In Memoriam: DeForest Kelley

[Push The Button]

Jackson DeForest Kelley (January 20, 1920 – June 11, 1999) was an American actor, screenwriter, poet and singer known for his iconic roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the USS Enterprise in the television and film series Star Trek.

Let's all take a moment to remember this wonderful actor, husband, and WW2 veteran, who passed away 15 years ago today.

Rest in peace, Doc.

 

[Relayer1]

Wonderful actor.

Sadly missed.

 

[RandyS]

Father? I thought he and his wife didn't have any kids?

Still, 15 years? Damn, time flies. I sill remember reading the notice in the old TV guide to my mom (a fellow Star Trek fan who, sadly, also died four years later).

I was 29 then. I'm getting old......

 

[Push The Button]

Father? I thought he and his wife didn't have any kids?

Still, 15 years? Damn, time flies. I sill remember reading the notice in the old TV guide to my mom (a fellow Star Trek fan who, sadly, also died four years later).

I was 29 then. I'm getting old......

You're correct, and I just fixed it.

 

[JT Perfecthair]

My friend and I were at a Seattle convention in the late 80s and we were sitting on aisle seats near the front. All of a sudden a man leans down to us and says that the present speaker is going on a little long and the next speaker needs to sit down before going onstage and would we mind standing for a few minutes?

So obviously we say sure and stand, who sits down but Mr and Mrs Kelly. Wow! De asked me how I was liking the con, I said I was and thanks for your work over the years, which he said was his pleasure.

Not really expecting to be near one of actors I had no set of questions ready so as the speaker finished and De was rising to go up, I asked something that I was curious about, "Did you ever adlib a line?" to which he replied that the "I don't doubt it" response to Spocks receiving multiple distress calls in Trek4 was his own.

What youve heard over the years about the kindly country gentleman, totally 100% true. I would really be surprised if any amount of digging would find skeletons in his professional or family closet, he just wasn't that kind of person. Can you really know that about somebody in 60 seconds? I elect to believe so.

 

[Borjis]

I remember that day in 1999 reading about his passing. sad day indeed.

 

[LOKAI of CHERON]

My friend and I were at a Seattle convention in the late 80s and we were sitting on aisle seats near the front. All of a sudden a man leans down to us and says that the present speaker is going on a little long and the next speaker needs to sit down before going onstage and would we mind standing for a few minutes?

So obviously we say sure and stand, who sits down but Mr and Mrs Kelly. Wow! De asked me how I was liking the con, I said I was and thanks for your work over the years, which he said was his pleasure.

Not really expecting to be near one of actors I had no set of questions ready so as the speaker finished and De was rising to go up, I asked something that I was curious about, "Did you ever adlib a line?" to which he replied that the "I don't doubt it" response to Spocks receiving multiple distress calls in Trek4 was his own.

What youve heard over the years about the kindly country gentleman, totally 100% true. I would really be surprised if any amount of digging would find skeletons in his professional or family closet, he just wasn't that kind of person. Can you really know that about somebody in 60 seconds? I elect to believe so.

Wow, that's a great story, JT Perfecthair.

 

[Grant]

The day he passed in 1999 I was listening to a talk radio sports show and the host said...."why do people keep mentioning that the guy who played McCoy on Star Trek died? What's the big deal?".........

as if talking endlessly about next weeks game was any more important than an actor from a beloved TV show. What a jerk.

Anyway when I got home I turned on the TV and waited for the news to mention it.

In those days, actors other than "stars" got so little attention when they passed it was a shame.

I think Ann B davis was fine but she got a LOT more attention a couple of weeks ago than De Kelley did in 1999.

Sorry TOS is a bigger, better more influential show than Brady Bunch, but that's how it was. Today he'd get a lot more of the acclaim he deserves.

 

[LMFAOschwarz]

The day he passed in 1999 I was listening to a talk radio sports show and the host said...."why do people keep mentioning that the guy who played McCoy on Star Trek died? What's the big deal?".........

as if talking endlessly about next weeks game was any more important than an actor from a beloved TV show. What a jerk.

Don't let that one stress you: sports radio is a knuckle-dragger medium if ever there was one. Being a sports fan is one thing, but those guys are ridiculous in the extreme. There could be an imminent asteroid collision with the Earth, and their main worry would be how it would impact the season schedule.

Anyway when I got home I turned on the TV and waited for the news to mention it.

In those days, actors other than "stars" got so little attention when they passed it was a shame.

I think Ann B davis was fine but she got a LOT more attention a couple of weeks ago than De Kelley did in 1999.

Sorry TOS is a bigger, better more influential show than Brady Bunch, but that's how it was. Today he'd get a lot more of the acclaim he deserves.

I remember the New Years' Eve telecast on whatever channel that year, and they had the usual montage of noteworthy people who'd passed during the year. Deforest Kelley was not in it.

 

[Grant]

The day he passed in 1999 I was listening to a talk radio sports show and the host said...."why do people keep mentioning that the guy who played McCoy on Star Trek died? What's the big deal?".........

as if talking endlessly about next weeks game was any more important than an actor from a beloved TV show. What a jerk.

Don't let that one stress you: sports radio is a knuckle-dragger medium if ever there was one. Being a sports fan is one thing, but those guys are ridiculous in the extreme. There could be an imminent asteroid collision with the Earth, and their main worry would be how it would impact the season schedule.

