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Land of the Lost (1974 TV series)

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File:Land of the Lost (1974) title screen.jpg
Land of the Lost title screen

Land of the Lost (1974–1976) is one in a variety of popular, uniquely produced children's television series created and produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. The prolific Krofft team was very influential in children's television, producing many oddly formatted, highly energetic, and special-effects heavy programs.

There was a remake of the series in 1991, still titled Land of the Lost, also created by Krofft productions.

Overview

Land of the Lost detailed the adventures of a family of three (father Rick Marshall, young son Will, and younger daughter Holly) who are trapped in a primitive world inhabited by dinosaurs, chimpanzee-like cavemen called Pakuni, and reptilian humanoids called Sleestak. The episode plots focused primarily on the family's efforts to survive and find a way back to their own world. Though the central characters are different, the title indicates that the series may have drawn inspiration from the similar theme of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.

The series is notable for having a much darker tone than most children's series, and for having grander and more epic storytelling vision than most shows aimed at children. The relatively complex plots, unique internal mythology, and ambitious though unrealistic special effects (often included in an entertainment category called camp) have earned the show a large popular following, particularly among adults who watched the show and other Krofft productions as children.

Many Krofft shows involved similar plots, often including children accidentally trapped in other worlds or quirky variations on superhero stories.

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Plot And Format

File:Land of the Lost (1974) - The Marshalls at a crystal matrix table.jpg
Left to right: Holly, Will and Rick Marshall. Rick is manipulating a crystal matrix table located in the Lost City.

The Marshalls are brought to the mysterious world by means of a time portal, a device used frequently throughout the series and a major part of its internal mythology. Though the term "time doorway" is used through the series, the "Land of the Lost" is not meant to portary a realistic era in earth's history, but rather (like Doyle's The Lost World) to be an enigmatic zone whose place and time are unknown. The orginal creators of these time portals is unknown, and they often seem to appear at random in various places and times. This results in the island being populated with a large and ever-growing variety of unhappy visitors and castaways.

Outfitted only for a short camping trip, the family must take shelter in natural caves and improvise the provisions and tools that they need to survive. Their most common and dangerous encounters are with dinosaurs, particularly a tyrannosaurus rex they nickname "Grumpy" who frequents the location of their cave. They also tangle with sinister humanoid reptiles called Sleestack and morally ambiguous "cave-men" called Pakuni, as well as a variety of other dangerous creatures, mysterious technology, and strange geography.

As the Marshalls discover more of the Land's secrets, they also attempt a number of means to return to their own world, most frequently by trying to learn how to control and navigate the mysterious time portals. This usually puts them in conflict with the primitive and violent Sleestack, or with the Sleestack's much more intelligent but equally ruthless progenitors, the Altrusians. They are often aided in their struggle by the Altrusian castaway Enik, and to a lesser extent by the Pakuni youth "Chaka."

In the third season of the show, the character of Rick Marshall was written out of the show and replaced by his brother, "Uncle Jack" Marshall, for the remainder of the series.

Additional plot and character details are included in the article 'Land Of The Lost (TV) Recurring Characters

Cast

Episode list

Number Title Air date Script writer Director
First Season 1974 on NBC
1 Cha-Ka September 7, 1974 David Gerrold Dennis Steinmetz
2 The Sleestak God September 14, 1974 David Gerrold Dennis Steinmetz
3 Dopey September 21, 1974 Margaret Armen Dennis Steinmetz
4 Downstream September 28, 1974 Larry Niven Dennis Steinmetz
5 Tag-Team October 5, 1974 Norman Spinrad Dennis Steinmetz
6 The Stranger October 12, 1974 Walter Koenig Bob Lally
7 Album October 19, 1974 Dick Morgan Bob Lally
8 Skylons October 26, 1974 Dick Morgan Bob Lally
9 The Hole November 2, 1974 Wina Sturgeon Dennis Steinmetz
10 The Paku who Came to Dinner November 9, 1974 Barry Blitzer Bob Lally
11 The Search November 16, 1974 Ben Bova Dennis Steinmetz
12 The Possession November 23, 1974 David Gerrold Dennis Steinmetz
13 Follow That Dinosaur November 30, 1974 Dick Morgan Dennis Steinmetz
14 Stone Soup December 7, 1974 Joyce Perry Bob Lally
15 Elsewhen December 14, 1974 D. C. Fontana Dennis Steinmetz
16 Hurricane December 21, 1974 David Gerrold and Larry Niven Bob Lally
17 Circle December 28, 1974 Larry Niven and David Gerrold Dennis Steinmetz
Second Season 1975 on NBC
1 Tar Pit September 6, 1975 Margaret Armen Gordon Wiles
2 The Zarn September 13, 1975 Dick Morgan Bob Lally
3 Fair Trade September 20, 1975 Bill Keenan Bob Lally
4 One of Our Pylons is Missing September 27, 1975 Bill Keenan Gordon Wiles
5 The Test October 4, 1975 Tom Swale Bob Lally
6 Gravity Storm October 11, 1975 Dick Morgan Bob Lally
7 The Longest Day October 18, 1975 Joyce Perry Gordon Wiles
8 The Pylon Express October 25, 1975 Theodore Sturgeon Gordon Wiles
9 A Nice Day November 1, 1975 Dick Morgan Gordon Wiles
10 Baby Sitter November 8, 1975 Bill Keenan Gordon Wiles
11 The Musician November 15, 1975 Dick Morgan and Tom Swale Gordon Wiles
12 Split Personality November 22, 1975 Dick Morgan Gordon Wiles
13 Blackout November 29, 1975 Donald F. Glut and Dick Morgan Bob Lally
Third Season 1976 on NBC
1 After-Shock September 11, 1976 Jon Kubichan Joe Scanlan
2 Survival Kit September 18, 1976 Sam Roeca Rick Bennewitz
3 The Orb September 25, 1976 Jon Kubichan Rick Bennewitz
4 Repairman October 2, 1976 Jon Kubichan Joe Scanlan
5 Medusa October 9, 1976 Greg Strangis Rick Bennewitz
6 Cornered October 16, 1976 Sam Roeca Rick Bennewitz
7 Flying Dutchman October 23, 1976 John Cutts Joe Scanlan
8 Hot-Air Artist October 30, 1976 Jon Kubichan Rick Bennewitz
9 Abominable Snowman November 6, 1976 Sam Roeca Joe Scanlan
10 Timestop November 13, 1976 Tom Swale Joe Scanlan
11 Ancient Guardian November 20, 1976 Peter Germano Joe Scanlan
12 Scarab November 27, 1976 Ian Martin Rick Bennewitz
13 Medicine Man December 4, 1976 Jon Kubichan Joe Scanlan


Land of the Lost has achieved a minor cult status among those who were young in the late 1970s. References to the show occasionally crop up in modern media, such as:

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