OT - ‘Lost in Space’ Reboot Ordered to Series by Netflix

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I know there are people here who will be interested in this:

‘Lost in Space’ Reboot Ordered to Series by Netflix

It already has a 10 ep order, which is hell of a lot more than the '04 LIS pilot got after the WB passed on it (and the DS pilot).

Who knows - maybe DS will get its chance on Netflix one day...

[Gerard]

It'll be interesting to see how this proposed remake will go.  As we all know, back in '04, WB had ordered pilots for remakes of both DS and LIS.  Both, after production, were turned down.  Interestingly, the uncompleted pilot of LIS can be seen on youtube.  Not everything was accomplished, including special-effects - characters can be seen in harnesses and cables "floating" in non-gravity scenes.  But it was still a great deal of fun to watch.  Once again, my question remains, why has the LIS pilot been released for viewing on things like youtube but not the DS pilot (other than a snippet here or there)?  It's not like the DS '04 pilot is ever going to make money.  It's a dead thing.  But you-know-who vociferously "protects" it from being seen other than occasional at a DS event.  Why?  It can't make money.  To sell it in DVD will only have a handful of customers; it would cost more to DVD it than to sell it. 

I was a fanatical LIS viewer just as I was a DS one.  I had lots of LIS toys, including the "ray-gun" set and the robot.  I wanted the LIS play set, which was huge, including the Jupiter 2 crashed on a planet with a full interior, a model of the chariot, and action figurines, plus many other details.  We would go to Montgomery Ward's and I would stare at it, salivating over it.  But it cost $12.99 and that was a lotta money back in the mid-sixties.  No way my parents would get it.  I was lucky to get the ray-gun set.  That cost $5.99.  At that outrageous expense, they told me I wouldn't get another toy until Christmas.  I agreed, and they bought it for me.  I also had a LIS lunch box.  Eventually, it got banged up and rusted out and went into the trash after several years.  Back in 2001, I found one, in mint condition, in an antique store.  It was selling for $1,000.  I should've been more careful with my leaky sandwiches and milk.  As for the ray-gun set?  That all eventually broke and went into the garbage as did the robot (I didn't end up caring much for it, since it had huge clasping boards in its back to move the arms - that ruined it).  I would use my legos and build LIS sets.  All those legos are also long gone.

Gerard

[Gothick]

Can't say I'm all that interested unless something bizarre happened such as hiring Bill Mumy to write some of the scripts.  LIS was even more rooted in Sixties pop culture than was DS, if that's possible.  I thought the 1990s LIS movie was simply dreadful because of the need to make it "dark" and more up-to-date. 

Sci-fi has changed so much since that time.  Of course with all the Star Wars mania maybe they figure they can cash in by doing a clone of that and calling it LIS.  Throw in a few superheroes  and they could sell some tix.

G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

A bit more info:

Lost in Space Remake Ordered at Netflix

[Robot_Quentin]

Oh I thought the movie was a terrible monstrosity also Gothick...

The one redeeming value was the cameos and the Robot's voice... Other than that, a complete PoS for sure.

[Gerard]

I also found the '96 film version a major disappointment.  That animated bloop thing was just plain creepy.  I don't blame Jonathan Harris for refusing to do a cameo.

Gerard

[Mysterious Benefactor]

5 things Netflix’s ‘Lost in Space’ reboot can learn from ‘Stranger Things’

[Uncle Roger]

They probably won't go there but Bill Mumy is at the age where he could play Doctor Smith and he'd probably be quite good in the part.

[Bob_the_Bartender]

They probably won't go there but Bill Mumy is at the age where he could play Doctor Smith and he'd probably be quite good in the part.

Uncle Roger,

Do you think that Mr. Mumy could deliver the expression, "Oh, the pain! THE pain!" with as much angst as the late, great Jonathan Harris did?

Bob

PS Nancy Barrett or Marta Kristen?: You make the call!

[Uncle Roger]

Mr. Mumy has matured into quite a good actor and most likely could deliver those lines to the appropriate bubbleheaded boonies. He would also have the benefit of being able to send any detractors to the cornfield.

Nancy Barrett or Marta Kristen? Now, that's a near impossible choice to make. I have the pleasure of meeting both ladies several times. They are both still quite beautiful and charming and gracious as well. The stunning Ms. Kristen has played a creature of fantasy that never showed up on Dark Shadows. She graced the big screen as Lorelei the mermaid in the cinematic classic Beach Blanket Bingo. If Lorelei had managed to swim from Malibu to the shore off Collinsport, she would have been able to rescue those unfortunate souls to have fallen from Widows Hill, while perhaps catching the attention of the young salt Joe Haskell.

