"Lost in Space" - Of Green Girls and a Smitten Smith

The Flaming Nose TV Blog is proud to participate in the Summer of MeTV Classic TV Blogathon.  Be sure to check out the whole line-up at the home of the Classic TV Blog Association!

Her voice is a "mathematical progression" according to the Robot and Dr. Smith is "terribly flattered" by her attentions.  We're talking of course about Athena, the tantalizing extraterrestrial -- or might she be better described as "sextraterrestrial"? -- temptress who is introduced floating outside the Jupiter Two in the second season episode "Wild Adventure" on Irwin Allen's fabulous science fiction adventure series Lost in Space.  September 21, 1966 was the exact date of the pop culture debut of one of the most hilariously haunting characters from that show, a series filled with flamboyantly memorable characters writ large from producer Allen's vivid imagination, a stew where carrot men, space chimps, outer space Don Quixotes and the like merrily co-existed with but one mission -- pure audience entertainment.

From the first moment when our space Lorelei appears to Dr. Smith (as always played to feckless perfection by Jonathan Harris) on the Jupiter 2 viewscreen to the final moment -- at the end of the second episode to feature the very popular Athena character -- when Smith looks into the telescope and receives a farewell kiss from the Green Dimension, this space babe became TV legend.  Played by the alluring, extremely beautiful and undeniably exotic-looking (but Brooklyn-born) actress Vitina Marcus, Athena was unique, unusual, and unlike anything else audiences had ever experienced.  Marcus, a talented dancer as well as actress, had appeared on television and movie screens including a role in Irwin Allen's big screen version of The Lost World.  Allen brought her in to originate the guest role of Athena the Green Girl in "Wild Adventure" -- the character named after Vitina's own young daughter -- and the rest is TV history.  The response was so positive after her first appearance that Allen brought her back in "The Girl from the Green Dimension" later that same season.

Not only was Green Girl Athena mesmerizing for her special-hued looks but also for her captivating, sing-song musical vocal murmurings, especially so in the first episode.  She is nearly wordless in "Wild Adventure" yet manages expertly to get her point across via melodic cooings that not only entice Dr. Smith to near-mutiny but also draw the audience into her alien existence.  Her second appearance in "The Girl from the Green Dimension" puts her mostly on solid ground as she follows Smith and the Jupiter 2 to a planet where they are mining a substance precious to folks of her kind.  Here she communicates in a pidgin English dialect including the portentous phrase "Athena know much...many...everything" and of course the famous words she uses to describe the object of her affection, the unforgettable phrase "Handsome...pretty...handsome Dr. Smith."

It's a great credit to Vitina Marcus' ability and her own personality that Athena is so incredibly likable and a thoroughly charming though totally mysterious female.  Her first episode is rather serious territory -- the Jupiter 2 is thrown off-course and loses a chance to return to Earth because of her interference.  Her targeting of Dr. Smith is brilliant and he's a complete sucker for her hypnotic flattery.  When she reappears in her second episode, it's actually a genuine bedroom farce, with Athena declaring her love for the brave (she thinks) and handsome Smith (she also thinks, though there is some great dialogue when she is ascertaining that he is indeed not "a girl") and setting him up to do battle with an old boyfriend, the green and scary Urso, who has followed her to win her affections back.  Screams, chases, Will gets turned Green and other improbable though entertaining twists abound, and all through it Athena is friendly, delightful, flirtatious and entirely winning.  Were Dr. Smith able to fall for anyone except himself she could have been a lot of fun.

Seeing is believing in Athena's powers of persuasion. as seen here:

And in "The Girl from the Green Dimension" --

Lost in Space airs on the terrific MeTV channel Saturday nights at midnight after Svengoolie and before airings of Irwin Allen's other classic series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.  Here's their wonderful promo featuring actor Billy Mumy:




I will take this opportunity to tell my one interesting Lost in Space story.  When I was in Programming for Los Angeles independent channel KTLA back around 1980, I was pushing for adding Lost in Space to our line-up because of its inherent pop culture status -- perhaps not as cemented then as now but I know a legend when I see one -- and we began running it on Saturday and Sunday afternoons to solid ratings.  We had asked our 20th Century Fox sales rep if the Robot were still around and perhaps available for us to use in a promo or for display at the station.  He arranged for my colleague Dave and I to go to the Fox lot and look for it.  We did and were shown to a disassembled Robot in a big box, not only taken apart but also painted pink. Dave remembers that we did display it -- I sort of think we didn't -- but to see our beloved Robot in such a sorry state was a real glimpse into the impermanence of show biz fame!

