8 Months Is A Long Time To Wait...

...until another episode of LOST but I will attempt to bring you some interesting stuff to hold you over between now and then. First I want to begin by saying I have a new addiction and it is the 70's children's series Land Of The Lost. There is a movie based on the series being released next week starring Will Farrel.

But I don't want to talk about the movie which will be "loosely" based on the series at best. I want to talk about the series from the 70's. I remember being about 8 or 9 and this show coming on for the first time. It was no HR Puffinstuff or Sigmund the Sea Monster but it was developed by the same people. The sets were heavy on the cheese and the acting wasn't very good either. What set this show apart, for me at least, was the writing and the fact that it built onto itself and built it's own mythology that continued each week. The show can also brag about having some of the better sci fi writers of the era work on the show at one time or another. Some of the names who contributed to the show are David Gerrold who also wrote for Star Trek, in fact he wrote the episode The Trouble With Tribbles one of the most popular episodes of the show ever. Gerrold wrote several episodes of the first season. Sci fi veteran Larry Nivens also wrote episodes during the first (and best, IMO) season of LOTL. He also wrote Green Lantern comics, and he is also a Hugo and Nebula award winner for his novel Ringworld from. Norman Spinrad has twice been the president of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America organization, and he wrote The Doomsday Machine script for the second season of the original Star Trek season and also wrote for LOTL. Speaking of Star Trek, Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in the original series also wrote for LOTL. The main writer was by far Dick Morgan (during seasons 1 and 2, at least) but he also wrote episodes of Barney Miller and Emergency. Another writer who LOTL borrowed from Star Trek was D.C. Fontanna. Originally Gene Rodenberry's secretary, she went on to write several scripts for the series herself. She also wrote for Star Trek The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. She also wrote for The Six Million Dollar Man, Logan's Run, and Babylon 5.

Along with some very good scripts written by some surprising names in the science fiction field, it also had two rather good directors who did the best they could with the shoestring budget the show was forced to use. Bob Lally made his mark with Sid and Marty Kroft during the Sigmund the Sea Monster run. He also directed several episodes of LOTL. Gordon Wiles, who directed for Disney as well as Rowan and Martin lent his hand to LOTL for it's second season.

The lesser third season isn't much to write home about, however, there is one thing worth taking notice of. Not only did Spencer Milligan, who played the father Rick Marshall, in the series quit the show, but LOTL also found itself without it's main writers and directors. For season three, the show became piecework and it soon found itself cancelled. One of the writers who lent their abilities for the third season was Peter Germano. Besides writing an episode of LOTL, Germano also wrote episodes of the animated series based on the French novel The Little Prince. Which is also the title of an episode of LOST from this past season. And this is where things get interesting...

It may end up to be a big nothing because if you look hard enough you can find connections to many things LOST; but those things there in the photo with Sawyer, Kate, and Jack are called Sleestaks. Any guesses as to what the name of the actor who played one of the main Sleestaks? Would you believe Jon Locke? Another similarity to hold you over until I can lay more on you? The name of the family from the series was "Marshall". The name of the movie Matthew Fox made while he was working on LOST? We Are Marshall. The name of Will and Holly's uncle who came onto the show after the actor playing their father quit? That would be Jack. WTF?

There's more and I will be back soon to give you some more connections.