These Are The Voyages, TOS, Season One
Page 53
1) With the second pilot, many of Star Trek’s key characters were not yet in place, particularly Dr. McCoy. Also missing was Janice Rand, who was featured in most of the network’s advance publicity. Therefore, “Where No Man Has Gone Before” was not even in the running.
2) “Mudd’s Women” was not on the negotiating table, either. Space hookers and the Venus Drug! It was surprising NBC even allowed the episode to get made.
3) “The Enemy Within,” that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story in which a transporter mishap splits Kirk in two, exposing his hedonistic dark side, was hardly an appropriate choice for introducing the series and its hero to a television audience. Stan Robertson had already warned Roddenberry that this one would not be among the first to air.
… and covering the rear: Richard Mulligan as The Hero (NBC, 1966)
4) “The Naked Time” was also out. A first look at Spock was challenging enough for the TV audience. Seeing him break down and cry was completely out of the question.
5) “Charlie X” was well-crafted, sensitive and effective, but deemed by the network to be a “slow-starter” leaning toward conflict on an intellectual level rather than tried-and-true physical action. Besides, thought the network, how many adult viewers were going to be interested in the sexual frustrations of an orphaned teenager?
6) “The Man Trap,” then, was the winner by default.
The plan, as of August 4, 1966, was to lead off with “The Man Trap,” followed by “The Corbomite Maneuver,” provided the latter was even ready. Five days later, on August 9, as the progress (or lack thereof) with the demanding optical effects became better known, “Charlie X” replaced “Corbomite” in the schedule as episode No. 2. “Corbomite” was pushed back to Week 5. Three days later, with a revised list of air dates, it was pushed further, to position six. By August 23, it was listed as the eighth planned broadcast. And, by the time that list was revised a couple weeks later, “Corbomite” was delegated to the position of tenth to air. The sequencing of Star Trek episodes, during the first half of the first season, was based on availability more than any other factor.
NBC promotional launch of Star Trek (Courtesy of Gerald Gurian)
America and Canada’s sneak peek of Star Trek was “The Man Trap,” the winner by default. The reviews were mixed.
Daily Variety, on September 8, warned:
There had better be a hefty cargo of [“sci-fi buffs”] or the Nielsen samples may come up short. It’s not for the common herd who prefer less cerebral exercises.
Weekly Variety, also on September 8, was equally discouraging, writing:
Star Trek obviously solicits all-out suspension of disbelief, but it won’t work.... The biggest guessing game is figuring out how this lowercase fantasia broke into the schedule.
On September 9, Clay Gowran of The Chicago Tribune wrote:
Gene Roddenberry vowed this science fiction hour would specialize in adult plots scripted by fine writers. From the premiere, he has considerable distance to go to attain that objective. We hope Roddenberry comes up with saltier material than this in the future [pun no doubt very well intended].
That same day, Hal Humphrey, for The Los Angeles Times, began his review with the stinging headline, “Stars Take a Trek into a Real Mess.”
Percy Shain, for The Boston Globe, deemed it “too clumsily conceived and poorly developed to rate an A-1 effort.”
Bob Williams of The New York Post said, “One may need something of a pointed head to get involved.”
Ann Hodges, writing for The Houston Chronicle, dismissed “The Man Trap” as being a “disappointingly bizarre hour,” adding, “Things better improve or this won’t be a lengthy mission.”
Taking the counter-point, Bill Ornstein of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “There’s quite a bit of tricks with gadgets that will please sci-fi buffs no end.” He felt Marc Daniels directed with “an eye for building suspense.” His conclusion: “Star Trek should be a winner.”
Harry Harris, for The Philadelphia Inquirer, called the premiere a “suspenseful, puzzling and ultra-imaginative yarn.”
The Indiana Evening Gazette called Star Trek “A good science fiction with great special effects.”
Bill Irvin for Chicago’s American proclaimed, “I LIKE THIS ONE!”
Lawrence Laurent, writing for The Washington Post on September 10, felt that Shatner was “one of the finest actors around.” He said that the series had been “produced with care and lots of money.” But Laurent was less thrilled with the salt-sucking premise and ended his assessment with a touch of sarcasm, saying:
[If audiences] can endure a creature that can assume any shape and has the power to paralyze and draw life from anyone, then, there’s quality in this series.
