Land Of The Giants S1 E5: Terror-Go-Round

"I don't believe there was enough focus on the characters themselves. Had there been---and I know that isn't always an easy thing to carry off on a weekly series---I think the audience would have gotten more involved."

-Gary Conway, Starlog Magazine #151, p.20-



This writer is not so naïve to suggest Lost In Space (1965-1968) was a series so rich in character development that nothing could rival it but by the measure of this fourth Irwin Allen TV series it was relatively light years ahead despite the two shows sharing some of the same writers. A tip of the hat to the casting of Lost In Space to be sure too.

Land Of The Giants merely favors action and the danger the crew of the Spindrift encounters to good solid character development with which Lost In Space was far more generous. Perhaps the genuine family dynamic of those characters had something to do with that. Lost In Space took the time with characters to explore the human moments and in those moments we learned a lot about their humanity in subtle ways that set them all apart as individuals. With Land Of The Giants the only human moments are seeing the little people utilize their little minds to outmaneuver the big humans on an alternate, strangely Earth-like planet.



So Lost In Space was far from writing perfection once upon a time, but the stories penned throughout its first season and the writing gifted to the wonderful ensemble made for engaging television as we bonded with The Robinsons as a family and empathized with their plight or watched them garden or eat dinner. We cared about their very survival. The Robinsons broke bread, shared meals, conversations and developed their makeshift home like a true family.

As writer Sheldon Stark (Land Of The Giants S1 E16 On A Clear Night You Can See Earth) noted in Starlog Magazine (#159), Land Of The Giants was a "plot show rather than a character show" and as a result lacks significant "psychological depth" which a show like Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969) had in spades. Even Lost In Space fared significantly better as a character driven piece. Despite the action and fantasy-heavy stories Lost In Space made time for character and personality.



Land Of The Giants has some way to go to rope this giant in and judging by its title I'm not certain the latest outing will do it. We stomp the forest lands of Land Of The Giants, Season One, Episode 5, Terror-Go-Round.

With the latest installment of the series one begins to recognize the predictable rhythm of the series. Some of the little people have been captured for a travelling circus and its off to the rescue by the remaining little people yet again. Sadly it would seem the impressive looking series had little ambition to divert from this formula. This writer will officially make Terror-Go-Round our final look back at the show. Until an episode comes along to really stand on the shoulder of giants worthy of attention this one goes on hiatus. We'll keep our giant prop fingers crossed for something special in the episodes to come.



Land Of The Giants is nothing short of impressive as a visual enterprise as the crew of the Spindrift defer to their weapons of choice: thread, safety pin, giant match, etc.. It's something to see, but the fantasy series lacks some of the narrative variety, intelligence and grace of Allen's Lost In Space. It's a true spectacle of production.



Land Of The Giants may have been his very big baby, his very last television series, but the adventure series sans character would not be enough to sustain it and endure it as a science fiction classic. It was certainly enough to land it a second season, but not enough to be forever remembered. It has its place in history, but for such a terrifically big, bold concept it's sadly a minor one. This is largely due to the inattention to actual character and giving the audience reason to root for these survivors.



Five episodes into the series and I know little to nothing about them. Who are these people? What do they feel?

Writer Sheldon Stark who would pen On A Clear Night You Can See Earth (S1, E16) noted the series to be "infantile as real SF. It was very unsophisticated, with a standard format and stereotypical characters." This is precisely why Land Of The Giants fails as a memorable science fiction excursion. It was gloriously colorful and exciting as a visual spectacle, but devoid of anything to care about with regard to humanity. And as any fan of great science fiction or great stories in general knows, the humanity needs to be at the heart of it.



Stark added by comparison, once again in Starlog Magazine #160 (p.67), his thoughts on Star Trek. "It dealt humanly with unhuman creatures, and as a series, it did what every writer should do---take a moral position in life. Star Trek provided a mirror for the world of today."

And this, in the final analysis, is why we end our look at Land Of The Giants, an unfortunately small entry in the world of science fiction that could have been so much bigger and better. A sizable disappointment as a result of lacking so little depth.

Writer: Charles Bennett.
Director: Sobey Martin (Lost In Space).

