Treks disappearing directors

[Grant]

I pulled out one of my reference books and did a little research on TOSs directors.

28 directors accounted for TOSs 79 episodes

18 of those directors were 1 and done.

3 did two episodes and that was it.

13 of 17 directors who debuted in season 1 did only 1 or 2 episodes

2 of the 3 director’s who debuted in season 2 did only 1 episode

5 of the 8 directors who debuted in season 3 did only one or 2 episodes.

So 21 directors accounted for 24 of the 79 episodes
Therefore 8 others accounted for 55.

What do these numbers tell us?

It seems that for whatever reason a lot of directors did not like or enjoy or understand directing for TOS OR the producers/actors did not like their work.

Also there may have been totally different reasons for some not returning. Other jobs, retired, died, etc.

The 4 directors who came aboard season 1 and ended up directing more than 2 episodes ended up directing a total of 40 episodes of the series!

Apparently there was mutual like between the producers and those directors and they became part of the “rotation”
Those were Marc Daniels, Joseph Pevney, Ralph Senensky and Vince McEevety.

The director that came in on season 2 and did more than 1 episode was john Meredith Lucas who debuted with episode 53--Ultimate Computer and he came back early in season 3 and directed Elaan of Troyius and Enterprise Incident.

What’s pretty interesting and telling is that these 5 director’s who accounted for 43 of the series 79 episodes all stopped in the late season 2 early season 3 time period.

Pevney’s last episode was #48 in season two
McEevety’s last was #56--the first episode filmed of season 3

Lucas’s last was #59 in season 3

Daniels was #61 in season 3---Spock’s Brain

Senensky’s was #62 in season 3

So by the 7th episode of season 3 they had lost 5 directors, for good, who had directed 43 of the first 62 episodes ---69% of the total episodes up till then.
And 33 of the episodes filmed between episode #22 and #62.

That is, those 5 directors had directed 33 episodes in a 41 episode span---80%.

I don’t know why they lost all their main stable of directors in the short span--none ever to return, BUT the cynic in me has some theories…….

Cynical theory number 1---Director’s bailing on a sinking ship………
Pevney’s last episode was Immunity syndrome--an episode with ZERO guest stars and no sets other than standing ones and the crew sitting staring at the view screen for 80% of the episode. Rewarding, challenging, interesting?--I don’t think so

McEevety’s last was Specter of the Gun---perhaps he was thinking--“have they have run out of ideas and now are just saving money by using guns, props and costumes from westerns?”--the staple of TV in the 1960s.

Lucas’ last was Enterprise Incident---the last of his 3 episodes and every single one of those 3 had taken place ENTIRELY on the Enterprise, ships EXACTLY like it or redresses of it to be romulan or Klingon. No exteriors, no new planetary sets--standing sets only. Challenging, interesting, rewarding?

Daniels last was Spock’s Brain----after directing Man Trap, Naked Time, Court-Martial, Space Seed, Who Mourns for Adonais, Doomsday Machine, Mirror-Mirror (Elisa Cook Jr, Percy Rodriguez, William Windom, Ricardo Montalban, etc.)--now he’s directing Marge Dusay---”Brain and brain--what is brain?!”
Rock bottom much?

Senensky’s last was Is There In Truth---not a horrible episode, but once again 100% shipboard--2 guest stars, very talky no action at all

Cynical Theory number 2
Veteran director’s cost more money. Let’s hire some cheaper guys!
Cynical theory number 3
These guys are a pain to direct. Any chance that the director’s had had it with trying direct Shatner and Nimoy?
Senensky’s last episode had the incident where Nimoy threw a hissy fit because he found out Roddenberry was going to sell copies of the IDIC symbol by mail order from his “Lincoln Enterprises” company. He demanded that the IDIC symbol not be used and claimed he was being used to sell trinkets for Roddenberry. WTF. I saw that episode a half dozen times from the 1970s till the 1990s when I first heard that story and I never got the impression that that symbol was anything other than an organic part of the script. Scotty’s wearing a freaking kilt, they all have medals on and Spock wearing a vulcan symbol is so out of place that Nimoy wants to raise a stink about it?
Who needs that?

Daniels last episode, Spock’s brain, featured Shatner doing his bizarre and annoying “PAIN” schtick. After directing Shatner in Man Trap, Naked Time, Court-Martial, Menagarie’s framing portion, Space Seed, Mirror-Mirror etc where he gave some really nice performances--maybe he didn’t want to be known for junk where the leads are writhing on the floor in agony while one of them (at the same time) is manipulating a 6(9?) button control pad of “zombie Spock” to walk and remove the bracelet And press the correct button to release the pain belts from the crew. HOO-BOY!

Anybody think Shatner’s style of emoting when showing pain was a director’s choice or by then had Shatner gotten the attitude “I know how to show the audience pain!”