Again, please visit the Classic TV Blog Association to find out about all the other great posts taking place this week at some terrific sites.  We will also be presenting a look at Bonanza this coming Thursday as part of the Blogathon!  And don't forget to watch MeTV 24 Hours a day during The Summer of MeTV!

Catching Up on Some February Birthdays!

The past week or so has been a good one for TV birthdays!  We figure better late than never so here are a few highlights from last Thursday onward:

Actress Barbara Hershey was born on February 5, 1948, in Hollywood, California, the perfect birthplace for a woman who would grow up to become one of the most unique and hardworking actresses in the industry.  She began acting in television series while still a teen, appearing in popular series such as The Farmer's Daughter and Gidget, and in 1966 she landed a starring role in the ABC-TV western series The Monroes.  Barbara played the oldest daughter in a family of five orphans who struggled to live together in the Old West.  The show lasted only one season but it established Hershey as an actress to watch and led to many other guest roles in other classic series including Daniel Boone, Run For Your Life, The Invaders and The High Chaparral.



In 1968 Barbara made the leap into features where she made several films and in 1972 she landed the title role in Boxcar Bertha, Martin Scorcese's outlaw action film that changed Hershey's life in several important ways.  It got her an enormous amount of publicity and shot her into the spotlight, mainly due to her sensational romance with co-star David Carradine and the "did they or didn't they really do it?" passion in their sex scenes together. (Both say they did.)  Her relationship with Carradine was a major influence on her at that time and in 1974 she made a two-episode guest appearance on his hit TV show Kung Fu.  She also briefly changed her last name to "Seagull" around this time.



Hollywood's interest in Hershey was more than justified as she soon began a run of amazing feature films -- The Stunt Man, The Entity, The Natural, Tin Men, Hoosiers, The Last Temptation of Christ, Beaches,The Right Stuff -- which catapulted her to the top of her profession.  Please check out her list of credits on IMDb; click here to see the super-impressive totality of her career.  She also moved freely between movies and TV with roles in several big television miniseries and TV movies.





Currently TV audiences enjoy Barbara's starring role on ABC's fairy tale adventure series Once Upon a Time as the evil Cora.

Our second Happy Birthday girl is actress Laura Linney, born on February 5, 1964.  This supremely talented, lovely and utterly classy thespian has been all over the movie screen and on television sets since at least 1992.  Early works of note include the popular PBS American Playhouse adaption of author Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City and its two sequels, several TV movies (The Laramie Project, Running Mates for TNT and others) and series appearances including Frasier (Emmy win).  In 2008 she became a special favorite here for her award-winning role as Abigail Adams in HBO's multi-part miniseries John Adams starring Paul Giamatti in the title role.








Linney has kept continually busy with a full plate of critically praised roles in major films -- Kinsey, Hyde Park on Hudson among many others -- as well as her spectacular (more awards!) performance on Showtime's half-hour dramedy The Big C which ran for three years beginning in 2010.








Be sure to check out her impressive list of credits on her IMDb page -- click here -- and she also was involved in another production of equal importance when she gave birth at the beginning of last year at the age of 49.  Well-liked and uniformly praised -- check out this charming NY Times article, click here -- Laura Linney is a wonder and a gift to us all.  Be sure to also check out this article written by her playwright father about his talented and beloved daughter, click here.

Another February 5th birthday -- her 30th this year -- belongs to American Horror Story actress Jamie Brewer who has become a favorite for her work in three seasons of the FX series.



The talented actress and Downs Syndrome activist is an integral part of what makes American Horror Story so continually fascinating.  We hope to keep seeing her on this series and many others!

