Lost in Space

It became a rather campy retro-hit several decades later, and spawned a feature movie remake in 1998.

The Premise

The premise was simple, even simplistic - a space vehicle carrying a family (the Robinsons) to start a space colony 'in Alpha Centauri' is sabotaged by the stowaway Dr. Smith, and thrown off course; thus they are lost, in space. That a family of five plus a pilot is a fairly paltry population to launch a new colony, never mind the inbreeding factor, is, of course, never addressed. One presumes that later expeditions are planned to follow the Robinsons and help found the planned colony.

To set the series in its time, it's important to note that in 1960, Disney had a huge hit with its movie Swiss Family Robinson, based on the 1812 Wyss novel of the same name, which featured a shipwrecked family (from Switzerland, yet named Robinson), resourcefully surviving on a deserted island and making a home for themselves. Lost is Space was clearly meant to capitalize on that popularity, by setting a resourceful family (also named Robinson) adrift in space to make a home as best they can.

Lost in Space: The Cast

The cast had, for the most part, fairly impressive resumes.

Guy Williams, who starred as Dr. John Robinson, 'astrophysicist', was something of a heart-throb, having appeared in two movies and a TV series as Zorro, swashbuckling masked Robin-Hood-of-the-West.

June Lockhart, who played Dr. Maureen Robinson, was perhaps best known for her lengthy stint as Timmy's mother in the television series Lassie.

Angela Cartwright, who played middle child Penny, had been one of the singing von Trapp children in the movie The Sound of Music.

Mark Goddard played Major Don West, pilot of the expedition and romantic interest for the oldest Robinson daughter.

Marta Kristen played Judy Robinson, the oldest of the Robinson children and a young adult.

Bill Mumy played Will Robinson, famed for the catchphrase 'Danger, Will Robinson', as often spoken by the expedition's robot.

Jonathan Harris played Dr. Zachary Smith, the scheming stowaway that causes all the problems and the closest thing the series had to a villian.

Those Sixties Shows

The first season of of the series was filmed in black and white and was a rather self-conscious attempt to 'play it straight'. The science throughout, of course, was utter nonsense, but the show only became almost a self-parody in seasons two and three, when they began filming in color and reflecting the sixties rather than a putative future.

The change in tone did nothing to hurt the show's popularity, however, and was probably in reaction to the competition. During the time the series was on the air, it shared audience with such shows as Man from U.N.C.L.E., Batman, and Get Smart. Lost in Space routinely scored better in ratings than straight sci-fi rival Star Trek, so clearly playing it consciously campy was a winning marketing strategy.

Afterlife

Lost in Space enjoyed an afterlife in reruns among fans who weren't alive when the series first aired. A feature film in 1998 capitalized on the nostalgia of baby boomers. The show's cast can be counted on to draw a crowd at a sci-fi convention even today.