I just found out that he passed away on October 10, 2023. Many of us who enjoyed the Batman TV show were also fans of “Lost in Space.” Mark Goddard played Major Don West.
Another childhood icon passes.
R.I.P. Mark Goddard
Moderators: Scott Sebring, Ben Bentley
Re: R.I.P. Mark Goddard
During my high school and college years in the late 70s and early 80s, I worked as a busboy at a country club where Mr. Goddard's in-laws were members, and where he was their occasional dinner guest. He was always a cordial visitor, and the staff was cautioned to be cool around him and avoid fannish behavior. Whenever he turned up, however, there was inevitably banter in the kitchen about Don West being back from space, wishing he'd brought Judy Robinson with him, etc. (At the time I think he was appearing on a soap opera, but we were pretty clueless about that.)
A highlight of the dinner menu was duck à l'orange flambé, and one of our busboy duties was to douse the dish with a ramekin of brandy and then set it alight it just before the server placed it before its recipient. It was a pretty spectacular presentation and one night, when Mr. Goddard was dining at the club, it proved a little too spectacular.
I was one of three busboys covering the largest of the club's three dining rooms that night. Mr. Goddard and his hosts were at a corner table when a diner across the room received a duck dinner. When things went sideways, I was entering the room with a trayful of entrees on my shoulder. One of my fellow busboys was standing at a coffee station next to Mr. Goddard's table and the other was about to set the duck aflame.
There must have been some brandy spillage, because when the duck was lit, fire spread off the plate, across the serving tray it rested upon, and over to a window curtain hanging next to the collapsible tray stand. There was no major damage—it was basically all over by the time I could set my tray down: The busboy serving the duck beat the flames out with a napkin before the curtain could ignite or smoke alarms could go off, and everyone soon resumed their meals.
But as soon as the commotion started, the busboy at the coffee station had rushed toward the blaze, saying "Danger, Will Robinson! Danger, Will Robinson!" under his breath. He wasn't shouting, or even using a full speaking voice, but I was farther away from him than Mr. Goddard and I heard him clearly, so I always assumed Mr. Goddard must have heard, too. If he did, he was as stoic as Maj. West and never let on. Neither did anyone else, although us busboys had a huge laugh over it after work that night.
The upshot to the episode, aside from a procedural change forbidding placement of tray stands near window curtains, was my abiding respect for Mark Goddard. RIP.
A highlight of the dinner menu was duck à l'orange flambé, and one of our busboy duties was to douse the dish with a ramekin of brandy and then set it alight it just before the server placed it before its recipient. It was a pretty spectacular presentation and one night, when Mr. Goddard was dining at the club, it proved a little too spectacular.
I was one of three busboys covering the largest of the club's three dining rooms that night. Mr. Goddard and his hosts were at a corner table when a diner across the room received a duck dinner. When things went sideways, I was entering the room with a trayful of entrees on my shoulder. One of my fellow busboys was standing at a coffee station next to Mr. Goddard's table and the other was about to set the duck aflame.
There must have been some brandy spillage, because when the duck was lit, fire spread off the plate, across the serving tray it rested upon, and over to a window curtain hanging next to the collapsible tray stand. There was no major damage—it was basically all over by the time I could set my tray down: The busboy serving the duck beat the flames out with a napkin before the curtain could ignite or smoke alarms could go off, and everyone soon resumed their meals.
But as soon as the commotion started, the busboy at the coffee station had rushed toward the blaze, saying "Danger, Will Robinson! Danger, Will Robinson!" under his breath. He wasn't shouting, or even using a full speaking voice, but I was farther away from him than Mr. Goddard and I heard him clearly, so I always assumed Mr. Goddard must have heard, too. If he did, he was as stoic as Maj. West and never let on. Neither did anyone else, although us busboys had a huge laugh over it after work that night.
The upshot to the episode, aside from a procedural change forbidding placement of tray stands near window curtains, was my abiding respect for Mark Goddard. RIP.
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Yellow Oval
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Re: R.I.P. Mark Goddard
I thought he was great on Lost In Space and now, having recently re-watched the entire DVD set, I just don't understand why he, or the rest of the crew, never threw Dr. Smith out of the airlock! 
As I am also a big Adam-12 fan, I especially liked his guest shot on the season 3 episode 'Elegy For A Pig'.
Fun Fact: Marta Kristen/Judy Robinson revealed that in the LIS episode 'A Visit To Hades', when you see her accidentally hit Mark Goddard over the head with a vase while he's fighting Gerald Mohr's Morbus/Satan character, the production crew had mistakenly put a real vase on set and she clocked him putting him out cold and that was the take they used. So, when you watch that scene you see Mark actually getting knocked right out on camera! He goes down instantly like a sack of potatoes. Oh, the fun they must have had filming that show.
Rest in Peace, Mark. You (and also Suzanne Sommers as I have just learned) now go to join the other great talents that have left us.
As I am also a big Adam-12 fan, I especially liked his guest shot on the season 3 episode 'Elegy For A Pig'.Fun Fact: Marta Kristen/Judy Robinson revealed that in the LIS episode 'A Visit To Hades', when you see her accidentally hit Mark Goddard over the head with a vase while he's fighting Gerald Mohr's Morbus/Satan character, the production crew had mistakenly put a real vase on set and she clocked him putting him out cold and that was the take they used. So, when you watch that scene you see Mark actually getting knocked right out on camera! He goes down instantly like a sack of potatoes. Oh, the fun they must have had filming that show.
Rest in Peace, Mark. You (and also Suzanne Sommers as I have just learned) now go to join the other great talents that have left us.
"Hmmm... I don't like the twist this joke is taking. Let us away! Let us away!"
Re: R.I.P. Mark Goddard
Same here. I also noticed that MORE than “once,” Maj. West said: “for ONCE I agree with Smith!“Yellow Oval wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 12:49 pm I thought he was great on Lost In Space and now, having recently re-watched the entire DVD set, I just don't understand why he, or the rest of the crew, never threw Dr. Smith out of the airlock!
(BTW, a good rule of thumb: NEVER agree with Dr. Smith!)
Additionally, it has been a running joke in our household about the lack of good parenting on the part of Professor and Maureen Robinson. They would let their kids, especially Will and Penny, go off exploring on an alien planet populated with dangerous lifeforms and physical characteristics with no adult supervision whatsoever:
Maureen: “I’m worried about Will and Penny, John. They’ve been gone for hours. Do you think they’re OK?”
Prof. Robinson: (chuckling) “Of course, dahling! There’s nothing to worry about.”
(There always was.)