Who never guest starred on TOS that should have?

[A beaker full of death]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Bruce Dern...

Does he want pie, too?

I think he just wants a chicken sandwich and coffee.

If it was Nicholson, he could hold the chicken between his knees.

 

[Centurion]

We've all forgotten an interesting if not compelling choice: Sean Connery. I know he would have cost too much then but since we're speculating.

 

[Forbin]

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Bruce Dern...

Does he want pie, too?

I think he just wants a chicken sandwich and coffee.

As a "why I love my wife" aside, I misquotyed that as "ham sandwich" recently, and my wife corrected me.

 

[scotpens]

As a “why I love my wife” aside, I misquoted that as “ham sandwich” recently, and my wife corrected me.

You're lucky you're married to a fellow geek!

She’s not exactly a household name, but I would like to have seen English actress Suzanna Leigh on Star Trek. I had a small crush on her back in the day.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Y'know, as many times as John Wayne crosses Star Trek's path, you'd think they could've corralled him for a quick cameo to rip Kirk a new one...

 

[Warped9]

Meh, I can do without Wayne. I've never been a fan or understood his appeal. He's embarrassing in anything outside of a Western.

 

[Steve67]

Meh, I can do without Wayne. I've never been a fan or understood his appeal. He's embarrassing in anything outside of a Western.

I love the Duke to death in Westerns, but find it hilarious how he's viewed as a "Symbol of America." He's its symbol, all right; if one wants a draft-dodging chickenhawk as one's symbol.

 

[A beaker full of death]

Popular canards. He was, in fact, neither.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Me!!! I would have been great in Miri or And The Children Shall Lead!

 

[Captain Robert April]

Popular canards. He was, in fact, neither.

Yuppers. He was too young to serve in WWI, married with kids during WWII as well as being past draft age. There may have also been some lingering football injuries (same ones that sent him into show business instead of the NFL). So he helped the war effort the best way he could, by making war movies.

Of course, NBC could've done a little crosspromotion along these lines. Like the host of a certain variety show that was quite big at the time...

Or maybe hype the upcoming Christmas special...

Y'know, Milton Berle was very interested in doing a Star Trek episode, as a straight dramatic acting gig, and they even had a Norman Spinrad script for the occasion ("He Walked Among Us"), where Berle would be some guy on a planet that the natives had all proclaimed as their deity, making for an interesting Prime Directive matter for our heroes. The bigger problem, though, was the network pushing for more Uncle Milty schticks, totally undermining the dramatic intent, along with Berle's interest in doing the role in the first place. In the end the whole thing was called off. I think Spinrad even tried to buy back the rights to his script, but my recollection gets a tad fuzzy at that point.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable joined up. Stewart was a year younger than Wayne and Gable a few years older

 

[Captain Robert April]

Stewart and Gable were both pilots, making them much more sought after by the Amry Air Corps.

 

[A beaker full of death]

Jimmy Stewart would probably be the first to take offense if he were to hear Wayne called a "draft dodger."

 

[Nerys Myk]

Stewart and Gable were both pilots, making them much more sought after by the Amry Air Corps.

Gable is said to have been an observer-gunner. He was also involved in making training films for gunners. Stewart had a hard time getting in the service because he was under weight. It took him three tries before the Army passed him. (My sister had the same problem, they fudged it for her too) So it looks like even his status a pilot wasn't an automatic in.

Jimmy Stewart would probably be the first to take offense if he were to hear Wayne called a "draft dodger."

He probably would. But then again, Stewart was determined to serve. Wayne ( or his "people") less so:
Wiki writes it up like this:

America's entry into World War II resulted in a deluge of support for the war effort from all sectors of society, and Hollywood was no exception. Many established stars rushed to sign up for military service.

As the majority of male leads left Hollywood to serve overseas, John Wayne saw his just-blossoming stardom at risk. Despite enormous pressure from his inner circle of friends, he put off enlisting. Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status, classified as 3-A (family deferment). Wayne's secretary recalled making inquiries of military officials on behalf of his interest in enlisting, "but he never really followed up on them."[35] He repeatedly wrote to John Ford, asking to be placed in Ford's military unit, but consistently postponed it until "after he finished one more film."[36] Republic Studios was emphatically resistant to losing Wayne, especially after the loss of Gene Autry to the Army.[37]

Correspondence between Wayne and Herbert J. Yates (the head of Republic) indicates that Yates threatened Wayne with a lawsuit if he walked away from his contract, though the likelihood of a studio suing its biggest star for going to war was minute.[38] Whether or not the threat was real, Wayne did not test it. Selective Service Records indicate he did not attempt to prevent his reclassification as 1-A (draft eligible), but apparently Republic Pictures intervened directly, requesting his further deferment.[39] In May, 1944, Wayne was reclassified as 1-A (draft eligible), but the studio obtained another 2-A deferment (for "support of national health, safety, or interest").[39] He remained 2-A until the war's end. Thus, John Wayne did not illegally "dodge" the draft, but he never took direct positive action toward enlistment.

 

[scotpens]

Hey, if the Duke could play Genghis Khan in The Conqueror . . .

 

[Steve67]

Jimmy Stewart would probably be the first to take offense if he were to hear Wayne called a "draft dodger."

Wayne neglected to serve his country because he put his career ahead of his country. He was at a crucial point in his burgeoning star status and a hitch in the army may have put the kibosh on his "bright future."

He had a piss-poor reason NOT to enlist and I seriously doubt any lawsuit filed against a man who volunteered to enlist would've held any water. It's pathetic that Wayne failed to join the armed forces in any capacity, especially since he was perfectly able to do so.

For more on Wayne's failure to serve, see John Wayne: American by Roberts and Olson (pp. 210-213). The book provides a helluva fascinating read on not just Wayne's life and career, but on Hollywood politics during WWII and the Cold War.

 

[lurok]

Don't know enough about Wayne's personal life to comment, but as a movie icon he did make some great films (TMWSLV is a personal fave). OSN, think The Searchers would have made a great template for a TOS ep or TMP-era film...

 

[Steve67]

... but as a movie icon he did make some great films (TMWSLV is a personal fave). OSN, think The Searchers would have made a great template for a TOS ep or TMP-era film...

Agreed. I adore John Wayne the actor and really don't care about his politics, but I don't buy into the "outside forces kept him from enlisting" nonsense thrown around these days.

My favorite movie of all time is El Dorado (1967), which stars Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and a young James Caan.

Back on topic: Michelle Carey (also in El Dorado) would've been a superhot guest star on Trek.

 

[Forbin]

... but as a movie icon he did make some great films (TMWSLV is a personal fave). OSN, think The Searchers would have made a great template for a TOS ep or TMP-era film...

Agreed. I adore John Wayne the actor and really don't care about his politics, but I don't buy into the "outside forces kept him from enlisting" nonsense thrown around these days.

My favorite movie of all time is El Dorado (1967), which stars Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and a young James Caan.

A poor remake of Rio Bravo, which, IMHO, was superior in every way.

Back on topic: Michelle Carey (also in El Dorado) would've been a superhot guest star on Trek.

Darn, I was going to mention her! A very beautiful woman indeed.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Seeing Ronnie Howard or Billy Mumy in a TOS episode would have been great.