Cha-Ka
Encyclopedia
"Cha-Ka" is the first episode of the first season of the 1974 American television series Land of the Lost
. Written by David Gerrold
and directed by Dennis Steinmetz, it first aired in the United States on September 7, 1974 on NBC
.
they soon dub "Grumpy", who chases them till they reach a homely cave located up a steep cliff.
Presumably the next day, the Marshalls begin to explore the jungle and encounter a grazing Coelophysis
, whom Holly decides to name "Spot" (to Will's chagrin). However, they are soon chased off by Grumpy. While hiding in the bracken, Rick suggests that the crack through which they fell in their raft was a "hole in space" and that they have entered another world using the presence of three moons in the sky to back up his incredulous claim.
After further running, Rick tells Will and Holly to lie in wait while he sees if the route to the cave is safe. While in hiding, Will and Holly hear the sound of chanting and head toward the source, believing it to come from humans. They run into a clearing where they discover a large, metallic "pylon" which emits a high-pitched whirring sound. To the touch it is unnaturally smooth and cold.
Remembering the chanting, the siblings head to the tree line and observe three manlike simian
s attempting to create a fire while chanting an invocation in their native language. The creatures are interrupted in their ritual by Grumpy, who wounds the leg of the smallest of the creatures. The tyrannosaur gives chase to the remaining two and Holly runs out to rescue the wounded one. Will carries him back to their hiding place in the bracken where they discover that the creature's right leg is sprained. Will and Holly are able to glean from the creature that its name is "Cha-Ka" and that it is a Paku.
When Rick returns, he decides to take Cha-Ka to the cave, where their supplies can be used to mend his leg. Realizing the Paku cannot scale the cliff in his condition, Rick lowers a lift from the cave which they have apparently constructed to haul supplies, but the endeavor is interrupted by the return of Grumpy, forcing Will and Cha-Ka to take shelter in the rocks while Rick and Holly hide in the cave. Rick and Holly take a sharpened stick which they refer to as the "flyswatter" and stab Grumpy in its open mouth, forcing it to flee. Cha-Ka is then carried up to the cave where Rick makes a splint. While preparing dinner, Holly uses a lighter, which greatly fascinates Cha-Ka.
During the night Cha-Ka steals the lighter and limps off to find his fellow Pakuni. The Marshalls secretly follow him, but are threatened by the two elder Pakuni. During the scuffle, Grumpy returns and frightens both Cha-Ka and the others away. The Marshalls make their way to the safety of their cave, believing Cha-Ka to have left them.
The next morning, however, a feast of native fruits have been placed on their doorstep by Cha-Ka, who watches them smiling from the bushes. The Marshalls conclude that Cha-Ka has become their friend. The episode closes with Grumpy roaming the jungle.
In Sid and Marty Krofft: A Critical Study of Saturday Morning Children's Television, 1969-1993, film and television historian Hal Erickson praises Land of the Lost for not revealing all the details of the show's premise in the first episode, instead spreading out plot revelations throughout the first season. In "Cha-ka", only the dinosaurs and Pakuni are revealed; later episodes would introduce the Sleestak and other elements of the program's mythology. Erickson contrasts this with "standard operating procedure in the 1970s ... to lay all the cards on the table in the opening episode", and lauds the show's creators Sid and Marty Krofft
for "having enough confidence in [their] young audience to unfold [the] series' exposition over a matter of weeks rather than minutes".
Land of the Lost (1974 TV series)
Land of the Lost is a children's television series co-created and produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. During its original run, it was broadcast on the NBC television network....
. Written by David Gerrold
David Gerrold
Jerrold David Friedman , better known by his pen name David Gerrold, is an American science fiction author who started his career in 1966 while a college student by submitting an unsolicited story outline for the television series Star Trek. He was invited to submit several premises, and the one...
and directed by Dennis Steinmetz, it first aired in the United States on September 7, 1974 on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Plot
As explained in the title sequence, an enormous earthquake plunges Rick, Will, and Holly Marshall "down a thousand feet below" to the Land of the Lost while river-rafting. When their raft washes ashore, they are met with a tyrannosaurTyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
they soon dub "Grumpy", who chases them till they reach a homely cave located up a steep cliff.