 

 

 

Don Matheson And Deanna Lund: On Land Of The Giants' Special FX

"There was no way you could compete with them. I knew that going in. They were bigger than we were. When it was your turn, you gave it your best shot. The whole concept of Land Of The Giants was more of a star than any of us."

-Don Matheson, Starlog Magazine #162 (p.63)-



"Unfortuantely, what happens... is the actors become props for the special FX. That was the show's one weakness. You didn't really get to know us."

-Deanna Lund, Starlog Magazine #181 (p.30)-



Sadly, it the lack of character with Land Of The Giants' overreliance on effects that became a glaring weakness. Lund suggests the series couldn't have it both ways. Perhaps television at that time on Irwin Allen's watch couldn't. It's too bad because it really could have. It could have been an ideal mix of action adventure and character drama.

To further make the point regarding what Land Of The Giants so badly needed, character, Lund noted if someone had decided not to return had the series been picked up for a Season Three it wouldn't have been a loss at all. The show wouldn't have been hurt. "Nobody was indispensable." To Irwin Allen the props were the thing.

For those readers disinterested in Land Of The Giants, the next entry will be my last for a time.

Land Of The Giants S1 E4: Undergound

"The series was a plot show rather than a character show. The characters were supposed to be simple and therefore didin't allow for philosophical depth."

-Sheldon Stark, Starlog Magazine #159, p.65-



We plunge headlong into bird's eye shots and ground level point of views for Land Of The Giants, Season One, Episode 4, Underground.

Sadly, the series looks impressive with strong production values, but the main characters are fairly one dimensional to this point. They are nearly as nameless and faceless as the giants from which they run from and survive. In fact some giants may have more character.



What's missing is the kind of dramatic character interaction that made Lost In Space (1965-1968) work so well between all of the imaginative adventure. There were dark moments and sweet moments that pulled you into the ensemble cast. Here, oddly, the series seems almost entirely devoid of character beats.

We know nothing about Steve, Mark, Dan, Barry, Valerie, Betty and Alexander. They interact like they've known each other for years, but do they? We don't know. We don't know a thing about any of them save for a little about the Alexander character mentioned in the series opener The Crash.



Their action is driven by survival and efforts to repair the air craft known as the Spindrift. And as it stands it's simply easier to identify the characters as the crew of the Spindrift until they become more multi-dimensional to one another and to us. But a show about survival you might feel would lend itself to some wonderfully emotional moments. It worked well for Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007), but Land Of The Giants is more interested in running its characters through a giant-sized obstacle course.

Four episodes in and we are waiting for the kind of character depth that make a series more dramatically engaging. This writer's patience is wearing thin waiting for it.



As a visual exercise Land Of The Giants is mildly plot interesting and at times fun, but certainly empty as a Giant's opened vegetable can. One of the most amusing aspects of the series is how the crew of the Spindrift seems to be quite conveniently located to just about anything. All of the characters appear to get to any number of places on foot rather expeditiously despite their small size. The giants have no great leg up on these fleet of foot little fellows. Also, all sorts of giants are constantly walking about their little forest as a cut through to any manner of buildings, homes and so on. This is pure fantasy indeed.



What Land Of The Giants does wisely consider in Underground is what a giant would do with the control of small people to utilize to their benefit. Who wouldn't want to be the size of Ant-Man or the Lilliputians to gain access to areas normal sized humans can't go? So, we find the giants using these small Earthlings to great advantage as helpless pawns in their game. And why exactly is everything on this planet of Giants exactly the same as Earth right down to the police officers? It's a very close, sometimes totalitarian-like, alternate Earth, but not particularly interesting as alternate worlds go.



The real trick for Land Of The Giants is its production flair which is special. The fantasy worlds of Irwin Allen continue to astound on a visual level. This much is certain, but it is sadly absent of character depth. There is a kind of fantasy, science fiction adventure element charm about all of the visuals that reminisce of the more comedic island adventures of Gilligan's Island (1964-1967), but the latter series was skilled at exploring character and the exchanges between the ensemble cast.

The cast for Land Of The Giants is sound, but they need more scripting meat with which to work outside of the conflict/resolution visuals that populate the plotlines for these stories so far.



I have BIG hopes they could be just around the corner, but alas our small sample size devoid of character thus far indicates something quite to contrary.

