Land of the LOST was my first obsession show. It started in 1974 when I was 4 years old. I had to get up early on Saturday mornings so I could watch the latest episodes of this amazing show.
This panel had the tremendous trio of Wesley Eure, who played Will, Kathy Coleman, who played Holly, and show creator Sid Krofft.
Sid Krofft came out on the stage after Wesley and Kathy had. Sid came out with his cane and instantly started talking to the crowd. He stated this was his third time in Kansas City. The first time was in his Vaudeville days. The second time was in the Circus Big Top in the 40s. It has been a while since he was last in KC.
Sid did sit down and the group had a great discussion. They discussed how big and long-lasting Land of the LOST has been. Both Kathy and Wesley discussed how they love talking to Sid and know when they talk to Sid, he will be sharing a ton of cool stuff.
Sid is now 94 years old. He has been in and around Hollywood for 80 years. He has known everyone and has stories about them. Sid used to live in a servants’ house above Hollywood Boulevard.
Sid told the story of how his father was not supportive. Sid bought his first puppet and learned to puppeteer. His father would say, “playing with your little dollies.” Sid met the Queen of England later in life at an event that Sid had performed. She also called them “dollies”. Sid stated he had to restrain himself from flipping her “the bird”.
In the late 60s and early 70s, things were going great for Sid and Marty Krofft. The Networks used to bid against each other for their morning shows. Sid stated, After Lidsville, they couldn’t come up with a show. It went 2 years without a show being introduced. Sid stated he saw a magazine with dinosaurs on the cover. This took him back to his childhood when he was 1 Million BC, which scared him as a kid.
Sid stated they got lucky with Land of the LOST because Star Trek had recently been canceled. They brought in many of the Star Trek writers to write their show. The dialog was written for adults watching it with the kids. Sid stated, “Never underestimate a kid’s ability to understand. Most are afraid the kids wouldn’t get the complexity.” The kids didn’t seem to have a problem with it.
All three talked about the Sleestak on the show. They only had 3 Sleestak costumes. They would go in slow motion and the family had to get away slowly. It gave the feel of overpowering. Sid asked, “Did we scare you with them?” They also mentioned that Bill Lambert was one of the Sleestak for one of the seasons. They pulled in college basketball players since they needed the Sleestak to be tall.
A question from the crowd asked about why the family moved from the cave to the ruins for the third season. This was caused by a fire on the brand-new Sigmond and the Seamonsters show. It was shot on the same stage and it caught fire right before they were to start filming on Season 3. They had to create a new set piece and a new theme song had to be recorded.
Wesley and Kathy discussed acting on the screen without the dinosaurs. They joked about reacting to a spot on the wall or a stick. They mentioned that one can see Rick, Will, and Holly looking at different spots.
Sid stated that Wesley sang the theme song. Wesley led the crowd in singing it.
I asked the panel about their favorite Dinosaur. I mentioned Alisouraus is my favorite because “Alice was nicer than Grumpy”. Kathy was the only one who answered. She stated that Brontosaurus is her favorite because “Dopey was a baby Brontosaurus and I got to ride him.” She stated that she cried when she saw the Brontosaurus in Jurassic Park.
I loved this panel. I later stopped by Kathy and Wesley’s booth but that is another post.
Stay Geeky!
