My parents didn't approve of science fiction -- they thought it would promote atheism. But Lost in Space (1965-68) aired before their favorite hayseed comedies, The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres -- so we watched.
In the far-future year 1999, a family of space colonists sets off for Alpha Centauri in their cool flying-saucer spaceship, the Jupiter 2. An evil spy sabotages the ship, so they veer off course, and are "lost in space." Presumably they have warp drive.
I don't remember much, just scattered images:
And Star Trek had no kids. Lost had Billy Mumy (pronounced moo-mee), a busy child star with previous roles on The Twilight Zone and Village of the Giants Not only because he was cute, and knew it, getting teen idol attention at the age of twelve -- but because his character, Will Robinson, was bright and resourceful, a respected crew member, never told "you're just a kid" or "wait here where it's safe."
Star Trek had no comic relief, but Lost had Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris), an accidental stowaway (originally an enemy spy trapped aboard while trying to sabotage the voyage, but they soon forgot about that). Some fans think today remember him as a pedophile with an inappropriate interest in Will, but I recall their relationship was completely innocent. They were friends because he was a big kid himself, an unrestrained id. Plus lazy, cowardly, and incompetent, so none of the adults wanted to hang out with him.
John Robinson (Guy Williams), the patriarch of the family (Guy Williams), didn't have much to do: Will and Dr. Smith stole the show. But I recall that he was not at all interested in girls. He had a wife, Maureen (June Lockhart), but they behaved like colleagues, with few moments of tenderness and none of intimacy.
More after the break
The teen idol equivalent of Chekhov on Star Trek was Don West (Mark Goddard), the resolute, non-nonsense pilot. Since the spaceship was crashed through most of the
series, he didn't have a lot to do, and we didn't find out much about
him except that he was dreamy, and not interested in girls. In early
episodes, he had a romantic involvement with the older Robinson
daughter, Judy, but soon it was dropped and forgotten
about.
Unfortunately, the female crewmembers had even less to do than Don West. Maureen was a respected biochemist, but she was relegated to cooking and saying "Be careful." Judy helped her mother cook. The youngest daughter, Penny (Angela Cartwright, previously of Make Room for Daddy), had a few adventures, mostly involving adopting weird alien animals.
There was a bit of buddy-bonding, as in the episode "The Challenge" (1966), when Kurt Russell, guest starring as an alien prince, befriends and then is forced to fight Will.
There was an occasional shot of a muscular alien, such as Michael Ansara (who would go on to play a Klingon on Star Trek and King Kamehameha on I Dream of Jeannie).
A very bad movie version (1998) starred Jack Johnson and Jared Harris as Will Robinson, and Matt LeBlanc, "How you doin?" Joey on Friends, as Don West. It featured time travel and giant spiders.
The first season featured realistic science-fiction adventures, but then it become more and more camp, like Batman, the competition on the other channel, culminating in a giant talking carrot that wanted to change the Robinsons into trees.
I don't remember much, just scattered images:
A lonely boy from the other side of the looking-glass.
A demonic being claiming that he's as human as the rest of them.
The robot saying "Danger, Will Robinson!"
An alien robot saying "Crush! Kill! Destroy!"
And I remember the fandom. Kids loved Lost in Space. Star Trek was too grown-up -- Captain Kirk was always kissing a scantily-clad alien babe -- but Lost had no hetero-romance (at least we didn't notice any).
And Star Trek had no kids. Lost had Billy Mumy (pronounced moo-mee), a busy child star with previous roles on The Twilight Zone and Village of the Giants Not only because he was cute, and knew it, getting teen idol attention at the age of twelve -- but because his character, Will Robinson, was bright and resourceful, a respected crew member, never told "you're just a kid" or "wait here where it's safe."
Star Trek had no comic relief, but Lost had Dr. Smith (Jonathan Harris), an accidental stowaway (originally an enemy spy trapped aboard while trying to sabotage the voyage, but they soon forgot about that). Some fans think today remember him as a pedophile with an inappropriate interest in Will, but I recall their relationship was completely innocent. They were friends because he was a big kid himself, an unrestrained id. Plus lazy, cowardly, and incompetent, so none of the adults wanted to hang out with him.
John Robinson (Guy Williams), the patriarch of the family (Guy Williams), didn't have much to do: Will and Dr. Smith stole the show. But I recall that he was not at all interested in girls. He had a wife, Maureen (June Lockhart), but they behaved like colleagues, with few moments of tenderness and none of intimacy.
