Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Remembering My Friend, Mr. Nobody


    I've never really told anyone why I got so hooked on Star Trek in the first place, that show being my initiation into the world of serious sci-fi.  Truth be told, around age seven, after my parents divorced, I saw my first episode of Trek, and I thought William Shatner looked kind of like my dad. Not a ringer, but kind of, sort of, in a way. Close enough for a seven year old who missed his dad, my parents having divorced a few years earlier. I don't even know which episode it was. It was still on at night then, and I did my best to see it whenever I could.  Pretty soon, everything sci-fi fascinated me, I found the books of Lester Del Rey at the public library and read every single one of them.

   
When I was eight, KBMA-TV UHF channel 41(now KSHB) signed on the air on August 10, 1970. Out of Kansas City, with a daytime line up of reruns frm the 50's and 60's.In addition to standards like Leave it to Beaver it showed re-runs of Lost in Space, most of which I'd never seen when they'd aired at night. before the reruns I saw mostly what my parents chose to watch at night. I did see some shows which were scifi in nature if not emphasis  (Get Smart, Wild Wild, West- I could do an entire post on the latter)  My tastes were not yet sophisticated, but I was  hooked on sci-fi and I lived for summer days when I could watch it every weekday morning. I related to the theme, feeling rather lost in space myself.  When I was about 5 ½, my mother sat me down and told me that “daddy doesn't live here anymore”.  Just before I turned six, I went to the Ozarks with my uncle and Grandmother, and when I got home, we went to a new house. I no longer had a room of my own, I had to share with two other boys I didn't know. There were also two girls having gone from only child to one of five overnight.   I was told these were my brothers and sisters. And although I still saw my daddy several times a month, I was also to call the new man my mother was married to  "Dad" as well. And that was about all the explanation I got.  There was only one thing that carried over from my old life, my dog Tinkerbelle a small white spitz. One day when I was about seven, one of my new “brothers” let her follow him to school while I was home from sick.  I never saw Tinkerbelle again, she was hit by a car crossing the street after him. I became hysterical, but instead of comfort I was scolded for making a scene.


UHF stations were to the 70's what cable was to the 80's. KBMA's reruns were preferred to the game shows and soap operas which dominated network television at the time. This is how I discovered Lost in Space.
The first episodes I saw were the black and whites, which I loved. Except for “The Spacecroppers” and “The Sky Pirates”, both of which are could be seen as previews for the camp direction the series would later take. The black and whites are good old fashioned space opera, typical of non-anthology sci-fi television up to that point. It debuted a season ahead of Star Trek in the Fall of 1965, which debuted in September of 1966. Star Trek set a new standard for science fiction television, and although initially Lost In Space was one of the most successful syndicated shows at the dawn of the UHF revolution in 1969, it would soon be eclipsed by Star Trek as it began it's long and remarkable journey to becoming the phenomenal and multi faceted franchise it is today. The differences between the shows, were summed up best by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, at the time.  “Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry insisted that the two shows could not be compared. He was more of a philosopher, while understanding that Irwin Allen was a storyteller. When asked about Lost in Space, Roddenberry acknowledged: "That show accomplishes what it sets out to do. Star Trek is not the same thing".  - From the Lost in Space Wiki page  




It's in the spirit of great space opera that I enjoy my favorite Lost in Space episodes.  I was particularly fond of first season episodes Invaders from the Fifth Dimension“The Sky is FallingWish Upon a Star,
The Keeper pts 1&2, featuring Michael Rennieand War of the Robots, featuring the ubiquitous Robby the Robot


I was riveted by the season finale, Follow the Leader in which John Robinson becomes possessed by a malevolent alien spirit willing to kill Will Robinson to protect his secret, only to be defeated by Will's love for his father.  





My favorite character was Penny, played by Angela Cartwright., and two of her first season episodes are also favorites.  The Magic Mirror, and My Friend, Mr Nobody. The latter is my favorite episode of the series. In those days before home recording became available via the rise of VCR's, chancing upon the episode was always a treat.  My Friend Mr Nobody is also a story which also culminated with a touching lesson about the power of love.

My Friend, Mr Nobody. focuses on Penny and her invisible friend, who is in fact a non-corporeal alien life form, trapped in the center of a planet for millions of years, completely alone. The story by Jackson Gillis is very well written, and it has strong performances, especially from Ms. Cartwright.
If it had been a stand alone episode in an anthology series like Twilight Zone or Outer Limits, it would be better known as the classic it is. I even prefer it to the similarly themed ST:TNG episode “Imaginary Friend” done over 25 years later. John Williams's (Star Wars) score for this episode is lovely, even mystical, and it adds to the sense-of-wonder which makes this such a magical episode. Angela Cartwright was already a seasoned vet at the time of this series, more than able to carry an episode focused on her character. The episode is about loneliness, specifically a lonely child in an isolated setting and her search for comfort and companionship. And about the bond that can develop when loneliness is shared with another- a friend in a most unexpected form (or lack of form, in this case). The scenes where she helps Mr Nobody try to understand his (it's?) own experience, life, and unusual for a child on 60's television , the concept of death (I'm not really sure I understand it myself, she says to Mr. Nobody's query) are quite touching. It spoke to me, and from time to time I still take the time to watch it. The strength of Penny's character in this episode is her openness, her willingness to believe in what is good, her willingness to love. Love, after all, being the remedy loneliness calls out for. 



This episode is cited by Angela Cartwright as her favorite as well, and it's fondly remembered by others too. Google the episode and, you'll find fan pages and tributes out there. Whether you're a fan of Lost In Space or not, give it a look.
It might not be what you'd ordinarily pick, but consider a lonely, isolated moment in your life or in life of someone you love and let the sense of wonder and affirmation of love in Penny's journey touch you as well.
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Angela Cartwright actress and artist, catch up with her here- 


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