Unique episode in that Dr. 'Zack' Smith and Major Don West actually get along for a while in this episode (they are on first name terms). It's not a bad story and appears to be a simplified (but much more childish variation of the Star Trek episode 'The Apple' – the robot dances and performs magic tricks which include telekinesis and the ability to make objects disappear!). Interestingly, 'The Apple' was transmitted on 13 October 1967 after the 'The Space Primevals' which was broadcast a little earlier on 04 October 1967. For once there's a little location photography and both the chariot and the space raft make an appearance. The prop used at the heart of 'The Time Tunnel' is seen again (it forms part of the computer which is controlling and guiding the stone age men). Not too bad for a 3rd season episode.
6 Reviews
Boom boom, boom boom...... boom boom BOOM!
bigfrankie-4346420 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The Space Primevals is a very good episode that could have been much better.
It is a Major West/ Dr. Smith focused story, with very little of the Robinson women.
Major West and Dr. Smith are on a mission in the Chariot to cap a volcano when when they are captured by some primitive caveman type aliens with sophisticated devices.
Some of the highlights include the footage of the Chariot, the action scenes with Prof Robinson and of course Major West and Dr. Smith becoming friends. The cavemen aliens are also well done.
However, the nonsense with The Robot chanting "Boom boom, boom boom...... boom boom BOOM!" and his sudden Houdini like abilities were not needed and mar the otherwise very good story. Same goes for the shrinking of The Robot to toy-size. And the ending really made no sense.
It is a Major West/ Dr. Smith focused story, with very little of the Robinson women.
Major West and Dr. Smith are on a mission in the Chariot to cap a volcano when when they are captured by some primitive caveman type aliens with sophisticated devices.
Some of the highlights include the footage of the Chariot, the action scenes with Prof Robinson and of course Major West and Dr. Smith becoming friends. The cavemen aliens are also well done.
However, the nonsense with The Robot chanting "Boom boom, boom boom...... boom boom BOOM!" and his sudden Houdini like abilities were not needed and mar the otherwise very good story. Same goes for the shrinking of The Robot to toy-size. And the ending really made no sense.
Sci-Fi & Volcano Disaster
StuOz25 May 2007
Episode five in screening order but episode three in production order (after Condemned Of Space and Hunter's Moon). The Robinson's new lost planet has a trouble-making volcano.
The Space Primevals is a good looking hour that sometimes leaves that boring sound stage for once and gives us some striking outdoor images of the full scale space pod and great sound stage dramatics from the cave men-like tribe on the planet.
The Lost World (1960) lizard drops in for a second or two but we will try to forget about that. If you take away Don, Smith and The Robot, this tone/look of this hour resembles Land Of The Giants and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. In fact, at about this time on another Fox sound stage, Voyage/Sea was doing a volcano episode called Fires Of Death. Irwin was at work here.
Added note: Yes, the head cave-man is often standing next to props used as The Time Tunnel core.
Great episode!
The Space Primevals is a good looking hour that sometimes leaves that boring sound stage for once and gives us some striking outdoor images of the full scale space pod and great sound stage dramatics from the cave men-like tribe on the planet.
The Lost World (1960) lizard drops in for a second or two but we will try to forget about that. If you take away Don, Smith and The Robot, this tone/look of this hour resembles Land Of The Giants and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. In fact, at about this time on another Fox sound stage, Voyage/Sea was doing a volcano episode called Fires Of Death. Irwin was at work here.
Added note: Yes, the head cave-man is often standing next to props used as The Time Tunnel core.
Great episode!
Good premise squandered
jamesrupert201428 April 2023
Primitive cave-aliens who worship a computer interfere with the space-castaways' efforts to tame a potential planet-destroying volcano. The premise is a sci-fi classic: a primitive culture guided by, and worshiping, an ancient technology that they don't understand, and the episode features some unique moments of awkward bro-bonding between Dr. Smith and Major West as together they face asphyxiation. Unfortunately, the story spirals into stupidity, in the second half, with the robot decked out in feathers 'dancing' with the cave people in front of some cartoonish 'totem poles' and performing 'magic tricks' in a 'robo a robo' with the malevolent e-brain. The cave people are typical sit-com fur-clad knuckle-draggers (they would have been at home in an episode of Sherwood Swartz's dire 'It's About Time (1966)) and one of Irwin Allen's faux dinosaurs (a tarted-up lizard from his unnecessary remake of 'The Lost World' (1960)) puts in an appearance. Whatever coherence the series had was collapsing from internal inconsistencies - since when can the robot simply materialise things from thin air? The episode was broadcast a couple of weeks before Star Trek' s similarly themed (but superior) 'The Apple'.