TV Guide, for its September 10 issue, took a tongue-in-cheek tone when its reviewer told America:
[The ship’s] officers and crew include representatives of every known race and gender, plus one startling character called Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who has pointy ears, slanty eyebrows and Beatles bangs, and turns out to be half-earthling, half-Vulcanian and all business (creatures from the planet Vulcanis [sic], as we all know, never display emotion). What these galaxy-trotters run into out there is even stranger to behold than spooky Spocky.
Terrance O’Flaherty of The San Francisco Chronicle, on September 15, had an indecisive thumb. On the plus side, he was intrigued by the first episode, calling it a “breath-catcher” and considered Shatner “a capable man to have at the helm.” On the negative was just about everything else.
Before the premiere, the network hadn’t been pleased with Roddenberry. With the reviews leaning more toward the negative, some execs figured this as “Strike Seven.” According to Herb Solow, “The day after the series premiered to mediocre reviews from around the country, NBC decided it wasn’t totally happy with Star Trek.” (161-3)
But then came the ratings.
In the 1960s, A.C. Nielsen delivered the gospel that the networks swore by. But there was an air of secrecy surrounding the gospels -- the ratings reports were not for public consumption. Nielsen would “loan” the survey documents to its customers -- NBC, CBS and ABC, who were very selective with whom the information was shared. Unlike today, those all-important life and death numbers for a television series were confidential. The theory was that if an actor, or producer for that matter, knew exactly how popular his show was, he would be all the more difficult to deal with. Time has proven this thinking correct. Consider how much more a star of a popular series is paid today compared to the 1960s. Shatner was a top-dollar star in 1966, but was only making $5,000 per episode. That would be comparable to around $35,000 in 2013, a paycheck that today’s TV stars wouldn’t even get out of bed for. (Try a quarter of a million dollars per episode ... or half a million ... or, in some special cases, a cool million.) Somewhere along the line the stars and their agents got smart, and the networks and the studios lost control. In Star Trek’s day, however, the power was still held in check by the networks, and NBC was not about to share it with Gene Roddenberry.
The reason behind all the misconceptions concerning Star Trek’s ratings has more to do with all the “strikes” tallied in these pages -- the history of Roddenberry versus the network men -- than perhaps anything else. Television networks are run by ego-driven people, and not all business decisions are based entirely on what is good for business. Some are more personal. Some are anything but logical.
Those ratings reports, which have not been examined since first prepared (1966-69), have been exhumed for this document. Much of the information presented here and elsewhere in this book has not been previously shared with the public. The truth is, Star Trek did far better in the ratings than NBC and 47 years of folklore would have us believe.
“The Man Trap” hit big in the ratings, drawing 46.7% of the TVs in use throughout America. The rating was a triumphant 25.2, compared to the 14.1 attributed to The Tammy Grimes Show and the 9.4 to My Three Sons. (Ratings reflect the total
population of those watching, in the millions, while audience share reflects the percentage of TVs in use that evening, tuned to a particular show.)
Star Trek remained the clear winner at 9 p.m., as well. ABC’s most popular series, Bewitched, drew a 15.8 rating. On The CBS Thursday Night Movie was The Ladies Man, starring Jerry Lewis. It only managed a 10.7. Star Trek towered above them with a 24.2 rating and 42.2% of the TV audience.
Lucille Ball was the first to congratulate Roddenberry and his team. Her letter read:
Dear Gene and the rest of you hardworking people... Just heard the good news and want you to know how proud and happy I am. Looks like you really have a hit on your hands, and we all appreciate your efforts. Love, Lucy.
The following week, during the first half hour of “Charlie X,” Star Trek tied for first place with My Three Sons. Both attracted a 36% share. The Tammy Grimes Show came in third with 22.4%.
One week later, short on available episodes, NBC opted to air “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” even though there had been cast changes, costume changes, and changes to the Enterprise itself since the pilot was made. Within days, Nielsen pronounced Star Trek as No. 1 at 8:30, pulling a 19.9 rating and nearly 35% of the TV audience. My Three Sons, in second place, had 28%. The race at 9 p.m. was virtually a tie, with Bewitched drawing 31.8% of the viewing audience, Star Trek with 31%, and the CBS movie Good Neighbor Sam, a 1964 comedy starring Jack Lemmon, with 30.5%.
