Will Robinson
Back when kids on tv shows were dumbed down, Will seemed like a genius.
shareGoing from memory here. But I seem to recall that the character of Will Robinson was said to be a boy genius.
Off topic, but speaking of which, I just heard something last night on the radio, that his band, Barnes and Barnes, has recently produced some new content.
Wanton!!!
shareYo G! Funny, because I only check in at this site about once a day in the morning to see if I got any messages. But I happened to check in just now, and saw that you had just replied.
Hope you're well 🙂
I'm good. Just surprised to see your name. I'm a big "Lost in Space" fan.
I check this place everyday since I left filmboards.
This is a far superior site, 10 times as many posts, and not the same 30 people over and over.
I’m a fan of the show as well, Gamey. I read once that the reason that the show deviated from its first season as a serious Sci Fi show, and went down the road to “Camp” was due to the Campy Batman series taking ratings away from it.
Agreed about the other site. Perhaps no more than 30 regular posters, and perhaps 50 to 75 very part time posters, at most.
You're right that "Lost in Space" was camp. Great point and Batman was probably the impetus.
The Dr Smith character Jonathan Harris was pure camp. And the Robot! Billy Mumy played straight man to those two, sorta.
When I was filmboards Admin I made a list of posters and tried to eliminate socks. There were about 100 known posters. 30 daily regulars. Maybe 40 occasional and another 30 who rarely posted.
I'd like to see MovieChat's total posts. But no one seems to have that information.
True. Dr Smith was actually an evil genius in the first season, that you could take seriously. I’ve heard Bill Mumy on Coast To Coast Am a few times. Seems to be a likable and talented guy. Also seems to age slowly.
Batman, even with the camp, was such a great, and cutting edge 60’s show!
I would think the other site has gone as far as it will ever go.
Lost In Space cast posing for goofy photo after being spoofed by Mad Magazine (Titled: “Loused Up In Space.” Issue number 104, dated July 1966)
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/84/83/13/848313bb323babc93917c6a96012b946.jpg
Actually though, if you compare the early episodes which were trying to be "serious" sci-fi, and Dr Smith was actually trying to kill the Robinsons (lol), in retrospect it's best they stopped taking themselves too seriously and went into camp mode.
I was trying to find info on whether or not Jonathan Harris, the actor who played Smith, was gay. (Dr Smith was such a flaming queen!). It's weird because there are some sites which claim he was a married straight man and others which insist the actor was queer as fuck!
Yeah, I think the first time that I saw the robot cry, I lost all hope for the show 😂
Yes, I’ve heard before both versions of Jonathan Harris personal life. But I think it was probably the shrill, flamboyant persona that he adopted in the later camp episodes, that cemented these rumors. People also thought he was British. Then again, everyone sounded British in old Hollywood 🙂
It's funny that in the 1960's when this was made no mention could be made of gay people on tv.
Harris played Dr Smith as a stereotypical queen. Yeah, whether he was gay in real life or just creating the quintessential raging homosexual character, we don't know.
Also, there were episodes where flamboyant Dr Smith had female alien love interests. Lol.
I really think "Lost in Space" sealed its place in history as a camp classic. It would not be remembered as much today or had been as successful if they tried to do a serious sci-fi.
I've seen Harris in serious roles, too. It was his idea to change the character's personality. Good call!
As a young kid, I thought of him as a huge coward. I didn't get the "gay" and "pedophile" vibe until I rewatched the show as an adult. Lost innocence of youth. I believe Harris' only intent was to play a coward and he was just having fun with the role. Realistically, he wouldn't play gay in a family show.
Nah, Harris played Dr Smith as a flamboyant effeminate gay man. That stereotype existed in the 1960's. It just couldn't be labeled as such on tv.
Pedophile vibe? No, I never got that at all.
A grown man hanging out alone with a little boy all of the time instead of other men. Hmmmmm
It's funny how a perspective can change with age.
I don't really believe Smith was gay or a pedophile although I like to joke about it.
"That stereotype existed in the 1960's."
Sure, but gay people were closeted so it's not something most people thought about in the 60s. It's hard to explain, but most people didn't make the connection. Smith's character wasn't thought of as gay. The network censors, advertisers and parents would've complained. I watched that show with my family and gay was never mentioned. People didn't even know Liberace was gay at that time even though he very flamboyant. Like I wrote, hard to explain.
BTW, I watched "These Three" with a sibling who explained the characters were gay so we knew they existed. But Smith, Liberace, Little Richard, Paul Lynde - no connection. It's as if knowing something exists, but doesn't exists at the same time.
You have to remember also this was tv. Gay characters were portrayed in movies. And there have always been gay actors, and behind the scenes, it was more accepted.
Even if no one wanted to imagine his sex life, even in the 60's people knew fussy old men like Dr Smith were probably homosexual.
"..."Lost in Space" was camp. Great point and Batman was probably the impetus."
"Lost in Space" premiered in 1965, "Batman" in 1966.
As has been said, the first year of "Lost in Space" played it as more serious sci-fi. Dr Smith was an evil villain who tried to kill the Robinsons, his little buddy Will included. That's not the Dr Smith of the 1966 show.
It changed the second year when Batman debuted. That's the whole point of this conversation.
Three things were happening:
1. Harris changed his character during season 1 after a few episodes - not season 2.
"The show's writers expected Smith to be a temporary villain who would only appear in early episodes. Harris, on the other hand, hoped to stay longer on the show, but found his character to be boring, and feared it would also quickly bore viewers. Harris "began rewriting his lines and redefining his character", by playing Smith in an attention-getting, flamboyant style, and ad-libbing his scenes with ripe, colourful dialogue. By the end of the first season, the character was established as a self-serving coward whose moral haughtiness and contrasting deceitfulness, along with his alliterative insults largely aimed at the Robot, were staple elements in each episode."
2. The plots became sillier when Batman became competition. But, Harris became flamboyant before Batman - around episode 6.
3. Silly shows were a strong trend at that time. Flying Nun, Mr. Terrific, Captain Courageous, Mr. Ed, My Favorite Martian, Gilligan's Island, etc.. I'm not sure if it was completely Batman or a combination toward a natural progression to sillier storylines because of Harris, the trend and Batman.