“Right Bill, but this ain’t the stage, the camera is right on you and you don’t have to squirm like a snake that’s been hit by a truck in the street for the guy in the cheap seats of the playhouse to understand you are in pain.”
　
Those cynical theories may be 100% wrong and there are other reasons all their longtime directors never directed the show again after very early season 3.

Any theories or knowledge of the subject?

I know one director was fired during the shooting of an episode (Senensky?), but I’m not sure which one or if he was a regular director.

Thoughts?

 

[Warped9]

When Paramount took over TOS the working atmosphere changed. Paramount was going to run a tightfisted ship in terms of money and time (which in itself is also money). A lot of directors simply mighn't have felt welcomed anymore so they didn't come back. Or if a director ran into overtime he might not have been invited back.

 

[Grant]

Well money was on my list of guesses. Sad that it might be true.

 

[Harvey]

Senensky was fired during the filming of "The Tholian Web."

He writes about the experience on his blog.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

It's meaningless to discuss one show in isolation from other similar shows of the period. How did the behavior of the directors of TOS differ from that of the directors of other shows?

 

[Grant]

Senensky was fired during the filming of "The Tholian Web."

He writes about the experience on his blog.

Yeah, I just read it. They scapegoated him for falling behind after the space suits weren't ready the first day.

He's one of only 5 TOS directors still alive.

 

[Melakon]

Some directors weren't invited back due to personality clashes with the cast.

And directors, like guest actors, often had to scramble for jobs, getting as many jobs scheduled as possible for fall tv season. Sometimes a later in a season director might not have been a top choice, but simply someone who was available at the time.

 

[Grant]

Some directors weren't invited back due to personality clashes with the cast.

And directors, like guest actors, often had to scramble for jobs, getting as many jobs scheduled as possible for fall tv season. Sometimes a later in a season director might not have been a top choice, but simply someone who was available at the time.

Yes, I assumed many of the one-shot directors didn't get on well with the cast or crew, but directors who apparently did and did direct many episodes---all bailing by the 7th episode of the final season seems pretty coincidental.

I'm just wondering if the producers simply told them the budget was cut and they'd have to work for less and many just quit.

 

[CrazyMatt]

Joseph Pevney has given interviews where he said he no longer felt that by the latter half of the second season, directing Trek was a less enjoyable experience. He gave two reasons for this.

First, because members of the cast--Shatner and Nimoy in particular--had become so protective of their characters that they no longer took direction that conflicted with their viewpoints on how their characters would act/react.

Second, he was unhappy about the change in producer from Coon to Lucas, feeling the writing had noticeably declined in quality with Coon's departure. He specifically pointed to the last episode he directed ("The Immunity Syndrome"), saying had needlessly repetitive scenes that Coon would have prevented from ending up in the shooting script.

 

[Grant]

Joseph Pevney has given interviews where he said he no longer felt that by the latter half of the second season, directing Trek was a less enjoyable experience. He gave two reasons for this.

First, because members of the cast--Shatner and Nimoy in particular--had become so protective of their characters that they no longer took direction that conflicted with their viewpoints on how their characters would act/react.

Second, he was unhappy about the change in producer from Coon to Lucas, feeling the writing had noticeably declined in quality with Coon's departure. He specifically pointed to the last episode he directed ("The Immunity Syndrome"), saying had needlessly repetitive scenes that Coon would have prevented from ending up in the shooting script.

Wow. Those two things were high in what I really think happened to at least some of the directors, but even so, I'm kind of surprised he threw it on the table like that.

I've always felt Immunity was a junk "filler" episode. It's got nothing except K/S/M doing their already well-worn schtick.

 

[Melakon]

Yeah, Shatner sometimes gets singled out by fans for being difficult, perhaps unfairly, but Nimoy was known for insisting "A Vulcan wouldn't do that!"

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Wow, I had no idea that Ralph Senensky had a blog! Checking it out now...

 

[IrishNero]

Yeah, Shatner sometimes gets singled out by fans for being difficult, perhaps unfairly, but Nimoy was known for insisting "A Vulcan wouldn't do that!"

Shatner has often earned that reputation with the fans, though that kind of reputation often takes on a life of its own and the legendary behavior becomes a round-the-clock thing in people's minds rather than the isolated events they often are. Besides, intensity, drive and focus is often mistaken for being difficult. Sometimes the actors take ownership of their characters, and want to protect them.

 

[Maurice]

And sometimes they make their assistant come over and change the channel on the TV in their trailer when it's within arm's reach. That's Shatner.

 

[Melakon]

If you've got the money to hire an assistant, it's your obligation to make that assistant work his ass off doing every ridiculous task possible.

