers, I guess each story could be viewed individually. By the next show, it was as if the dog never existed. Penny asked if "puppy" could be her dog and Will said he loved him pretty emotionally important and then he's gone. He must've gotten eaten or absorbed by the sand monster between episodes and the kids just had to get used to it! Also, the episode before we had Plant Judy. She disappeared too. I imagine when the real Judy was rescued from the cyclamen, Plant Judy just disappeared or withered up.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Lost in Space's journey into Farce - Part 2


24 - "His Majesty Smith"

Farce story no 5

This was pandering to royalty and how Smith covets this sort of fairy tale stuff. "Everybody wants to be the ruler" right.

It was fun all through.

Did anyone spot the clever scripting where the intention of Smith being set up as a Sacrificial King was said out loud for all to hear at the "family audience"

The Robot picked up on it, even if the viewers rarely do.

The story had a good sensibility within itself as it all was a setup AIMED at snaring Smith as the sacrifice.

I would call it a farce - but only just.. as the farce element itself was the fabrication to forward the story.

Kevin Hagen made himself appear as a great critter.


No 25 - "The Space Croppers"

Farce story No 6 but 3rd in the direct line of style started by Welcome Stranger.

Cowboy
Pirate
and now a Hillbillie family

We were given werewolves in this one, with a horny hillbillie girl wanting to jump Don's bones in a blatant "hit on Don" approach that is Lost in Space's single claim to direct sexual content.

I am surprised it actually got past those 60's censors,=.

We were also offered a wooden spaceship to choke on, powered by Taurons maser technology (look inside - The Tauronic box of tricks is in there at the back)

The plants swallowing the campsite was as kool here as in "Monster Plants" but the whole thing was a senseless farce romp in the style of "the Beverly Hillbillies" and the cartoon "Hillbillie bears" and all.

We got feudin' neighbours, neighbour cliches like 'just come over to borrow a cup of seasoning" and, Oh yeah, Smith gets engaged to the mother, whos also meant to be a witch.

Instead of shotguns the Hillbillies had laser gunswhat else?

The episode would have still been in tune with itself if the mother was shown stirring a cauldron.

Herman Munster could have jumped in to the fun.

Well "Grandpa Munster" turned up as a magician and "Lurch" (Addams family) did turn up in a season 2 Arabian thieves farce.

The episode is watchable in it's silliness but had no credibility in the Lost in Space" universe as it was meant to be at all. The idea was dumb, but, hey, the Robinsons yet to be visited by circuses, zoos etc.

And remember, even Star Trek had its "Silly farce stories at times umm just not as often.


No 26 - "All that glitters"

I will accept this as full farce story no 7 but is a combo farce and fairy tale.

A Space Cop comedy cliche sets up on the planet chasing an escaped prisoner (Hogans heroes very own Colonel Clink, no less.

Get this, the cops name is "officer Bolix" - read "bollocks"

Says it all!

The Robinsons are subjected to cop Comedy cliche interogations and searches.

The story is set up here for a passable sequel to "The Derelict" (ep 2) that comes up in season 2 where the Robinsons are tried for crimes in that story.

"theres.. ahh..quite a file on the Robinson party in our office"

It sets up season 2's "prisoners of Space" quite nicely, itself a courtroom farce story.

The fairy tale part is Smiths greed leads to the curse of the Midas Touch except here it's platinum and Smith gets Penny all shiny and glittery.

Ohhh Boy, but it's fun. the seriousness the show was capable of just wasn't here in this story at all.

This was the last "Full farce" story of season 1.

7 stories out of 29.

However.

No 27 - "The Lost civilization"

This can't be called a farce story as a whole but the 2nd half is defo a farce / fairy tale combo.

The story starts off as solid survival adventure.

We get the Robinson Party males out searching fro drinking water, they encounter volcanos and a misdirected robot order to find water that backfires as drinkable water wasn't specified and the Robot set them up to drill for what results in a gusher of salt water.

This first part was believable survival-adventure and is fully representative of what the show should have been and remained.

This was true "Lost in Space"

However, after sheltering from the intense heat in a cave, Will goes walkies in passages that go deep underground.

Screwup no 1 is where the Robot falls down a silly looking hole, and is somehow OK (how could he have got back up)

They find an underground ocean of fresh water. OK - thats not so bad. 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' did it (A movie LiS often plundered music from)

(NOTE: The raft sequence in 'Journey' was clearly the inspiration for the chariot water / whirlpool sequence in the Pilot,)


When Will walked into the "Sleeping Beauty" scenario and woke the princess by kissing her is where this, up til now awesome story, jumped the shark.