Guy Williams had previously starred in several buddy-bonding projects, including Zorro (1957-59) and Damon and Pythias (1962), leading to speculation that he was gay in real life.
More after the break
Unfortunately, the female crewmembers had even less to do than Don West. Maureen was a respected biochemist, but she was relegated to cooking and saying "Be careful." Judy helped her mother cook. The youngest daughter, Penny (Angela Cartwright, previously of Make Room for Daddy), had a few adventures, mostly involving adopting weird alien animals.
There was a bit of buddy-bonding, as in the episode "The Challenge" (1966), when Kurt Russell, guest starring as an alien prince, befriends and then is forced to fight Will.
There was an occasional shot of a muscular alien, such as Michael Ansara (who would go on to play a Klingon on Star Trek and King Kamehameha on I Dream of Jeannie).
But the main draw for gay kids was the boy adventurer and his flamboyant pal.
A very bad movie version (1998) starred Jack Johnson and Jared Harris as Will Robinson, and Matt LeBlanc, "How you doin?" Joey on Friends, as Don West. It featured time travel and giant spiders.
A dramatic re-imagining (2018-21) changed Dr. Smith into a woman (and the main antagonist). Future hunk Maxwell Jenkins starred as Will Robinson. It was not fun at all.
And Billy Mumy, the original Will Robinson? He went on to a career as an actor and singer. His song "Dying to Be Heard," voiced by an adult Will, always brings tears to my eyes. Not because it is so sad, but because:
My name is William Robinson: I'll never take a wife
No children will I father, I have no normal life
I never had a wife, and never wanted one. I never fathered any children, or had any interest in doing the thing that makes them. So I guess I'm not normal. Phooey to you, heterosexist jerk. Bring me back to the halcyon days on the Jupiter 2.
I remember seeing a tv talk show once with Jonathan Harris. They brought a kid on stage, and he started attacking him.
ReplyDeleteAny shirtless shots of Mark Goddard?
ReplyDeleteI had a big crush on Billy Mumy watching reruns of 'Lost in Space' when I was around 9 or 10.. Strangely, I didn't find him particularly "beautiful" at the time, but I think the attraction for me was more his sweet and (as you pointed out) "accepting" personality (my 10 yo mind rationalized: "if he would spend so much of his 'free time' with a huge queen like Doctor Smith, then surely he was at the very LEAST "gay friendly").. His status as a "gay" teen idol was cemented for me when I saw 'Bless the Beasts' a couple of years later. Although his character wasn't the one that was written to be perceived as gay in the film (that would be Darel Glaser as "Goodenow"), the very idea that he would agree to star in a film portraying a character who befriends an overtly effeminate platinum blonde gay boy (which is what I was) only served to make me love Billy even more.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching this series as a kid, yet never crushing on Billy. But that's exactly what I did with all sorts of boys on TV series' (Johnny Crawford as Mark on The Rifleman, Lance Kerwin on James at 15, Johnny Sheffield as Boy in the Tarzan movies, etc). I think Billy was too young and goofy for me.
ReplyDeleteWatching the show as an adult, I spit up a little bit in my mouth. The stories are HORRIBLE at best.
All I can say about Lost In Space is Major West was one very sorry pilot and the Jupiter II must have been made of indestructible metal. Just about every landing without exception "although not all" were crash landings, marooning the Robinsons on some off the beaten path unknown planet til the script writers decided to kick them off it.
ReplyDeleteI had a huge crush on Billy Mumy too. He was a year or two older than me and brave as all heck. In an early episode when he stood up to the giant, furry cyclops creature, with his little, ray gun, he made me feel safe. I was hiding behind the couch. Will Robinson, my manly hero.
ReplyDeleteIn one episode where John Robinson is tucking Will into bed, you can see his eyes move from Will's face to his crotch. They both have weird smiles on their faces. Much easier to see if you frame-by-frame the episode on the DVD.
ReplyDeleteThat may be an interpretive stretch. I doubt that we can conclude that Guy Williams was attracted to the prepubescent Billy Mumy, and broke character to look at his crotch, in front of the entire crew. More likely he looked down to see if Will was tucked in properly.
ReplyDeleteI always had (and still have) the biggest crush on Mark Goddard. When I was a kid watching LIS, I thought Major Don West was the sexiest thing on this or any other planet. I'd always hoped for a shirtless scene but the best we ever got was a few episodes where Don West and John Robinson were sweating out the unbearable heat in their tight white T-shirts. Gut Williams had his moments too, often sporting a well hung if not well hidden talent in his space-pants.
ReplyDelete