First Season Episodes - Return From Outer Space (episode 15)

Will Robinson makes a Christmastime trip back to Earth via a matter transfer machine, but no one believes his fantastic story of interplanetary travel. 

Debbie the Bloop accidentally sets an old Tauron Matter Transfer Unit into operation, and in a blinding flash, Penny and Debbie disappear .Back at the Jupiter 2, John and Don reproach Smith for leaving the cap off a bottle of carbon tetrachloride, a chemical necessary for food purification. 

Later, Smith and Will head for the Matter Transfer Unit that John warned everyone to stay away from, and Will commands the Robot to emit some off-beat command r signals, causing Penny and the Bloop to rematerialize on a transfer beam. 

During the night, Will decides he will try to get to Earth. He posts a sign warning others to stay away and then programs the Robot to send him home. At noon the Robot will give reverse signals to the Matter Transfer Unit to return Will to their planet, Priplanus. The Robot emits the signals and Will rematerializes on the roof in the town square of Hatfield Four Corners, Vermont. There he is found by young Davey, who refuses to believe Will's tale and takes him to his Aunt Clara's house. But no one will let Will call Alpha Control. 

Aunt Clara takes him to Sheriff Baxendale and Ruth Templeton, who sets up a meeting with the town selectmen to question the boy. Disbelieving his tale, they do nothing. Will sneaks out and obtains a bottle of carbon tet, but is caught by the Sheriff. 

On Priplanus, meanwhile, everyone is searching for Will. John and Don have found the warning sign by the Matter Transfer Unit and they wonder if the machine really works. 

On Earth, Davey shows up and, beginning to believe Will's story, helps him escape to the village square. There, Will climbs onto the bandstand roof and to Davey's amazement, a transfer beam strikes down and he disappears. Ruth, Baxendale and the newspaper reporter soon show up with word that representatives from Alpha Control will arrive in an hour. 

On Priplanus, Will rematerializes next to the strained, collapsing Matter Transfer Unit, and gives the carbon tet to his amazed parents to testify to his journey. 

Later, Dr. Smith is trapped in a mysterious cage and is threatened by a monster.

Bill Mumy on Return From Outer Space

The Keeper and Return From Outer Space are two (three) of my very favorite LIS episodes of all time. I love Return From Outer Space, because Will truly DID get back and he DID get the carbon tetrachloride and without that, they would've died - that alone makes it a monumental story.

Of course, it's silly that it was so 40's or 50'sish, when it was the 21st Century! But, it's still one of my favorite shows. It was great to shoot all over the 20th lot on that one, too. And I thought the guest cast was strong.

Filming