tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post7840502059487970485..comments2023-09-12T09:49:42.006-07:00Comments on Star Trek Fact Check: Exit Jeffrey Hunter, Stage LeftMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00552147805234543255noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-58803259906150381392020-11-14T21:57:59.028-08:002020-11-14T21:57:59.028-08:00Very good reading. I keep watching all the Star Tr...Very good reading. I keep watching all the Star Trek's, love them! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13507564256182545012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-80324697163306561622020-06-29T07:27:28.382-07:002020-06-29T07:27:28.382-07:00"She apparently did not want there to be a wh..."She apparently did not want there to be a whiff of nepotism of casting "somebody's wife." Imagine how she must have felt if and when she found out Majel was Gene's mistress."<br /><br />I don't know if Lucy ever knew about it, but Solow and others knew all about it (maybe even the NBC people they showed the pilot to). Nobody objected to having a woman second-in-command. What they DID object to was Roddenberry casting "his girlfriend" in an important role. It's all in Solow and Justman's book.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17235926750172527143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-9636440600157252452020-04-03T19:36:02.427-07:002020-04-03T19:36:02.427-07:00A couple of interesting pieces of context about th...A couple of interesting pieces of context about the Barrett situation. <br /><br />One, Lucy knew Barrett, who was one of her "Desilu Players" circa 1959 (you can read more about the initiative here: http://www.tvparty.com/xmaslucy.html). At least two of her early television parts (The Lucy Show in 1962, The Untouchables in 1960) were Desilu shows. Lucy would have known Barrett's name and had a good idea about her range as an actor at that time.<br /><br />Two, according to Patrick J. White's Mission: Impossible book, when Lucy found out that Barbara Bain was being considered for a starring role on Mission: Impossible AND that Bain was also the wife of Martin Landau (the key guest star in the pilot), Lucy personally required a meeting with Bain before the casting could be approved. She apparently did not want there to be a whiff of nepotism of casting "somebody's wife." Imagine how she must have felt if and when she found out Majel was Gene's mistress.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552147805234543255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-92027499321952248722020-04-03T15:03:16.837-07:002020-04-03T15:03:16.837-07:00WOW! Nice nugget about "Journey Into Fear&quo...WOW! Nice nugget about "Journey Into Fear" :-)<br /><br />We'll never know what Hunter was actually thinking between the rejection of the first pilot and the filming of a second pilot without him. What's awesome about your efforts, Michael is that you've provided factual information that of course sits in contrast to the historical revision that's occurred from those who benefited from the show making it to TV.<br /><br />I was told long ago that Roddenberry was told Majel Barrett HAD to go - which contrasts Nimoy's account of the choice between keeping an alien or a female second in command. Also interesting would be to know why Hunter didn't film the second pilot and why they were ready to hire him over Shatner. I suspect once Hunter moved on the rest was done just to be civil and the screening date with Mrs. Hunter was just a nicety.dave freemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715545868075287584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-35588438546546919972020-04-02T21:49:06.397-07:002020-04-02T21:49:06.397-07:00Thanks for the kind words, Dave.
An interesting f...Thanks for the kind words, Dave.<br /><br />An interesting fact I discovered since writing this article seven (!) years ago is that Hunter shot a television pilot called "Journey Into Fear" from November 1-12, 1965. Filmed on the Fox lot and directed by Robert Stevens, it would have meant a series commitment had it been picked-up (it wasn't). This was well-before his divorce from Joan Bartlett. If she was serious about Hunter wanting to focus on his movie career in March of 1965 either plans changed or he stopped listening to her less than a year later.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552147805234543255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-79082077354438500502020-04-02T12:57:35.182-07:002020-04-02T12:57:35.182-07:00Michael - I REALLY appreciate your work on this bl...Michael - I REALLY appreciate your work on this blog. Great stuff!<br /><br />There's always three sides to every story: yours, mine, and what really happened. We'll never know what REALLY happened since Jeffrey Hunter was taken too soon. I'll just say I find it hard to believe that if Hunter really wanted to sign on in '66 to a five year mission of the Star Trek series - he probably WOULD NOT send his wife by herself to the meeting. Maybe she insisted, maybe he was that 'whipped, but I have to believe that at that moment in his life he thought the path he was on was better than re-visiting a reboot of the Star Trek he originally signed on for.