Land of the Lost: Nice Day

"Nice Day"
Written by Dick Morgan
Directed by Gordon Wiles
Original airdate: September 13, 1975

This page last updated 5/29/2020

Holly gets “bitten” by a poisonous plant.

Read the complete story summary by Nels Olsen

Notes from the Marshall Timeline

I swapped the order of "Nice Day" and "Fair Trade" because it seems as if the Marshalls learn about the Pakuni fear of wild pigs in "Nice Day" and then comment on it later in "Fair Trade". There is also a reference to the Library of Skulls, which the Marshalls do not learn about until the later episode "The Longest Day".

Didja Notice?

At 2:00 on the DVD, Holly is feeding one of the Marshalls' food-testing guinea pigs. There is a chittering sound added that is supposed to be the guinea pig, but it sounds more like a sped-up recording of Flipper the dolphin! Listen: Flipper.wav

At 4:30 on the DVD, before Cha-ka interrupts him, you can just barely make out that Will is singing under his breath as he treks down to the water hole with his newly built fishing pole. And what is he singing? "...I can't believe the things I've found, now I need to find my way..." The closing theme of Land of the Lost! You have to listen close: Will sings.wav

At 6:05 on the DVD, Will shows Cha-ka a worm meant to be bait on his fishing pole, but it is obviously just a rubber lure!

While fishing with Cha-ka looking on, Will comments that Pakuni are vegetarians. Since when? In "Stone Soup", Ta wanted to put an iguana in the soup kettle!

Holly remarks that she's going to join women's lib. This is a reference to the women's liberation movement of the 1960s to 1980s, questioning the validity of the patriarchal politics and society of the western world and still a compelling force into the 21st Century.

At 10:03 on the DVD it seems like Phillip Paley flubs his line slightly, taking too long of a pause to finish his Pakuni sentence which causes Wesley Eure to almost speak his line before Phillip finishes.

Will gets frustrated that his worms are not catching fish, then sees the sun is part 12:00 and tells Cha-ka that worms only work good in the morning. Though it is true that fish will look for certain type of prey at different times of the day due to that prey's natural inclinations to behave a certain way throughout the day, I'm unaware of a particular affinity of fish for worms in the morning hours.

A multi-colored pig gets caught in Rick's trap. The coloring is similar to that of the chickens (red, white, and blue) in "Skylons".

Of the pig, Rick comments he was hoping to catch something smaller because his family couldn't eat it all before the meat spoiled and they have no way to preserve it or protect from scavengers. Ok, fine. But, if he wanted to catch something smaller, why did he build the cage trap so big??

After recovering from the plant bite, Holly says she just woke up and Ta started sticking "those smelly things" in her face. But during the recovery scene it looks more like Ta stuck the twigs in her face shortly before she awoke, suggesting he might have helped her wake up a little sooner by using those particular twigs like smelling salts. So, while Ta may have been trying to make himself look like more of a magician than he is, he did help the Marshalls. It seems kind of mean of them to leave him stranded with the pig!

