The Big Bang of Bill Mumy

All Photos: Alan Mercer

Bill Mumy became famous in the 1960's as a child actor, most notably as Will Robinson, the youngest of the three children of Prof. John and Dr. Maureen Robinson and friend of the nefarious and pompous Dr. Zachary Smith , in the 1960s CBS sci-fi television series 'Lost In Space.'  Bill has also starred in three of the original 'Twilight Zones' and guest starred on 'Bewitched' and 'I Dream Of Jeanie' along with many other shows from that time.

He later appeared as a lonely teenager, Sterling North, in the 1969 Disney movie 'Rascal'  and as Teft in the 1971 film 'Bless The Beasts And The Children.'  In the 1990s, he had the role of Lennier in the syndicated sci-fi TV series 'Babylon 5' and he also served as narrator of A&E Network's Emmy-winning series, 'Biography.'

Starting when he was four and a half years old, he has appeared on over 400 TV shows, 18 motion pictures, various commercials, and scores of voice over work, as well as working as a musician, songwriter, recording artist and writer.

Bill Mumy has released a number of solo CD's, including 'Dying to Be Heard,' 'In the Current,' 'Pandora's Box,' 'After Dreams Come True,' 'Los Angeles Times,' and 'Ghosts,' as well as nine albums with partner Robert Haimer as 'Barnes and Barnes.'  He is an accomplished musician who plays guitar, bass, keyboard, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, and percussion. Among his various musical credits, Bill has recorded and written songs with 'America,' toured with Shaun Cassidy, and played in Rick Springfield's band in the film, 'Hard to Hold.'

Bill Mumy's latest CD 'Until The Big Bang Whimpers' is newly released and available at all the usual places as a download or you can order the CD.  I have been listening to this album for a month now and it is pure magic.  I really believe this is a crowning achievement in his musical artistry. 

While driving to meet Bill Mumy for our photo session and conversation, my mind became flooded with childhood memories of how much I loved Will Robinson, so much that I actually wanted to be Will Robinson.  It has always been easy to like Bill Mumy too.  I have seen him play music live in Santa Monica and been around him a few times but never really met him until now.  All I can say is I wish there were more people around like Mr. Mumy who truly has it all! 

A special thank you to Brett Ashworth for putting Bill and me together.

AM: Bill you really are a big part of pop culture for Baby Boomers.

BM: Well I'm now in the fifty-second year of my career. Sounds bizarre, doesn't it? But, I've been very lucky to work in a lot of different arenas, television, film, music, writing, voice overs, producing and even comic books.

AM: Do you have a favorite?

BM: I'm compelled to make music. The muse strikes and I appreciate it when it does. I respect it and try to follow it through. I very much enjoy acting and I always have, but as an actor, in television or film, you are someone else's chess piece in general. You are interpreting someone else's script, you're work is cut and edited, you're working to actualize the director's vision... it's very collaborative and I enjoy it, but it's not the same as creating something out of nothing. I don't act when I'm home alone, but I'm constantly playing the guitar or piano or listening to music. Money isn't really a motivating factor there. I certainly appreciate it when something musical I do makes money of course, and I've been fortunate to make some decent dough musically, but I'm not motivated to go act for free or recite dialogue around the house. That's a job to me. A very good job of course, but a job, nonetheless. Music is different.

AM: Very few people have created as much music as you have.

BM: I've been very prolific and worked in a lot of different styles. For better or worse! A lot of it has to do with collaborations. But, there's nothing more important than music to me. It consumes me. Ask my wife, Eileen. I drive her nuts playing all the time!

AM: I can't imagine constantly creating new music.

BM: I grew up in an era where most popular artists put out at least two albums a year and toured the world as well as doing TV. Some of them made movies at the same time. I seem to average one album a year for the past six years or so. Coming up with forty minutes of new music a year isn't that overly-ambitious a goal for me. As long as the songs keep coming, I'll keep seeing 'em through to the best of ability.