A deeper National study by A.C. Nielsen, combining the ratings for Week 2 and 3 (the first official two weeks of the new season, ignoring Week 1 -- the “Sneak a Peek” week), was reported by industry trade magazine Variety on October 12, 1966. The new report, ranking all 90 of the prime time series shown during that two-week period on NBC, CBS and ABC, representing a more intense study of smaller town and farm communities, improved the placement of series with rural appeal, such as My Three Sons. For this study, Star Trek was securely placed within the Top 40.
A.C. Nielsen National Report, covering September 12 - 25, 1966
(from Variety magazine, October 12, 1966):
Rank / Program:
Rating:
1. Sunday Night Movie (ABC)
38.3
2. Green Acres (CBS)
25.7
3. Rat Patrol (ABC)
25.1
4. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (CBS)
24.9
4. Bonanza (NBC)
24.9
6. Andy Griffith Show (CBS)
24.6
7. Saturday Night Movie (NBC)
23.6
8. Lucy Show (CBS)
23.4
9. Red Skelton Show (CBS)
23.3
10. The Jackie Gleason Show (CBS)
22.4
10. Beverly Hillbillies (CBS)
22.4
12. My Three Sons (CBS)
22.1
13. Family Affair (CBS)
21.4
14. The Virginian (NBC)
21.2
15. Thursday Night Movie (CBS)
20.8
16. Felony Squad (ABC)
20.5
17. Man from U.N.C.L.E. (NBC)
20.2
17. Occasional Wife (NBC)
20.2
19. Peyton Place (Monday) (ABC)
20.1
19. I Spy (NBC)
20.1
21. Bewitched (ABC) 19.8
21. Get Smart (NBC) 19.8
23. Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (NBC) 19.7
24. Friday Night Movie (CBS) 19.5
24. Pruitts of Southampton (ABC) 19.5
24. Tuesday Night Movie (NBC) 19.5
27. Daktari (CBS) 19.4
28. Love on a Rooftop (ABC) 19.3
29. Lawrence Welk Show (ABC) 19.1
30. Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats (CBS) 18.9
31. Star Trek (NBC) 18.7
32. Ed Sullivan Show (CBS) 18.6
32. Peyton Place (Wednesday) (ABC) 18.6
34. Batman (Thursday) (ABC) 18.5
34. Hogan’s Heroes (CBS) 18.5
34. Gunsmoke (CBS) 18.5
37. It’s About Time (CBS) 18.3
37. Iron Horse (ABC) 18.3
39. The Fugitive (ABC) 18.2
40. Lost in Space (CBS) 18.1
A second report for this two-week period, this time a Trendex survey based on a National telephone poll conducted in 12 major cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, also placed Star Trek into the Top 40, tied with the popular Ed Sullivan Show for the 33rd position.
Trendex Ratings, covering September 12 - 25, 1966
(from Broadcasting magazine, October 17, 1966):
Rank / Program: Rating:
1. Sunday Night Movie (ABC) 38.3
2. Green Acres (CBS) 25.7
3. Rat Patrol (ABC) 25.1
4. Bonanza (NBC) 24.9
4. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (CBS) 24.9
6. Andy Griffith Show (CBS) 24.6
7. Saturday Night Movie (NBC) 23.6
8. Lucy Show (CBS) 23.4
9. Red Skelton Show (CBS) 23.3
10. Beverly Hillbillies (CBS) 22.4
10. The Jackie Gleason Show (CBS) 22.4
12. My Three Sons (CBS) 22.1
13. Family Affair (CBS) 21.4
14. The Virginian (NBC) 21.2
15. Thursday Night Movie (CBS) 20.8
16. Felony Squad (ABC) 20.5
17. Man from U.N.C.L.E. (NBC) 20.2
17. Occasional Wife (NBC) 20.2
19. I Spy (NBC) 20.1
19. Peyton Place (Monday) (ABC) 20.1
21. Bewitched (ABC) 19.8
21. Get Smart (NBC) 19.8
23. Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (NBC) 19.7
24. Friday Night Movie (CBS) 19.5
24. Pruitts of Southampton (ABC) 19.5
24. Tuesday Night Movie (NBC) 19.5
27. Daktari (CBS) 19.4