Pakuni translations
Time on DVD	Pakuni	English
1:45	Cha-ka says, "Ewoya tusa tusasa."	"Bad flower, very bad." "Tusa" seems to change meaning in some episodes from "tall" to "bad"; perhaps it's simply a word that has multiple meanings in Pakuni.
4:23	Will says, "Ye ku wesachi."	"You go well."
4:39	Will says, "Me tobi a amura."	"Greetings, my friend."
4:40	Cha-ka says, "Me tobi a karita friend."	"Greetings, my great friend." I believe "Karita" is Cha-ka's attempt to say "great" rather than being an actual Pakuni word.
5:20	Cha-ka says, "Ego a shika?"	"That place?"
5:46	Cha-ka says, "Okay, okay, me pu. Wirra, efi a shiko?"	"Okay, okay, I understand. Will, what is that?"
5:52	Will says, "A shiko fishing pole."	"That is fishing pole."
5:58	Cha-ka says, "Etu shini we aruna?"	"What is the hook for?"
6:01	Will says, "Etu shina...worms."	"It is for...worms."
6:06	Cha-ka says, "Etu shini worms."	"It is for worms."
6:11	Will says, "Aruna."	"Hook."
6:19	Cha-ka says, "Ye fina efi ye fe a shiko?"	I don't know what this sentence is, but it seems to be another way of Cha-ka asking "what is the fishing pole."
6:24	Will says, "A shiko fishing pole."	"That is fishing pole."
6:37	Cha-ka says, "Karita fishing pola makia."	"Great fishing pole maker." Again, Cha-ka's attempt to speak English.
7:39	Cha-ka says, "Wirra karita fishing pola makia!"	"Will is great fishing pole maker!"
7:40	Will says, "Chiri, chiri!"	"Quiet, quiet!"
7:49	Will says, "Sa efi ye 'fish' in Pakuni?"	"How do you say 'fish' in Pakuni?"
7:53	Will says, "Sa efi ye 'fish'?"	"How do you say 'fish'?"
8:19	Will says, "Chiri!"	"Quiet!"
8:58	Will says, "Fish ti fa es te shini."	Something about "the fish are taking it (the bait)."
9:01	Cha-ka says, "Sa efi 'fish'?"	"What is 'fish'?"
9:31	Cha-ka says, "Quiet."	"Quiet."
10:00	Cha-ka says, "No fish me dinda eti shini."	"No fish wants to eat those." "Eti" is not in any known glossary.
11:34	Cha-ka says, "Efini! Efini!"	"Things! Things!"
11:40	Cha-ka says, "A shini! A shini!"	"That! That!"
11:44	Cha-ka says, "Shini no bashiki, bashiki!"	Shini=that, bashiki possibly means "fish".
11:54	Cha-ka says, "Bashiki! Bashiki tusani!"	"Fish! Fish bad!"
12:04	Will says, "Fish is not tusa."	"Fish is not bad."
12:07	Cha-ka says, "Tusa fish!"	"Bad fish!"
14:29	Cha-ka says, "Sa efi Wirra ma Cha-ka?"	"What thing Will give Cha-ka?"
14:36	Cha-ka says, "Cha-ka ra Wirra."	"Cha-ka help Will."
14:50	Will says, "Ye dinda with us?"	"You eat with us?"
15:24	Cha-ka says, "Emu! Emu!"	"Pig! Pig!"
15:38	Cha-ka says, "Yo tiba Pakuni!"	"Yo" and "tiba" are not in any known glossary.
16:04	Cha-ka says, "Awoya tusa! Awoya tusa!"	"Evil flower! Evil flower!"
16:25	Cha-ka says, "Awoya tusa, awoya tusa, awoya tusa."	"Evil flower, evil flower, evil flower."
16:36	Cha-ka says, "Awoya tusa."	"Evil flower."
16:45	Cha-ka says, "Awoya tusa! Awoya tusa! Aboma oganza. Ta, Ari...ni wesachi."	"Evil flower! Evil flower! Magic leader. Ta, Holly...(ni) very good."
18:07	Ta says, "Tushi ambosa! Tushi ambosa bisa!"	I don't know what Ta is saying here. Bisa=big, the other words are unknown.
18:19	Cha-ka says, "Abu busachi. We nanda, we nanda. Ta oganza. Aboma oganza."	"Childish child. He is sorry, he is sorry. Magic Ta. Magic leader." Cha-ka seems to be apologizing for Will's collision and soothing Ta's ego.
18:58	Cha-ka says, "Ta here. He lo ke Ari."	"Ta is here." The second sentence must be about curing or helping Holly.
19:02	Cha-ka says, "Ta oganza besasa.	"Ta very big magic."
19:15	Rick says, "Oganza."	"Magic."
19:17	Cha-ka says, "Ta wo oganza besasa.	"Ta has very big magic."
19:23	Cha-ka says, "Yooo."	"Yes."
19:27	Rick says, "Shinu Ta oganza."	"Ask Ta magic."
19:49	Cha-ka says, "Sa efi ye ma Ta? Ta ra Ari.	"What will you give to Ta? Ta help Holly."
20:03	Ta says, "A ma besasa. A ma besasa."	"Very big gift. Very big gift."
20:08	Cha-ka says, "Ta aboma besasa. Great. Ta great."	"Ta is very big leader. Great. Ta is great."
20:23	Cha-ka says, "Wani yoyo."	Wani=they, "yoyo" is unknown. Possibly "They agree."
20:52	Ta says, "Oganza wesa. Oganza wesa. Obanza besa. Oganza ba!"	"Good magic. Good magic. Big magic. Magic come!"
21:15	Ta says, "Tiri!"	"Quiet!"
21:17	Ta says, "Oganza wesa, oganza wesa, oganza ba. Oganza wesa, oganza wesa, oganza ba. Oganza besa, oganza ba, oganza ba."	"Good magic, good magic, magic come. Good magic, good magic, magic come. Big magic, magic come, magic come."
21:36	Ta says, "Oganza ba. Oganza ba."	"Magic come. Magic come."
21:53	Ta says, "Shhh! Tiri!"	"Shhh! Quiet!"
24:00	Ta says, "Ta oganza obasa. Ta obanza ogasa."	Oganza=magic, "obasa" is unknown. In the second sentence, it sounds as if Scutter McKay flubbed the line "oganza obasa"; then again, it could be that Ta was so flustered by his situation that he mangled the words!

Memorable Dialog

makes my mouth water.wav
great fishing pole maker.wav
women's lib.wav
the only fishing pole.wav
bacon.wav
dinosaur crossing.wav
oganza besasa.wav
big reward.wav

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