AM: Your music comes off very real.

BM: Well, thank you, Alan. I know it's real to me. I definitely believe what I'm singing when I'm singing it. I don't force myself to write. If someone hires me to write a theme song or something I can be a craftsman and come up with something decent, but when it comes to making my own albums...I don't push. it just comes when it comes.

AM: Do you notice a pattern?

BM: I do. It's weird. Songs usually come in batches of like twenty songs in about a four month period. Then the muse moves down the canyon and I get involved in other projects until it returns, which thankfully it has continued to do! Right now I'm finishing up a fantasy novel that Angela Cartwright and I started writing ten years ago. It was sitting in a drawer and I revisited it recently and really liked the plot so I'm immersed in polishing that up. Hopefully we'll get that out sometime next year.

AM: You are a very popular actor in science fiction. Do you think it's due to 'Lost In Space'?

BM: 'Lost In Space', 'Twilight Zone',...sure. I know when 'Babylon 5' came along, it ended up being a five season project for me, and certainly re-energized my sci fi fan base. Joe Straczynski, who created, wrote and produced the series sought me out for that mainly because of my 'Twilight Zone' alumni fact. He's a big Rod Serling fan. Who isn't? The Science Fiction arena and the fans are pretty supportive and loyal. I've done Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Superboy, The Flash, back in the 60's I did The Munsters, Bewitched, I Dream Of Jeanie and I co-created and wrote a sci fi series called "Space Cases" that ran on Nickelodeon for two seasons and in fifty some countries back in the late '90's... Plus the Barnes and Barnes films and albums we made back in the 80's like "Fish Heads" kind of fell into that sci fi category in a bizarre way. And all the comic books I wrote for Marvel and DC... I probably wouldn't have had a lot of those opportunities without "Lost in Space". Personally I like that genre a lot, so when opportunities to work in that style have come along, I've always been positive and gung ho about it.

AM: What about horror movies?

BM: I don't want to sound pompous but I've turned down a lot of slasher movies over the years. I just turned down one last week. I like dark, psychological and spooky things but I don't want to hack up naked women or anything like that. I've enjoyed playing villains as an actor, but... not that kind. It's just not something I want to do. I'm lucky I can say no to things I don't want to do.

AM: I didn't know you were the narrator on those 'A&E Biography' shows?

BM: That's a great gig. I have done over fifty 'Biography' programs. When I finished working on 'Babylon 5' I was pretty burnt from the make-up experience of playing an alien for so long. "Lennier" from the planet Minbar. Interesting character and an excellent series, but having foam rubber glued to your head every work day is pretty weird... Anyway, I'd done voice work as a little kid, working with Bob Clampett on the "Beany and Cecil" cartoons and other animated things, but after Babylon 5 my adult voice-over career really kicked into high gear. That's been my main acting work for the last decade.

AM: What is different about voice-over work?

BM: It's a really comfortable appendage of show business to be involved in. Everybody is relaxed. I went to an audition for an on-camera gig about three weeks ago and it's so funny how you show up and wait in a room with five or six other guys all wearing khaki pants and blue shirts and nobody seems to talk to each other. Everyone is focused on the scenes they're gonna do and they seem cranky and uptight. When you go to a voice over audition everybody is relaxed, talking and it's casual as can be. There's no stress at all. At least from my perspective. I've enjoyed doing animation, "Ren and Stimpy", "Batman", "Scooby Doo", "Buzz Lightyear", I recently did an episode of a sci fi cartoon called "Ben Ten Alien Force" lots of others,... lots of narration and commercial voice over work. I was the voice of Farmer's Insurance for eleven years. That was a great gig! I also narrated a couple books on tape, but that wasn't my thing. Reading out loud for eight or nine hours...oy.

AM: Do you have clear memories from when you were seven and acting in 'Twilight Zone'?

