Far Out Space Nuts

Sid and Marty Krofft strike again!!!

The team who were behind the shows "H.R. Pufnstuf","Lidsville","The Bugaloos","Sidmund and the Sea Monsters",and "Land of the Lost" came back in 1975 with another off the wall kids show.....

And this one didn't make the cut.

"Far Out Space Nuts" was "Gilligan's Island" somewhere "Lost In Space". Again,everyone's favorite little buddy,Bob Denver returns to the same format and character that he played on "Gilligan's Island". Denver along with Chuck McCann(McCann also co-wrote some of the scripts)combined forces in this slapstick-oriented Saturday Morning entry which lasted one season on CBS-TV from September 6,1975 until September 4,1977. Only 17 episodes were produced of this series. The storyline deals with two dockworkers who were employers with NASA,Junior and Barney routinely went about loading meals onto a rocketship set for the far reaches of outer space. All went well until Junior(Bob Denver)absentmindely thought Barney(Chuck McCann) said "Launch" instead of "Lunch",and pressed a button that sends our two stowaways and the rocketship off into the unknowns reaches of space.

When they arrived on an unknown planet,a native creature who resembled a shaggy white dog with a horn for its snout befriended the hapless duo,and Junior named the alien being Honk(in costume portrayed by Patty Maloney). Barney however showed more concern than Junior did over getting the ship repaired and getting back home,but despite several opportunities they never seemed to make it,thanks largely to the incompetence and stupidity of Junior,who is just about every episode seem to cause chaos and mischief in their adventures. The show itself is not the best of the Krofft kids shows that emerge during the 1970's,and this one was in one perspective,became one of the biggest colossal failures in the history of children's television and the worst kids show in the history of children's programming at CBS. Reason? Bob Denver tried to milk ever aspect of his character that he portrayed on "Gilligan's Island",but basically this show was the exact same formula,with Denver as Gilligan and McCann as the skipper. In every episode,Junior does the impossible....again....with mixed results. Only the original episodes ran during the first season until September 4,1976. The second seasons consisted of repeated episodes where CBS moved the show from Saturday Morning to the graveyard abyss of its animated Sunday Morning program from September 12,1976 until September 4,1977.

Growing up in the 1970s, I remember watching FAR OUT SPACE NUTS, first on CBS in the 1975-76 season and then in reruns on New York City-based syndicated station WPIX later in the decade. Since I was a child, my critical faculties were not fully developed. Since reaching maturity, I've only seen three episodes- "Tower of Tagot," "Secrets of the Hexagon," and "Birds of a Feather." My impression from these episodes is that the television show was hardly remarkable, but it had its amusing moments. In my opinion, FAR OUT SPACE NUTS holds up better than other Saturday morning children's programs like SCOOBY DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? and JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS.

Two assets are the stars. It's true that Bob Denver is basically reprising his famous "Gilligan" characterization as the bumbling Junior, but this personality perfectly suits him. He conveys the same sweet naiveté he did as Gilligan, thoroughly endearing himself to audiences despite his klutziness. As Denver's domineering partner Barney, Chuck McCann amusingly registers annoyance at Junior's bumbling. But like Denver, McCann's character lacks malice. Indeed, Barney loves Junior like a brother, giving Denver and McCann's partnership an underlying warmth.

The show's premise is that NASA janitors Barney and Junior accidentally launch themselves into space and they struggle to get back to earth every episode. The production values are astonishingly cheap, looking like the show was filmed in someone's backyard. From what I've seen, I feel the writers (including McCann) missed an opportunity to satirize the show's low budget. The characters could have addressed the television audience like those in ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS, reminding them that FAR OUT SPACE NUTS was just a TV show. The humor presented on the show is uneven, ranging from clever to infantile. Usually, however, Denver and McCann put the jokes over with their droll expressions and lively delivery. It's a pity they split up after this show.

Supporting performances are generally good. It seems to me that at least some of them acted with tongue in cheek, fully aware of the show's utter silliness. In particular, Robert Quarry playing a villain on "Tower of Tagot" came across as deliberately campy. In my opinion, this approach enhanced this episode.

For me, the greatest appeal of FAR OUT SPACE NUTS is its nostalgic value. The program's good-natured innocence and inoffensiveness not only convey the joys of childhood when one enjoyed this entertainment without any concerns of the world's problems, but also the golden age of comedy in the 1930s and 1940s where nothing off-color or cynical was suggested- just clean, slapstick comedy. I'm no prude, but I feel that today's entertainment is generally over-saturated with smut and mean-spiritedness. FAR OUT SPACE NUTS is no masterpiece but it comes across as wholesome escapist entertainment for the family.

In 1973, Bob Denver was involved in the infamous "Gilligan's Island" copy "Dusty's Trail". Three years later he rips himself off again only this time instead of Alan Hale or Forrest Tucker we have Chuck McCann in the Skipper like role but without five other castaways. This show came out at the height of the Krofft Brothers era of success and it is perhaps the weakest of their creations, at least until their collaboration with the Bay City Rollers premiered. In fact, you hardly ever hear of this show. It also turned out to be a low point in Bob Denver's career as he plays another Gilligan-like character. Also, the character of Honk was nothing more than a taller version of Bleep from the equally infamous "Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space". Thankfully, this is one Krofft brothers show that is no longer shown in reruns.

Sid and Marty Krofft strike again!

Just when you thought they couldn't get any wilder, the Krofft brothers make a kids' outer space show with Gilligan! Well, maybe not Gilligan per se, but it's Bob Denver, so it might as WELL be Gilligan.

Seems Junior (Denver) and Barney (McCann - another heavy-set, older co-star...coincidence?) are loading food onto a space rocket and instead of "lunch", Junior pushes the "launch" button and sends them both out into the deep recesses of space, seeking a way home every week.

Along the way, they pick up a furry little alien they nickname Honk (Maloney), who honks whatever it says. Clever, eh?

As a matter of fact, it WAS clever in a Saturday morning kiddie show way, and McCann and Denver made good with the lines and have a knack for comedy. And when it comes to weird alien characters, who knows weird better than Sid and Marty?

It was a short-lived series, but it was a well-remembered one, thanks to the talent herein and the effort they all put in every week. Sure did make me look forward to Saturday mornings, that's for sure!

Nine stars for "Far Out Space Nuts", or "Gilligan's Planet"!

Oh, wait...Filmation already did that one. Never mind.

As a 10 year old I watched avidly, but then any show that regularly took you to other planets and encountered weird aliens seemed pretty cool, and this was funny too.

I haven't seen it for years but I have warm fuzzy memories about it.

And wasn't there another show produced at the same time that used the same sets and props? Only instead of adults it featured a couple of kids?