These Are The Voyages, TOS, Season One

by Cushman, Marc

  While the clothing was not stirring, Ireland’s performance was. Dorothy Fontana said, “Jill Ireland, as Leila Kalomi, was exquisite.” (64-13)

  Ralph Senensky said, “Jill Ireland and I had not worked together but, of course, I’d heard of her. I didn’t cast her, since I was so busy looking for a location. But Frank Overton I’d done four shows with on 12 O’clock High. A wonderful, wonderful actor, and a very nice man.” (155-6)

  Frank Overton as Elias Sandoval (Unaired film clip courtesy of Gerald Gurian)

  Frank Overton, cast as Elias Sandoval, had nearly a hundred appearances in films and television, including multiple turns on The Twilight Zone, Wagon Train, and Bonanza, and a recurring role for three seasons on 12 O’clock High as an Army Air Corp Major. On the big screen, among many classic films, Overton played Sheriff Heck Tate in To Kill a Mockingbird. Less than six months after filming “This Side of Paradise,” and just weeks after it aired, Frank Overton died of a heart attack. He was 48.

  Grant Woods, following appearances in “The Galileo Seven” and “Arena,” returned for the third and final time as crewman Kelowitz. He had also been seen in additional first season episodes, as an extra. A short time after this Woods lost his life in a motorcycle accident.

  Michael Barrier was back for a second turn as Lt. DeSalle, having been featured prominently in “The Squire of Gothos.” Barrier and his character DeSalle would return, to command the bridge in “Catspaw.”

  As for those meddling plants and their projectile spores, something like them had been seen before. “Specimen Unknown,” a 1964 episode of The Outer Limits, also had alien plants that shot spores. Wah Chang created them. He created the ones seen here, too.

  The next hurdle to clear was to find some place to represent the settlement on Omicron Ceti III. Senensky said, “Our big thing was to find the location. There wasn’t the time or money to build anything, so we had to use something that was already built. The only place was the Disney Ranch, which was totally wrong, unless you use some creative imagination that they had gone to the past for their inspiration.” (155-6)

  Golden Oak Ranch, owned by Walt Disney Productions, was the home of Swamp Fox and Zorro. Located near Santa Clarita, a couple hours’ drive from Hollywood, it was close to Vasquez Rocks and Africa USA, which the Star Trek company had recently visited. Golden Oak hardly looked futuristic.

  With the revised script pages, dated December 28, Sandoval says to Kirk, “I think you’ll find our settlement interesting. Our philosophy is a simple one -- that men should return to the less complicated life. We have very few mechanical things here; no vehicles, no weapons.... We have harmony here; complete peace.”

  Production Diary

  Filmed January 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13, 1967

  (Planned as 6 day production, finishing one day over; total cost: $171,681).

  Filming began on Thursday, January 5, 1967 -- the same day “The Galileo Seven,” the 17th episode to air, had its only network broadcast.

  This was the week Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys was indicted for draft evasion. Jack Ruby, the assassin who killed Lee Harvey Oswald after Oswald allegedly assassinated President John Kennedy, died at age 55 from cancer at Parkland Hospital, Dallas, Texas. This was the same place where Kennedy had been pronounced dead, and Oswald also had died. “I’m a Believer” from The Monkees was still No. 1 on the radio, and would stay there long enough to become the top selling single of 1967. “Snoopy vs. the Red Barron” sat underneath it at No 2 for the second of four weeks. The Monkees had the best-selling LP in the nation, too. Being kept out of the top spot and stuck at No. 2 for six weeks was the new one from Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass – S.R.O. CBS was top-dog for most of the night before the filming of “This Side of Paradise” began. Lost in Space did the network well from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., followed by The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. At 10 p.m., the majority of Americans watching TV switched channels, to NBC, where I Spy secured 37.6% of the total viewing audience before it cleared the air at 11 p.m. You could watch any of these shows in color on a new Magnavox console TV for $400.

