Swiss Family Robinson

During the height of the early 1970's,producer Irwin Allen scored two brilliant disaster epics like "The Poseidon Adventure"(1972),and "The Towering Inferno"(1974) which were huge runaway hits at the box office and Oscar winners. Since Allen was known for his TV shows of the 1960's he decided to come back to that terrain for the last time around. This show features a modern day family that is stranded on a island with nothing but their wits to stay alive. This show was on the same level as his other family adventure series "Lost In Space",but in this one the family faces off with deadly animals,mysterious cannibals,and dangerous pirates all in a modern day setting and this is not out in the far reaches of outer space,but in the far reaches of an deserted but deadly paradise. I had a chance to see this lost series on a sci-fi channel one evening,and it was highly enjoyable in some parts,but incredibly pathetic in others since when it was on the air,it only lasted one season(from September of 1975 to January of 1976). Look for a very young Helen Hunt(TV's Mad About You)as the Robinson's teenage daughter. Since Martin Milner(Officer Malloy from "Adam-12")was the star of the show,I wonder what he is doing now?

NOTE: This show was on Sunday evenings(where Allen once had his "Voyage" and "Land of the Giants" series on the same time slot at 7:00)on ABC,and in a blink of an eye,it was yanked right off the air by the competition "60 Minutes" in that cold winter of 76.

It is early 19th century. The Swiss Family Robinson are sailing to the west Pacific for a new start. They get shipwrecked on a remote tropical island. It is Karl Robinson (Martin Milner), his wife Lotte (Pat Delaney), son Fred (Willie Aames), younger son Ernie, captain's daughter Helga Wagner (Helen Hunt), and whaler Jeremiah Worth (Cameron Mitchell) who was stranded seven years earlier.

There were a few Swiss Family Robinson during this time. Hollywood sometimes copy other kids' homework. I like the outdoor set. They seem to have built a lot of stuff. I question how this family build all this with limited resources, but that's fine. There is a bit of Gilligan's Island in this. There is also a 12 year old young Helen Hunt walking around here. She doesn't do much more than being the girl on the show except for a couple of episodes. There are some interesting guest stars. The show is episodic. I really like The Tiki when the family shows their colonial thinking. This show is fine.

"Swiss Family Robinson" was a strange turn for Irwin Allen since he was known for his futuristic action-adventure series of the '60s. Allen's "Swiss Family Robinson" had a setting of not the future or present, but in the traditional setting of the book by Johnathan Wyss -- an unknown island in the early 19th Century.

The reason that Irwin Allen's name is in front of the titles is because the "Swiss Family Robinson" had been done before (the famous Disney film being the obvious one). And I believe there had been either an Austrialian, or Canadian-made "Swiss Family Robinson" series -- ironically, one of these series was even in production at the time Allen was making his series! So, by throwing his name up before the titles let audiences know this was not any run-of-the-mill production, but the "Irwin Allen version".

Additionally, this was the first time Allen did not 'create' the concept of a TV series. Despite his seasoned technical crew, the series was a disappointment, since it was made on the heels of his spectacular "Poseidon Adventure" and "Towering Inferno" movies. The SFR was lackluster and most of the story lines were predictable and lacked suspense. The effect of the volcano erupting was clearly a miniature (and not a very convincing one at that).

The series' only saving grace was a two-part episode that served as a potential spin-off series called "Jean Lafitte". Starring young, newcomer Frank Langella in the title role, the two-part show was an exciting and fun romp with Lafitte involved in the war of 1812. (Actually, this proposed spin off might have made a much more interesting and action-filled series than it's parent program).

Out of the series cast, the one who made the show enjoyable was Cameraon Mitchell, as Jeremiah Worth. This character was not in the book and was clearly created by Allen as a Smith/Fitzhugh type of curmudgeonly, sea-dog of a character. Mitchell was superb in his role as the weaselly Jeremiah -- a wayward sailor who was always looking to increase his wealth and save his own hide first (like Smith), but when push came to shove was there to assist the Robinson's when they were in a jam (ala Fitzhugh).

Allen's LAST series, "Code Red" (1981), although set in present day Los Angeles, was at least exciting and had decent writers that kept the audience interested in the characters and the action going on around them. Sadly, I could never get excited about "Swiss Family Robinson". For whatever reason, either because of casting or the pedestrian story lines it never really appealed to me.

After the failure of "Swiss Family Robinson," Irwin Allen packed up and moved to Warner Bros. studios where his first project, "Flood" utilized three cast members from SFR: Martin Milner, Cameron Mitchell and Eric Olsen.

Great cast and beautiful location, but filled with annoying glitches that make it difficult to really get into it. There are way too many extreme close-up shots...poor direction. Could use a Technical Director to ensure situations are believable...a pirate ship cruising along pulling a dinghy, with only a foresail up (and it's luffing) would be dead in the water. A flintlock pistol with an open frizzen is of no use and will not fire. Things like this needed more attention.

I barely remember this show. It wasn't on very long and was the last of the type of TV shows that Irwin Allen produced at 20th Century-Fox Television, starting with "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea." I don't know why Allen did this show, but it seems from the result that his heart wasn't it it anymore. Maybe it was because concept shows like this had just become to expensive to make. One thing I do remember well was that although the music was credited to Richard La Salle, much of it was lifted from Jerry Goldsmith's score to the original "Planet of the Apes" movie. Allen's "Lost in Space" TV show did the same thing with its music, much of it actually coming from Bernard Herrmann's scores to "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth." Since all these shows and movies were produced at Fox I guess they could do these things in those days.