on DVD here!
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on DVD Batman on DVD |
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by Billy Ingram
Lost? No, The New People, an ABC series that ran from September 22, 1969 to January 12, 1970. The similarities to Lost are many. Like Lost, the survivors find food and shelter, although of a more conventional nature here, and a cache of guns. Like Lost, a character sabotages the only hope of rescue early on. Like Lost, the show sports a multi-cultural cast (a bit of a rarity at the time) rife with racial tensions.
The series was developed for TV by Rod Serling and was an Danny Thomas / Aaron Spelling production although it appears Serling had little or nothing to do with the writing. Too bad, because the premise was a strong one.
More than anything the production reinforced stereotypes of 1960's hippy dippy college kids as violent anarchists, reflecting the campus unrest going on over the Viet Nam war.
Many of the young people in the cast were interchangeable with guest stars coming in each week to play various castaways that were never seen again. Typical plots: one of the unmarried girls becomes pregnant with the island's first baby and is overcome with guilt; several people disappear so the hippies venture to the other side of the island to discover who else might be living on the island of Bomano. Come to think of it, weren't those plotlines on Lost?!?
The New People aired on Monday nights at 8:15 following another 45-minute show meant to appeal to young folks, Music Scene. Neither show caught on and both were gone by mid-season. |
We use: Links
on this page The New People 17 episodes aired from September 22, 1969 until January 12, 1970. Produced by Aaron Spelling (Dynasty). There were two Dell comic books and a novel based on the series. Theme song by The First Edition. Episode 12 featured a character that grew some potent pot that sends everyone on a bad trip. Bummer, man! Thanks to A.J. at Television Archives!
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Like
Lost's John Locke, The New People had Mr. Hanacheck
(played by Richard Kiley), a know-it-all who becomes the de-facto leader
- except here he dies in the first episode leaving our college aged miscreants
to fend for themselves, Lord of the Flies style.
Here
the similarities end. On The New People the doomed airplane is
filled with young people, mostly flower power hippies. 
The
New People was mostly and opportunity to play out societal tensions,
it's what they called a 'relevant' drama at the time. 
The
core cast included Tiffany Bolling, Zooey Hall, David Moses, Dennis Olivieri
and Peter Ratray. Guest stars over the series run included Susan Howard,
Tyne Daly, Billy Dee Williams and Richard Dreyfuss.
The
format was somewhat unique, the show ran for 45-minutes. Although, with
fewer commercial breaks than we are used to today, the actual running
time was about what we're used to in a modern day hour-long drama. 