  Day 2: At Golden Oak Ranch with Bill McGovern slating, Michael Barrier to his immediate right, and Frank Overton on far right (Courtesy of Gerald Gurian)

  The shooting schedule for “This Side of Paradise” provided for three days at Golden Oak, to cover nearly a third of the script. Senensky remembered, “The first two days went swimmingly. We completed over eight pages each day, were right on schedule, and all seemed as if I was filming a rustic love story.... Then came the third day. We reported to the ranch as usual, in the dark, so that we could be ready to film with the first light of day. But before the first light got to us, the news did that Jill Ireland would NOT be reporting to the location; it was feared that she had the measles.” (155-5)

  This was Monday. Ireland had fallen ill over the weekend and was scheduled to see a doctor later in the day.

  Senensky added, “We then went to work, completing all the scenes at the ranch that did not include her; after which we packed up, moved back to the studio and finished the day filming on the Enterprise.” (155-5)

  The remaining scenes for that day would be shot in the interior of Kirk’s quarters, where only Shatner was required. Meanwhile, frantic phone calls were made to bring in cast members now needed for Tuesday.

  On Day 4, Tuesday, the bridge scenes were filmed, including those in which Kirk is the only one left on the Enterprise. Fontana had written a hell of a scene for Shatner to play. She learned well from Roddenberry and understood the character. She knew Kirk would be the last to give in to the spores. He was too driven, too content with his life to turn himself over to drink, or drugs, or women (in the long term), or spores. He would first have to be broken. And being so alone on the ship he loves, discovering that it is an empty love without the people who share the vessel with him, very nearly does break him.

  For the Final Draft screenplay, Fontana, with a little finessing from Coon, wrote of Kirk:

  He needs people. And there ain’t nobody there but those damn computers.... Kirk moves down to his command chair, folds into it. He holds a moment, listening to the monotonous HUM and CHATTER of the instruments around him, then he abruptly flips a switch on his panel.

  Kirk says, “Engineering... Scotty?... Biochemistry lab?... Security?... This is the Captain. Is there anyone aboard?”

  The descriptive passage continues:

  He waits. He didn’t expect an answer.... He sinks, slumped and defeated.... As Kirk sits, head down, the pod plants erupt suddenly beside him. The drift of spores settles around Kirk.... A moment, and there seems to be no effect. Then Kirk raises his head slowly. CAMERA MOVES IN TO CLOSER SHOT. Kirk’s face has an infinite peace and tranquility. He has been taken over.

  Director Senensky said, “The scene with Shatner alone on the bridge -- he’s wonderful!” (155-6)

  Fontana knew Kirk couldn’t really leave the Enterprise. He would die first. For the next scene, she wrote:

  Beneath the peace imposed upon him by the spores is a surging, driving need to keep this job of his ... this life ... this self-made hell of command.

  As Kirk makes his way to the transporter room, in a brief scene cut from the episode, Fontana wrote how he moves through the corridor, “every foot of it beloved by him ... the great ship ... empty, deserted ... but his one love.”

  In the transporter room, the script reads:

  Conflict within him now ... against the building transporter SOUND and LIGHTS. He should enter the chamber, but he cannot. Instead he turns off the console quickly, the LIGHTS and SOUND DYING.

  Kirk shouts his next lines: “No! ... I ... can’t ... leave ... you!”

  Gene Coon changed this last part, just slightly, feeling it rang too much like Kirk’s confession of “Never lose you,” from “The Naked Time.” But whether one reads Fontana’s final handling of the script or Coon’s polish, “This Side of Paradise” is stirring. This script, lik
e so many others from the original Star Trek, is in a league of its own. A comparison with the writing of other contemporaneous series -- or with later series, for that matter -- helps to explain the enduring popularity of Star Trek for nearly a half century (and counting). These scripts, based on a strong original series concept and well-drawn characters, were among the best writing television has ever known.

  Of his first day on Stage 9, Senensky said, “They [the standing sets] were exciting, the bridge in particular. There was all the electrical hookups; the blinking lights, and, of course, Jerry Finnerman was just brilliant with the lighting he added. But that was Desilu. That year, Herb Solow was the head of production and there was a different way of thinking than what came later with Paramount. You had Star Trek and Mission: Impossible, starting at the same time, and both were big shows. If they had started a year later with Paramount, they would not have looked like that.” (155-5)

  Jill Ireland rejoins the cast on Day 5 (Unaired film trim courtesy of Gerald Gurian)

  As filming continued in the corridors, with more bad news for Kirk as he confronts those abandoning his ship and tells Lt. Leslie (Eddie Paskey), “This is mutiny, Mister!,” and Leslie responds, “Yes, sir, it is.”

