The headline on the front page of the January 16, 1967, issue of Daily Variety proclaimed, “John Drew Barrymore Reprimanded by SAG for Balking at Star Role.” Barrymore was found “guilty of conduct unbecoming a member” of the Screen Actors Guild. He was fined $1,500 (think $10,500 in 2013) and his SAG card was suspended for six months, preventing him from working. Quoted in the trade paper, Roddenberry said, “We didn’t understand his reasons. He didn’t like script changes, but there weren’t any which affected his part.” (145-16)
Like hell.
D’Agosta said, “Poor guy. I wish we hadn’t done that now. But we were bent on making an example of him because it was such an unprofessional move, as far as we were concerned, as a whole, anyway. It may have been Gene -- or Herb Solow, I think -- whose ire was up and Bob Justman and me joined in concert with him. I’m just sorry it had to happen.” (43-4)
Over the next decade, the handsome actor with the famous name continued his downward spiral into failing mental and physical health. The Barrymore legacy continued, however, through his children: John Blyth Barrymore and Drew Barrymore.
Release / Reaction
Only NBC air date: 3/30/67.
The degree of the “intangible damage” to “The Alternative Factor” that Herb Solow spoke of would soon be known. The episode was planned to air on February 2, 1967. NBC sent out a publicity picture to help promote the “event,” but mistakenly identified Robert Brown as John Drew Barrymore. The network PR men caught their mistake and, along with the press release describing the episode (printed at the outset of this chapter), ran a disclaimer that said:
ATTENTION: PHOTO DESK AND TV EDITORS -- The caption to a picture on the above Star Trek episode mailed in the NBC Feature Photo Service dated 1/6/67, incorrectly identified Robert Brown as John Drew Barrymore, who is not in the cast.
Not everyone saw the announcement and many newspapers ran the picture, identifying Brown as Barrymore. The ad was wrong in more ways than one -- as it turned out, “The Alternative Factor” did not air that Thursday night after all. Once the episode cleared post and Robert Justman and the NBC programmers got a chance to take a look at it, all were in agreement that it should be pushed back to the end of the season. “Court Martial,” another episode that disappointed the producers and had been planned for a delayed airing, was pulled forward to fill the slot on February 2. “Alternative,” the 20th episode filmed, was rescheduled to be the last to air in the first season. The late delivery of the final two episodes produced, however, resulted in another schedule re-adjustment. “Alternative” may not have been ready for prime time, but it aired nonetheless, as Broadcast Episode No. 27.
RATINGS / Nielsen National report, Thursday, March 30, 1967:
“The Alternative Factor” started a strong second-place, but at the halfway point of this confused episode a sizable chunk of the audience tuned-out to watch either the CBS movie Underworld, U.S.A., starring Cliff Robertson, or ABC’s sitcom Love on a Rooftop.
No one needed to take a hint from A.C. Nielsen. Robert Justman had no problem convincing the network not to give this episode a repeat broadcast.
Memories
Robert Brown, in 2013, said, “It was really a remarkable experience. I had no idea, nor did anyone, that this was going to be such a hot property. Like any show, Star Trek was a bunch of actors talking about what they were going to do next. They had no idea that this would last a lifetime. I was under the gun while shooting that. But it turned out that the public liked me in that show. I’m getting fan mail to this day – from all over the world.” (24-1)
29
Episode 21: TOMORROW IS YESTERDAY
Written by D. C. Fontana
Directed by Michael O’Herlihy
Takei and Shatner flub a take on Star Trek’s first semi-comical episode (Courtesy of Gerald Gurian)
NBC December 28, 1966 press release:
A malfunction causes the USS Enterprise to be returned in time to the late 1960s and into an Earth orbit, where it is sighted as a UFO by a U.S. Air Force jet in “Tomorrow is Yesterday” on NBC Television Network colorcast of Star Trek.... Since their confrontation with the Air Force jet is due strictly to an accidental warping of time and space, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) agree that it is imperative to erase any recorded data on the sighting lest the normal course of the Earth’s events be altered. While the jet pilot, Captain Christopher (Roger Perry) is held incommunicado aboard the Enterprise, a landing party transports to Earth in an attempt to retrieve the records.
