episode #71 - A Day at the Zoo

episode #71 / Air Date: 11/29/67 (episode #12 of 3rd season)
written by Jackson Gillis; Directed by Irving J. Moore

Another tedious episode - Penny encounters a cave boy and is then netted by intergalactic showman Farnum (Leonard Stone) for his special zoo. In short order, Don & Judy, and then Will, Smith & the Robot are also captured. Farnum's other exhibits seem fake, except for a knight which is another robot named Mort - it battles the Robinsons' Robot and... makes short work of it. The captives are all caged in environments which are suited to them - Penny is in what looks like a typical teenage girl's room.

This was all done much better on other TV shows - The Twilight Zone had one called People Are Alike All Over, for example. Most of this episode contains a lot of useless dialog; Farnum speaks a lot with Smith, Will and Penny - but he doesn't really say much. His goals revolve around having the ultimate human exhibit for whatever reason. The caveboy, Oggo (Gary Tigerman - whatta name ) causes some problems. The big deal, as before, is that Smith becomes the new ringmaster, gaining riches and infuriating Don. A lot of aliens do show up in the final act and there's a dragon on another planet. There's also a similarity to the 2nd season's Space Circus. BoG's Score: 4 out of 10
Lost in Trivia: no sign of John Robinson (Guy Williams) in this episode...