  Good news arrived concerning the condition of Jill Ireland. The measles turned out to be something less serious and she would be able to return to finish her work.

  Days 5 and 6, Wednesday and Thursday, were spent at Desilu, with Ireland back in the cast. Scenes filmed included the one between Leila and Spock in the transporter room on Stage 9, followed by a move to Stage 10 for the interior of the ranch house on Omicron Ceti III. At the end of the sixth day, “The Squire of Gothos” -- the 18th episode of Star Trek to run on NBC -- had its first broadcast.

  Nimoy and Ireland hanging in the trees at Bronson Canyon for NBC publicity photo (Courtesy of Gerald Gurian)

  Day 7, Friday, January 13, 1967 -- an extra day added onto the production -- was intended for a return to Golden Oak Ranch for pick up shots with Ireland. But the ranch was unable to accommodate the schedule change. Another location had to be found, and quickly -- one that would match the look of Golden Oak and be available on the only day the company could film with Ireland.

  Senensky said. “The fortunate thing for us was that all of the scenes that involved buildings at the ranch had been completed.” (155-5)

  After numerous frantic phone calls, Justman was able to book nearby Bronson Canyon on the south edge of Griffith Park, in the Hollywood Hills. Of course, Bronson Canyon bore no resemblance to Golden Oak Ranch. There were no oaks, nor was there anything golden, or even remotely green. Bronson Canyon was, and is, basically a rock pit with caves. The location, in fact, was a former quarry operated by The Union Rock Company at the turn of the last century which extracted the rock needed to pave the streets of early boomtown Los Angeles.

  Senensky marveled, “I was amazed then, and now, inching toward a half a century later. I am still in awe of those studio magicians who in answer to a request for a ‘garden’ in the middle of a pristine green landscape [in the middle of a rock pile] could fulfill my request.” (155-5)

  Among other scenes filmed here were those in which Spock gets hit by the spores and, as a result, falls head-over-heels in love ... literally. Of the famous tree scene, Leonard Nimoy remained uneasy and later said, “Even after we began shooting the episode, I found it both scary and liberating to emote as Spock. How would fans react to seeing the cool, rational Vulcan literally swinging from a tree?” (128-3)

  That business on the tree, that head-over-heels playfulness, was improvised. Senensky said, “The scene was all set up and ready to shoot with Kirk and Spock meeting in the center of a field. Jerry Finnerman had lit it, and we did a run-through, and it was just dull.... They were just standing there facing each other. Nothing was working. Something said to me, ‘I’ve got to do something more than that.’ Right out of camera range I saw a tree with a strange limb and I asked Jerry if I could change the setup, which I seldom do, and he said, ‘Of course.’ So we went over and had Spock hang from that tree. Well, they loved it. And I remember there was a lovely response to the comedy element that Shatner brought into his performance.” (155-3)

  “This Side of Paradise” finished one day behind. Since a key cast member had fallen ill, production insurance paid for the overage, sparing Desilu the financial hit.

  Post Production

  Available for editing: January 16, 1967. Music score: tracked.

  James Ballas and Edit Team #1 handled the cutting, and the Westheimer Company provided the matte shots and materialization effects.

  As “This Side of Paradise” was being edited, anyone who came to see the dailies, or was witness to the film being cut together, knew they were seeing something special. Moments of this episode were as dramatic as anything Star Trek had presented, with intense conflict and emotional angst, yet other portions were carefree and unexpectedly funny. It was a rare blending of dark and light. On the heels of “Tomorrow Is Yesterday,” it served as the template for some of Star Trek’s most beloved episodes, thanks to Dorothy Fontana and Gene Coon.

  Ralph Senensky, who had felt disappointed when Robert Justman switched scripts on him, later said, “As it worked out, ‘This Side of Paradise’ was the better show for me to be doing my first time out. And, quite frankly, I probably did the show better than anybody else directing for them could have done it.” (155-6)

  Curiously, some of Star Trek’s best episodes were also among the least expensive to make. “The Corbomite Maneuver,” “The Naked Time,” “Charlie X,” and “Tomorrow Is Yesterday” were all brought in under budget. And, even with location filming and the cost of an extra day of production, “This Side of Paradise” was brought in under the studio allowance. With a total cost of only $171,681, the first season deficit was down to $76,117.

