An Interview with Don Marshall
Ray: How did you get the role of Dan Erickson on "Land of the Giants?
Don: Irwin Allen saw me in another pilot for a series called "Braddock", a show about a
private detective (Tom Simcox) and an insurance investigator (me). Irwin
Allen called my agent and asked for me to come and see him. I went to see
him, and he asked me if I would do the part. I said "yes", and he told me
that the part was mine.
Ray: How was Irwin Allen to work for?
Don: Strange at the time, but now I understand why Irwin Allen had to control
every aspect of the show. The only problem with that is sometimes the writers
and directors would come up with very good ideas for the show, but Irwin
wouldn't listen. If he had listened, the show "Land of the Giants" could have
been bigger than "Star Trek".
Ray: Do you have any favorite episodes?
Don: No, I liked doing all of them. Maybe "The Clones," because it gave me
the chance to play another side of my character. That was fun.
Ray: During the second season of "The Land of the Giants", there was an
episode entitled "Pay the Piper", that guest-starred "The Great One",
Jonathan Harris. Did you enjoy the episode? How was it like to work with
Jonathan Harris?
Don: Well Ray, yes I did enjoy the episode, and working with Jonathan was
enjoyable. Jonathan is a fantastic actor, who I knew from before.
Ray: Do you remember any funny moments on the set of "Land of the Giants"?
Don: There was a lot of moments everyday, but I cannot come up with any right
now.
Ray: What was a typical day's shoot like?
Don: Our days were very, very long. Sometimes we would come in at 6 am, and
not go home until 10 pm. 
Ray: Did the cast do many of their own stunts?
Don: The whole cast did all of their stunts, until I dislocated my shoulder.
Ray: How was Kurt Kasznar to work with?
Don: Kurt was a dream to work with because he brought so much of his
character to a scene. He made you work and react, or he would take the
scene away from you. He kept you on your toes, and that is good for any actor.
Ray: Which season of "Land of the Giants" did you like the best? First or
second?
Don: I liked the second season because we got into a wider range of
situations, and they started to deal with the little people more - and how we
felt.
Ray: Can you tell us a little about the L.O.G. set and where the Spindrift was?
Don: The Spindrift was where the spaceship crashed landed. We put giant
leaves on top of it so the giants could not see it. Not much to it.
Ray: Do you keep in touch with any of the cast today?
Don: Yes, I keep in touch with Don and Deanna. Gary is too hard to catch up
with! Stefan Arngrin - I have no idea where he is.
Ray: I understand that you have written a draft for a L.O.G. movie. Can you
give us a taste of what it is about?
Don: My script is very much updated from the show, using today's cutting edge
technology with computers. We run into some other little people from Earth that have crashed landed
on the giant planet. A doctor and a computer
engineer are there, and together we find a way to escape the giant planet.
The doctor and the computer engineer have been on this planet for three
years, and the giants found plans on their spaceship on how to build a
supercomputer satellite. The giants learn how to build a giant spaceship
by copying the little one.
Ray: What have you been doing lately?
Don: I have almost complete a part II of "Escape from a Giant Land" (working title "On
the Voyage Home"). It will shock you, please you, make you think, make you
smile, and make you cheer.
Ray: Any closing comments for your fans around the world?
Don: I look forward to meeting and shaking hands with as many fans as I can,
and I thank them for being a L.O.G. fan.