This is a solid adventure, and my current #5-ranked on the season..
jimbotc20066 October 2012
"The Space Primevals"..always a very solid and long time highly liked installment. As of now, I have it as my #5-ranked episode of the season..ever, ever so slightly behind last week's "Hunter's Moon." Basically, the two are pretty much neck-and-neck. If "The Space Primevals" didn't have the 'sillier' unnecessary parts, such as the robot magic stuff, and if the episode had a more solid ending and finish, and not that 'silly' finish accompanied by the brand new Fred Steiner background music (which I highly dislike), "The Space Primevals" would have been as high as my #3-ranked of the season. As it is, I have it at #5..just short of #4.
Robert is very true that "The Space Primevals" has a Season One feel and look to it..chariot and all. I absolutely love the fine location shooting. That, and the prehistoric caveman idea, was not only excellent, but the best things about this story. I love it! As always, silly things take it down again though, just like last week. Stories this good should NOT infuse the sillier moments. I do NOT appreciate the mix. Either give me serious (very straight) B&W Season One, or give me the "LIS Lite" (Robert's term) fantasy-styles of Season Two. Both work fine. But, do not give me a good story and put silly things into it. It only accomplishes on bringing it down. The best of the Season Three episodes, all of them (think about it), are guilty of doing this. Like I said last week though, by this point in the series, it was totally unavoidable. Well, not really, but the production team seemed to think so.
Just like last week's "Hunter's Moon," this week's story is high, high adventure, and another most worthy example of the goodness and solidness of early Season Three. "The Space Primevals" is the episode that was filmed (and aired) right after "Hunter's Moon." I call it back-to-back solidness, in keeping where late Season Two left off (with more seriousness interjected into the series). It certainly does not last.
Like I said last week, I absolutely love the climactic fight scene in "Hunter's Moon"..one of my very favorite scenes of the whole shebang. That scene alone, and a slightly better ending, may be the specific reasons why I give the ever so slightly edge to "Hunter's Moon."
Peter Packer and Nathan Juran are back again..
LosT~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~jim~~~~~~~~~
iN
SpacE I forgot to add that it is always a delight when Dr. Smith and Major West get teamed up together.
Robert is very true that "The Space Primevals" has a Season One feel and look to it..chariot and all. I absolutely love the fine location shooting. That, and the prehistoric caveman idea, was not only excellent, but the best things about this story. I love it! As always, silly things take it down again though, just like last week. Stories this good should NOT infuse the sillier moments. I do NOT appreciate the mix. Either give me serious (very straight) B&W Season One, or give me the "LIS Lite" (Robert's term) fantasy-styles of Season Two. Both work fine. But, do not give me a good story and put silly things into it. It only accomplishes on bringing it down. The best of the Season Three episodes, all of them (think about it), are guilty of doing this. Like I said last week though, by this point in the series, it was totally unavoidable. Well, not really, but the production team seemed to think so.
Just like last week's "Hunter's Moon," this week's story is high, high adventure, and another most worthy example of the goodness and solidness of early Season Three. "The Space Primevals" is the episode that was filmed (and aired) right after "Hunter's Moon." I call it back-to-back solidness, in keeping where late Season Two left off (with more seriousness interjected into the series). It certainly does not last.
Like I said last week, I absolutely love the climactic fight scene in "Hunter's Moon"..one of my very favorite scenes of the whole shebang. That scene alone, and a slightly better ending, may be the specific reasons why I give the ever so slightly edge to "Hunter's Moon."
Peter Packer and Nathan Juran are back again..
LosT~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~jim~~~~~~~~~
iN
SpacE I forgot to add that it is always a delight when Dr. Smith and Major West get teamed up together.
Major West and Dr Smith become friends... or do they?
gregorycanfield16 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This episode provides what is, possibly, the best evidence that Dr Smith is a better person than his usual behavior would indicate. Dr Smith actually saves Major West's life. Not only is this out of character for Smith, but his benevolence is extended to the last person you might expect. The story of West and Smith setting out to cap a volcano is well done. However, it's always curious that either West or Prof Robinson actually want Dr Smith's help. The group of prehistoric aliens is interesting. They seem to be "channeled" through the great Protenius, which renders them prehistoric and advanced at the same time. In the effort to rescue Smith and West from a cave, some interesting things happen. The Robot amuses the aliens with some magic tricks. However, I particularly liked his musical performance (Boom, Boom, Boom). The sudden friendship between West and Smith is seemingly short-lived. I don't believe that these two men became friends only at the moment Dr Smith saved Major West. If they were friends at this point, they were just as much friends all along. All the other members of the Robinson party were family. This made Major West just as much an "outsider" as Dr Smith. Despite their very different dynamics, West and Smith had this much in common. All in all, a quite enjoyable episode. I'm glad that they finally got the volcano capped!
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