Understanding that Land Of The Giants was basically an adventure series geared toward kids makes one wonder how it is something like Space:1999 (1975-1977), also geared toward kids, could manage to walk the line of adventure and ideas and character (plot and character) so much more adroitly than a show like Land Of The Giants. Though I suspect that has more to do with the leadership of Gerry Anderson on the former over the forceful drive of the master of disaster Irwin Allen on the latter.

Writer: Ellis St. Joseph
Director: Sobey Martin (well known for falling asleep in his director's chair directed 14 episodes of Lost In Space; Martin would direct 21 episodes of Land Of The Giants)

Don Marshall: On The Time Tunnel And Land Of The Giants' Lack Of Character Depth

"If the writers had dealt with the little people's emotions more, it would have made for better drama---and for a better show.

Irwin Allen steered away from personal relationships and human emotions.

His Time Tunnel series was the same thing.

The characters were dealing with what was 'out there' rather than what was inside."

 

-Don Marshall, Starlog Magazine #230 (p.23)-

Land Of The Giants S1 E3: Framed

"Land Of The Giants was pure escapism."

-Esther Mitchell, Starlog Magazine #160 (p.60)-




As we enter the little people, big world universe of Land Of The Giants with Season One, Episode 3, Framed, we continue to be in awe of the ideas and ingenuity of the series' production design work and the many astounding, gargantuan props to create the illusion of this giant land.

The concept of miniature people and large props has been employed in film. The Borrowers (1973, 1997), The 3 Worlds Of Gulliver (1960), Attack Of The Puppet People (1958), Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989), Ant-Man (2015), Downsizing (2017), Fantastic Voyage (1966), Inner Space (1987), The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), The Indian In The Cupboard (1995) and more all have fun with the process of miniaturization in comedy, science fiction and horror. To see a TV show tackle such a concept for the small screen was indeed no small feat.



Here in Land Of The Giants Irwin Allen and company were doing something very special technically for two seasons (51 episodes) of television---a massive undertaking.

So far Land Of The Giants is filled with wonder and action-adventure excitement as the crew of the Spindrift (it's actually easier to refer to large ensemble cast this way) move from threat to threat out of sheer survival. But referring to the crew of the Spindrift as a whole is partly by design as we have yet to see any real character development or even cast interaction of any real depth. Still looking for a big heaping helping in that department for Land Of The Giants.



Unfortunately all we learn from Framed is that most of the crew have a moral conscience as they make every effort to save a hobo from being framed for a girl's murder. This is purely plot-driven narrative drama.

We also witness quite possibly the worst bit of criminal justice investigation of a crime scene known to humanity as two officers simply fall for the plot, take none of the surrounding evidence with them and let the real killer off Scott free. This is a pretty deplorable law enforcement scenario.



Framed is a pretty weak entry in the series as stories go. We get your requisite shots of big cameras, gopher holes, large hands, big doorbells, photography trays and a match book to name a few and all are truly impressive, but the writing needs to be better than Framed to frame these intriguing characters in the right light.

In the end we know more about the nameless photographer (performed by Paul Carr) in the episode than our Spindrift friends the "little people." That's never a good thing.



Even lead Gary Conway affirmed with Starlog Magazine (#151, p. 20), "I don't believe there was enough focus on the characters themselves."

Indeed the audience is never pulled in and we're beginning to witness evidence of that. This routine is beginning to play out as formula, but the visual magnificence of this series is mammoth.



Writer: Mann Rubin (The Mod Squad, The Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky & Hutch). Director: Harry Harris (The Waltons, Eight Is Enough).

Land Of The Giants S1 E2: Ghost Town

"Even God would be lonely in a place like this."
-Betty Hamilton-





Not unlike the Hanna-Barbera production The Adventures Of Gulliver (1968-1969) for The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968-1970) or the comedic island adventures of Gilligan's Island (1964-1967), there is a charming adventure-like spirit to this Irwin Allen sci-fi production of Land Of The Giants (1968-1970).

The late 1960s was rife and bountiful with series loaded with imagination. UFO (1970-1973) was happening on the other side of the pond along with Thunderbirds (1965-1966) by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, but stateside Irwin Allen was making all sorts of waves on television with his Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (1961) film eventually adapted for television (1964-1968), Lost In Space (1965-1968), The Time Tunnel (1966-1967) and finally the expensively prop-heavy production work of Land Of The Giants (1968-1970).