But, as this is a Dark Shadows message board, I would have to go with Me. Barrett.

But I'll leave you with another choice: Mark Goddard or Roger Davis?😏😏

[Bob_the_Bartender]

It seems as if Bill Mumy has been in a million tv shows.  Remember him as the obnoxious kid on The Munsters, who Grandpa mistakenly believes he has transformed into a monkey (sort of like how Angelique actually transformed Joshua Collins into Felix-the-Cat)?

I remember seeing an interview with Bill Mumy, in which he said that director Alfred Hitchcock was REALLY nasty to him as a child, trying to get the little boy to cry on cue.  Apparently, the great director terrified the young Mumy boy very much.  Maybe Bill should have sent Mr. Hitchcock to that cornfield on The Twilight Zone?

And, Marta Kristen as that comely mermaid in Beach Blanket Bingo, talk about good-looking!  You're right, Marta would have been terrific as Lorelei on Dark Shadows.  I could envision Willie, Joe Haskell, Harry Johnson and the immortal Buzz Hackett all trying to meet her.  I suppose that the learned Prof. T. Elliott Stokes would just want to "study" a mythical creature such as a mermaid, swimming around in Collinsport Bay.

As to Mark Goddard or Roger Davis: I much prefer June Lockhart or Anita "Bathia Mapes" Bolster.

[Uncle Roger]

Young Master Mumy was definitely traumatized by working with Alfred Hitchcock but he also got to work with Brigitte Bardot at around the same time. Reasonably fair trade-off.
The Collinsport locals would undoubtedly been drawn to the charms of Miss Lorelei like moths to the proverbial flame. And resident mad doctor Eric Lang would have had some sort of experiment in store for her. Though I am not sure if anyone on DS would have made a better mate for Lorelei than her Beach Blanket Bingo amour, the one and only Bonehead.

[Robot_Quentin]

I've seen interviews with Mumy doing a fair Johnathan Harris impersonation! 

[Gerard]

There's a hysterical blooper that can probably be found on youtube during the filming of a documentary by the Sci-Fi ("SyFy" - yuck) Network to celebrate, I believe the 25th anniversary of LIS.  Bill Mumy was talking with the Robot who made disparaging remarks about Dr. Smith and Jonathan Harris entered the scene, in character as Dr. Smith, arguing with the Robot.  He pulled out the power pack and the Robot dropped its arms, but even something more:  the claws fell off.  Both Mumy and Harris first had shocked expressions, but when the stage hands in the background broke into laughter, Harris said, using a really funny British accent:  "His f*ck*ng hands fell off!"  Mumy almost collapsed in laughter.

In the OS, the role of Dr. (also Colonel) Smith was to have him as a totally evil persona.  His character was added (along with the Robot - neither were in the original pilot) was added to create "tension" among the other characters to flesh them out.  (The pilot, which was only one hour long, was expanded through the first four episodes with newly shot scenes, including Dr. Smith and the Robot, interspersed throughout.)  After several attempts at killing the family, he was suppose to be killed off.  But Harris knew what side his bread was buttered - he had a good job, was actually paid more per episode than the other performers (because he was a "special guest star") and began to "lighten" the character to make him more palatable to children.  It worked; CBS kept him on and the lovable buffoon evolved.  LIS was originally designed as a hardcore science fiction adventure of a family trying to survive.  CBS picked it up instead of Star Trek, having first option.  It transitioned from being a serious sci-fi series to a neo-comedic fun fantasy.  By the second season, it also had to compete against the highly popular goofball Batman airing at the same time.  All seriousness was jettisoned, and instead we had the green-skinned Lorelei seducing Smith, intergalactic department store vending machines, knights in shining armor fighting dragons, and talking vegetables.  Some of the first season episodes were brilliant, including "My Friend, Mr. Nobody" and "Invaders from the Fifth Dimension."  The writing, direction, acting was remarkable.  But there were moments in the other two seasons.  One of my favorite lines came from Dr. Smith when he realized that he has ruined young Will's belief in magic:  "Dear, dear William.  Don't be in such a hurry to grow up.  It's really not all that worth it."

A re-imagining of LIS would be interesting if it's decided to keep Smith as a total villain. 

Gerard

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Ask Ausiello:
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Quite the interesting comment from the "industry insider". I wonder who they're trying to get to prompt such a comment?