Then the Robinsons following Will get caught and taken to the Seaview set where the reward for waking the princess is their army invading the waker's home planet. Oooooh Boy!!!

I don't get this story

Perfect solid first half, last half pure farce.


I'll rate LIS season 1 with a secure 7.5 absolute farce stories as Lost Civilization was clearly awesome first half that shows what the series could be and the second half herald what season 2 of the series bacame.

Episode 29 - "Follow the Leader" was a great story and a good ending to series 1.

No farce but the producers penchant for adding silly background props (from period movies) that don't make sense is apparent in the cave.

but the progression to farce has now been highlighted.

Series 2 started in color and the theme was farce for most of the stories with "Bewitched" style guest stars kicking off their arrival on the next new planet in ep 4. (the monster in that story DID appear in bewitched with the same bro inside of it)

This account highlights the shows descent from straightforward action adventure with survival motif into comedy-farce with direct fairy tale influences

Hope this answers the question.






Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Great posts, I totally agree. I would just add I also felt they started adding props, slowly at that had no right being on the Jupiter 2. Going out of order.

The wizard cape, ceremonial dagger and garlic, in the episode with the ghost. You can say they had a knife and Smith pasted a few jewels on it and maybe they did have garlic. I know they had the clothes replicator , but lets waste it on the Smith for no reason.

Smith as a painter I think that was Space trader, Yes, they can make an easel and grind up plants for paints, But let's put Smith in a smock sand beret, I guess they can use the clothe replicator again (they never used it for themselves) Later in that episode when he is running from space trader, he hides behind a wall of sand bags and then puts on a WW1 helmet.

When Will has to fight Kurt Russell, there is Smith looking like a high school gym teacher, with whistle, which I think would be something a space mission would have.

The doctor outfit in the robot "operation"

The wheel chair sand shawl (what happened to all the cold weather gear from the angry sea episode) from the episode when he grows old from stealing the alien ship.

I don't know specific, I know there dinner table had items on that you know would never be on a space ship.

I thought it funny from the props that show up, in war of the robots, they have a stick and a rope as a fishing pole. Season 2 blast off in Space, when they have to empty the ship for weight, they trow away fishing poles.

I know missed a lot more form the first season, will have to go back and re-watch some.

Then later it just became a joke, where i think the biggest was 2 weeks in space with a cash register (i guess the robot cam't calculate change for a $100)



Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

The irony is that the storylines of LIS started gearing more toward camp to compete with Batman but how well remembered today is LIS compared with Batman?

LIS started out in the first several episodes with some very imaginative stories
dealing with survival in an alien world adjusting to storms, cold, heat, unique forms of life, plants, vegetables, etc. So much potential to build on but they couldn't resist the lure of trying to compete with Batman, a totally different type of show. It guess it is more of a challenge to continue to write the imaginative stories in the first several episodes and easier to write camp. But what a waste and loss of what could have been a much richer legacy for LIS.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Great posts, I totally agree. I would just add I also felt they started adding props, slowly at that had no right being on the Jupiter 2. Going out of order.

The wizard cape, ceremonial dagger and garlic, in the episode with the ghost. You can say they had a knife and Smith pasted a few jewels on it and maybe they did have garlic. I know they had the clothes replicator , but lets waste it on the Smith for no reason.

Smith as a painter I think that was Space trader, Yes, they can make an easel and grind up plants for paints, But let's put Smith in a smock sand beret, I guess they can use the clothe replicator again (they never used it for themselves) Later in that episode when he is running from space trader, he hides behind a wall of sand bags and then puts on a WW1 helmet.

When Will has to fight Kurt Russell, there is Smith looking like a high school gym teacher, with whistle, which I think would be something a space mission would have.

The doctor outfit in the robot "operation"

The wheel chair sand shawl (what happened to all the cold weather gear from the angry sea episode) from the episode when he grows old from stealing the alien ship.

I don't know specific, I know there dinner table had items on that you know would never be on a space ship.

I thought it funny from the props that show up, in war of the robots, they have a stick and a rope as a fishing pole. Season 2 blast off in Space, when they have to empty the ship for weight, they trow away fishing poles.

I know missed a lot more form the first season, will have to go back and re-watch some.

