Land of the Lost (1991 TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Land of the Lost


caption =
format = Children's television series
runtime = approx. 0:22 (per episode)
creator =
starring = Timothy Bottoms
as Tom Porter
Jenny Drugan
as Annie Porter
Robert Gavin
as Kevin Porter
Ed Gale
as Tasha
Danny Mann
as Voice of Tasha
Shannon Day
as Christa
Bobby Porter
as Stink

country = USA
network = ABC
first_aired =
last_aired =
num_episodes = 26
list_episodes =
imdb_id = 0101130
tv_com_id = 4979

"Land of the Lost" was a half-hour Saturday-morning children's series that debuted on ABC in the autumn of 1991. The series was mildly-popular and ran for two seasons. A line of merchandise that included action figures was produced. A video cassette box set that chronicled the first season of the series was released in 1995; it also included a noise-making replica of Shung's crystal.

how synopsis

A remake of the cult 1974 series "Land of the Lost" by Sid and Marty Krofft, the new "Land of the Lost" saw advanced special effects and a lighter, less survivalist-oriented tone.

The series ran for twenty-six episodes spread over two seasons, with each season consisting of thirteen episodes. It featured the Porter family—father Tom, son Kevin and daughter Annie—trapped in a parallel universe after their Jeep Cherokee (that was referred to as a "truck" in the show) fell through a time portal while exploring the back country. They soon meet another human, a beautiful "cave girl" named Christa who also came from the United States during the twentieth-century. Christa became trapped in the "land of the lost" when she was very young and grew up alone.

Intelligent natives of the land of the lost include chimpanzee-like Pakuni and the lizard-like Sleestak, and there are many species of dinosaurs filling the jungle. A Paku named Stink and a baby dinosaur named Tasha were befriended by the Porters. Acting as antagonists were a trio of exiled Sleestak criminals named Shung, Keeg and Nim. Shung is their leader and possesses a powerful crystal sword. Another major obstacle faced by the Porters was a one-eyed "T. rex" named Scarface, who lived near the area where the family made their home, and frequently chased after them in an attempt to eat them.

A sorceress named Keela with genuine magical powers was introduced in the second season and appeared in two episodes. Another character added in the second season was Namaki, a strange fish-like human who befriended Christa when she was just a little girl.

Several episodes were released onto VHS at two episodes per video. As of 2008 the series has yet to be released on DVD.

Characters

Main characters

* The Porter Family
** Tom Porter: the father. Played by Timothy Bottoms.
** Kevin Porter: the son. Played by Robert Gavin.
** Annie Porter: the younger daughter. Played by Jennifer Drugan.
* Tasha: baby "Parasaurolophus" who lives with the Porters. Played by Ed Gale, voiced by Danny Mann. After the death of her mother at the claws of Scarface, Tasha now lives with the Porters as a pet. What will happen to her if the Porters ever find a way home, is a frequent subject of discussion.
* Christa: Beautiful cave-girl, says "Acuba Ne" as a way of saying either "hello" or "goodbye". Played by Shannon Day. Christa is from the human world and was born in Chicago. Her family was trapped in the Land of the Lost through similar circumstances to the Porters. At one point, Christa's family built a raft to try and sail to the other side of the ocean, hoping to find signs of civilization. In a subsequent storm, Christa was washed overboard and was saved by the family's friend, the fishman Namaki. Separated from her parents, Christa grew up practically alone, and by the time the Porters met her, had forgotten almost everything about her previous life.
* Stink: The Paku friend of Christa. Played by Bobby Porter. Stink has been helping Christa survive for most of her life. Despite his animal-like appearance, Stink is very intelligent, with an intense knowledge of plant and animal life.

Others

* Keela: A sorceress who travels from world to world. As such, she is gifted in the ways of magic and sorcery. She visits the Porters on occasion, but is unable to help them return home. The Porters helped her defeat her enemy, Magas, whom Keela had turned into a one-eyed beast. Keela trusts the Porters entirely, even accepting Annie as an informal apprentice and asking Annie to watch over her spellbook while she is away. She is a very compassionate person, but admits that even she has times when she abuses her powers (i.e. turning her older brothers into toads).
* Namaki: A strange, merman-like creature who lives in a cave on the coast near the Porter's treehouse. Years ago, he befriended Christa's family, and helped them to build a raft to try and cross the ocean. When young Christa was swept overboard in a storm, Namaki rescued her and brought her back to shore. Namaki, despite his aquatic physiology, has never been to the other side of the ocean, afraid to attempt the crossing because of the frequent storms and the dangerous marine predators.
* Princess: A "Triceratops" who is sometimes used as transportation for Christa and Stink.
* Stego: A "Stegosaurus" on whom Shung once used his crystal to make him fight with Princess. Sometimes fought with Scarface the "Tyrannosaurus".
* Other Dinosaur Inhabitants
** "Parasaurolophus": One "Parasaurolophus" was Tasha's birth mother, but was killed by Scarface.
** "Apatosaurus"
* Sir Balen: A squire who pretended to be a knight from King Arthur's Court. He lands in the Land of the Lost under similar circumstances to the Porters. He mistakes Scarface for a dragon and attempts to slay him, though he never succeeds.