Also from last week, actor Patrick Macnee from the classic and oh-so-classy series The Avengers celebrated his 93rd birthday on February 6th.  Like so many talented veteran performers of his era, Macnee has amassed a huge list of credits over his long career; please check out his IMDb page for his movie and TV performances.  He also has a snazzy personal webpage filled with delightful information and features; click here to access.

On February 7th Little House on the Prairie author and TV character Laura Ingalls Wilder (played by actress Melissa Gilbert) would have celebrated her 148th birthday.  She was born in 1867 and passed away in 1957.



A newly-published autobiography from Wilder has become a bestseller, illuminating some of the less idyllic aspects of prairie life for her legions of fans.  The beloved TV series which was overseen by actor Michael Landon is one of American TV's classic family-friendly shows.

On Febuary 8th composer John Williams celebrated his 83rd birthday.  Best known for his long and impressive string of Oscar-winning movie scores, Williams cut his teeth in TV with some wonderful series theme songs, including our favorite 3rd season Lost in Space opening.

Veteran actress Mary Steenburgen also celebrated a birthday on February 8th.  This multi-talented actress moves easily between screen and TV appearances; check out her IMDb credits here. TV-wise she's appearing now on Justified and her past work includes 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ink, Back to the Future and one of our particular favorites, her two seasons on Joan of Arcadia beginning in 2003.

February 9th was the 39th birthday of brilliant, adorable and hilarious Charlie Day, one of the stars and creators of  FX's trademark cult comedy hit It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and now co-star in the Horrible Bosses movie franchise. Here is one of our favorite moments as he composes the "Dayman-Nightman" song with Glen Howerton:

And on February 10th, actor Robert Wagner celebrated his 85th birthday!  The still-active long-time movie heartthrob has a wonderful career spanning nearly seven decades; definitely check out his IMDb credits -- amazing!  Along the way he's starred in several popular TV series including It Takes a Thief, Switch and Hart to Hart:








A sincere Flaming Nose Happy Birthday to all these talented performers!

Happy November 6th Birthdays!

Everybody's wishing Happy Birthday to actress Sally Field today!  We will, too; she's been a reliable TV presence since her debut as Gidget and her days as The Flying Nun and let's not forget so many more great television moments including her riveting title role in the Sybil miniseries, either.  However, we like to feature some of the folks who may not always get the love so here we go.

First up, TV comedy wouldn't be the same if John Philip Sousa hadn't been born on November 6, 1854.  Sousa was known in his time as "The (American) March King" for his incredibly popular trademark compositions, and his 1893 march "The Liberty Bell" became the theme song for the classic British comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, clip below.  In case you've never heard the whole march you can listen to it here also, and we've also got the trailer to the highly romanticized 20th Century Fox 1952 biopic Stars and Stripes Forever starring Clifton Webb as Sousa.  Sousa passed away on March 6, 1932.

November 6, 1914 -- exactly one hundred years ago today -- saw the birth of a television legend who would become a genuine pop culture icon.  Jonathan Harris -- born Jonathan Charasuchin in the Bronx -- came from humble origins but a home where love of culture was always encouraged. His early exposure to the arts developed into an abiding love for theater.  Despite his love for performing, he studied to be a pharmacist and practiced for several years, but he had been bitten by the acting bug.  After dabbling in local repertory productions he made it to Broadway and started his dream career in the early 1940s.

Where Jonathan Harris really found his home was in the nascent medium of television.  From 1949 on Harris was a frequent performer in the live from New York dramas and later in countless Hollywood-produced series.  Primarily a character actor but often ascending to costar status, Harris and his unique persona were always memorable and as much in serious roles as in comedy.  In addition to his one-shot guest star roles he also became a regular on the 1959 espionage series The Third Man alongside star Michael Rennie and later on the sitcom The Bill Dana Show.  However, Harris got his TV Legend stripes playing Dr. Zachary Smith on the Irwin Allen space adventure turned cult classic Lost in Space which debuted in 1965.  During the three seasons of the show he brilliantly honed his portrayal of the fussy and feckless Dr. Smith -- "Oh, the pain!" -- to the eternal delight of science fiction fans everywhere.