Then later it just became a joke, where i think the biggest was 2 weeks in space with a cash register (i guess the robot cam't calculate change for a $100)



Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

in many series,a supporting character gains momentum with an audience,and takes over a show..the fonz in happy days,alex keaton in family ties..by the end of season one,dr smith,will and the robot took.over the show..the other characters had little to do,and a stream of guest stars like vincent price became the focus..it was inevitable,and helped the show last longer than it would have..

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Well, it's not the first farcical episode, but it is some kind of watershed

I believe that Season 2's "Forbidden World" is the first episode which ends on a comical musical cue featuring a sort of "slide whistle" effect. I believe that cue was written specifically to reflect the much more "tongue in cheek" tone of the second season. In other words, the show was now officially a comedy.





Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

There were ominous foreshadowings of farce/camp even in episode 1, when Dr. Smith hams it up shamefully while trying to communicate with "Aeolis 14 Umbra" after the ship has taken off. He sounds just like the comic Robin Williams at his most manic. In fact, the resemblance is so close that I think Williams actually might have gotten some of his inspiration from Dr. Smith's ridiculous overacting.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

I think "Welcome Stranger" may have had some farce foreshadowing too, but I think you're right.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

If you put Harris' characterization of Smith aside, it's interesting to look for the first place where the series was willing to give up all credibility for the sake of a joke. I don't mean storybook devices like Smith becoming a giant, but a place where the show breaks the rules of its "reality" solely to get a laugh.

The place I first noticed this was at the end of "The Space Trader." It's a little thing, but it comes when Smith is shown to be hunkered down behind sandbags wearing a World War One "doughboy helmet".

The sandbags I could accept, but not the helmet. It signaled that the show was going to embrace a certain level of humorous surrealism. The chickens would really come home to roost on the this in "The Space Croppers" [which I think actually works as a horror-comedy if you forget about believabilty].

I wonder whose idea that "doughboy helmet" was. It would be interesting to know if it was in the original script.





Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

I agree with the helmet it just appears out of nowhere and never to be seen again. Wasn't Smith dressed as a painter in that episode with a smock and beret. I point to the episode where Smith ages and he is in a wheel chair with a shawl and a straggly beard. Star Trek showed Pike in a futuristic chair. I know they didn't pack a wheel, but between Will , the robot and Professor Robinson they could have come up with something better.

They had the machine that made uniforms, yet they can't make him something to keep warm.

Nobody would trim his hair of beard, heck he had 10 shaving kits from the duplicating plants.

Silly effect to have him like that.

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

The series story editor, Anthony Wilson, would routinely "polish" the scripts after the credited writer had turned in their final draft. I believe he was responsible for adding a fair amount of the humor and whimsy that we see in the finished episodes.

In the case of "The Space Trader," I can confirm that Barney Slater's final draft does not include the doughboy helmet, or the sandbags, or the cartons of Civil Defense rations. These were likely added by Wilson when he rewrote the ending (Slater's version of the ending is different - and less satisfying - than what we see in the aired episode.)

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Thanks again for looking up the original source material! I've thought in the past that Tony Wilson probably didn't get enough credit (or blame) for "Lost in Space" as we know it. I doubt that Irwin Allen had the time or inclination (or sense of humor) to steer scripts through the re-write process. The associate producers might have been involved, but maybe it was just Anthony Wilson when it came to making sure the scripts were ready to shoot.



Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

Happy to oblige - it's nice to know I'm not the only person in the world who enjoys this kind of arcane trivia.

Wilson also added the scene where Maureen hands out the "lunch pills" - this replaced a scene in Slater's final draft of Smith & Will foraging for food.

There's a new book out about the making of LOST IN SPACE, by Marc Cushman, and it contains a good deal of information about what went on behind the scenes during the first season (the later seasons will be covered in a second volume.) There's a fair amount of detail on the kind of rewriting that Tony Wilson did, largely at the request of either Irwin Allen or the "standards and practices" department at CBS (the excerpts from the network's memos alone are worth the price of the book, in my opinion - they're alternately maddening and hilarious.)

Re: First ep where they switched to farce?

I'm currently watching There Were Giants in the Earth and already you could see the groundwork for his cowardly, weasily, lying, manipulative, dangerous nuisance, often exagerrating, caustic, and sly. You can tell Harris was starting to add colorful touches to the character, in the obvious attempt to maintain employment.
Top