BM: Yes, I just saw Cloris Leachman four days ago. It was the fiftieth anniversary of the Twilight Zone we did together, "It's A Good Life". Working with Cloris bumps up your game several notches. She's so talented. She's played my mother four times. What a force she is. Amazing. She's a fantastic pianist.

AM: Do you think you remember it because you've seen it a lot?

BM: Yes because it's never gone off the air and I've continued to have it refreshed in my mind over the decades. If you ask me about an episode of say, 'Have Gun Will Travel' that I did at the same time, I might only have a few Polaroid memories of that now. I did a whole lot of those shows in the sixties, but I have talked continuously about the three 'Twilight Zone's I was in for fifty years now, so the memory has stayed fresher.

AM: Did you understand what you were doing?

BM: Absolutely, it was fantasy that made me drive my Mom and Dad crazy to become an actor. I wanted to be like Zorro and Superman, both adventurers with capes! (laughter) It was all about the cape! I finally got the cape on 'Babylon 5' and I was so happy to get it!

AM: So you knew the character of Anthony Fremont from 'It's A Good Life' was a monster?

BM: Be careful, Alan, you don't want to end up in the cornfield! I wouldn't call him a monster, but of course Rod Serling did. He was a mutant with unlimited power who could not only read everything you were thinking but could do anything he wanted to you. And of course, Anthony had a very specific mindset regarding the way he wanted things to be. Boy, I loved playing that character. I was very, very aware of what he was capable of doing at the time. Being able to return to the character of Anthony Fremont, alongside Cloris and my own daughter, Liliana, to film the sequel, "It's Still A Good Life", when the Twilight Zone was revived several years ago was possibly the highlight of my acting career.

AM: Do you think child actors are a little smarter?

BM: Probably not. Some are, I guess. But you do have to learn to work in an adult arena and you have to learn how to take direction. Memorizing dialogue has always been easy for me. It's the technical things that people don't think about, which I never had a problem with, but it does take skill to learn how to hit your mark without looking for it, and match your moves for coverage and stuff.

AM: You're such a natural. You were really sought after.

BM: Thank you. I was very lucky. I worked with so many great people and it never got stale because I did so many different kind of roles. The good kid, the bad kid, the dumb kid, the genius... comedy, drama, sci fi, westerns, bla bla bla... I enjoyed it. I think I was supposed to do what I did. "You gotta be who you were, to be who you are".

AM: I saw this photo of you with Brigitte Bardot. Do you remember her?

BM: Are you kidding? Oh I remember that very well. I was the first American actor to get an onscreen kiss from Brigitte Bardot. In a four year period, when I was eight through eleven, I worked opposite Shirley Jones, Connie Stevens, Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Montgomery, Barbara Eden and Marta Kristen of course, all these iconic blonde beauties.

AM: I bet you enjoyed that!

BM: I was smitten by all of them. Ms. Bardot was an international Icon when I worked with her, but I had never seen her work. I'd only seen pictures of her in magazines. We had to fly to France because she didn't want to come here. She also had an entourage.

AM: What was she like with you?

BM: When we weren't filming she was pretty much tucked away, but when we were working she was very nice, generous and lovely. I have to say from my ten year old male perspective I was very aware that I was right next to that low cut blouse. We shot that in 1964 right before I started 'Lost In Space.'

AM: Did you ever speak to her again?

BM: I didn't speak to her for decades but in 2006 we exchanged a couple of letters with each other. I'm a supporter of animal rights so we printed up some photos of us from "Dear Brigitte" and each of us signed them and sold them with all the proceeds going to her animal foundation. It was very nice to reconnect with her after all those years.

AM: What was it like working with Jimmy Stewart in the same film?

BM: He was the best of the best. What a gentleman. He was the kind of man and actor you hope to become. He never had an attitude. He was always hanging with the crew. He was easy going and wonderful with me. A great man. When we weren't filming, we played catch together. We tossed a baseball around for months.

AM: I can't let you go without asking you about 'Lost In Space.' You have actually embraced this role haven't you?

