A.P.O. 923
A.P.O. 923 | |
---|---|
Genre | Military fiction, slice of life |
Written by | Gene Roddenberry |
Directed by | George Sherman |
Starring | |
Music by | Leith Stevens |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producer | William Sackheim |
Producer | Gene Roddenberry |
Cinematography | Scotty Welbourne |
Editor | Frederick Y. Smith |
Running time | 55 minutes |
Production company | Screen Gems |
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
A.P.O. 923 was a proposed
Plot
The episode begins with a Colonel trying to award the
Characters
Roddenberry envisaged two main characters for his show, a pilot and co-pilot named Phil Pike and Eddie Jellicoe. The pilot would be a man in his mid-thirties well experiences in war and woman. A "
Production
The idea for the series came to Roddenberry while at a party in late 1960. Someone had mentioned that no one had done anything with James A. Michener's Tales of the South Pacific Roddenberry was about to mention the musical, film and TV adaptions, when it struck him that these were only adaptations of one story in the collection, one that he considered the weakest and most undramatic at that.[2] Roddenberry, himself a veteran of the Pacific War, felt that it would be interesting to have a show that would focus on the everyday lives of soldiers, sailors and airmen stationed in the South Pacific during the war. He envisioned an episodic series with his characters facing challenges incident to military life like dear John letters, fighting boredom, USO shows, finding the Commanding Officers jeep, the operation of a radio shack, setting up thatched roof officers clubs etc. He cited Mister Roberts, the first half of The Caine Mutiny and Don't Go Near the Water as inspirations.[3]
Roddenberry originally intended on called the series Wild Blue, he intended to base the show around the flight crew of a "weird and rickety" B-17, nicknamed "The Beast". The series would follow its adventures in much the same way as other shows and novels would follow the crew of navel vessels.[3]
Legacy
The three basic character archetypes, their interactions and names, would later influence the creation of Captains Christopher Pike, James T. Kirk, Dr. Leonard McCoy and Spock.[4]
References
- ^ a b c Alexander 1995, p. 177.
- ^ Alexander 1995, p. 175.
- ^ a b Alexander 1995, pp. 176–7.
- ^ Alexander 1995, pp. 177, 180, 204.
Sources
- Alexander, David (1995). Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry. New York: Roc. ISBN 0-451-45440-5.
External links