<br /><br />I'll add that history paints Jeffrey Hunter as the victim of a severe concussion and immediately traveled at high altitude for a long distance afterwards - compounding the severity of the injury. Baseball player Ryan Church suffered a similar fate, but the medical technology of the early 2000's were able to save his life.dave freemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715545868075287584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-3195666543948229842020-04-02T12:55:10.577-07:002020-04-02T12:55:10.577-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.dave freemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715545868075287584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-12704215547493594932019-01-25T21:53:23.053-08:002019-01-25T21:53:23.053-08:00However, I really like JH in The Cage. Especially ...However, I really like JH in The Cage. Especially how he and his idea of a woman in a fantastical way "find" each other. The idea of looks and love.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16920460361526935375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-71410244865230674532019-01-25T21:49:06.003-08:002019-01-25T21:49:06.003-08:00And to think I was enamored with Lost in Space in ...And to think I was enamored with Lost in Space in 1966 as a 12 year old and didnt discover ST until 1967. As a viewer later on in life of JH's The Cage it was difficult to not think that WS was the guy for the role. Something happened drastically and in a short time. It was Hollywood magic !Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16920460361526935375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-9890040672296909082019-01-06T17:38:36.471-08:002019-01-06T17:38:36.471-08:00We know they were thinking about re-purposing the ...We know they were thinking about re-purposing the pilot as part of a two-parter as early as March of 1966 (in other words, as soon as NBC picked up Star Trek as a weekly series).<br /><br />However, there's no documentation indicating an offer to Hunter to reprise his role as Pike. They did communicate with Hunter's agent while they were planning the two-parter, but only in regards to the terms of his original contract from 1964 and the re-use of footage from the pilot. He probably was not interested at that point, since he had also declined the series. Every version of the script - including John D.F. Black's aborted "From The First Day To The Last" - featured a disabled, disfigured Pike that made it easier to re-cast. There was never a version written with Hunter's return in mind.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552147805234543255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-69690226443577894902019-01-06T17:24:36.129-08:002019-01-06T17:24:36.129-08:00Does anyone know why did Sean Kenney play disabled...Does anyone know why did Sean Kenney play disabled Pike in "The Menagerie" 1 and 2? Did they offer the role to Hunter and he didn't wanna do it, or? Zdravko Cvjetkovićhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15594884256409377119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-7266785073473115092017-06-17T18:50:15.520-07:002017-06-17T18:50:15.520-07:00I believe that Mr Hunter was severely injured on s...I believe that Mr Hunter was severely injured on set in Spain in an accidental explosion. His new wife described his being in near shock after a concussion.<br />It sounds to me as if he received a misdiagnosis in California, resulting in his later fall and death.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03217721040330942195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-8463605675474435722016-09-11T22:06:22.923-07:002016-09-11T22:06:22.923-07:00"The Cage" was an early title. By the ti..."The Cage" was an early title. By the time principal photography began, however, the title had been changed to "The Menagerie," and that title stuck. It wasn't reverted to "The Cage" until the eighties for broadcast and home video as a way of differentiating the first pilot from the two-parter of the same name (though certain earlier sources, like David Gerrold's The World of Star Trek from 1973, use "The Cage" as its title). For this blog, I have (perhaps stubbornly) elected to use the title of the first pilot used internally during the production of the first Star Trek television series. Thanks for reading.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552147805234543255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-55069018681736253722016-09-11T21:24:48.125-07:002016-09-11T21:24:48.125-07:00The pilot was called "The Cage" and was ...The pilot was called "The Cage" and was later edited into the 2 part episode called "The Menagerie". I find irony that a blog called Star Trek Fact Check has a fact glaringly incorrect in the first sentence of the article.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13032180438063996031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-82852860571528901192016-09-10T21:20:01.437-07:002016-09-10T21:20:01.437-07:00I was a a good admire of Jeffery Hunter because of...I was a a good admire of Jeffery Hunter because of the movies he made.My only retreat is that he is no longer with us but is missed greatly.I loved him in the two part episode the cage and incorporate in the star trek episode the managerie.William Shatner is and always will be my favorite but Jeffery was great in the cage.