  Release / Reaction

  Premiere air date: 3/2/67. NBC repeat broadcast: 8/10/67.

  A.C. Nielsen offered an estimate for the number of households tuned in during the 8:30 to 9 p.m. period. This was followed by a percentage ranking for the three networks and, grouped together, all independent stations, from the 9 to 9:30 period. Data not disclosed on this particular report was the audience share estimates covering 8:30 to 9 p.m., and the estimated households watching from 9 to 9:30 p.m.

  RATINGS / Nielsen National report, Thursday, March 2, 1967:

  Star Trek placed second for its entire hour. The movie on CBS was the 1963 comedy-musical Bye Bye Birdie, starring Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Ann-Margaret, and Paul Lynde. ABC’s Love on a Rooftop trailed in third position.

  “This Side of Paradise,” for its repeat broadcast on NBC, was one of four episodes from Star Trek’s first season to be given a half-page CLOSE-UP listing in TV Guide, always a boost to a show’s ratings, even during the summer months when Americans travelling on summer vacations left fewer people parked in front of their TVs. Note the difference in estimated households for this second report compared to the first from March:

  RATINGS / Nielsen National report, Thursday, Aug. 10, 1967:

  Star Trek won its time slot from 8:30 to 9 p.m., and then settled into second place at 9 p.m., with the start of 1963’s Lilies of the Field, featuring Sidney Poitier in an Oscar-winning role.

  Entertainment Weekly also liked the episode. The magazine picked this as the eighth best Trek of all time.

  Putting aside any qualms he had during the production, Leonard Nimoy liked “This Side of Paradise,” too. He picked it as among his half-dozen favorites.

  Jerry Sohl, however, was determined not to like it, and expressed his hurt in many ways. First, he called his science fiction pals who had also written for Star Trek, comparing experiences and seeing that many were disgruntled over being severely rewritten by “a TV guy” named Roddenberry. Convinced that he and his colleagues had been “used” by a member of “the Hollywood crowd,” Sohl refused to allow his name -- one of those feathers in Gene Roddenberry’s cap --
to be further exploited and insisted his screen credit read Nathan Butler.

  Harlan Ellison, still on board with Star Trek, was bothered by this action and the rumblings from his fellow sci-fi elites. He went public with his opinions, blasting Sohl and the others in the November 1966 issue of the SFWA (Science Fiction Writers Association) newsletter.

  In early January 1967, Sohl fired back with a letter of his own. Addressed to Damon Knight, editor of the newsletter, Sohl wrote:

  [Gene Roddenberry] needed science fiction writers to get a feeling about science fiction for his show, to flesh out the stories and characters, so to speak. He paid for them. He got them. They gave him their all. When his show was off and running, Roddenberry didn’t need them anymore. He’d got what he wanted. Now the hacks could get on with it.... The fact that Roddenberry has turned his back on us all is unfortunate and disappointing, for we all thought Roddenberry was of a different caliber.... We did our best -- Richard Matheson, Robert Bloch, Theodore Sturgeon, A.E. van Vogt, myself, and others. Perhaps Harlan Ellison and Gene Roddenberry find that disappointing. I do not. (JS25-2)

  A week later, Roddenberry sent a private letter to his friend Frederik Pohl, editor for Galaxy magazine, writing:

  I would not know how to give a writer better treatment than we gave Jerry. He had all the privileges of a member of the production staff... True, in the beginning of Star Trek he was kind enough to give us names of people he considered good possibilities as writers. In return, I worked very hard with him in explaining and demonstrating what I conceived to be necessary television technique for a SF show. I even rewrote his first script completely, refused to put in for credit -- and residuals -- and I have never mentioned this rewrite to a soul, giving Jerry full credit. One of the things that irritates Harlan [Ellison] is the fact that Jerry Sohl’s great outburst of indignation was not based upon any unfairness toward him but on the simple fact we considered his second script pretty bad, felt that a rewrite did not improve it, finally had to assign it to another writer. The other writer did turn in a shootable script and the Writers Guild of America Arbitration Committee, which read all versions of the script, awarded credit to that other writer. Then, and only then, came Sohl’s blast at us for violating the purity of SF and the personal blast at me for “using” SF writers and casting them aside when finished. A bit unfair. (GR25-3)