Struggling to find a way to get his own people home, Kirk now has the future of two more to worry about -- that of Captain Christopher and Christopher’s unborn son, which history says will grow up to make essential contributions to Earth’s space program.
The theme is similar to that of It’s a Wonderful Life. Jimmy Stewart’s character didn’t realize how one person’s life could impact others, and even dramatically influence the world -- until a miracle opened his eyes. “Tomorrow Is Yesterday” brings along a few miracles of its own.
SOUND BITES
- Captain Christopher, to Kirk, unaware of Spock’s presence: “I never have believed in little green men.” Spock, making his presence known: “Neither have I.”
- Spock, explaining why the computer flirts with Kirk: “We had to put in at Cygnet 814 for general repair and maintenance. Cygnet 814 is a planet dominated by women. They seemed to feel the Enterprise computer system lacked a personality, so they gave it one -female, of course.”
- Kirk: “Now you’re sounding like Spock.” McCoy: “If you’re going to get nasty, I’m going to leave.”
- Christopher, to Kirk: “Maybe I can’t go home, but neither can you. You’re just as much a prisoner in time as I am.”
- USAF Colonel Fellini, interrogating Kirk: “I’m going to lock you up for two hundred years.” Kirk: “That ought to be just about right.”
ASSESSMENT
As with many episodes of Star Trek, “Tomorrow Is Yesterday” is, at its core, a celebration of life. Captain Christopher is a jet age cog in a wheel. But, as we discover, even a cog can keep the wheels of progress moving in a unique and positive way.
The cleverness of D.C. Fontana’s story is richly layered. The concept of having a 1960s contemporary man receive a guided tour of the Enterprise, and for us to see the wonderment that is Star Trek through his eyes, struck a chord with the fans. The comedy, including the sexy computer voice flirting with Kirk, was inspired. It is the humor, and the interaction between guest players and regulars, which elevate this episode to classic status.
The passing of time, however, has left its marks on “Tomorrow Is Yesterday,” rendering it a flawed classic. There are a handful of questionable plot-points, mostly with regard to science. The idea of our crew being able to beam two 20th Century men home, with split-second precision, while the Enterprise is hurtling through space and time and shaking apart at the seams is hard to fathom. Not helping are the photographic effects. We are supposed to believe the Enterprise is accelerating into a slingshot effect around the sun. What we see is the ship sitting in space, vibrating.
James Doohan, 30 years into the future, said, “The special effects -- shaking the ship slightly, that sort of thing -- seem primitive compared to what you see nowadays. But back then we were cutting edge and the viewership was willing to take a good deal on faith -- as opposed to today’s far more literal-minded fans, who scrutinize every effect and hold it up to the highest standard.” (52-1)
Dorothy Fontana, 40 years into the future, said, “The effects weren’t the best. I mean, they were as good as we could get at the time on the budget we had. We had to have it pretty fast. We had to have it reasonably cheap. So some of that suffered, no question about it. But I’m proud of the fact that the stories pretty-well hold up. The acting pretty well holds up, as does the directing. The intent of the stories comes across and I think the relationships -especially between Kirk, Spock and McCoy -- we
re always there. It was in the scripts. It was on the stage. And all the other stuff, well, we just had to hope that it played -- that it all worked for us.” (64-3)
Unlike a good wine, the technical aspects of “Tomorrow Is Yesterday” have not necessarily aged well. But even a bottle of cheap port can contribute to a good time, if one can appreciate the year it was corked. By 1966 standards, this is a delightful installment of Star Trek. Taken as that, it remains delightful, now and forever more.
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY:
Script Timeline
D.C. Fontana’s story outline, ST #38: October 3, 1966.
Fontana’s revised outline, gratis: October 13, 1966.
Fontana’s 1st Draft teleplay: October 31, 1966.
Fontana’s 2nd Draft teleplay (Mimeo Department “Yellow Cover 1st Draft”): November 9, 1966.
Gene Coon’s script polish (Final Draft teleplay): November 21, 1966.
