I thought that was used for the description of Beverly Crusher in TNG?
Did Majel Barrett have what it took?
- Thread starter EnriqueH
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I thought that was used for the description of Beverly Crusher in TNG?
Nobody can take that away from her. She was fantastic as the computer voice, especially from TNG onward. In that capacity, she remains as iconic as Dick Tufeld's Robot voice on Lost in Space.
I think she was a decent, if not bland, supporting actress in TOS as Chappel. But at the same time, I cant imagine TOS without Nurse Chappel, nor could I imagine the computer voice without Majel, either. It was nice to see she had a cameo in TMP as Dr. Chappel.
As Number One, there is not enough screen time to make a judgement of her as an actress, either way, IMHO. I don't have a strong opinion of Majel either way. Then again, The Cage was a pretty mediocre episode, and there is a reason that pilot wasn't picked up, and a good thing too, because the changes that were made gave us the TOS we ended up with, which was far superior. No one was very outstanding in that episode.
As Lwaxana, at times in the earlier TNG episodes, I found her somewhat annoying, and almost Mrs. Roper-like, but it can be argued that was the point of the character, and if that was the point, she did a good job. I did find her compelling and more sympathetic in Half a Life, Cost of Living,Dark Page and the DS9 episode The Forsaken, as well. Between her work on those episodes, and as Lady Morella in Babylon 5, I think it may be fair to say Majel might have been a late bloomer actress.
All in all, she was a decent supporting actress, whom I think got better as she aged, but I don't think she ever had the skill to pull off a lead role.
I think a lot of the problem was the part she played. Nurse Chapel was a 2 dimensional character. She was pretty good in What are Little Girls Made of? and as Number One. Playing a woman of authority back then wasn't very common. Here she is in 1962 with James Doohan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gPmI0RXbUU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gPmI0RXbUU
I think a lot of the problem was the part she played. Nurse Chapel was a 2 dimensional character. She was pretty good in What are Little Girls Made of? and as Number One. Playing a woman of authority back then wasn't very common. Here she is in 1962 with James Doohan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gPmI0RXbUU
I didn't watch the clip but the actor in the picture you provided doesn't look like Doohan.
Doohan's in the clip. He's astride a horse, talking about fighting it out with vigilantes for land for his cattle. The man pictured there is Royal Dano, playing Majel's husband.
She did perform one of the more convincing falls in the show outside the redshirt tumbling off the transporter in "CatsPaw". Remember in "The Immunity Symdrome" when the "void" surrounding the giant aeomeba made everyone black out? Majel walks into the exam room carrying a tray. Rather than "gracefully" folding her legs in a kind of "I've got the vapors" feint, she "crashes" to the floor, dropping the tray resulting in a jarring clatter! In fact, they used that sequence again in "Spock's Brain" when the brain-napper uses her wrist device to "stun" the entire crew.
It may be a small thing, but I've long appreciated that stunt.
Sincerely,
Bill
It may be a small thing, but I've long appreciated that stunt.
Sincerely,
Bill
I think you have asked the important question here.
I keep hearing this story, but no one ever quotes a source. So... source?
How "red" was that ridiculous beehive?
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Sir........................................How "red" was that ridiculous beehive?
At this point, with conflicting recollections of people long after the fact, I just don't think I "know" much about some of that behind-the-scenes stuff. People talk about it with seeming certainty. I don't know why NBC or Desilu rejected Majel for Number One. I have read Solow/Justman. Do they have documentation for the idea it was because she was GR's mistress? Or just 40-year-old memories?
They sure might be right, and I don't deny their plausibility. Or it might be a third reason. Maybe some exec just didn't like her looks. Or voice.
They sure might be right, and I don't deny their plausibility. Or it might be a third reason. Maybe some exec just didn't like her looks. Or voice.
Read Solow and Justman, and then director Ralph Senensky's blog, and put two and two together.
I've read both, and just don't see it.
Senensky says "other [actress] availabilities were checked with no success," but there's no indication of Roddenberry's behavior being a contributing factor. Although the Solow/Justman book illustrates plenty of questionable behavior on the Great Bird's part, I don't recall anything about casting this episode in particular, nor about him scaring off female acting talent so dramatically.
Could you clarify?
Senensky says "other [actress] availabilities were checked with no success," but there's no indication of Roddenberry's behavior being a contributing factor. Although the Solow/Justman book illustrates plenty of questionable behavior on the Great Bird's part, I don't recall anything about casting this episode in particular, nor about him scaring off female acting talent so dramatically.
Could you clarify?
"I don't see it" doesn't mean it isn't there. But I accept your inability to see it.
No, but it's circumstantial evidence that supports a broader picture. It's fine that you guys don't believe it. I do.
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