Farnam B (a hammy Leonard Stone) is back and this time he's looking for "Galaxy Beauty Pageant" contestants on behalf of a mysterious, unseen dictator from a strange radioactive planet. Although still borderline 'science fiction', this silly episode drifts into fantasy as the aliens appear as black-cloaked medieval knights and Farnam discovers that if he doesn't convince Judy (Marta Kristen) to compete, he will forfeit his immortal soul and suffer in eternal flames. The big reveal of the Dictator's true nature is fun (although it begs the question of why such an entity would lust after a combustible Earth-blonde). Typical of season 3, much of the episode is played for laughs, this time involving Smith entering the Robot into the contest (in drag of course) and the various 'alien beauties' on the runway. Fans of Judy will likely appreciate her gowned appearance and apparently this was one of Marta Kristen's favourite episodes (despite the premise that Smith could so easily manipulate her character by appealing to her 'womanly vanity'). By this point in the series, 'moderately entertaining' is about the best I can say about any episode, and by that standard, this episode is OK. I'm sure that when I first watched it (as a 9-year-old) I found the various 'alien beauties' hilarious. Dee Hartford (Pi R Squared) was sexier when she was silver (in 'The Android Machine', S2, E7).
7 Reviews
HUMULATING SPACE BEAUTY CONTEST
asalerno1030 July 2022
Farnum B returns to the planet of the Robinsons, he has been hired by the leader of a strange civilization to organize a beauty contest and choose the princess of this intriguing world. Dr. Smith manages to convince Judy to enter the pageant in exchange for Farnum sharing his winnings. The episode is entertaining despite being silly. The contestants look like they came from a cheap costume party, they dress up the robot as a woman and give it a female voice to compete, the most redeeming thing is the novelty of the beings of fire.
Absurd!
bigfrankie-434644 January 2023
Space Beauty is absurd fantasy. While not a better episode, it is watchable and has some good moments mixed in with the cringe-worthy parts.
The positives:
It mocks beauty contests with some pretty good humor. We get to see the return of two guests- Farnum B and actress Dee Hartford returns. This time to play Nancy Pi Squared.
Don gets to knock out Farnum B with a punch to the face! Something he's been wanting to do since he met him way back in the "A Day at the Zoo" episode!
Farnum B and Dr. Smith basically compete to see who is the sneakiest, biggest liar.
Judy is given more screen time than usual, albeit in a mediocre episode.
The negatives:
The story is is absurd fantasy. Most of aliens look like bad Halloween costumes. One in particular, with six arms is especially absurd.
Dr. Smith dresses The Robot to look like a female robot to compete. Totally idiotic. The gag is repeated near the end of the episode.
The ending is also absurd.
Major Goof: When Farnum is talking to Will when the gold coins are dropping into the container, he calls him "BILLY"! I had to listen to it twice to be sure!
Interesting Goof: When Farnum reviews the first contract, if you stop the screen, you can see if is actually a real actor's contract with the date of 1968 and another date of 1980 (perhaps the ending date)!
PS: Prof Robinson and Mrs. Robinson are not in this episode or Fugitives in Space. Legend has it this is either due to Guy and June laughing at "The Great Vegetable Rebellion" (which was made directly prior to these two) and/ or Irwin Allen's "trail balloon" to see if he could continue without them and cut costs for a Season Four. Reference Marc Cushman's book for details.
The positives:
It mocks beauty contests with some pretty good humor. We get to see the return of two guests- Farnum B and actress Dee Hartford returns. This time to play Nancy Pi Squared.
Don gets to knock out Farnum B with a punch to the face! Something he's been wanting to do since he met him way back in the "A Day at the Zoo" episode!
Farnum B and Dr. Smith basically compete to see who is the sneakiest, biggest liar.
Judy is given more screen time than usual, albeit in a mediocre episode.
The negatives:
The story is is absurd fantasy. Most of aliens look like bad Halloween costumes. One in particular, with six arms is especially absurd.
Dr. Smith dresses The Robot to look like a female robot to compete. Totally idiotic. The gag is repeated near the end of the episode.
The ending is also absurd.
Major Goof: When Farnum is talking to Will when the gold coins are dropping into the container, he calls him "BILLY"! I had to listen to it twice to be sure!
Interesting Goof: When Farnum reviews the first contract, if you stop the screen, you can see if is actually a real actor's contract with the date of 1968 and another date of 1980 (perhaps the ending date)!
PS: Prof Robinson and Mrs. Robinson are not in this episode or Fugitives in Space. Legend has it this is either due to Guy and June laughing at "The Great Vegetable Rebellion" (which was made directly prior to these two) and/ or Irwin Allen's "trail balloon" to see if he could continue without them and cut costs for a Season Four. Reference Marc Cushman's book for details.
The Second Last Episode In Production Order
StuOz24 October 2019
Judy Robinson is wanted in a beauty contest.
The fourth last episode in screening order but the second last episode in production order. Which means the famed "talking carrot episode" was not the second last filmed adventure as many people think.
In production order, Junkyard Of Space was the last episode, but as that tale was a bit average, I personally think Space Beauty would have been a better show to end the series on.
Space Beauty is a campy episode but there is good LIS camp and there is bad LIS camp. The bad LIS camp was often found in the second half of season two. In Space Beauty, the humour mostly comes from the Leonard Stone performance as Mr Farnum - he is outstanding! So good in fact that, after watching this, it will be a struggle to take him seriously in any other role (for example his performance in 1973's Soylent Green).
Also, Marta Kristen (Judy) finally gets something to do.
Lastly, the Mullendore musical score perfectly captures the light fantastic nature of the hour. See also his score for LIS's The Haunted Lighthouse.