Additional page revisions by Coon: November 22 and December 1, 1966.
Dorothy Fontana contributed her second script to the series, and it would be the second episode in a row to be produced from material that sped through the normally slow and painfully laborious process of outline to revised outline to various revised teleplays. This one came together with very nearly the same ease and speed as “Arena” and matched that episode’s great success. The reason: Gene Coon wrote one, Dorothy Fontana the other. The lesson wasn’t lost on Executive Producer, Producer, and Associate Producer. Nor was it lost on the writer. It was during this time that Fontana made the decision to go from full-time-secretary/part-time-writer to full-time writer.
Fontana recalled, “I had done the teleplay for ‘Charlie X’ and I was in the middle of writing [‘Tomorrow Is Yesterday’]... and I came to the conclusion that I just didn’t want to be a secretary anymore. And I said to myself, ‘I think I’ll give it a try. I’ve got some money in the bank, and even if I don’t sell anything, I’ll be okay, and at least I’ll have tried.’ Actually, I was kind of hoping that Gene might let me write some more Star Treks. So I gave my three weeks’ notice and I said, ‘Gene, I love working for you, but I really want to write. You know I’ve been working for this all my life, I have to give it my best shot.’ And Gene could appreciate that ambition because, at one point, he had to face a very similar decision in regard to leaving the police force. So, he survived, but he did hate losing a good secretary.” (64-16)
The initial premise for this episode, a mere germ of an idea, was intended to be Part 2 of “The Naked Time.”
“[‘Tomorrow Is Yesterday’] actually spring-boarded off John D.F. Black,” Fontana said. “There was a plan to do a Part 2, but that never happened. John left the series and, as a result, ‘The Naked Time’ was just sort of out there. It was a contained episode. It didn’t need any more. But there was the idea of going back in time. And I suggested doing it.” (64-1)
Fontana was immediately struck by the dramatic and comedic potential of a story that would transport the Enterprise to modern day Earth -- our Earth -- and have it regarded as a UFO.
Robert Justman also had been struck by the dramatic and comedic potential of this type of story -- six months earlier. On April 12, 1966, even predating the first draft of “The Naked Time, Part 1,” Justman sent a memo to Roddenberry suggesting a story idea for the series. He wrote:
The Enterprise is returning to Earth. There is a malfunction of the ship’s machinery with regard to its time warp capabilities. The Enterprise does arrive back at Earth, but this is Earth of 1966 and not of their time. The Enterprise is sighted and is identified as a UFO. Kirk begins to see, by breaking through time, he is starting off a whole sequence of events which will affect the history and civilization of our planet in future years. Perhaps it will turn out that he and Spock and the Enterprise and its crew will therefore never really exist in the future. Thereupon, the problem arrives as to how they are to go back and change what they have already set in motion. (RJ21-1)
With the arrival of D.C. Fontana’s treatment for “Tomorrow Is Yesterday,” and then, one month later, a full screenplay, Justman was convinced he had sparked the story by his memo. On December 1, he wrote another memo to Roddenberry, this time asking to be compensated for the story. He wouldn’t be.
“Gene gave Bob neither credit nor payment for the story,” Herb Solow said. “In fact, he never even thanked him.” (161-3)
“At the time, I was disappointed,” Justman said. “I knew that he had come up with a number of story ideas for the show, ‘springboards’ as we called them. He claimed that he wouldn’t get paid for them; they were part of his duties as the creator of the show. Since I was part of the management team, I rationalized that if Gene could do it, gratis, then so could I. At that time, I had no idea that Gene would receive extra money from the studio for this ‘extra work.’” (94-8)
Then again, perhaps this was not a case of denying credit where it was rightfully due -- a common occurrence in television production. Perhaps it was a case of a different sort of common occurrence in TV -- two creative people thinking along the same lines.
