Wagon Train and Maverick weren't anthologies, they had a regular cast.
Why Jeffrey Hunter didn't continue with Star Trek
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Wagon Train and Maverick weren't anthologies, they had a regular cast.
Do you realize that David Carradine did say that he used Leonard Nimoy's portrayal of 'Mr. Spock' as a template for his portrayal of the "Kwai Chang Caine" character in scenes where he was 'at peace' or trying to stay as non-violent/stoic as possible when he was being taunted, or assaulted by others? (no lie.)Like Kung Fu?
From what I've seen of those shows, I'd say that it resembled Rawhide the most. I guess "Rawhide to the stars" didn't have the ring that Gene was looking for....
Indeed, there's a distinction between pure anthologies (standalone stories with no recurring cast) like Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, and semi-anthologies, which had recurring casts but tended to focus much more strongly on the stories of the episodic guest characters, with the regulars often seeming more like supporting characters than leads. In addition to Wagon Train, Naked City and Route 66 are good examples of semi-anthologies. There's definitely a blurry line where semi-anthologies end, though...lots of shows of the era often focused strongly on the stories of guest characters without quite coming off as semi-anthology series...e.g., Bonanza.
Certainly a possibility, although there's not much activity linked to his name in the trades in 1965.
Really, the only time Hunter spoke on the record about his decision not to take the second pilot was a July 4, 1965 interview Hunter gave to The Milwaukee Journal, in which he said, "Had I accepted [Star Trek], I would have been tied up much longer than I care to be. I love doing motion pictures and expect to be as busy as I want to be in them." The thing about these comments is that Hunter wasn't as active in motion pictures as he claimed, and a few months later had no problem committing to a series pilot (and a potential series if it sold).
1. Hunter made one film in January of 1965 (Brainstorm, a cheapie that fulflled a contract he had with Warner Bros., and was released less than four months after the start of production) and one film in late November and December of 1965 (Strange Portrait; another cheapie, for which he was not the original choice to play the lead). In between he filmed a pair of one-shot guest roles, and...
2. On October 18, 1965, he signed a contract to play the lead in a proposed pilot (produced by William Dozier) called Journey Into Fear (for NBC, incidentally).
He may have wanted to be a movie star, but that didn't happen.
I can't help but wonder if Hunter's injury in 1968, and ongoing dizzy spells leading to a fall, fatal injury and death in 1969 all wouldn't have happened if he had stayed on with Star Trek instead of going back to movies.
Kor
Me too.
Also, Hunter did an interview in which he seemed to like playing Pike on Star Trek, and explained why he did, talking about the science and the exploration that would go on the show.
Since that interview was given while the pilot was still under consideration, and Hunter was very much still under contract, I'm not sure how much credence to give it.
^^^Replying to Shaka Zulu: Is that the interview where he says the show takes place in the year 2000?
This professional association likely explains how Hunter ended up guest-starring in "Freeway to Death," a December 16, 1966 episode of Dozier's The Green Hornet.
Not the kind he imagined. His type of leading man was--by the mid to late 1960s--out of place; he still presented as the type of packaged, almost plastic movie star left over from the studio system of the 50s (and earlier). He was not as charismatic in the then-growing Actors Studio, or less system style of actor that emerged, such as Steve McQueen, Gene Hackman and yes, the man who headlined Star Trek, William Shatner.
Hunter was not a flexible performer at a time when others were more than willing to change to play total opposites of his basic "star" image.
I really doubt Hunter had much interest in returning, and after declining he probably never gave it a second thought. Star Trek TOS started out great, but slid down into ratings disaster to be ultimately canceled. I doubt much of what was going on behind the scenes leaked out, but Hunter was onto bigger and better things with his sights mainly on movies. It certainly feels good to dream about Hunter craving to be Pike or come back to the series in some other way, but it's simply pure fantasy...
Shame they couldn't have gotten him back for The Menagerie though where he could have played the disfigured Pike! For years as a kid I really thought it was him too! 
JB
JB
Which rather shows they didn't need him for that. Although I don't recall if they actually tried to get him back or not.Shame they couldn't have gotten him back for The Menagerie though where he could have played the disfigured Pike! For years as a kid I really thought it was him too!
JB
True, true!
JB
JB
Back in the 70s, I wrote to the "Star Trek Welcommittee" (anyone remember them?), asking if that was Jeffery Hunter. They wrote back saying it was a "very well made-up Jeffrey Hunter." Obviously, the "Making-of" books weren't out yet. I wonder where they got their bad info.Shame they couldn't have gotten him back for The Menagerie though where he could have played the disfigured Pike! For years as a kid I really thought it was him too!
JB
Sounds weird unless they were having a laugh at you?
JB
JB
There was very little information to be found in the earliest days of syndication, and hard-got in the days where US mail was the only way to communicate between fans - before the books. I have that letter somewhere, along with a set of Trek stationary, and lots of stuff like the IDIC and film frames that Lincoln Enterprises was cutting up and selling from the original TOS film prints. I mounted them on slides to project with my parents' Kodak carousel projector onto a large white wall - hugely big and colorful scenes. It was an incredible treat at the time.
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For the record, I thought it was him also....and, for the record, I also think they did fine without him.
Although if he did come back, then it would have made sense to shoot something more substantial with him...which goes against the very reason they were making the episode.
I think things worked out for the best with Hunter leaving Star Trek. Not to rehash what's been written in other threads, but my take is that Shatner brought a "pizzazz" to the role of captain that Hunter, although capable, seemed not inclined to bring. Imagine Hunter in Shatner's role in WBMHGB. If we assume Hunter played the captain the same way as he did in "The Cage," that second pilot loses a lot of its edge, at least for me. Of course, this is all conjecture on my part.
Interesting thought: What if Shatner had played Pike in "The Cage"? Sounds like another thread for someone to start.....
Interesting thought: What if Shatner had played Pike in "The Cage"? Sounds like another thread for someone to start.....
Yeah, I remember the "Welcommittee" days. Star Trek fandom and communication with insiders was far friendlier in that period.
About "making of" books, in the 70s, The Making of Star Trek had been around since the preceding decade, then the best-selling The World of Star Trek and The Trouble with Tribbles were published in 1973. Regarding accurate cast lists, The World of Star Trek's listing for "The Menagerie" does not include Sean Kinney as the disabled Pike, but names Hunter as the character--no pilot or new version distinction.
Still, even if the books Then, there was the short-lived magazine All About Star Trek Fan Clubs, which also took a deep dive into cast lists, providing much in the way of pointing out "who's who" among the actors.
If they'd actually been able to get Hunter to return as Pike, "The Menagerie" would've been a very different episode that likely wouldn't have had an injured Pike. You don't book an actor of Hunter's stature to be an immobile character with no spoken dialogue. The whole reason for Pike's injury was to disguise Sean Kenney and make him look as much like Hunter as possible.Shame they couldn't have gotten him back for The Menagerie though where he could have played the disfigured Pike! For years as a kid I really thought it was him too!
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