The Thin Man (TV series) than token appearances. Since then some of the new shows just use girls as part of the scenery. Among the series guest stars was Billy Gray, who appeared at the same time he was cast as James "Bud" Anderson, Jr., in "Father Knows Best". Ann McCrea was cast as Billie in the 1958 episode, "The Lost Last Chapter". Of note is the "guest star" in the episode "Robot Client", none other than the original Robby the Robot from the 1956 film "Forbidden Planet". Ben Starr was the program's writer; Sam Marx was the executive producer. The series began airing on
Forbidden Planet titular alien presence. In the authorized biography of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, Roddenberry notes that "Forbidden Planet" "was one of [his] inspirations for "Star Trek"". Elements of the "Doctor Who" serial "Planet of Evil" were consciously based on the 1956 film. "Forbidden Planet" and star Anne Francis are named alongside ten other classic science fiction films in the opening song "Science Fiction Double Feature" in the stage musical "The Rocky Horror Show" and its subsequent film adaptation. The British musical "Return to the Forbidden Planet" was inspired by and loosely based on the MGM film, and won the Olivier