28. Love on a Rooftop (ABC) 19.3
29. Lawrence Welk Show (ABC) 19.1
30. Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats (CBS) 18.9
31. I Dream of Jeanie (NBC) 18.8
31. Sunday Night Movie (ABC) 18.8
33. Star Trek (NBC) 18.7
33. Ed Sullivan Show (CBS) 18.7
35. Peyton Place (Wednesday) (ABC) 18.6
36. Batman (Thursday) (ABC) 18.5
36. Gunsmoke (CBS) 18.5
36. Hogan’s Heroes (CBS) 18.5
39. Iron Horse (ABC) 18.3
39. It’s About Time (CBS) 18.3
41. The Fugitive (ABC) 18.2
42. Lost in Space (CBS) 18.1
43. Bob Hope Chrysler Theater (NBC) 18.0
44. F Troop (ABC) 17.8
44. The F.B.I. (ABC) 17.8
44. Lassie (CBS) 17.8
47. The Big Valley (ABC) 17.7
48. Dean Martin Show (NBC) 17.6
49.T.H.E. Cat (NBC) 17.5
50. The Man Who Never Was (ABC) 17.3
50. Tarzan (NBC) 17.3
52. Flipper (NBC) 17.1
52. Road West (NBC) 17.1
54. Run, Buddy, Run (CBS) 17.0
55. The Monroes (ABC) 16.9
55. That Girl (ABC) 16.9
57. Batman (Wednesday) (ABC) 16.8
57. Daniel Boone (NBC) 16.8
57. Petticoat Junction (CBS) 16.8
57. Run for Your Life (NBC) 16.8
61. Gilligan’s Island (CBS) 16.7
62. Jericho (CBS) 16.5
62. The Rounders (ABC) 16.5
64. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (ABC) 16.3
65. The Monkees (NBC) 16.2
66. Time Tunnel (ABC) 16.0
67. Jean Arthur Show (CBS) 15.8
68. Mission: Impossible (CBS) 15.5
69. Walt Disney’s World of Color (NBC) 15.2
70. Danny Kaye Show (CBS) 15.1
70. Hollywood Palace (ABC) 15.1
70. Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (NBC) 15.1
73. Green Hornet (ABC) 15.0
74. The Wild, Wild West (CBS) 14.7
75. Combat!
(ABC) 14.5
75. Laredo (NBC) 14.5
77. Andy Williams Show (NBC) 14.4
78. Roger Miller Show (NBC) 14.1
79. Hey, Landlord (NBC) 13.7
80. Milton Berle Show (ABC) 13.4
81. The Hero (NBC) 13.2
82. Candid Camera (CBS) 12.8
82. Tammy Grimes Show (ABC) 12.8
83. Hawk (ABC) 12.7
84. Shane (ABC) 12.4
85. I’ve Got a Secret (CBS) 12.3
86. ABC Stage ’67 (ABC) 12.2
87. What’s My Line (CBS) 11.5
88. 12 O’clock High (ABC) 11.1
89. Garry Moore Show (CBS) 10.9
90. CBS News Hour (CBS) 7.6
Both of the Nielsen National reports, the first based on daily “ratings logs” kept by “Nielsen Families,” and the second based on a 12-city phone survey, placed Star Trek above many series considered to be hits of the day, such as Gunsmoke, Hogan’s Heroes, The Fugitive, and The Dean Martin Show. Star Trek was also outperforming its sci-fi competitors Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Time Tunnel, and was a surprising 35 positions ahead of its sister show, Mission: Impossible.
Perhaps more significantly, Bewitched, which had averaged in at No. 7 out of 90 shows during the previous year in the same time slot and with the same competition from CBS, was now down to No. 21. The only change was with the competition from NBC -- from the western Laredo to Star Trek.
At this time, TvQ, the “Home Testing Institutes’ qualitative report on television acceptance,” conducted a survey of its own, ranking American’s Top 20 favorite prime time shows. Star Trek made the list. In a separate survey, disclosed in the October 26, 1966 issue of Daily Variety, this time ranking the new favorite shows among men, all ages for the first few weeks of the new season, TvQ placed Star Trek at No. 2 out of 90.
For its fourth week on the air, with “The Naked Time,” according to TvQ Star Trek won its time slot for the entire hour.