Review for Land Of The Giants: The Complete Series 1

In common with all kids my age in 1968-1970, I loved 'Land of the Giants'. I was too young to know that it came from the same stable as 'Lost in Space' and 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea', despite Irwin Allen productions remaining coherently and stylistically as similar to each other as say Gerry Andersons productions did. Nor did I notice the endless repetition of props (that pile of books never changed!) or the fact that you rarely saw the little people at the same time as the big people (just judicious cutting with clever angling) and when you did they were either badly keyed or subject to being prodded by an oversize prop.


What I do know is that for the best part of 40 years I have had to make do with a single 'Land of the Giants' annual and three view-master reels to keep the dream alive. Until now. Finally we have a decent R2 release of the first of two seasons and, unlike the over-priced R1 'megaset', it's very reasonably priced.

'Land of the Giants' is a space-aged Gullivers Travels where a group of passengers flying from LA to London (in 1983 which was the distant future at the time) on a sub-orbital craft The Spindrift, hit a 'space cloud'. When they land they realise that the world is not the same as the one they left.


Captain Steve Burton (the lantern jawed uber-earnest Gary Conway) crash lands the so-called Spindrift (you're asking for trouble with a plane called that surely!?) and they soon realise that they are a twelfth normal size. Or if you prefer, everyone occupying this new 'dimension' is twelve times bigger than they are.


They hide the plane in a forest area near a city and, in common with Irwin Allen favourites 'Lost in Space' and 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea', we get to learn about the random group of individuals who have been thrown together in adversity.


So we get a real mix. Hot tempered Mark Wilson (Don Matheson), spoiled wealthy lady Miss Valerie Scott (Deanna Lund), yellow bellied Commander Fitzhugh (Kurt Kasznar), orphan boy Barry Lockridge (Stefan Angrim) and his dog Chipper, stewardess Betty Hamilton (Heather Young), co-pilot Dan Erickson (Don Marshall) and of course, previously mentioned captian Steve Burton.


Whilst similar in many respects to 'Lost in Space', there is less humour. This is occasionally a dark and desperate tail and some of the episodes create real edge of seat thrills. Which is not to say it is entirelt humourless.
A recurring theme throughout the series is the absolute cruelty of small children to small defenceless creatures. I'm guessing this was a moral angle devised to be thought-provoing to the target demographic!


Weirdly, the big people never seem too surprised to find little people. It's clear that 'Spindrfit' is not the first to crash in this particular world. In fact there are rewards for capturing the small folk (for experimentation) and it is illegal to keep them without a proper licence. This conceit is mildly like that of 'Planet of the Apes' which heralds from the same year. Not quite pure cold war, but close, with hints that the Giants world is a totalitarian one.


By all accounts, Season 1 was the series best, with bigger budgets than Season 2 and with stories of greater imagination. The narrative was beginning to become formulaic and prictable by Series 2, though that doesn't start to show here until sometime after, say. Episdode 12 or so.
Extras on the set are not all that great. The interviews look old and the cast are a little wooden for my tastes; just a bit reverent about the series importance. The unaired pilot is a good addition though as is the 'animatic' trailer reel (9 mins) encouraging early sponsorship of the show prior to production.

Picture quality is good, if not spectacularly so, wit rich colouring and no sign of blocking ir digitising, even on my 42" plasma. Audio is available in English or Spanish mono. You also get English subs if you need them.


I'd like to end with a piece of cute trivia. Towards the end of the Land of the Giants TV show, Don Matheson and Deanna Lund decided that they were going to get married. Irwin Allen asked them if they would get married on the program, because it could use the publicity. They eventually agreed. Aww.

Overall, if you remember this series with even half the affection I did then you will not be disappointed. It has worn remarkably well, offering fantastic entertainment in a style and approach that was Irvin Allen's own. Fantastic - and now I can't wait for Series 2!


Episodes List With Original Air Dates

The First Season

1. The Crash (9/22/1968)
2. Ghost Town (9/29/1968)
3. Framed (10/6/1968)
4. Underground (10/20/1968)
5. Terror-Go-Round (11/3/1968)
6. The Flight Plan (11/10/1968)
7. Manhunt (11/17/1968)
8. The Trap (11/24/1968)
9. The Creed (12/1/1968)
10. Double-Cross (12/8/1968)
11. The Weird World (12/22/1968)
12. The Golden Cage (12/29/1968)
13. The Lost Ones (1/5/1969)
14. Brainwash (1/12/1969)
15. The Bounty Hunter (1/19/1969)
16. On A Clear Night You Can See Earth (1/26/1969)
17. Deadly Lodestone (2/2/1969)
18. The Night of the Thrombeldinbar (2/16/1969)
19. Seven Little Indians (2/23/1969)
20. Target ... Earth (3/2/1969)
21. Genius at Work (3/9/1969)
22. Return of Inidu (3/16/1969)
23. Rescue (3/23/1969)
24. Sabotage (3/30/1969)
25. Shell Game (4/13/1969)
26. The Chase (4/20/1969)