Villains

* Scarface: A "Tyrannosaurus rex" who lives in the area, has a scar through his right eye, hence his name. Frequently chased the Porters, trying to make a meal out of them. Because of his reputation of being a carnivore, Scarface is an enemy to everybody in the series, including the Sleestaks.

* Sleestaks: A race of intelligent reptilian humanoids. The Sleestaks live underground in caves to avoid the dinosaurs ("Thunder lizards" in their tongue.) The Sleestaks seen in the show are a group of criminals who were exiled to the surface world, their version of the death penalty. The terrible trio has only managed to survive because of Shung's power crystal.
** Shung: Leader of the Sleestak criminal band. He owns a crystal sword that can perform telekinetic feats and control minds, but there is a price for the power; it gradually corrupts the mind of its user, as Annie discovers in "The Crystal". As a result, Shung is now addicted to the crystal's unique energy, and, if separated from it, will quickly weaken and possibly die. Played by Tom Allard.
** Nim: Played by R.C. Tass.
** Keeg: Played by Brian Williams.

* "Pteranodon": Tried to make a meal of Kevin when he was looking for a birthday present for Christa. Then again tried to eat Kevin in another episode as he diverted the creature's attention while Christa picked some special plants to help heal his dad who was bitten by a poisonous lizard.

* Magas: A cruel and heartless sorcerer who took Keela's job as sorcerer of her previous court. Keela recognized him as a heartless person and turned him into a one-eyed beast, similar to a T-rex, thus sealing his magical powers. Over time, he slowly regained his power and hunted Keela down to the Porters' treehouse. He was defeated by Keela with Tasha's help.

* Cyborg: A creature who is an even match for Scarface. Has a red eye to target and shoot his prey. The cyborg is an alien from the distant future, who was sucked into the Land of the Lost through a time vortex. He lives in a cave in the mountains and attacks anyone who comes near. His one weakness is respiration. The air in the Land of the Lost is different from what the Cyborg is used to so he becomes tired very easily.

Crew

* Directors - John Carl Buechler, Anthony Bona, Jeff Burr, Len Janson, Frank De Palma, Ernest Farino, John Strysik, Gabe Torres
* Writers - Phil Combest, Jules Dennis, Janis Diamond, Len Janson, Chuck Menville, Richard Mueller, Gary Perconte, Michele Rifkin, Marianne Sellek, Reed Shelly
* Producers - Chiodo Brothers/Sid and Marty Krofft
* Executive Producer - Jerry Golod
* Music - Kevin Kiner

Episodes

eason one

# Tasha - September 7, 1991
# Something's Watching - September 14, 1991
# Jungle Girl - September 21, 1991
# Shung the Terrible - September 28, 1991
# The Crystal - October 5, 1991
# Wild Thing - October 12, 1991
# Kevin vs. the Volcano - October 19, 1991
# Day for Knight - October 26, 1991
# Flight to Freedom - November 2, 1991
# Mind Games - November 9, 1991
# Heat Wave - November 16, 1991
# The Thief - November 23, 1991
# Power Play - December 7, 1991

eason two

# Sorceress - September 12, 1992
# Dreammaker - September 19, 1992
# The Gladiators - September 26, 1992
# Opah - October 3, 1992
# Life's a Beach - October 10, 1992
# Future Boy - October 17, 1992
# Siren's Song - October 24, 1992
# In Dinos We Trust - October 31, 1992
# Annie in Charge - November 7, 1992
# Go Ahead, Make my Day - November 14, 1992
# Cheers - November 21, 1992
# Sorceress' Apprentice - November 28, 1992
# Misery Loves Company - December 5, 1992

External links

* [http://personal.linkline.com/enik1138/ "Tyrannosaurus lex" Devoted to both the 70's and 90's versions of the series]
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