60th Anniversary Trek Trivia

[EddMarkStarr]

A recent online search for one of the "Worst TV Shows - Ever" yielded my childhood horror: "Queen For A Day".

Queen For A Day was a game show where three female contestants had to tell sad, degrading life stories awful enough to make the studio audience (mostly women) cry.
Beginning as a radio show in 1945, Queen For A Day was a TV series from 1956 to 1964. Eight seasons of women making up stories of illnesses, accidents and unfaithfulness just to get a prize.

To my shock, I learned that there was a "Queen For A Day" movie from 1951 starring a very young Leonard Nimoy! Yep, that's Nimoy on the right.



Check out Leonard Nimoy in these scenes from the movie. Born in 1931, Nimoy must have been age 20 in the movie.

 

[cityboy-stl]

What was the name of Gary Seven's cat?

 

[EddMarkStarr]

Wow, trying to recall a fun episode - Robert Lansing and Terri Garr were awesome.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

The 1965 final episode of "The Outer Limits" featured a man in a monster suit that shuffled along the floor.
Inside the monster suit was stuntman Janos Prohaska.

From 1967, the Star Trek episode "Devil in the Dark" featured a creature that lived underground called a Horta.
The stuntman acting as the Horta was Janos Prohaska.


Janos Prohaska made quite a career as the man in the monster suit.
Into the 1970's, Janos became quite a favorite "Cookie Bear" character on several TV variety shows.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

Here's my story surrounding memories of Star Trek's premiere in 1966.

When NBC announced its New Fall Lineup of TV shows for the 1966/1967 season, the public's interest in Star Trek was immediate. NBC was flooded with requests for more details so the network broadcast its on-air promos that featured Star Trek endlessly for months.

By late summer 1966, NBC held a press event to announce its finalized new fall schedule - and that's when the network sparked a surprise!

For Thursday nights, NBC scheduled "Tarzan" at 8 pm, followed by "Star Trek" at 9 pm. The network's PR team was prepared for questions about Star Trek, but the buzz among media press all for the new Tarzan! It seems that among entertainment reporters there was a continuing interest in Tarzan that went far beyond the old MGM/RKO movies.

The favorable reception for the new Tarzan made the pairing of Tarzan and Star Trek on the same night seem like a good decision.

NBC surprised ABC and CBS with a one week early "Sneak Peek Week", airing new shows ahead of the traditional Premiere Week for all the new TV shows airing the following week. They seem like an odd couple, but pairing Tarzan and Star Trek together on Thursday nights worked very well. Strange that both shows only ran for three seasons - they premiered together and died together.

Only Star Trek has stood the test of time while few remember Tarzan's 1966 series.

Ron Ely should have been waay more famous, but the entertainment industry itself gave Ron pause.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

Dr. McCoy was just an ol' country boy who enjoyed a wee bit-o brandy - Doctor's Orders!

 

[EddMarkStarr]

Here's the famous large scale Enterprise model.
During production, the model was filmed upside down, hanging from a gantry.
Easy enough to flip the shot footage with the Enterprise right side up.

 

[smokeshadow]

^^Ed - isn't that the model that now hangs in the Smithsonian?

 

[EddMarkStarr]

^^Ed - isn't that the model that now hangs in the Smithsonian?

It sure is. Now everyone can visit the Original Enterprise scale model at the National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC.
The new North Entrance Canopy is finished and it looks very cool.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

I lost track of the video from the Tholian design team. Remastering added slight movements.
Anyway, I was always impressed by Mr. Spock remaining cool when commanding the Enterprise!

 

[smokeshadow]

Q, fan favorite actor John de Lancie, turns 80

Beloved '80s Actor, With Iconic Role on Star Trek, Turns 80

The incredible actor brought an unforgettable character to life.

www.aol.com

His son, Keegan, who co-starred with him as Q, Jr. in an episode of Voyager, now works for the State Department