With Land Of The Giants, Season One, Episode 2, Ghost Town it was clear Allen and his creative forces (directors, writers and production design staff) had intentions to go out BIG!

Land Of The Giants was another example of ensemble science fiction adventure at its most ambitious if not finest.

The story idea was conceived by Anthony Wilson but penned first by Gilbert Ralston (ST:TOS, S2, E2, Who Mourns For Adonis?) and William Welch (Lost In Space).



Ralston expressed disappointment in the final product here with the series entry as "childish" in Starlog Magazine #159 (p.66). Veteran writer Welch would take the writing chores and essentially lay out the direction of Land Of The Giants and what the adventure series was essentially shooting for. Ralston's later assessment definitively captured the concerns of the series.

"They were interested in basic gimmicks. Star Trek, on the other hand, was an intellectual exercise run by sensitive and knowledgeable producers."



As much fun as Irwin Allen generated for his productions in many respects the action-based productions were very much a reflection and manifestation of the child-like creator's very detached and some would say insensitive drive for the bigger, better, extravagant production. Allen was far less concerned with the characters and their respective development than he was in the situational action adventure they might find themselves dropped.



Ghost Town sets straight that the crew of the Spindrift have landed on another planet. If The Crash (S1, E1) made any suggestion of an alternate Earth or some kind of atomizer or shrinking ray storm only to return to Earth, Ghost Town's giant caretakers of its model, hobby-sized town make it clear the giants are not of our world. They are actually pleased to see these pint sized little Earthlings populate their little toy town and intend to trap them there.



Ghost Town offers all of the fascinating little touches of big rocks, toy cars, model town structures and so on even if it lacks some of the production grandeur of Allen's opening volley. It's still a solid outing into the Land Of The Giants as we continue to root for our tiny crew of the Spindrift while not learning much in the way of character. The stories and action are driving this behemoth so far, thus plot-driven not character-driven adventure appears to be an establishing formula.



This is still fabulous 1970s adventure television of which there is nothing like today.

And where else will you get a full on screen child spanking in this politically correct and socially neutered day and age in which we live today where responsibility and consequence are becoming as extinct as the dinosaurs or an Irwin Allen production.

Ghost Town: B.
Writer: Gilbert Ralston/ William Welch/ Anthony Wilson.
Director: Nathan Juran (directed for all four of Allen's 1960s series).

Land Of The Giants S1 E1: The Crash

"It was a modern day version of Gulliver's Travels."

-Gary Conway, Starlog Magazine #151, p.16-

Irwin Allen for a time went BIG and bold and did so through television with four consecutive, remarkable science fiction series. First, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (1964-1968; four seasons; 110 episodes), followed by Lost In Space (1965-1968; three seasons; 83 episodes. These two gems were followed by lesser known successors in Land Of The Giants (1968-1970; two seasons; 51 episodes) and The Time Tunnel (1966-1967; 30 episodes).

Currently enjoying a deep dive of all things Irwin Allen this writer thought it might be nice to deliver you a look at one of his series outside of Lost In Space in the form of Land Of The Giants (available on DVD only).



Still, looking back at Allen's always ambitious efforts, we find with Land Of The Giants, Season One, Episode One, The Crash, there was nothing short of spectacular television to behold once again.

It is truly impressive just how strong his launch episode of The Crash holds up even today as a television experience.



The Crash was written by Irwin Allen and Tony Wilson (who also worked on Lost In Space), and directed and created by Allen. Land Of The Giants is a massive, epic undertaking that stands tall in the pantheon of science fiction television as one might or should expect from that mammoth series title. It's underappreciated by comparison to his other series but there are reasons for that as the series progresses. Still, as a visual exercise The Crash is stunning work.

Allen always launched his series in impressive style and created pilot entries that still genuinely stand the test of time in terms of quality.



Allen directed Eleven Days To Zero in black and white, the series opener for his Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea with some rousing action sequences following his full color film of the same name from 1961 (here).

Allen got behind the camera for series opener Rendezvous With Yesterday for his The Time Tunnel series.



And of course no one can forget the cinematic feat of his pilot for Lost In Space, No Place To Hide (here).

What Allen achieves on teleprint here for The Crash and Land Of The Giants is indeed impressive.



