1. Why has EVERY post until cwf1701 focused on Star Trek, Galacticaa and other SciFi series? Boring!
2. Re Cwf1701's post. In the case of Gunsmoke, ASB. William Conrad as Marshall Matt Dillon?!!!! Remember that James Arness was the personal recommendation of John Wayne hisself, since a movie star of Wayne's stature was too august a personality to do a mere TV series in 1955.
3. Now, remembering that Peter Graves was James Arness's brother, lets reimagine Star Trek with Peter Graves as Capt Kirk, Martin Landau as Spock, Barabra Bain as Cinnamon Uhruru, Greg Morris as McCoy and Peter Lupus as a differently ethniced Sulu. Now we have Mission Impossible with Shatner as Mr Phelps, Leonard Nimoy (who did replace Landau) and Nichelle Nichols as the disguise experts, DeForest Kelly as the brainiac and George Takei as a martial arts expert in place of the circus strong guy. If you consider Star Trek a straight up quasi-western action series, why not Peter Graves as the veteran, no-nonsnse captain, and in 1966 I believe that Landau and Nimoy would have been considered as interchangable parts. Let it sink in, Graves as Kirk and Shatner as Phelps! Actually, if Shatner was 6 inches taller I think he would be a great Herman Munster- that really fits his acting style.
2. Re Cwf1701's post. In the case of Gunsmoke, ASB. William Conrad as Marshall Matt Dillon?!!!! Remember that James Arness was the personal recommendation of John Wayne hisself, since a movie star of Wayne's stature was too august a personality to do a mere TV series in 1955.
3. Now, remembering that Peter Graves was James Arness's brother, lets reimagine Star Trek with Peter Graves as Capt Kirk, Martin Landau as Spock, Barabra Bain as Cinnamon Uhruru, Greg Morris as McCoy and Peter Lupus as a differently ethniced Sulu. Now we have Mission Impossible with Shatner as Mr Phelps, Leonard Nimoy (who did replace Landau) and Nichelle Nichols as the disguise experts, DeForest Kelly as the brainiac and George Takei as a martial arts expert in place of the circus strong guy. If you consider Star Trek a straight up quasi-western action series, why not Peter Graves as the veteran, no-nonsnse captain, and in 1966 I believe that Landau and Nimoy would have been considered as interchangable parts. Let it sink in, Graves as Kirk and Shatner as Phelps! Actually, if Shatner was 6 inches taller I think he would be a great Herman Munster- that really fits his acting style.