“Bob Justman swears he wrote a memo suggesting this very story,” said D.C. Fontana. “I never saw the memo. I came up with it on my own.” (64-1)
NBC’s Stan Robertson didn’t care who the idea came from -- he liked it. His enthusiastic letter to Gene Coon read:
The writer of this story should be commended for a very exciting and intriguing submission, one which falls into a general area which we have for some time suggested that you investigate. (SR21-1)
Robertson wanted one change. Fontana’s story, at this point, opened on the Enterprise, dealing with “the destruction of an external force.” Robertson felt this duplicated other stories he had received recently and preferred beginning things at the air base, where a “scramble alert has been issued due to the sighting of a UFO.” (SR21-1)
A Revised Story Outline was created on October 13 to incorporate the wishes of the NBC man. This draft was shown to Justman. He responded to Coon, voicing numerous concerns, then saying:
I kind of hate to keep on trying to pick holes in this treatment, but the holes are there and there are plenty of them. There is nothing at all wrong with the essential dramatic situation in this story. In fact, it is rather a very good dramatic situation. However, the audience must be able to believe this dramatic situation. If there are as many flaws in the credibility as I fear there are, we are going to have big trouble. (RJ21-2)
Coon relayed Justman’s concerns to Fontana and instructed her to go to script.
When the First Draft teleplay arrived on November 1 (script dated October 21), Justman, putting aside his suspicions regarding the story’s origin and any past reservations over the outline, expressed only praise. In a memo to Coon, with cc to Fontana, he said:
Fellows, you do understand that if we are going to scramble planes in STOCK, they are going to be planes that we are familiar with today. They will be planes whose capability is, say, somewhere up to 60,000 or perhaps 70,000 feet. This is still within the atmosphere limits of the Earth, and there is still daylight up there – we are not in inky blackness at that altitude. Therefore, when we discover the Enterprise at the end of the teaser, IT WOULD NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE WITHIN THE ATMOSPHERE LIMITS OF THE Earth and we would have to composite a shot of the Enterprise against a sky background. If the Enterprise were at an altitude of this sort, it would clearly be visible from the Earth, due to its enormous size. I might suggest that we establish the fact in dialogue in the TEASER that the Enterprise appear over the Earth and be picked up on the radar, which indicates that it is over a large body of water, such as the Atlantic or Pacific. In this way we should get away with saying that it could not be discerned from a ground installation. (RJ21-2)
Justman’s criticisms were mild, however, and he added:
This is a very good First Draft screenplay by the mysterious D.C. Fontana. Its construction is solid and logical and there are some very interesting situ
ations contained within this work. (RJ21-2)
Justman took his praise one step farther, writing a second memo, this time to Roddenberry. He told his boss:
I would like to state that a new day has dawned. Never in all her yesterdays or her tomorrows will D.C. Fontana ever again approach the quality inherent in “Tomorrow Is Yesterday.”... I feel it’s about time we started getting more scripts like “Tomorrow Is Yesterday.” (RJ21-3)
With this story, Coon’s presence is clear, supporting Fontana’s inclination to add humor to a series that, just a short while before, had been played completely straight. With Fontana writing, and Coon polishing, it was now comedy relief, roasted to perfection. This was Star Trek’s first semi-comical episode.
One clever addition was the idea of the flirtatious computer, which had gotten a personality overhaul during a visit to a planet governed by women. Coon had liked the computer becoming emotional in the early drafts of “Court Martial,” but, with Fontana, saw it presented in a much more lively fashion here.
Justman, however, wasn’t so sure the comedy worked, or was even needed. With a dash of his own humor, he wrote to Coon:
I would like to request that we don’t show my memo to the writer of this screenplay. I would appreciate it if Mr. Roddenberry would ask his secretary to make sure that the memo does not fall into the hands of the writer. I guess now it is time to open up a can of peas.... Although the whacked-up Computer Voice routine is quite amusing by itself, I seriously doubt that it has a value for us in this type of story. The story we are attempting to tell here should be completely credible to our audience. I think, therefore, that this amusing side-play tends to distract from the believability of our tale. (RJ21-2)
Coon disagreed. The “whacked-up” Computer Voice stayed. And thank God for that.
Fontana delivered a Second Draft teleplay, dated November 9. Justman didn’t have any major issues to pick on, so he instead picked on minor ones. Among those, he told Coon:
These Are The Voyages, TOS, Season One Page 79