Let's take a look at the credits from the third season of Lost in Space when John Williams' rollicking theme perfectly captured the rambunctious excitement of the show:



Jonathan Harris loved creating Dr. Smith and we all loved him for doing it.  You will definitely enjoy his one man show where he shares stories of his amazing show biz career; taped in 1994 in Australia:



Also, Jonathan Harris was the subject of an especially good edition of A&E's Biography series, full of wonderful footage, rare photos and terrific interviews.  Such a treat!




One of Harris' many wonderful guest roles was as Charles Dickens in the "A Passion for Justice" episode of Bonanza.  Here he is in a beautiful recitation:



Jonathan Harris passed away on November 3, 2002 at the age of eighty-seven.

For our second musical personality of the day, a brief Happy Birthday salute to the movie and television music arranger and popular bandleader Ray Conniff who was born on this date in 1916.  A huge talent with an enormous popular music footprint, Conniff and his troupe of singers had an iconic sound whose appeal transcends mere nostalgia.  There is an informative tribute website available by clicking here.  The Conniff legacy lives on even though Ray passed away in 2002.

Our last November 6th birthday is actor Lance Kerwin, born on this date in 1960 and remembered so fondly for playing the title role in the short-lived but memorable 1977 series James at 15/James at 16 along with countless other TV roles starting when he was a young teen.  Lance was the go-to kid actor at the time, getting plum roles and great reviews for his performances such as in Michael Landon's autobiographical 1976 TV movie The Loneliest Runner and co-starring opposite David Soul and James Mason in the acclaimed miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's Salem's Lot from 1979.








There are lots of Lance's TV movies on YouTube and also many episodes of James at 15/James at 16.  Kerwin continued his busy career well into the 1990s but gradually eased out of the business for reasons including substance abuse problems.  He's now reportedly doing very well in his new life as a spiritual counselor/minister in Hawaii.  Kerwin's impressive acting career stands as a wonderful legacy to his talent even if he has turned to another calling.  The internet is a repository of Lance Kerwin material, including this page at Former Child Star Central, an out-of-date but still charming tribute site available by clicking here, and a great interview with him at Retrocrush from 2004, highly recommended for Kerwin's wonderful recollections.


Happy Birthday to all November 6th birthday boys and girls out there!

Nose-talgia Summer! It's a June Lockhart Kind of Day Today!

Now that we're a few days officially into summer, The Flaming Nose TV Blog announces our summer initiative!  We're going to concentrate on a Nose-talgia summer, with looks back at the people and shows that we love and we're betting you do, too.  If we can celebrate some birthdays along the way, so much the better, and we're starting out with just that.

A Happy 89th Birthday today to the lovely and talented actress June Lockhart, a charming lady who started out as a child actress -- her father was veteran Hollywood character actor Gene Lockhart -- and went on to become one of television's favorite leading ladies.  Whether your tastes leaned more to situation comedy, family adventure or exciting futuristic science fiction tales, June Lockhart was your go-to gal.

Many of us grew up watching June playing the mother of young Jon Provost on Lassie from 1958 - 64. The CBS show was a long-running favorite featuring an evolving cast over the years (a 1954 start), with the beloved collie dog Lassie the one recurring element .  Lockhart's kind and understanding portrayal of Ruth Martin (opposite the equally understanding Hugh Reilly) was a highlight of the series.  The sophisticated movie and Broadway actress had no trouble donning a farmer's wife's apron to bring a loving, down-to-earth and intelligent character to life.  She definitely was one of TV's favorite mothers during the years she starred on Lassie.  Here's the opening title sequence to the show:

June Lockhart's next venture guaranteed her place in the annals of Pop Culture forever:  she placed pioneer spacewoman Maureen Robinson on producer Irwin Allen's imaginative family science fiction adventure series Lost in Space from 1965 - 1968 on CBS and in reruns ever since.

