Jonathan Harris: Never Fear, Smith Is Here

Just screened in Sydney Australia for the first time, despite being made in 2002.

This covers the life of character actor Jonathan Harris who is best known for playing Dr Smith in TV's Lost In Space. The show begins with B&W photos/footage of Harris as he was growing up in New York, it explains why the actor speaks in that British accent, it has RARE footage of Harris appearing in The Big Fisherman (1959), and finally it moves onto Lost In Space which ran from 1965 to 1968.

The Fantasy Worlds Of Irwin Allen (1995) and Lost In Space Forever (1998) have already covered LIS so there is nothing new to say about LIS.

Thankfully, we move onto Harris in TV's Space Academy with Harris telling a very amusing joke about the casting of that series. We also get footage of the 1973 LIS cartoon.

Often used Irwin Allen director - Harry Harris - is interviewed.

Be warned, the show starts to feel like a funeral when they start talking about the 2002 death of Harris. I feel sad as I type this review as I spoke to Harris in Sydney in 1994 and felt his strength even in his later years.

1st off, this is a very hard episode to find. You can't buy or stream it anywhere. I put in a 'wish list' on eBay and one finally popped up after a year and a half (!). For me it was worth the wait.

I've been a fan of Jonathan Harris and LIS since I was a kid, and thought I knew everything about this great personality but I learned a lot from this DVD. It starts from his humble beginnings in New York, and he explains how he hated his NY accent and trained himself to speak more dignified, like the actors he watched in the cinema.

It covers his early acting career including the original 'Catch me if you can' which was completed in 1959, and the other series he starred in before LIS. The former was filmed on location in Cuba, where the cast and crew were harassed and even shot at by Castro's men, and then the movie was eventually confiscated by the Cuban government and never released.

It also covers his work in the 70's and 80's and the cartoon voice over work from his later years. The film includes commentaries from LIS cast members, directors, Jonathan's widow, Burt Reynolds, and Sheila Allen (Irwin's wife from 1974 and the woman who played the singing Brynhilda in LIS 'The Space Vikings').

In summary, it was very informative and entertaining; and I'm glad I was finally able to see it. Recommended to all Jonathan Harris and LIS fans.

-Randawg.