The Only Major Actors Still Alive From Lost In Space
On September 15, 1965, Irwin Allen whisked television viewers out of their living rooms on a journey to the outer reaches of space, where the Robinson family finds themselves marooned on a strange, not-entirely-hospitable planet thanks to the sabotage of their chief medical officer. For a nation dreaming of a seemingly impossible moon landing, "Lost in Space" was both wish fulfillment and cautionary tale; a part of us was enthralled by the notion of exploring the cosmos, but we were also terrified by the thought of aimlessly hurtling through a universe with no known end and no direction home.
Allen's series didn't dwell much on the more frightening aspects of the Robinsons' predicament. Unlike Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek" (which would debut a year later), Allen employed a fairly rigid formula that found the Robinsons and the hunky Major Don West (Mark Goddard) having to outwit the generally inept scheming of Dr. Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris). It was basically "The Swiss Family Robinson" with a robot (which bore a striking similarity to Robby the Robot from "Fantastic Planet," primarily because both were designed by Robert Kinoshita), which made it a hit with kids. Unfortunately, the show's budget proved onerous for CBS, so when the ratings were quite high enough to justify the cost, the network pulled the plug after three seasons.
Nevertheless, the show picked up new fans via syndication, inspiring an ill-conceived big-screen adaptation in 1998 and a so-so Netflix reboot series in 2018. But nothing could match the campy appeal of the original, with its two John Williams themes and game cast. Since the series' cancellation, we've lost some of its most colorful cast members (Goddard, Harris, Robinson family patriarch Guy Williams and Robot voice actor Dick Tufeld), but four of the Robinsons are still with us. Let's salute these performers who made space travel look like the best/worst family vacation ever.
Marta Kristen (Judy Robinson)
The Scandinavian actor Marta Kristen was given up by her mother at the end of World War II to allow the five-year-old to live a life unmarred by the awful reality that her parents were members of the Third Reich. Her adoptive parents moved from Detroit to Los Angeles in 1959, where Kristen quickly found steady work on television in series like "My Three Sons," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," and "Leave It to Beaver."
Her three seasons as Judy Robinson, the eldest daughter of the clan, turned her into a genre fan favorite, and she's been a reliable presence at conventions over the years. Post-"Lost in Space," her most memorable performances were probably in the cult curiosity "Terminal Island" (opposite future "Magnum P.I." stars Tom Selleck and Roger E. Mosley) and the Roger Corman-produced, John Sayles-scripted "Seven Samurai" riff "Battle Beyond the Stars."
Angela Cartwright (Penny Robinson)
As the plucky middle Robinson child Penny, Angela Cartwright evinced a smart and inquisitive screen presence. She was the viewer's surrogate at times, if only because boy genius Will Robinson could be such a know-it-all brat. Let's call her the thinking person's Robinson.
Of the surviving cast, Cartwright has one of the most notable big-screen credits via her portrayal of Brigitta von Trapp in Robert Wise's Best Picture-winning adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical classic "The Sound of Music." Cartwright's paths crossed again with "Lost in Space" creator Allen when she appeared in "Beyond the Poseidon Adventure." Aside from a select few film and television performances, Cartwright's career has mostly been in publishing via her "Pasticcio quartz" journal and book collaborations with "Lost in Space" co-star Bill Mumy.
Bill Mumy (Will Robinson)
For a supposed wunderkind, the youngest Robinson child had a troubling habit of placing himself in perilous predicaments that provoked the robot to proclaim the series' most memorable catchphrase, "Danger Will Robinson!" He also spent a lot of time in the company of Dr. Zachary Smith, which was unsettling for altogether different reasons.
Bill Mumy has skipped between film and television for most of his post-"Lost in Space" career. He was the leader of the buffalo-liberating Bedwetters in Stanley Kramer's unbearably preachy "Bless the Beasts and the Children," and connected with sci-fi fandom anew as Lennier on J. Michael Straczynski's long-running syndicated series "Babylon 5." But I'll always consider his artistic high point to be "Fish Heads," the silly-trippy cult song he knocked out with his Barnes and Barnes partner Robert Haimer. The video (directed by the great Bill Paxton) was arguably the highlight of the disastrous 1980-1981 season of "Saturday Night Live," and lives on as a nerd classic on par with the best tracks ever played on Dr. Demento's radio show.
June Lockhart (Dr. Maureen Robinson)
Born on June 25, 1925, June Lockhart made her big-screen debut in the 1938 film adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." She was a Special Tony Award in 1948 for Outstanding Performance by a Newcomer in F. Hugh Herbert's play "For Love or Money," and became a full-blown television star a decade later via her portrayal of Timmy's mother Ruth on "Lassie." She was directed by Howard Hawks ("Sergeant York") and Vincente Minnelli ("Meet Me in St. Louis," which was brilliantly lampooned on "Saturday Night Live" last December), and, oh yeah, she was Maureen Robinson on "Lost in Space."
Lockhart will turn 99 this June, and deserves a parade down Hollywood Boulevard (where you'll find two stars bearing her name). She is a showbiz legend who's witnessed almost a century of film, theater and television history. What a life and career!