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LOST IN SPACE PHOTO GALLERY #15 |
Updated: February 01, 2023
Lost in Space, the popular television series which aired between 1965 and 1968, was intended as an outer-space
adaption of Swiss Family Robinson. Set in the "distant" future of 1997, Irwin Allen's show was unfairly viewed
as an infantile version of Star Trek. Allen never sought to match the philosophical tone of Gene Roddenberry's
series, however, and both producers considered the comparison unfair. Allen was a storyteller, and the tales
sprung from his studio were frequently imaginative and quite good.
Lost in Space starred Guy Williams as John Robinson; June Lockhart was featured as his wife, Maureen; their
three children were Judy (Marta Kristen), Penny (Angela Cartwright), and Will (Billy Mumy). They were accompanied
on their mission by Major Don West, portrayed by Mark Goddard. After the pilot was filmed, it was decided the
show needed a regular antagonist and Jonathan Harris was cast as Dr. Zachary Smith.
Smith was originally written as a villain, but Harris slowly molded him into a lovable troublemaker. Another
addition to the cast was an "environmental control" robot. This machine started out as mere equipment but morphed
into a member of the family, replete with a personality capable of love and pathos. These two late additions to
the cast teamed with Billy Mumy and became the de facto focus of the program, much to the chagrin of Guy Williams
and the other actors. This shift in focus recast the series into a fantasy / farce, but one still capable of
producing many fine moments.
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