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17819751918036591747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-81426103191041333702016-07-27T03:39:52.207-07:002016-07-27T03:39:52.207-07:00It's a common method in film and TV to "f...It's a common method in film and TV to "fire" a cast member who is asking for too much by calling their (or their agents') bluff. It goes like this: negotiations get to the point where the actor demands something or else he/she will walk away. But rather than come back with another offer, the producers will say "Sorry to lose you. Good luck and good bye". A lot of the time, the actor has simply miscalculated their worth to the producers and will try to come back with a lower offer. Then the producers (who've had enough of the actor) simply reply, "Sorry we're already recasting. Bye". As it is all in writing, the actor can't really do anything about it. End of. In other words, the producers deliberately turn down all of actors demands until the actor makes the mistake of threatening to quit. Then it's adios amigo.Ribenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07178713440097696106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-20165457378829513622016-03-04T14:08:05.997-08:002016-03-04T14:08:05.997-08:00Please expand on his post-divorce situation. It se...Please expand on his post-divorce situation. It seems rather cryptic.Michael416https://www.blogger.com/profile/03207765761765151137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-66474267571508189252016-03-04T08:41:44.862-08:002016-03-04T08:41:44.862-08:00Hunter should have though better about this-his ca...Hunter <i>should</i> have though better about this-his career dried up, Bartlett took him to the cleaners with their divorce, and all he had left when he died was an organ, a house, and a vacuum cleaner.Lionel Braithwaitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05251435131708623589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-19667620464579098912016-03-02T13:53:14.313-08:002016-03-02T13:53:14.313-08:00There is no version of "Where No Man Has Gone...There is no version of "Where No Man Has Gone Before" with Jeffrey Hunter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-91086595148113488232015-11-26T19:30:30.815-08:002015-11-26T19:30:30.815-08:00I would have rather had Jeff Hunter continue on. W...I would have rather had Jeff Hunter continue on. William Shatner "is the man" since he was picked for the series and it worked..but wished JH would have decided differently.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01999273963187419926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-27425381385332592012015-01-16T07:51:45.653-08:002015-01-16T07:51:45.653-08:00The line "I'd rather deal with Jeff and h...The line "I'd rather deal with Jeff and his agent, or Jeff and a gorilla, than Jeff and his wife" was also used by Herb Solow. Who was interviewed for a 2000 episode of the "E" channel's "Mysteries and Scandals" series that profiled Jeffrey Hunter. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-31612224664106818932014-05-26T19:33:51.285-07:002014-05-26T19:33:51.285-07:00I wonder why they have released 'The Cage'...I wonder why they have released 'The Cage' which is a fantastic episode, but not Hunter's version of 'Where no Man...' I'd love to see that episode.Mr.E, Hypnotisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06216180107050151381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-13875610072337274582014-04-19T10:58:56.027-07:002014-04-19T10:58:56.027-07:00Thanks, Steve. I wish I had more information abou...Thanks, Steve. I wish I had more information about Hunter, but that will have to be left to his biographer. I need to see more of his work, including his turn in King of Kings, which might be his most famous feature role I haven't seen yet (I have seen The Longest Day and The Searchers).Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552147805234543255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-1335014378294707942014-04-13T00:15:02.046-07:002014-04-13T00:15:02.046-07:00Thank you so much for the clarification of this is...Thank you so much for the clarification of this issue. I always enjoyed Jeffrey Hunter and was curious about his participation in the history making Star Trek. I'm also curious about the circumstances of his death. Sounds like a serious misdiagnosis originally and a very untimely demise of a potentially great actor. Thank you.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07994061035042684553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-739267574084387275.post-65300379482025645372013-07-02T22:52:01.427-07:002013-07-02T22:52:01.427-07:00That's right. Their series options all expired...That's right. Their series options all expired after NBC elected not to pick up program based upon the first pilot.<br /><br />Consider this, excerpted from a May 25, 1965 memo from Gene Roddenberry to Herb Solow, concerning Leonard Nimoy's return for the second pilot:<br /><br />"My information is that he [Nimoy] has blown a couple of deals to stay available to us but may be getting a bit nervous and irritable as he waits and wonders."<br /><br />Even Nimoy, who Roddenberry wanted back for the second pilot, wasn't under contract to Desilu after NBC's turned down 'The Menagerie.' Luckily for us, he was willing to turn down other offers and wait a few weeks for STAR TREK.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552147805234543255noreply@blogger.com