Playing opposite the dashing Guy Williams as her husband John, with child stars Angela Cartwright and Billy Mumy as her younger children and Marta Kristen as her ultra-fetching older daughter whose boyfriend was a fellow space traveler played by Mark Goddard, Lockhart managed to keep calm and carry on even when faced with the nefarious deeds of the dastardly stowaway Dr. Smith played by everybody's favorite Jonathan Harris. June as Maureen Robinson brought the same kind of kind intelligence and competence to the role as she had in Lassie, and her participation in this often over-the-top but always humane and sometimes downright sublime series is a highlight of her career.  First up is the original theme song to the show (set to a visual of show stills) and then the more popular and frankly more exciting theme from the 3rd and last season of the show.





Her last major series recurring role was in CBS' long-running (1963 -1970) rural comedy Petticoat Junction playing Dr. Janet Craig, a strong female figure in the series replacing actress Bea Benedaret who passed away in 1968.  Lockhart would be with the show for the series' final two seasons.


June Lockhart continues to work in Hollywood and is also a frequent guest at conventions where she shares her unique and witty tales of life as one of TV's busiest working actresses.  Check out YouTube for a plethora of clips featuring this charming leading lady!

Our Classic TV Valentines

Here's a Happy Valentine's Day to all our nostalgic TV crushes -- not that we don't still love these guys!

In no particular order...

Rob Petrie, played by Dick Van Dyke, on The Dick Van Dyke Show

How could any young girls not fall in love with the hilarious, urbane, supremely silly and utterly adorable Rob Petrie?  Not only did he have a cool job -- TV comedy writer -- but he worked in a great office with smart entertaining colleagues...how is that not perfect?  Even if we couldn't be Mrs. Petrie, I think we'd have settled for being Sally Rogers, just to be near Rob.  Wouldn't you?

Adam Cartwright, played by Pernell Roberts, on Bonanza

Naturally, young girls watching the series were supposed to fall for the teen idol-ish Little Joe (Michael Landon), but there was something dangerous and sexy about Ben Cartwright's oldest son Adam.  Smart as a whip and back at the Ponderosa after going away to college, this often-brooding brother had a temper and wasn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with his dynamic father (Lorne Greene).  If Little Joe was the heartthrob and Hoss the safe older brother, Adam was the slightly wild card.  So wild that he left the series after a few years, but while he was there, he lent a seductive air to the Cartwright clan.

Diver Dan, played by Frank Freda, on Diver Dan

Can an actor in a diving suit playing on a fake underwater set with puppet fish really make little girls' hearts flutter?  Well, Diver Dan did!  Whether it was his understated heroics or his "do-they-or-don't-they" -- or maybe more accurately "could-they-even-do-it" -- relationship with the elusive and beautiful mermaid Miss Minerva, Diver Dan made afterschool afternoons more exciting!

Professor Roy Thornton, played by Russell Johnson, on Gilligan's Island

Wouldn't you like to be stranded on a desert island with the Professor?  Handsome and so very smart -- and not even just compared to Mr. Howell, the Skipper or Gilligan -- the Professor was also inventive, good-natured and not a bit of the aloof intellectual.  I still think he's the perfect companion for a coconut-tinged retreat, though of course you'd have plenty of competition, what with Ginger and Mary Ann also having an eye for Roy.  Who can blame them?

Dr. James Kildare, played by Richard Chamberlain, on Dr. Kildare

Chamberlain brought a huge dose of charisma into the corridors of Blair General Hospital and became a huge teen idol for his role as Dr. Kildare.  The show was intelligent and dramatic, beautifully produced, excellently acted -- by Chamberlain, his co-star Raymond Massey and a bevy of guest stars -- but mostly we all fell in love with the appealing Dr. Kildare.  Sure, Ben Casey was also a hit TV series at the time on a different network, but Casey (Vince Edwards) was gruff and grim, while Kildare was bright and inviting.  Maybe the older ladies went for Casey, but Kildare got the youth vote, and how.