 

[EnriqueH]

I heard the director of Shore Leave, whose name escapes me at the moment, wasn't invited back because he clashed with Shatner.

A real shame because it's one of my favorite episodes.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Yeah, Shatner sometimes gets singled out by fans for being difficult, perhaps unfairly, but Nimoy was known for insisting "A Vulcan wouldn't do that!"

Shatner has often earned that reputation with the fans, though that kind of reputation often takes on a life of its own and the legendary behavior becomes a round-the-clock thing in people's minds rather than the isolated events they often are. Besides, intensity, drive and focus is often mistaken for being difficult. Sometimes the actors take ownership of their characters, and want to protect them.

You have bitter, ex-co-stars to thank for establishing that. Starting on the 70s convention circuit, they (and Roddenberry) regularly peddled trash character assassination for money. You did not see Nimoy or Kelley trying to drag Shatner though the mud at every chance, but those who were ungrateful for what Shatner brought to ST, or thought (by some stretch of the imagination) that they were of equal importance to ST pushed this "bad Shatner" crap, long before any books even flirted with that idea.

 

[Melakon]

^ Sort of this. At my first convention, either '74 or '75, Shatner, Nichols, Takei, Whitney, and possibly Doohan were there. It was pretty clear these folks were grateful for finding a new way to earn some money on the convention circuit. The atmosphere did change a little bit once the movies kicked in.

 

[ToddPence]

Yeah, Shatner sometimes gets singled out by fans for being difficult, perhaps unfairly, but Nimoy was known for insisting "A Vulcan wouldn't do that!"

A Vulcan wouldn't taunt a yeoman after a physical assault, that's for sure. Unless it was early in Year One.

A Vulcan wouldn't try to kill his captain in ritual combat because he was horny.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Roddenberry was going to sell copies of the IDIC symbol by mail order from his “Lincoln Enterprises” company. He demanded that the IDIC symbol not be used and claimed he was being used to sell trinkets for Roddenberry.

I have never had a problem with that. Somewhere, long before I'd heard there was any controversy about the IDIC pendant - either in Susan Sackett's "Letters to Star Trek" or the Lincoln Enterprises' newsletter - there was a fan letter reprinted where Lincoln was being asked (by sufficient fans to create a market) for "Vulcan jewelry" to be sold. Of course, there really wasn't any "Vulcan jewelry" at that time, unless they extrapolated something from Spock's lyrette, or costumes and symbols used in "Amok Time" or "Journey to Babel".

So Roddenberry jotted the IDIC symbol on a napkin and explained how each element might relate to Vulcans. To satisfy (not create) fan demand. And Majel presumably sold hundreds of IDIC pendants, patches and badges after it featured in an episode of TOS.

Of course, in later years, Lincoln Enterprises also sold costume jewelry and belt buckles based on visual elements seen in TMP and ST III. I noticed a weird shape as a pendant in their movie era catalogue and was puzzled how it related to Vulcan, then noticed that the statuary was actually quite prominent in the Fal Tor Pan scenes of ST III.

I heard the Doohan family bought a huge bolt of Scott family tartan and cut it into swatches to sell to fans, based on the appearance of a kilt onscreen. Now that was far more questionable, since the bolt wasn't the actual one used to produce the costume. But again, it fulfills a demand, perhaps.

It's not like someone held a phaser to fans' heads.

Nimoy had a far better case that was resolved by his eventual contract for TMP: a settlement over Paramount's use of Spock's likeness throughout the 60s and 70s, and their failure to prevent infringements such as the infamous Heineken beer poster.

You have bitter, ex-co-stars to thank for establishing that. Starting on the 70s convention circuit, they (and Roddenberry).

You know, I do not recall this happening until the late 80s, when everyone needed some dirt to sell their autobiographies. Even in 1982, Grace Lee Whitney told wonderfully affectionate stories about Shatner. The audience were laughing in appreciation, and there was absolutely no hatred nor pettiness there.

Yes, when written down on paper as a con report by a disgruntled Shatner fan, they might take on an anti-Shatner bias - he was a champion at "jokingly" crossing his eyes during love scenes, which had the convenient effect of leaving his closeup viable but the females' less so. (Yvonne Craig told almost identical stories to that one in the 90s. And yes, she was angry about that trick by then.)

I also heard George Takei, in 1984, talking about how Shatner supposedly "ruined" his take of Sulu getting command in ST II with a dry reading. But it was told in jovial manner. You didn't get the idea that the supporting cast hated Shatner. It got laughs. The audience encouraged him for more. Yes, it did become a more bitter anecdote in the 90s, as all tales can when they grow in the telling.

If the actors take to saying "No comment" to "funny anecdotes from the days of TOS", as some fans seen to want them to do, they don't get many return guest invitations or interviews.