Land of the Giants: TV Classic
An Irwin Allen Production & Creation
The television show Land of the Giants is one of those series that I remember watching when I was growing up. Until recently, it had become all but a distant memory when I happened to be flicking through the channels one evening and happened upon it for the first time in around forty years.
All the memories of rushing home from school to watch it came flooding back. I was once again transported back to an innocent time when our heroes were clean cut guys-(and girls)-next-door fighting the forces of evil.
Evil in this show came in the shape of giant cats, spiders, dogs and gophers. Added to that, each week our miniature heroes pitted their wits against determined giants who wanted their capture. At the age of 11, this show captured my imagination and that of many others too and has since become a cult television favorite.
In just a few years, the series will mark its fiftieth anniversary and, if you are of a certain age, you may remember it too. So, let's take a trip back and remind ourselves of this cult television classic: Land of the Giants.
The Cast
The Show's Main TV Theme
Land of the Giants: An Overview
Land of the Giants replaced another series produced by Irwin Allen, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, on the ABC Sunday night schedule in the United States. By all accounts, it was very expensive to make, costing around $250,000 per episode. A hefty amount in the late 1960s.
It was set in the then-future year of 1983 and revolved around the crew and passengers of the spaceship Spindrift which, on its way to London, crashed on a planet where the humanoid inhabitants were hostile and unbelievably huge.
Most of the cast did many of their own stunts, such as being dropped into specimen jars or climbing ropes, as they endeavored to remain alive in the hope of returning home. The little people were filmed from cranes high above them, while images of the "giants" were captured from the floor with hand-held cameras.
By today's standards, a lot of the special effects may now appear primitive, but remember, this was filmed in the days before advanced CGI techniques. For a television show that is approaching its fiftieth birthday, in many departments, it still stands the test of time.
Season 1: Download on Instant Video
Season 1: Episode Guide
- The Crash
- The Weird World
- The Trap
- The Bounty Hunter
- The Golden Cage
- The Lost Ones
- Manhunt
- Framed
- The Creed
- The Flight Plan
- Underground
- Double-Cross
- On A Clear Night You Can See Earth
- Ghost Town
- Brainwash
- Terror-Go-Round
- Sabotage
- Genius at Work
- Deadly Lodestone
- The Night of Thrombeldinbar
- Seven Little Indians
- Target: Earth
- Rescue
- Return of Inidu
- Shell Game
- The Chase
Original American broadcast September 1968 - April 1969. Shown here in production order.
Land of the Giants: Cast & Characters
The leading cast of actors and characters of the show consist of the following:
- Gary Conway as Captain Steve Burton
- Don Matheson as Mark Wilson
- Kurt Kasznar as Alexander Fitzhugh
- Don Marshall as Dan Erickson
- Stefan Arngrim as Barry Lockridge
- Deanna Lund as Valerie Scott
- Heather Young as Betty Hamilton
Stills From the Show
Season 2: Download on Instant Video
Season 2: Episode Guide
- The Inside Rail
- Chamber of Fear
- The Mechanical Man
- Collector's Item
- Giants, and All That Jazz
- Six Hours to Live
- The Unsuspected
- A Place Called Earth
- Deadly Pawn
- Land of the Lost
- Every Dog Needs a Boy
- The Clones
- Comeback
- Nightmare
- Home Sweet Home
- Our Man O'Reilly
- Panic
- Pay the Piper
- The Secret City of Limbo
- Doomsday
- Wild Journey
- The Deadly Dart
- Graveyard of Fools
- A Small War
- The Marionettes
Original American broadcast September 1969 - March 1970. Shown here in production order.
Where Are They Now?
Heather Young, now known by her married name Patricia Youstetter, retired from acting once Land of the Giants concluded.
Don Matheson passed away June 29, 2014 from lung cancer aged 84.
Gary Conway is still in the acting profession, but his main focus is now management of his own winery.
Don Marshall continues to travel to conventions held on both sides of the Atlantic in order to promote the show.
Kurt Kasznar passed away in August 1979 from cancer.
Stefan Arngrim continues to act and was last seen in a minor role in the film version of The A Team.
These days, Deanna Lund is teaching drama and regularly attending conventions as a member of the Land of the Giants cast.
More Sites of Interest
- Land of the Giants
Web Site containing sites for the cast, clubs, conventions, episode guides, interviews, news, links and behind the scenes information. - The Irwin Allen Vaults
A gallery of high resolution photographs of scenes and characters from Land of the Giants, provided by the Irwin Allen News Network. - Land of the Giants: Wikipedia
Information on the series from the free encyclopedia.
© 2014 Richard