Basically, if you want the straight adventure of season one - stay clear of this hour! But if you want a wonderfully scored hour with a villain who behaves like he just walked out of the 1966 Batman set...you will get a blast from Space Beauty!
The fourth last episode in screening order but the second last episode in production order. Which means the famed "talking carrot episode" was not the second last filmed adventure as many people think.
In production order, Junkyard Of Space was the last episode, but as that tale was a bit average, I personally think Space Beauty would have been a better show to end the series on.
Space Beauty is a campy episode but there is good LIS camp and there is bad LIS camp. The bad LIS camp was often found in the second half of season two. In Space Beauty, the humour mostly comes from the Leonard Stone performance as Mr Farnum - he is outstanding! So good in fact that, after watching this, it will be a struggle to take him seriously in any other role (for example his performance in 1973's Soylent Green).
Also, Marta Kristen (Judy) finally gets something to do.
Lastly, the Mullendore musical score perfectly captures the light fantastic nature of the hour. See also his score for LIS's The Haunted Lighthouse.
Basically, if you want the straight adventure of season one - stay clear of this hour! But if you want a wonderfully scored hour with a villain who behaves like he just walked out of the 1966 Batman set...you will get a blast from Space Beauty!
Lost in Space-Space Beauty
Scarecrow-8821 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Farnum B returns (whip out the red carpet and confetti; oh, brother) in charge of an "Inter Galaxy Beauty Pageant" and the "money" behind this contest, known as the dictator/benefactor is actually already fixated on Judy (Marta Kristen, well at least a plot is focused on her, that's something in itself I guess). The girls must submit a photograph and sign a contract which dictates that if she wins, the winner becomes the dictator's Miss Galaxy forever, to live in his kingdom. The mystery is what the benefactor (who lives on a mysterious dark planet currently orbiting the planet the Robinsons are stuck on) looks like for which gains interest from Will. Dee Hartford (who had two episodes catered to her as Android Verta in "The Android Machine " and "Revolt of the Androids") also guest stars alongside Leonard Stone hamming up something fierce as Farnum, the "greatest showman in the galaxy", as the showman's agent who forgot to tell him that in order to get the gig of the pageant she had to agree in a clause that says he sold his soul! Hartford's name is Ms. Pi Squared (yuk, yuk, yuk) and she takes his orders without batting an eye (and he does bark at her as if she were a slave to his every whim which might ruffle the feathers of feminists). The contract holds an evil spell over Farnum whose face turns red when the badness comes over him (Stone provides devious chuckles and a demented look of devilish pleasure when it appears Judy is on the verge of signing). Once again Guy Williams and June Lockhart were spared a rather rotten episode as their characters make no appearance (Professor John Robinson is barely mentioned while Maureen is altogether written out of the episode entirely) during the plot; good for them. Rounded up are female aliens and Smith, certain to find a way to feed his greed, sees that when Farnum signs a new contestant, he is rewarded gold, so the dastardly doctor will use his clever tactics to make sure Judy agrees to participate. The props department gets lazy again and the mysterious benefactor is nothing more than fire (!) encased in a suit of medieval armor along with sentries who wear armor helmets and black capes. The third season has its bright moments but shares some of the worst episodes of the entire series with the previous tepid second season. This is yet another ghastly affair only probably palatable for a young audience. The sole bright spots are Smith's contemptuous barbs with and directly at Farnum, whom he loathes. Seeing Robot in drag as a contestant pretty much confirms that the show was never going to rebound from the disease of the second season; Lost in Space never fully recovered from the previous season as the same minds in charge of writing and producing were creatively bankrupt, using the sci-fi backdrop to poke fun at contemporary themes like beauty pageants. In the previous episode, Robot sniffed of a prisoner's shirt to "pick up his scent" and wore a chef's hat and apron while baking a cake filled with plastic explosive, and in this episode he's wearing drag, speaking in Hartford's voice, as much a clown as Dr. Zachary Smith...I can't imagine anyone thought this was the way the machine would be used when initially presented in the first season.
Voice of Fire Ruler of "strange, shadowy planet"
briansgate23 August 2014
The voice actor wasn't credited, but his voice sounded like actor Gary Raymond to me. Raymond played Moffatt in "The Rat Patrol" and guest-starred as Colonel John Grey in "The Man Who Came Back" episode of the British Science Fiction TV Series, "UFO." This episode was pretty bad and relied on comedy, which was better in episodes with weak plots and bad writing like this one. There is at least one unanswered question in this episode, too. Did Don West see the aliens who knocked him out when they entered the Jupiter-2 late at night? Also, this episode hints at an almost demonic possession of Farnum, whose soul has been sold by his agent. The idea that a being consisting of fire would find a human female beautiful and attractive is ludicrous, but fantasy and science fiction hack writers often resort to this moronic plot device. Farnum actually mention how absurd it is for a being to find a being of another species attractive in his conversation with Will Robinson, but the writer still manages to ignore his own lesson and make this the plot device that comprises the final conflict. Farnum was an outrageous, absurd character, but this series was at its best in the beginning when it was serious science fiction.
An Enteraining Third Season Episode!
babyfir7722 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I find myself in disagreement with the rating and the other reviews of this episode, thus I wish to put in my two cents. I love this episode! Now I didn't give it a 10, but just enjoy the storyline, the return of Farnum (in a far superior story to A Day at the Zoo ---I hate Oggo, but that's another story), a nice surprise appearance by Dee Hartford (though not captivating as she was as Verda in Season 2). The humor isn't over the top as some episodes are. Using envy is different for this episode. The sequence I didn't care for was the Robot playing female. But decent villains, a good showdown at the end. A lot of fun!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
