WI: Paul Lynda on Lost In Space

WI: Paul Lynde on Lost In Space
Just a little while ago on this site, we had a
thread WI: JACK LORD WAS CAPTAIN KIRK?
This got me thinking. The other notable TV
Sci-fi show of the 60's was LOST IN SPACE
(no arguments here re it's quality!) It was
supposed to be a serious show but by its
2nd season got as campy as BATMAN. So
WI:

It was decided from the get-go LIS would be
campy. So instead of Jonathan Harris as Dr
Smith, Paul Lynde is cast. Guy Williams never even signs on(he didn't want to be on
such a show unless he was the star- & he could tell he sure in heck wouldn't be). Jack
Lord also says "no way!" Finally, Robert Reed is brought in. OK, think LIS will be
better? Or worse?

P.S. I've left the rest of the cast un-
changed- but everyone, feel free to make
suggestions!

NOTE: Again, thanks to my friend John Hall
for his suggestions & input.
 
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Lost in Space needed a chemistry it never got, and a better story. Templeton, the rat would be a welcome replacement.
 
The other notable TV
Sci-fi show of the 60's was LOST IN SPACE
(no arguments here re it's quality!) It was
supposed to be a serious show but by its
2nd season got as campy as BATMAN. So
WI:

Ok, that is a terrible thing to say about 60's Batman!

As someone who watched every episode of both series as they were first broadcast let me say that Lost in Space 2nd season made Batman look like Dragnet. That Guy Williams, who I really liked in Zorro, was pushed to one side by 'A boy, his robot, and a creepy old gay stereotype' stories was depressing. Jonathan Harris described Dr Smith as 'a screaming queen' at one point a few years ago, or so I seem to recall.

The original pilot is around, I saw it on VHS once so it must still be around somewhere, and it was creepy as hell. No Dr Smith, no robot, no explanation of what went wrong, just straight from the Jupiter 2 launch to it crashing on some unknown planet. Ends with the Robinson's being watched by some person or person's unknown from behind nearby bushes. If that is the script/show that Guy Williams signed on for then him NOT turning up for a meeting with the studio exec's one morning with a flame thrower is hard to fathom.

Alternative Cast: Vincent Price as Dr Smith if you have to have the character. It was clearly stated in the original broadcast episode that Dr Smith was a spy who actively tried to murder the whole crew, that was his mission and why he was on the Jupiter 2 at all. He did kill a guard if I remember right. Write him as that character, ruthless and putting his interests above all other things and you might still have saved the show.

I didn't expect to go on that rant. But I did so, bye now.
 
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This is a fantastic idea! Paul Lynde would have had his own take on the role, but his typical goofy persona would have worked just fine for Dr. Smith.
 
Lost in Space needed a chemistry it never got, and a better story. Templeton, the rat would be a welcome replacement.
Pauline would make a great replacement for him.
Correction I meant Paul Lynde.
 
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Ok, that is a terrible thing to say about 60's Batman!

As someone who watched every episode of both series as they were first broadcast let me say that Lost in Space 2nd season made Batman look like Dragnet. That Guy Williams, who I really liked in Zorro, was pushed to one side by 'A boy, his robot, and a creepy old gay stereotype' stories was depressing. Jonathan Harris described Dr Smith as 'a screaming queen' at one point a few years ago, or so I seem to recall.

The original pilot is around, I saw it on VHS once so it must still be around somewhere, and it was creepy as hell. No Dr Smith, no robot, no explanation of what went wrong, just straight from the Jupiter 2 launch to it crashing on some unknown planet. Ends with the Robinson's being watched by some person or person's unknown from behind nearby bushes. If that is the script/show that Guy Williams signed on for then him NOT turning up for a meeting with the studio exec's one morning with a flame thrower is hard to fathom.

Alternative Cast: Vincent Price as Dr Smith if you have to have the character. It was clearly stated in the original broadcast episode that Dr Smith was a spy who actively tried to murder the whole crew, that was his mission and why he was on the Jupiter 2 at all. He did kill a guard if I remember right. Write him as that character, ruthless and putting his interests above all other things and you might still have saved the show.

I didn't expect to go on that rant. But I did so, bye now.

I'm afraid the reason why LIS diverged so
much from its original story was BATMAN.
TV in the 60s IOTL was very imitative; if
something worked, just keep trying it over
& over(& over)again. That's why in the early
60's @ one point there were something like
FOURTEEN Westerns on the air. C. 1966 IOTL
they saw BATMAN was a hit using camp so
of course all the TV big-wigs thought we
have to go camp too. I too remember Jonathan Harris in the early LIS episodes- he was genuinely quite creepy. But he could do
comedy too & once that was discovered
LIS' fate was sealed. Incidentally, the same
thing happened with THE MAN FROM UNCLE.
 
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