Wesley Britton's Blog - Posts Tagged "guy-williams"

Irwin Allen's Lost in Space: The Authorized Biography of a Classic Sci-Fi Series, Volume 1
Marc Cushman

Irwin Allen's Lost in Space: The Authorized Biography of a Classic Sci-Fi Series, Volume 1
Marc Cushman
Publisher: Jacob Brown Media Group; 1 edition (August 1, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0692750185
ISBN-13: 978-0692750186
https://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Allens-L...


This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on July 19, 2017:
goo.gl/ywuyvA

Once again, media historian Marc Cushman pulls out his magnifying glass to explore a television classic just like he did with I Spy and his definitive three volume These Are the Voyages tomes on the original Star Trek.

Once again, Cushman doesn’t leave the smallest of stones unturned. He begins his exhaustive book by fleshing out the pre-Lost in Space career of producer/ director Irwin Allen, most notably his films released throughout the 1950s. One spotlighted film, naturally, is Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea which Allen re-imagined into his first sci fi television series. Of course, Cushman gives each of the main stars of Lost in Space the same in-depth treatment, as when he offers a detailed history of June Lockhart’s years on Lassie and an even more detailed review of Guy Williams tenure as Zorro, including the ratings numbers for the show’s run, comparing it to its competition on other networks.

Cushman demonstrates how workaholic Allen saw himself as a P.T. Barnum figure who offered escapist sci fi full of action and spectacle without the more cerebral tones of The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, or Star Trek. Still, many of Lost in Space’s better episodes bordered on being morality tales or fables. When Cushman dives into his title subject, the minutia continues when he provides a day-by-day history of the show’s pre-production, filming, and post-production. He provides the contributions of each director, writer, and many of the guest stars. He shares the cost for each episode, including the overruns. He presents the often bizarre notes from network censors. It’s hard to believe that, in those days, the thought of two adults, even a married couple, showing more than casual affection on television could arouse fears in the CBS Standards and Practices office that children could be disturbed by any such displays. In fact, the Standards censors seemed preoccupied with anything and everything that might disturb a child.

Cushman provides no shortage of announcements and commentary culled from trade periodicals, especially Variety, and a wealth of reviews from national newspapers. Week by week, we see how Lost in Space fared against its competition during its first year, which was ABC’s The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and The Patty Duke Show and NBC’s The Virginian. That was until a little hit called Batman took over the Nelson family’s ABC time slot at 7:30 on Wednesdays.

But the book is far more than a compilation and synthesis of documents and figures. We also get insights into the creative process, as in showing how actor Jonathan Harris, who played evil Doctor Zachary Smith, helped altar and shape his dialogue in the show as well as adding a needed comic dimension to his character.

Clearly, only a diehard fan base will want to read this Authorized Biography from cover to cover. Other readers, such as TV sci fi fans or those curious about television history or production, would likely enjoy skimming through the sections that focus on discussions of their area of interest. All libraries should absolutely shelve this book. All readers should enjoy the bounty of photographs that, on their own, make the book worth the price of admission. And this is but volume one—the first of three.

Irwin Allen's Lost in Space: The Authorized Biography of a Classic Sci-Fi Series, Volume 2
Marc Cushman
Publisher: Jacob Brown Media Group; 1 edition (November 1, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0692747567
ISBN-13: 978-0692747568
https://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Allens-L...

Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton

I rather expected Volume 2 of Marc Cushman’s exhaustive history of Lost in Space would have to be much thinner and less engaging than Volume 1. After all, Vol. 1 included the pre-LIS careers of Irwin Allen and all the cast members as well as an in-depth look at Allen’s first TV sci fi series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. For Vol 2, what else could Cushman do other than review all the episodes produced in season 2 of LIS? Well, he could, and does, give us a very decent overview of Allen’s prematurely cancelled Time Tunnel that ran on ABC from fall 1966 to spring 1967.

In many ways, my expectations were spot on. But not completely. This is especially true of the early discussions which focus on the changes that came when the show was now produced in color. Over and over, we’re told how “pop art” the visuals became, perfectly timed to coincide with the psychedelic ‘60s. As Cushman looks at the first episodes of the 1966-1967 season, it doesn’t seem like most of the cast members were all that important, other than the break-out star, Jonathan Harris. As with season 1, he continued to be not only an actor but a major script re-writer as well.

In fact, cast member Marta Kristen, who played Judy Robinson, said the program became the Jonathan Harris show with his evil Dr. Zachery Smith taking up the lion’s share of the time along with Bob May inside the robot and Bill Mumy’s Will Robinson. Guy Williams and June Lockhart, who had been major TV stars in their past series (Zorro, Lassie) had only sporadic lines and duties. In addition, the program became, more and more, a comedic fantasy emphasizing monsters, special effects, outlandish props, and oddball guest stars. With the apparent exception of network president William Paley, whom Cushman says was embarrassed by shows like LIS, CBS liked the changes. Top executives preferred a lighter touch that appealed to younger viewers which made for a winning formula against ABC’s Batman.

I was surprised to see just how much competitiveness Allen felt with the newcomer to network TV sci fi, the more serious Star Trek. For much of that season, in terms of ratings, LIS was often the weekly winner. Writers who worked on both series felt freer when scripting for LIS as there were fewer restrictions on what they could create. I wasn’t aware of how much pioneer work took place in LIS, especially with filming those outer space visuals and creating those weird props.

For a time, I felt like I was reading nothing more than a very, very detailed episode guide, something only diehard fans would enjoy. As Cushman admits, “my books redefine `TMI’." True enough. Nonetheless, there’s a warm tone that runs through the production notes. It’s clear Cushman liked the series when it first aired and he likes it, perhaps even more so, now. There are frequent moments when Cushman takes the time to point to just what made a specific episode special or entertaining. He tells us the better stories had themes, as in the lessons children learned about topics like self-sacrifice, tolerance, lost innocence, or sexual equality. Such thematic material, of course, wasn’t present in many more fantastic episodes.

In the end, it will be the serious fans who’ll want this second volume in the LIS saga. I can well imagine many TV sci fi fans who would also like to skim a book about one of the pioneer series in the genre. Certainly, most libraries should shelve this series, especially if they specialize in popular culture, TV production, or media studies. It’s not a cover-to-cover read, but rather a readable reference work.

This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on July 26, 2017:
http://dpli.ir/hfkMM2