Hinted at in Lost In Space entry The Oasis (S1, E9) and even There Were Giants In The Earth (S1, E4) with the Cyclops, Allen had BIG ideas and a land of giants is where he was taking them. Land Of The Giants is ultimately the materialization of those ambitions and germination of those initial seeds (S1 E14 Attack Of The Monster Plants).

Well cast the opening episode, The Crash, is indeed a thrill ride in the tradition of the master of disaster's action approach. Low on characterization and BIG on thrills he inserts viewers quickly into an alternative universe of sorts as the crew of a space flight vessel, the curvy, sub-orbital Spindrift (a ship that curvaceously reminds us of the FS-1 Flying Sub from Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea but in red), enter a kind of space storm warp and crash land, not on Earth, but another unknown planet of giant humanoids.



The year is 1983 and the downed Spindrift crew utilize the ship as a kind of home base like the Jupiter 2 was established as such for The Robinsons in Lost In Space. The futuristic Spindrift is an odd, seemingly alien-like design in and of itself, but still interesting.

Allen wastes no time to establish an adult/child relationship much in the vein of Will Robinson and Dr. Zachary Smith in the form of Barry Lockridge (Stefan Arngrim; brother of Alison Arngrim a.k.a. Nellie Olsen of Little House On The Prairie) and Alexander Fitzhugh (Kurt Kasznar). It's undeniable that Allen was looking to tap into some of that Lost In Space magic here. Though clearly its not entirely electric in that way. Bill Mumy was a tough act to follow along with Jonathan Harris, and the latter were just that good. The cast is infinitely likable enough to start here but Kasznar and Arngrim would have some work to do.



Gary Conway (I Was A Teenage Frankenstein) plays the hunky Captain Steve Burton along with co-pilot Dan Erickson, played by Don Marshall. The familiar Marshal appeared in Star Trek: The Original Series entry The Galileo Seven (S1, E16). He also guested on The Bionic Woman (The Vega Influence S2 E9), The Incredible Hulk (The Hulk Breaks Las Vegas S1 E8, Mystery Man S2 E15/16, Deathmask S3 E20), Buck Rogers In The 25th Century (Planet Of The Slave Girls S1 E3/4) and Little House On The Prairie (Death Sage S8 E4).

War veteran and purple heart recipient Don Matheson who had featured in Lost In Space episodes The Sky Is Falling (S1, E10) and Revolt Of The Androids as well as some Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (The Deadly Amphibians S4 E13) plays Mark Wilson.



Two gorgeous women round out the wayward family in Deanna Lund (Batman; actually married to Don Matheson in the 1970s) as Valerie Scott and Heather Young (Batman, Galactica 1980 The Night The Cylons Landed E7/8, The Time Tunnel Town Of Terror S1 E30) as Betty Hamilton. And these two are indeed the male eye candy for the series.

Stefan Arngrim has appeared in a host of genre television shows including The X-Files, Fringe, Caprica, V and Millennium. He also starred in the films Fear No Evil (1981) and The Class Of 1984 (1982). Doctor Zachary Smith's Land Of The Giants' counterpart Fitzhugh would be played by Kurt Kasznar who came with an impressive stage and film degree.



The theme is composed by none other than John Williams (Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel, Star Wars) and builds upon the epic-sized potential of the series.

Like the unaired pilot for Lost In Space, No Place To Hide, The Crash does an exemplary job of launching the series and establishing the setting of a group of survivors living in a world of shadowy, creepily silent giants (in this first entry) surrounded by giant everything. Kids, scientists, cars, spiders, cats, dogs, safety pins, books, cages, thread, jars, egg cartons, light bulbs, curbs and the list goes on. What a production feat! There is no shortage of impressively cool props and film tricks to juxtapose and contrast the tiny cast against a land of giants. The Crash gets a huge, BIG fat thumbs up from The Sci-Fi Fanatic.



So while thrilling, the question is would the series develop beyond a series of epic sized action set pieces and would we get to know these pint-sized characters? Or would they be but mere two dimensional action figures, like the toys of our own childhood, brought to life in a land of giants to run from one place to the next? To start though I won't hold character deficiencies against the launch of this giant-sized series with its grand visual aspirations more than compensating as grand adventures go.

The Crash: A
Writer: Anthony Wilson/ Irwin Allen.
Director: Irwin Allen.