BM: What's not to embrace about Will Robinson?

AM: Will Robinson IS pop culture!

BM: Yes he is. "Danger Will Robinson"! I would happily go back to work tomorrow as Will Robinson. I loved working with those people. They're family to me. I never had an unpleasant day on the set in over three years. Here was an adventurer who was a genius, who could fly the spaceship, he programmed the Robot. He had a laser gun and he used it. He even played guitar! He saved everyone week after week, but he respected his Dad. He said yes sir and no sir, but he still snuck off to save the day if he needed to. I loved that guy and had a great time on that show. When I was asked to write the Lost in Space comic book in the 90's, which I did for two years, I found myself feeling protective of all the characters.

AM: How old were you when it ended?

BM: I was ten years old when we started and fourteen when the show ended. Those are very formative years and it meant a lot to me. I've carried the energy and memories of working on Lost in Space with me in a very positive way.

AM: I love seeing it today, but it does come off a little campy.

BM: We had three long seasons and each season was like a different series. The first thirty episodes were in black & white and it's an ensemble adventure series of a pioneer family versus the alien element. I have a fondness for those episodes with the music by John Williams. Then the second season comes along and we go into this pop art beyond color kind of a show. We were on at the same time as ''Batman' which was a phenomena in a campy style. I think Irwin Allen who created 'Lost In Space' said if you can't beat em', join em'. So 'Lost In Space' became a campy comedy with Dr. Smith, the Robot and Will Robinson as the trinity. And it definitely was wild and crazy for awhile! By the time we did the third season a lot of the other cast members were asking for us to get back to a space adventure show. The third season is an amalgam of the first two. Besides music by John Williams and some great props and costumes, we had some amazing guest stars during our run.

AM: I absolutely love your new album. What was your inspiration?

BM: Thanks! "Until The Big Bang Whimpers" is a concept album that follows one character through a series of circumstances, emotional, financial and ultimately spiritual. I was inspired by current events and the plight of a lot of people on this planet today. It's my dustbowl period record in a sense, lyrically at least. Musically it's a pretty rootsy record. I play everything on it. It's a real solo record in the truest sense of the word.

AM: Will you be doing any live performances?

BM: Yes, I'll probably start doing some solo acoustic gigs again soon. I love to play live, but I've had bands dissipate over the last few years and it's easier said than done to put a good band together. A good song is a good song. You should be able to play it with a six piece band or sit down with a just guitar or piano and it should still ring true. I've been talking to some players about doing some full rock n' roll gigs as well. But because I played every instrument on the album, I'd have to start from scratch working up a band... We'll see which way it goes. But I'm leaning towards the "less is more" live approach at the moment. I enjoy both. The simple folky acoustic side and the full rock band side.

AM: Would that be here in Los Angeles?

BM: Yes it would start here. I want to do a couple of videos first. I've outlined them and the label, GRA, is going to help with that. I was very fortunate in my life to tour with and play some really good gigs. The first gig I ever played in my life was at the Hollywood Bowl, when I was only eleven! I played guitar on tour with Shaun Cassidy when he was a huge teen idol playing sports arenas. That was like being in "A Hard Day's Night"... not musically, but as far as thousands of kids screaming nonstop, that was really wild. A great experience. I've worked off and on with the group America for decades and played some really nice places with them. I'm at a point in my life right now where quite honestly, I don't want to get in a van with four other guys and drive up and down to play funky theaters. I hope I can reach people without having to do that via the internet. I just don't want to get on an airplane or a bus everyday. The road can really wipe you out. Especially when you've been off it as long as I have. I have a nice recording studio at home and I have four dogs, two kids and I've been married to my wife Eileen for twenty-five years. I'm kind of a homebody. Loading up the Buick and hitting the road is not something I plan to be doing too soon! But... you never know what the future holds.

To learn more about Bill Mumy visit his web site http://www.billmumy.com/