Boys Costumes Depicted in Television Shows: Lost in Space (United States, 1965-68)


Figure 1.--Will Robbinson played by Billy Mummy is seen here with his sister Penny in a "Lost in Space" episode. The space costuming was not very imaginative.

A reader reports that all the characters were well-defined, and developed as the show went on. (Unfortunately, Dr. Smith developed from villain to jerk.) The Robot developed a personality all it's own and it sometimes seemed as though he and Dr. Smith were a space-age comedy team. Billy Mummy played the boy and modeled space age fashions. Lost In Space initialy stayed on the thin line between science fiction and fairy tales-but as the show went on, it crossed over into the fairy tale realm much too often. I rather liked this series, but it was sometimes a bit too flippant. The cast Will (Billy Mumy) who often had important roles in episodes along with Dr. Smith and the robot. ("Danger Will Robinson") Will was always very mannerly, quite a contrast to boys on TV now. I wonder if it would've gotten so corny and silly if it hadn't been on opposite Batman for a year and a half? "That does not compute!"

Space Shows

There have been relarively few spce shows, compared to the large numbers of Westerns amd other genre.

TVology

I wonder if it would've gotten so corny and silly if it hadn't been on opposite Batman for a year and a half? "That does not compute!"

Setting

The show was set in 1997, which at the time was the future.

Plot

The Robinson family takes off from earth in the Jupiter 2 space shipfor a 5 year eploration of the nearest galaxy--Alpha Centauri. A spy, Dr. Zachary Smith, sneaks on board and attempts to sabotages the mission by reprogramming the ship's robot to destroy the ship. Unfortunalely for the not to sinister (more irritating) Dr. Smith, he gets trapped aboard the Jupiter 2 and is launched with the Robinsons. The Robinsons save the Jupiter 2, but not before it's guidance system is damaged, and they become, of course, lost in space. Then the real adventures begin.

Costuming

The series provided a look at space clothing. The costumes worn, however, were not very imaginative. The clothes worn by Billy and the rest of the cast were what 1960's TV imagined to be "futuristic". The designers, however, displayed little reativity. One HBC reader comments, "Honestly, they might have been taken for contemprary `mod' clothes."

Cast

A reader reports that all the characters were well-defined, and developed as the show went on. (Unfortunately, Dr. Smith developed from villain to jerk.) The Robot developed a personality all it's own and it sometimes seemed as though he and Dr. Smith were a space-age comedy team. Billy Mummy played the boy and modeled space age fashions. One of the lead charcters, Billy Mummy is probably best known as "Will Robinson". Most Americans if the day will rember the refrain "Danger Will Robinson!". Many of the episodes are set around the relationship between Will and the robot--a friendly machine in a track roller. That was really the best part of the series. One reviewer suggested that he was rarher similar to Robby the Robot on Forbidden Plannet. Will's sister Penny played by Angela Cartwright, received much less attention on the film.

Assessment

The show was rarher childish and not very exciting. The earlier episodes that were more suspenseful, sci-fi plots were probably the most enjoyable. The screen effects had nothing of the force needed for a fi-sci program. Lost In Space initialy stayed on the thin line between science fiction and fairy tales-but as the show went on, it crossed over into the fairy tale realm much too often. Even so, Lost in Space has a bit of cult following.

Movie Version (1998)

A film was made based on the TV series. The costuming was a bit different. The boy who played Will Robinson did not have the style of Billy Mummy, but did a reasonable job. Of course the special effects were much more advanced.








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Created: September 30, 2001
Last updated: 10:21 PM 12/10/2004