Anne Jameson (Marsha Hunt)

[2takesfrakes]

Too Short A Season was a 1st season TNG episode, involving an elderly Admiral who took an anti-aging drug to help him right a wrong in his past. I like the episode, but this post is not about that, it's about the Admirals wife Anne. Or rather, the actress playing her, Marcia Hunt.

I'm an Artist and a familiarity with Art History is vital to that pursuit. Tied very closely to Art History is World History, itself, therefore, I have a keen interest in the past. Feeling reasonably sure that Hunt probably made movies during WWII, I wanted to know what they were, so I looked her up. For a rather dull turn as an Admiral's wife in TNG, she turned out to be rather interesting in her own right. For one thing, she was born in 1917 and is still with us and working on occassional projects. Anyway, I thought it might interest others, as well. So, here we go ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsha_Hunt_(actress)

During the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Hunt signed a number of petitions promoting liberal ideals. She was also a member of the Committee for the First Amendment. Because of this association, she and her husband, Robert Presnell,
had their namesput on Hollywood's blacklist, and they found it extremely difficult to find work. On October 27, 1947, she flew with a group of about 30 actors, directors, writers, and filmmakers (including John Huston, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and Danny Kaye), to Washington D.C. to protest the actions of Congress. When she returned to Hollywood three days later, she was asked to denounce her activities, if she wanted to find more work—but she refused. She did keep working but it became rather difficult for her.

In 1993, her book "The Way We Wore: Styles of the 1930s and '40s and Our World Since Then" was published by Fallbrook Publishing.

In 2014, Hunt debuted a clip of a song she wrote 40 years earlier titled "Here's to All Who Love" about love and same-sex marriage. Sung by Glee star Bill A. Jones the clip immediately went viral. It will be featured in Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity, an upcoming documentary about her life.

 

[MikeS]

She's lead a very interesting life. Thanks for the link - as a Brit I had never heard of The Committee for the First Amendment but am aware of the HUAC hearings through the TNG episode The Drumhead. Wouldn't it have been great if they'd have found a way to thank her for her principled stance by including her in that episode!

 

[Dukhat]

I know this has nothing to do with Marsha Hunt, but I have to say that "Too Short a Season" would have been a fantastic episode, at least one of season one's best, had they portrayed the elderly Mark Jameson with an actual 80 year old man instead of an '80's b-actor in ridiculously fake-looking old man makeup who was prone to over-the-top acting. Compare Mark Jameson and his wife to Kevin Uxbridge and his wife.

 

[2takesfrakes]

We always hear about Gene Roddenberry and his WWII pilot exploits, or Jimmy Doohan at Normandy fighting for the Canadians and getting shot. But STAR TREK seems to have a lot of unsung heroes in its ranks, people who fought for what they believe in and Marcia Hunt was one of them. It's so impossible to imagine being told by the U.S. government, or especially Hollywood, for that matter, "renounce your activities, or you'll never work again." It sounds made-up, but it's true. Facing our government and protesting something you don't agree with is our right. And yet, courage is what that took after what? Two years from having won WWII, for the side of the angels.

As far as how TNG should've cast her, in light of the kind of life she'd led, actors are employed to pretend like they are other people, entirely. It's fine that she got to play an Admiral's wife, I just wish that she wouldn't have been directed to downplay it, in favour of throwing her husband's youthful transformation into sharp relief.

And as far as that transformation, it was just Michael Westmore and his assistant doing all of the make-ups for everything and everybody, at that time. So, I'm amazed, actually, myself, that they didn't use an actor in his 80's to play the wheelchair-bound Admiral. Whatever the reason for it, the 60's and late 40's makeups are what really looked like shit. You could see the putty being used at the seams and the thinner plastic was really shiny on his face and forehead. But ... whatcha gonna do? I've always had a soft spot for this episode and now? Even more so ...

 

[Melakon]

I know this has nothing to do with Marsha Hunt, but I have to say that "Too Short a Season" would have been a fantastic episode, at least one of season one's best, had they portrayed the elderly Mark Jameson with an actual 80 year old man instead of an '80's b-actor in ridiculously fake-looking old man makeup who was prone to over-the-top acting. Compare Mark Jameson and his wife to Kevin Uxbridge and his wife.

I think the writers hoped it might work as a lure for a then nearing-60 Shatner. Jameson's backstory sounds similar to Kirk's dilemma in "A Private Little War".

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

They were absolutely terrible at making someone look properly old.

In Unnatural Selection, they couldn't even make a not-particularly-young Diana Muldaur look believable as old aged.

 

[Green Shirt]

I think the writers hoped it might work as a lure for a then nearing-60 Shatner. Jameson's backstory sounds similar to Kirk's dilemma in "A Private Little War".

Shatner probably would have chewed the scenery as much as, if not more than Clayton Rohner.

 

[Ithekro]

Could they have pulled off an old Admiral Kirk story that early on (and killed him off due to the drugs?)

 

[Dukhat]

Could they have pulled off an old Admiral Kirk story that early on (and killed him off due to the drugs?)

There would have been no chance in hell that Shatner would have done this episode, if it was even originally made for him (which I personally don't believe). He and Nimoy were too busy trying to rouse fan support against TNG at the time.

 

[T'Girl]

... "Too Short a Season" would have been a fantastic episode, at least one of season one's best, had they portrayed the elderly Mark Jameson with an actual 80 year old man ...

Would you have wanted two (or more) actors to play Jameson at different points in the story?

 

[Melakon]

... "Too Short a Season" would have been a fantastic episode, at least one of season one's best, had they portrayed the elderly Mark Jameson with an actual 80 year old man ...

Would you have wanted two (or more) actors to play Jameson at different points in the story?

If we're into never to be what if situations, hire Lloyd and Jeff Bridges to play the two stages of Jameson.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Or Emilio Estevez & Martin Sheen, if you could afford them.

 

[Dukhat]

... "Too Short a Season" would have been a fantastic episode, at least one of season one's best, had they portrayed the elderly Mark Jameson with an actual 80 year old man ...

Would you have wanted two (or more) actors to play Jameson at different points in the story?

Yes, I would. An actual 80 year old man, a 50 year old man, and a 30 year old man. They don't even have to be related, as long as they look similar.

They did similar for Spock in STIII, why not here?

 

[Marc]

... "Too Short a Season" would have been a fantastic episode, at least one of season one's best, had they portrayed the elderly Mark Jameson with an actual 80 year old man ...

Would you have wanted two (or more) actors to play Jameson at different points in the story?

Yes, I would. An actual 80 year old man, a 50 year old man, and a 30 year old man. They don't even have to be related, as long as they look similar.

They did similar for Spock in STIII, why not here?

Cost.

In TSFS they were young kids and teenagers who I don't think had any lines so were probably paid as bit players or even extras.

In contrast for a TV episode which had a much smaller budget with 3 actors for one role - all who would have been played a speaking role and thus has to be paid accordingly it would have been a much greater factor.

 

[Dukhat]

Cost.

How would the cost be any different with three actors playing one role, and three actors playing three different roles?

 

[Marc]

Cost.

How would the cost be any different with three actors playing one role, and three actors playing three different roles?

For starters it's still one role (Adm Jameson) and b) it's still 2 extra actors with speaking roles that have to be paid on top of the other actors who appeared in the episode.

 

[Dukhat]

But it's still no different than having two more actors with a few lines playing completely different characters. I don't believe it was a matter of cost; rather, it was a matter of not wanting the bother of trying to find three different actors of three different ages who physically resembled each other.