Second Season Episodes - Rocket To Earth (episode 50)

Smith bungles a trip to Earth when he encounters a clumsy space magician. 

Smith is questioning the Robot's umpiring during a softball game when he comes face to face with Zalto, an alien dressed in magician's garb. In response to Smith's cries, Zalto fades away. The apparition visits Smith at the Jupiter 2 camp again and taunts him. Finally, the Robot guides the pair to a cave where Zalto and his dummy are living.

Zalto tries to turn them all into frogs, but only blows a hole in the roof. Then he displays his real triumph, a spaceship capable of going anywhere in the galaxy in a matter of hours. Smith promptly asks for a job as Zalto's assistant and gets it. Smith returns to the Jupiter 2 and announces that he is going on a trip. He is supposed to take the rocket ship to an asteroid to advertise Zalto to the galaxy, but instead he plans to alter his course and head for Earth. He tearfully bids farewell to Will and the Robot.

After he is gone, John brings data to send back to Earth, and Will brings a portfolio to Smith in the spaceship. But Zalto closes the spaceship door on the boy and doctor, and blasts them into space. He confides to the dummy that his advertisement is actually going to blast the asteroid they are headed for to pieces, destroying the ship with it. But Smith heads straight for Earth. Earth Control demands he identify himself and, unable to hear his response, warns him he will be fired on.

In an effort to show he is friendly, he fires Zalto's rockets, thinking they will make a pretty display. But Earth Control quickly determines the rockets to be deadly bombs and throws up a barrage against Dr. Smith that sends him scuttling back into space. The Robinsons, meanwhile, have found out what became of Will and demand Zalto radio his spaceship to return. Smith returns and boasts of his glorious exploits in space. 

Ray says: Grandpa Munster Al Lewis makes a guest appearance in this episode and plays Zalto the Magician. Excellent second season episode and favorite among many LIS fans.

Jonathan Harris Comment

I remember when we filmed the episode Rocket to Earth, we had this big elaborate set with a bunch of masks and a big round rocket space ship, on the set. 

I remember that I enjoyed working with Al Lewis on this episode. During the shoot, Don Richardson the director, discovered that the script was 5 minutes short. He asked Al Lewis and me if we can improvise and ad-lib the minutes. 

Al and I resurrected an old burlesque bit, the up the ladder, down the ladder bit. You first Alphonse, no, you first Gaston- we had a marvelous time with it. Much laughter, and applause from the crew, and great fun for us.

Bob May Comment

When Irwin Allen approached me for the voice Zalto's puppet, in the episode of 'Rocket to Earth,' I was a little stumped. Irwin asked me what type of voice I was going to use. After thinking about it for a bit, I decided that I would use the voice of Jerry Lewis, from the movie The Nutty Professor. 

In 'Rocket to Earth,' I had to do a scene where the puppet talked and so did the Robot. How did I do this? I was in a pretzel formation, in this big vase that placed on the set in this scene. In my hand I had what was called an outside button, which is sort of a remote control which operated the lights when the Robot spoke. I also did the voice of the puppet at the same time, from inside this giant vase."I did enjoy working on this episode, and Al Lewis was a lot of fun to work with.

Filming