Sheriff Andy Taylor, played by Andy Griffiths, on The Andy Griffiths Show

Even those of us who grew up far from small town America -- or maybe especially us -- were drawn to Sheriff'Taylor's soft-spoken and kind-hearted brand of law enforcement.  He also had the allure of being a widower, and in the show he had a couple of different steady girlfriends, including the equally likeable schoolteacher Helen Krump (Aneta Corsaut).  Who could begrudge Sheriff Taylor a little Mayberry-style lovin', right?  In truth he was probably more of a father figure than boyfriend, but his comforting male presence was a welcome feature of our childhoods and ever since.

Superman/Clark Kent, played by George Reeves, on The Adventures of Superman

That smile, that cape, the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound -- we're still in love with Superman!  The brawny All-American good looks and personality of George Reeves gave his super-portrayal an irresistible appeal that has never died.  Okay, so maybe we didn't want him for a boyfriend exactly, but if he wanted to drop by and take us for a flight around the world...well, that would have been okay with us. 

Dr. Zachary Smith and the Robot, played by Jonathan Harris and Dick Tufeld, on Lost in Space

Yeah...there's no denying these two were one of the most authentic Odd Couples ever on TV, but they were also hilarious and they could have easily been, if not our boyfriends exactly, maybe our funny best friends.  We sometimes think that's even better than romance, in case anybody needs to be told that.

Hercules, voiced by Jimmy Tapp, on The Mighty Hercules

Hercules, like Diver Dan and Clark Kent, was a shy guy with a big job, and little time for romance with the lovely damsel Helena who worshipped the Greek he-man.  For a crudely animated show with only a dozen or so episodes, the influence of The Mighty Hercules was huge in our childhood and mostly because Hercules himself was the epitome of a classic hero.  Even though it was unlikely that we would ever accompany him to Mount Olympus -- "Olympia!" he cried at the end of every segment as he ascended -- we loved to watch him vanquish evil and yet somehow never quite get the girl.

Mickey, played by Mickey Dolenz, on The Monkees

Davy Jones was the anointed "boyfriend-in-chief" of the pre-Fab Four, but if you were a young lady who loved the funny, then Mickey was your guy.  Unconventionally good-looking, slightly hyperactive, and a terrific singer to boot, Mickey was my Monkee of choice and I'm sticking to it!

Illya Kuriakin, played by David McCallum, on The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Open Channel D!  The suave Russian Illya, Napoleon Solo's partner in spying, soon almost eclipsed his James Bond-ish co-agent in popularity and fan mail, not that Robert Vaughn was anything less than spectacular.  It's just that Illya was so...so...cute, dang it all!  From his fluffy blond hair to his delicate foreign accent, Illya was oh-so-seriously wonderful and most definitely won the hearts of the younger set. 

Artemus Gordon, played by Ross Martin, on The Wild Wild West

In this series, ladies who loved tight blue pants went for the ultra-suave uber-hero James West, played by Robert Conrad.  Those of us who liked our heroes a little more creative, a little funnier, a little more inventive, preferred Artemus Gordon, masterfully brought to life by actor Ross Martin.  If West almost always ended up with the girl, Artemus ended up with our hearts and our minds, a potent two-fer that made Mr. Gordon my personal choice for the most super secret agent. 

I've saved the best for last --

Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, on Star Trek

Who might have dreamed that a half-human alien hybrid from the fictional planet Vulcan could become one of the most desirable of TV boyfriends for millions of young girls?  Super smart -- there's that very cool intelligence attribute once again! -- ultra-competent, and nearly non-emotional, although Spock might have seemed an unlikely candidate for Valentine's pin-up boy, he's the logical choice.  Since the late 1960's Spock has made the search for extraterrestrial life a must; how else are Sarek and Amanda, Spock's Vulcan father and Earth mother, ever going to get together?  From the first moment we set eyes on him to his evidently farewell appearance as Spock in J.J. Abram's 2009 Trek franchise reboot feature, Mr. Spock has truly been one of the wonders of the TV universe.

We all have our favorites, and many newer faces have come in since these guys captured our hearts long ago, but you never forget your first love...er...loves.  A Happy Valentine's Day to all of the many unforgettable characters who have made us fall in love with them!