As a child of the 1970s, I was impacted by four television shows over all others: The Super Friends
, Star Trek, The Twilight Zone,
and, most notably, Land of the Lost
.
The Super Friends, a Saturday
morning cartoon featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and other Justice
Leaguers, sparked my interest in superheroes. More serious than the Adam West Batman show and more colorful and
adventurous than Adventures of Superman
starring George Reeves, The Super Friends
lead me down the road of reading comic books, which eventually lead to my
co-owning two comic book stores and writing for the Comics Buyer’s Guide, the latter of which was my introduction to
getting published nationally on a regular basis.
Star Trek and The Twilight Zone, which I watched as
reruns, cemented my love for science fiction, a genre that has influenced me in
many ways, including my career path and outlook on life. I was introduced to science
fiction via Lost in Space but fell in
love it with through The Land of the Lost.
A
show that sent my senses soaring, Land of
the Lost ran on NBC Saturday mornings from 1974 through 1976. There were 43
episodes spread across three seasons. As the theme song goes, it’s the story of
Rick Marshall and his kids, Will and Holly, who were on a “routine expedition,”
river rafting in the Grand Canyon. An earthquake opens up and plunges them “a thousand
feet below” to a mysterious world of stop-motion dinosaurs, furry Pakuni
people,
and bipedal reptilian cave dwellers called Sleestaks
(including one played by
future NBA superstar Bill Laimbeer). The Sleestaks’ ineffectual arrows they
would shoot at Rick, Will, and Holly never hit their mark, but the creatures
looked and sounded scary to young children.
A
typical episode would find our heroes, who had fewer amenities than Robinson Crusoe
(which is one of many things that made the original series much better
than the 1991-1992 remake), gathering food, running from dinosaurs, and
exploring their mysterious new world, including the spooky pylons, which held
the secret to getting home.
(which is one of many things that made the original series much better
than the 1991-1992 remake), gathering food, running from dinosaurs, and
exploring their mysterious new world, including the spooky pylons, which held
the secret to getting home.
While Land of the Lost
was filled with
fantasy and adventure, its literary scripts were what made it special. To give
the program depth beyond typical kiddie fare, producers Sid and Marty Krofft (H.R. Pufnstuf, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters) commissioned a number of highly
respected science fiction authors to write the scripts, including Ben Bova,
D.C. Fontana, Larry Niven, Norman Spinrad, Theodore Sturgeon, and David Gerrold.
Such
episodes as Fontana’s “Elsewhen,” featuring Holly meeting an older version of
herself, and Niven and Gerrold’s “Circle,” where the writers explored the concept
of a closed universe, blew my young mind.
Just recently, I discovered that “Elsewhen” is Kathy Coleman’s favorite episode of Land of the Lost. Coleman, who began in Hollywood doing commercials, played Holly on the show. Wesley Eure, who played Will, and who was a regular on Days of Our Lives during that time, cited “Circle” as his favorite, thanks to its clever ideas and concepts.
Just recently, I discovered that “Elsewhen” is Kathy Coleman’s favorite episode of Land of the Lost. Coleman, who began in Hollywood doing commercials, played Holly on the show. Wesley Eure, who played Will, and who was a regular on Days of Our Lives during that time, cited “Circle” as his favorite, thanks to its clever ideas and concepts.
How
did I discover these bits of trivia, you may be wondering? The actors told me
when I asked them, of course!
Ms.
Coleman and Mr. Eure were guests at a recent science fiction convention called Infinicon,
which was in Addison, a suburb of Dallas. The event was held over a three-day
weekend, and I decided to go on that Friday.
I
arrived at the show in time to check out the vendor’s room prior to attending
the Land of the Lost panel. As a
collector of old and unusual items, I was disappointed by the offerings, which
consisted mostly of art prints, crafts, cosplay weapons, and those ubiquitous
Funko Pop toys.
But
that hardly mattered—I was there to meet two of my childhood heroes.
The
guests at the show, which also included Jed Rees (Galaxy Quest), Clive Revill (The
Empire Strikes Back), and Anne Lockhart (the original Battlestar Galactica), were situated along a wall in the vendor’s
room, so after looking around a bit, I casually strolled over that direction,
trying not to appear too excited.
As
a freelance journalist, I’ve interviewed many celebrities, but I was genuinely
excited and even a little nervous upon meeting the Land of the Lost actors. Luckily, they were both super friendly, immediately
putting me at ease. They smiled, shook my hand, and seemed genuinely
appreciative of my interest in the show.
While
meeting Wesley Eure was awesome—he was energetic and enthusiastic—I was
especially interested in Kathy Coleman, who I had a bit of a crush on as a kid,
and who was selling her autobiography, Run, Holly, Run!
, which I had promised to pick up for a friend.
, which I had promised to pick up for a friend.
The
person behind me in line got a signed book as well and began chatting with
Kathy. After a time he walked away, and after a few minutes it dawned on her
that he had forgotten to pay for the book. She was distressed over this, so I
told her I would help search for the guy. We went opposite directions, and I
found him—he had made an honest mistake and was on his way back to pay for it.
While
she didn’t really need my help, it was totally surreal going on a “mission”
with Holly from Land of the Lost.
Even more surreal was later that afternoon when I was leaving the show. I went
out the side door of the hotel, and Kathy was out there by herself, having a
smoke. I said hello, and we began talking for another 15 or 20 minutes. It was
bizarre and exciting, but also terribly sad. She relayed a very personal and
painful story, which you can read about in her book, of inappropriate behavior
by an adult cast member during season three.
Luckily,
the rest of the convention was upbeat and fun, including the Land of the Lost panel, which Wesley began by
leading Kathy and the audience in singing the show’s theme song (which makes
sense since he sang it originally), setting just the right mood for an hour of
laughter and reminiscing.
Kathy
and Wesley regaled the audience with interesting and amusing stories, such as
the time the cast hired a masseuse for Wesley for his birthday, and when, in
later years, they went searching for the elusive Spencer Milligan, who played
their dad on the show. They also discussed the 2009 Land of the Lost
movie, which everyone in the room agreed was a
major disappointment.
movie, which everyone in the room agreed was a
major disappointment.
Meeting
Kathy and Wesley revived my interest in Land
of the Lost collectibles. I don’t own very many—just the DVD sets of each
season, the Little Golden Book ($15), the Dynamite
magazine ($10), and a set of three View-Master reels ($15)—but I was curious to
see what else was out there, so I did a little hunting online. Here’s what a search
of completed eBay auctions turned up:
*Lunch
box complete with thermos: $140-$160
*Magic
Slate writing pad: $115
*Ben
Cooper Sleestak Halloween costume in the box: $70
*Moon
Spinner toys in the blister pack: $58
*Direction
Finder compass with blister pack: $38
*Milton
Bradley board game complete in the box: $45
*Talking
View-Master Reels set in the box: $40
and Enik (an intelligent predecessor to
the Sleestaks). These go for $90 each because they were New York Comic-Con
exclusives. I think I’ll pass on these, hop on Amazon, and go buy Kathy’s book,
which I’ve been meaning to do ever since I got back from my wondrous trip to Infinicon.
