Land Of The Lost - Season One!

Land of the Lost is one of my guilty pleasures and always has been. When the show first debuted on NBC in 1974 I was too old to be inside the Saturday morning demographic but that didn't stop me, and this show which showcased a gaggle of science fiction notions was an instant favorite. We effectively have a version of the Swiss Family  Robinson (pared down to a trim three persons) except the land of mystery they are stranded on is a whole close universe filled with dinosaurs, weird aliens, time-lost humans, and a bizarre technology which seems to run the whole show. The show was brilliant in many ways but one of the most clever ideas was having the origin of the characters presented each week in a snappy little song that introduced a new viewer to the complex set-up with few complications. It was not unlike Jed Clampett's Theme which explains why Arkansas country folk are living the high-life in Beverly Hills. Here are the lyrics: 

Marshall, Will, and Holly

On a routine expedition

Met the greatest earthquake ever known.

High on the rapids

It struck their tiny craft.

And plunged them down a thousand feet below.

To the Land of the Lost.

To the Land of the Lost.

To the Land of the Lost.

And here are the lyrics to the tune which closed each episode:

When I look all around

I can't believe the things I've found.

Now I need to find my way

I'm lost, I'm lost, find me

Living in the Land of the Lost,

Living in the Land of the Lost.

So the show was very user friendly for new viewers, who given that it was produced by Sid and Marty Krofft we'd have to assume were younger than not. But Land of the Lost is no H.R. Pufnstuf nor is it Lidsville. It has a bit more heft than those fanciful and flighty offerings with real people in real danger. At the time that was considered heavy weight for youngsters and over the years sadly the little urchins have been increasingly protected from these kinds of fantastic imaginary dangers. 

It must be remembered that in 1974 the world had not been shocked to awareness by the behemoth that was Star Wars and so science fiction was not nearly as ubiquitous as it has become today. I cannot begin to keep up with all the fantastic entertainment available today but back then a fan was able to drink it all up and look for more of the stuff since was relatively rare. And in those days before VHS and DVD we had to make sure we were on time for our meals as they were passing and ephemeral at best. Land of the Lost was a delightful morsel designed by smart people for a smart audience. 

The list of folks who worked on the show is impressive for any show at any time. David Gerrold was key to early scripts. And D.C. Fontana of Star Trek fame added a script, as did Star Trek star Walter Koenig. Two of the most important stories were contributed by science fiction heavyweight Larry Niven. Norman Spinrad and Ben Bova both added scripts to the first season. This show was just what he was good at, world building. Other names associated with scripts are Theodore Sturgeon, though he wouldn't show up until the second season. (More on that next week.) The final episode of the season in fact offers an element of closure for fans though enabling the show to continue. 

As imagined by all these folks and more besides, Land of the Lost presented us a world in which humans from different time periods all seem to be trapped together. The Marshall family encounter a Civil War Confederate and come across evidence of a Revolutionary War era soldier as well. In fact the weird lizard-like creatures who roam the underworld of the land were named "Sleestak" by that very soldier. One of the great mysteries in the show is the sign on a rock "Beware of Sleestak" which is not explained for many episodes. There is also a cranky alien from another time named Enik (originally named "Eneg" by Walter Koenig as an homage to Gene Roddenberry but nipped as being a bit too obvious) who is sometimes reliable as an ally and sometimes not. 

The Marshalls (played by Spencer Milligan as Rick the Dad, Wesley Eure as Will the son, and Kathy Coleman as Holly the young daughter) are a close family with a competent and caring father, a brash quixotic teenager and a young girl just entering her teen years. They have only themselves to cling to in this sometimes terrifying place, but still and all they are a real family with bickering being a common pastime. The show offers up life lessons but unlike so many patronizing shows of the era these are usually well embedded in the narrative. One problem the show does have is an abundance of overacting with both of the kids hamming it up. A softer more restrained style will emerge but not in this first season. 

A key focus of the first season and a major selling point for the show were the dinosaurs. We get a T-Rex nicknamed "Grumpy" who shows up every episode and makes a failed attempt to attack someone. I'm surprised he doesn't starve. There are also an Allosaurus named "Alice", a Brontosaurus named "Emily", a baby Bronto named "Dopey", and a Triceratops named "Spike". Other dinos show up form time to time and there is even a scene of one eating another -- hard sauce for the time period. The writers apparently were intent on balancing dinosaur episodes with pure science fiction ones and for the most part this blend worked well. The dinosaurs are represented by decent stop-motion and less effective puppets. 

Another key to this show's success is one which was all too rare in the 70's, the show was smart and treated its young audience as smart as well. There might a tone here and there which feels a bit like the kiddie show it was also, but mostly it was solid science fiction storytelling. Certainly a show that deserved a better big-screen outing than it received, but more on that later this month. 

If you've never seen it, it's worth a look. Season Two is coming next Saturday and things do change a bit. 

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