Presumably the next day, the Marshalls begin to explore the jungle and encounter a grazing Coelophysis
Coelophysis
Coelophysis , meaning "hollow form" in reference to its hollow bones , is one of the earliest known genera of dinosaur...
, whom Holly decides to name "Spot" (to Will's chagrin). However, they are soon chased off by Grumpy. While hiding in the bracken, Rick suggests that the crack through which they fell in their raft was a "hole in space" and that they have entered another world using the presence of three moons in the sky to back up his incredulous claim.
After further running, Rick tells Will and Holly to lie in wait while he sees if the route to the cave is safe. While in hiding, Will and Holly hear the sound of chanting and head toward the source, believing it to come from humans. They run into a clearing where they discover a large, metallic "pylon" which emits a high-pitched whirring sound. To the touch it is unnaturally smooth and cold.
Remembering the chanting, the siblings head to the tree line and observe three manlike simian
Simian
The simians are the "higher primates" familiar to most people: the Old World monkeys and apes, including humans, , and the New World monkeys or platyrrhines. Simians tend to be larger than the "lower primates" or prosimians.- Classification and evolution :The simians are split into three groups...
s attempting to create a fire while chanting an invocation in their native language. The creatures are interrupted in their ritual by Grumpy, who wounds the leg of the smallest of the creatures. The tyrannosaur gives chase to the remaining two and Holly runs out to rescue the wounded one. Will carries him back to their hiding place in the bracken where they discover that the creature's right leg is sprained. Will and Holly are able to glean from the creature that its name is "Cha-Ka" and that it is a Paku.
When Rick returns, he decides to take Cha-Ka to the cave, where their supplies can be used to mend his leg. Realizing the Paku cannot scale the cliff in his condition, Rick lowers a lift from the cave which they have apparently constructed to haul supplies, but the endeavor is interrupted by the return of Grumpy, forcing Will and Cha-Ka to take shelter in the rocks while Rick and Holly hide in the cave. Rick and Holly take a sharpened stick which they refer to as the "flyswatter" and stab Grumpy in its open mouth, forcing it to flee. Cha-Ka is then carried up to the cave where Rick makes a splint. While preparing dinner, Holly uses a lighter, which greatly fascinates Cha-Ka.
During the night Cha-Ka steals the lighter and limps off to find his fellow Pakuni. The Marshalls secretly follow him, but are threatened by the two elder Pakuni. During the scuffle, Grumpy returns and frightens both Cha-Ka and the others away. The Marshalls make their way to the safety of their cave, believing Cha-Ka to have left them.
The next morning, however, a feast of native fruits have been placed on their doorstep by Cha-Ka, who watches them smiling from the bushes. The Marshalls conclude that Cha-Ka has become their friend. The episode closes with Grumpy roaming the jungle.
Reception
The online review site Premium Hollywood described the episode in 2009 as "really a very boring start for the series", adding that it was likely toned down to avoid frightening its young viewership.In Sid and Marty Krofft: A Critical Study of Saturday Morning Children's Television, 1969-1993, film and television historian Hal Erickson praises Land of the Lost for not revealing all the details of the show's premise in the first episode, instead spreading out plot revelations throughout the first season. In "Cha-ka", only the dinosaurs and Pakuni are revealed; later episodes would introduce the Sleestak and other elements of the program's mythology. Erickson contrasts this with "standard operating procedure in the 1970s ... to lay all the cards on the table in the opening episode", and lauds the show's creators Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid Krofft and Marty Krofft , are a sibling team of television producers who were influential in children's television and variety show programs in the USA, particularly throughout the 1970s and early 1980s....
for "having enough confidence in [their] young audience to unfold [the] series' exposition over a matter of weeks rather than minutes".