# Is 1000 feet really that far? \[Land of the Lost TV show, no movie comments please!\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2015, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009 "2015-05-14T05:49:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/1 "2015-05-14T05:49:13Z")
I was in my early teens when [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOa2sVws-m4) premiered. Has 1000 feet below us EVER really been that big of deal? Really? Or did they fall through a worm hole? Anyway, I think it was one of the most “complex” shows the obviously acid influenced Krofft brothers came up with. Had some intricate plot twists and such during the duration of the show. At least for a Saturday morning gig. I freaking loved Saturday morning TV in the 60’s/70’s! Honk if you did too! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/2 "2015-05-14T18:07:35Z")
I was just re-watching some of these. Yes, they do fall through time as well as space. It was run by David Gerrold. (the writer of ‘The Trouble with Tribbles’ for ST: TOS, and he has several other Trek writers. I noticed that Walter Koenig wrote an episode. (not a very good one) It’s really decent sci-fi for kids. But I hate Holly. She swings for being whiney to having no concept of danger on a dime. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/3 "2015-05-14T18:22:31Z")
Land of the Lost was my favorite Saturday morning show when I was a kid! Even as cheesy as those Sleestak costumes were, they still give me the willies to this day (especially when combined with their wheezy breathing.) There were some pretty big-name science fiction authors involved in that show (episodes written by, IIRC, Richard Matheson and Theodore Sturgeon, as well as many by Gerrold). Loved the pylons and the matrix stone table. Didn’t like the little monkey dude (Chaka?) and yeah, Holly was a bit whiney. I remember thinking it was weird when I was a kid that son Will was credited simply as “Wesley” (actor name). I found out later his name is Wesley Eure–I wonder why he didn’t want his last name included. ETA: You’ll never see more than three Sleestak on screen at once, because they only had three costumes! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/4 "2015-05-14T18:31:57Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > I remember thinking it was weird when I was a kid that son Will was credited simply as “Wesley” (actor name). I found out later his name is Wesley Eure–I wonder why he didn’t want his last name included. I am either awesomely or pathetically nerdy, take your pick, in that I have actually watched the Land of the Lost DVDs and listened to the audio commentary! Wesley Eure talks about this. It was apparently something that his agent at the time talked him into. The idea was that it would make him seem like a major star, so famous that he only needed to be called by his first name and everyone would know who he was, like Elvis. The problem being, of course, that he was basically an unknown. I guess he had been on some soap opera for awhile before Land of the Lost, but it’s not like he was a household name. He seems rather embarrassed about it now, although he’s pretty good humored about the whole thing. Based on the commentary, he seems like a nice guy with a good, self-deprecating sense of humor. He often jokes about the dramatic poses he was striking, or how long it was taking him to do some simple task, that kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/5 "2015-05-14T18:51:06Z")
I remember they repeated footage a lot, like when they were running from the TRex they nicknamed Grumpy. They’d come to a fork in the road and split up, and he’d roar in both directions, frustrated as to which direction yielded more meat. They would also occasionally run to the canyon where a female TRex was on the other side, and she’d start bawling at Grumpy. He’d roar back while the kids hid under a rock. Sometimes Grumpy would look for them, the female TRex would yowl, and he’d twist back towards her all the sudden and roar the TRex equivalent of “Shut up!” I always thought that was funny. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/6 "2015-05-14T18:59:59Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > I am either awesomely or pathetically nerdy, take your pick, in that I have actually watched the Land of the Lost DVDs and listened to the audio commentary! Wesley Eure talks about this. It was apparently something that his agent at the time talked him into. The idea was that it would make him seem like a major star, so famous that he only needed to be called by his first name and everyone would know who he was, like Elvis. The problem being, of course, that he was basically an unknown. I guess he had been on some soap opera for awhile before Land of the Lost, but it’s not like he was a household name. > > He seems rather embarrassed about it now, although he’s pretty good humored about the whole thing. Based on the commentary, he seems like a nice guy with a good, self-deprecating sense of humor. He often jokes about the dramatic poses he was striking, or how long it was taking him to do some simple task, that kind of thing. Hey, thanks! It’s good to know that after all these years. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/7 "2015-05-14T19:16:41Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > They would also occasionally run to the canyon where a female TRex was on the other side, and she’d start bawling at Grumpy. He’d roar back while the kids hid under a rock. Sometimes Grumpy would look for them, the female TRex would yowl, and he’d twist back towards her all the sudden and roar the TRex equivalent of “Shut up!” I always thought that was funny. She was actually an allosaurus who they called “Big Alice”. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/8 "2015-05-14T19:26:37Z")