Anyway when I got home I turned on the TV and waited for the news to mention it.

In those days, actors other than "stars" got so little attention when they passed it was a shame.

I think Ann B davis was fine but she got a LOT more attention a couple of weeks ago than De Kelley did in 1999.

Sorry TOS is a bigger, better more influential show than Brady Bunch, but that's how it was. Today he'd get a lot more of the acclaim he deserves.

I remember the New Years' Eve telecast on whatever channel that year, and they had the usual montage of noteworthy people who'd passed during the year. Deforest Kelley was not in it.

Not to be disrespectful but I'm sure that 1991 retrospective included a lot of old time movie actors that had retired many years before and few folks remembered---but they got they moment to shine and be remembered--rightly so, but Kelley who 90% of the public would at least recognize even if they weren't Trek fans got stiffed.

You are so right with that thumbs down. Doohan didn't get much more respect in 2006 either.

But at least Nimoy and Shatner will get the respect they earned--hopefully a long time from now.

 

[Maurice]

Singer?

 

[The Old Mixer]

I remember TV newscasters trying to work in the "he's dead" reference without sounding like they were joking...awkward.

I remember him getting snubbed in the memorium films at the Oscars and Emmies. They always seem to find room for plenty of technical people and whatnot that you've never heard of....

My friend and I were at a Seattle convention in the late 80s [...]

Who the hell was the speaker who got to hold up De Kelley?

 

[Maurice]

I think Ann B davis was fine but she got a LOT more attention a couple of weeks ago than De Kelley did in 1999...Sorry TOS is a bigger, better more influential show than Brady Bunch...

That's unfairly diminishing her accomplishments. Most younger people would only know her from the Brady Bunch, but she was an award–winning actress before that: two Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (out of four nominations) on The Bob Cummings Show, and she got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame six years before Star Trek even hit the airwaves.

 

[Melakon]

Yes, I knew of Ann through Bob Cummings' show, so she was always Schultzy to me. I never watched Brady Bunch, but remember reading the TV Guide fall preview piece on the show, and was pleased Ann was working on it.

Regarding De, got to talk to him only once, at a very small con at Kansas City in the 80s (held on a community college campus I think). He was so gentle and polite, he must have been able to relax any nervous fan who met him. Wish I still had the photo he signed for me.

 

[Grant]

I think Ann B davis was fine but she got a LOT more attention a couple of weeks ago than De Kelley did in 1999...Sorry TOS is a bigger, better more influential show than Brady Bunch...

That's unfairly diminishing her accomplishments. Most younger people would only know her from the Brady Bunch, but she was an award–winning actress before that: two Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (out of four nominations) on The Bob Cummings Show, and she got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame six years before Star Trek even hit the airwaves.

I know she got acclaim for the Cummings show and you totally missed my point. The Bob Cummings show which a lot of people forgot and Brady Bunch are not cultural icons that Trek is and I was just using her as an example of how someone who passes in 2014 gets much more notice than someone in 1999---despite the fact that the person was part of one of the biggest TV franchises ever.

Not putting her down---saying she got respect she earned--he did not. Thankfully things have changed.

 

[Maurice]

I know she got acclaim for the Cummings show and you totally missed my point. The Bob Cummings show which a lot of people forgot and Brady Bunch are not cultural icons that Trek is...

Respectfully I missed the point because you didn't make it in the earlier post.

Define "cultural icon" and we can debate if Brady Bunch meets that criteria. Show an average American photos of Davis and Kelley and and you may find that they're pretty on-par in terms of recognizability. In fact, I'd guess "Alice" would edge out Bones on the instant recognition scale.

 

[Melakon]

If it was a photo of Kelley in street clothes instead of costume, even fewer people would recognize him.

 

[MikeH92467]

Singer?

Yep. From Memory Alpha: Kelley was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Having always wanted to be a doctor yet thwarted by the Great Depression, Kelley instead went into show business starting as a singer with the Lew Forbes Orchestra and in radio.

 

[Grant]

I know she got acclaim for the Cummings show and you totally missed my point. The Bob Cummings show which a lot of people forgot and Brady Bunch are not cultural icons that Trek is...

Respectfully I missed the point because you didn't make it in the earlier post.

Define "cultural icon" and we can debate if Brady Bunch meets that criteria. Show an average American photos of Davis and Kelley and and you may find that they're pretty on-par in terms of recognizability. In fact, I'd guess "Alice" would edge out Bones on the instant recognition scale.

You're still missing my point.

It's not that TOS is so much more iconic than Brady (which is my personal opinion--maybe not others) but how times have changed for actors like these.

If Ann B Davis had died in 1999 I think she would have been slighted like Kelley was.
If he had died in 2014 I think it would have been mentioned a lot more.

You are right in that for boomers Brady is a big deal as is Trek, but if she had only been in the Cummings show--she would have got far less notice here in 2014.

Not putting her down just glad she got the attention that she may not have gotten years ago and lamenting he didn't get much back in 1999.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Pop-culturally speaking, 1999 seems like yesterday to me. I'm not so certain there's been some fundamental sea-change in how the deaths of actors are dealt with in that time. I think De Kelley's death may have been treated much the same today, or Ann B. Davis's much the same then.