And there was also a brontosaurus they called “Emily.” Emily Bronte-saurus. I was an adult before I got that. See, that’s one more reason to ditch the name apatosaurus in favor of brontosaurus. That awful pun wouldn’t work with apatosaurus! ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/9 "2015-05-14T19:35:14Z")
Did anyone else think that ChaKa looked like Clint Howard? I also hated Holly. She was always getting everyone in trouble. I felt I should have replaced her as I would have done whatever Will asked me to do. Yes I was in my early teens when this aired. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/10 "2015-05-14T20:33:13Z")
One of my favorite geek t-shirts: [here](http://www.redbubble.com/people/sausagechowder/works/14492291-chaka-khan?body_color=gold&country_code=US&p=t-shirt&print_location=front&size=medium&style=mens&utm_campaign=shopping&utm_medium=google_products&utm_source=google&gclid=CjwKEAjwj9GqBRCRlPram97Xk3ESJADrN7IeVU9kvkO7H_GUZt57BmHUtr7Pn2IZ8kYdf93RGUmMyxoCqePw_wcB) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/11 "2015-05-14T20:40:46Z")
That “female T-Rex” was actually an allosaurus, I think. They called her “Alice”. And don’t forget Dopey the baby bronto. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/12 "2015-05-15T13:25:33Z")
It’s been over 40 years since I’d seen it, so I didn’t remember what the female dino’s name was. Now that I think about it, it makes sense that her name was Alice, since her yell fests with Grumpy were like Alice and Ralph from _The Honeymooners_ screaming at each other. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/13 "2015-05-15T13:32:49Z")
That they actually made a conclusion at the end of season one, AND managed to continue the show was very cool. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/14 "2015-05-15T14:38:43Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > That they actually made a conclusion at the end of season one, AND managed to continue the show was very cool. Wasn’t it a kind of reset at the end of the first season? IIRC, they escaped by putting an alternate universe Marshall, Will and Holly in their place - pretty big ethical issue there for a 10 year old to grasp. ---
**Author:** ![Gothic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/15 "2015-05-15T15:12:56Z")
Enik was very scary and I think if the series lasted a few more years I would have been able to talk to Cha-Ka in Pakuni. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/16 "2015-05-15T16:10:27Z")
> [@Gothic](#): > > Enik was very scary and I think if the series lasted a few more years I would have been able to talk to Cha-Ka in Pakuni. Possibly. Pakuni was actually a (very simple)[constructed language](http://lotl.popapostle.com/html/pakuni.htm) and not just tv gibberish. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/17 "2015-05-15T17:18:59Z")
The father lives on a farm in Door County, WI. There was a cast get together when I was in DC (had I known about it I might have gone > **[News - Door County Daily News](https://doorcountydailynews.com/news/details.cfm?id=84302)** > > News - Door County Daily News Brian ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/18 "2015-05-16T00:21:44Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Did anyone else think that ChaKa looked like Clint Howard? He wasn’t that hideous. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/19 "2015-05-16T15:35:47Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Did anyone else think that ChaKa looked like Clint Howard? > > I also hated Holly. She was always getting everyone in trouble. I felt I should have replaced her as I would have done whatever Will asked me to do. Yes I was in my early teens when this aired. :mad: Hey, don’t be dissin my girl, I had the biggest crush on Holly when I was 12!! ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009/20 "2015-05-16T16:00:38Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I was in my early teens when [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOa2sVws-m4) premiered. > > Has 1000 feet below us EVER really been that big of deal? Really? Or did they fall through a worm hole? > > Anyway, I think it was one of the most “complex” shows the obviously acid influenced Krofft brothers came up with. Had some intricate plot twists and such during the duration of the show. At least for a Saturday morning gig. > > I freaking loved Saturday morning TV in the 60’s/70’s! Honk if you did too! I loved this show as a kid. I have actually been afraid to check out videos of it now because I fear it won’t hold up to my recollections of it (even as a 5 year old, I thought the dinosaurs looked awfully fake, but was genuinely frightened by the Sleestacks.) To answer your question, I recall an episode where they stood on a mountain-top at the edge of the valley, looked out and saw - the same valley and themselves in the distance on the far mountain-top. I think that at least indicates the trio fell through a worm-hole and wound up in a [tesseract](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesseract) or pocket universe. I remember that when I began watching “Doctor Who” a few years later, I thought the TARDIS was a rip-off of the Pylon that occasionally popped up in the LotL. Now, I kind of suspect it was the other way round. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-1000-feet-really-that-far-land-of-the-lost-tv-show-no-movie-comments-please/720009.md?page=2)