That Wacky Redhead

[Glen]

So, looking a bit more at that link I posted previously, Moonbase 3 seems like a perfect series for the times - set on the moon, made as a joint project between the BBC and Fox, and it involves many of the same people that brought you Doctor Who - though with an unflinching dedication to realistic, hard sci-fi. The problem is, they went too realistic, too gritty! Now then, I wonder if it would be possible ITTL to see a little bit of lightening up as the Moon Lunacy infects our British creative team, at least enough for them to inject a sense of wonder into this. It could be a small but critically aclaimed series that could act as a seed for other hard sci-fi movies and series in future.

 

[Glen]

I suspect we still might see The Tomorrow People produced ITTL - it really was right for the times! I remember watching these as a child (I don't think they'd hold up well as an adult, however), and enjoying them. Though I am typically pretty good with accents other than my own, I distinctly recall thinking they called their form of psychic teleportation jointing, not jaunting. As one can imagine, much hilarity ensued.

 

[ChucK Y]

"Mary Tyler Moore" was a landmark sitcom, which emphasized appealing, believable characters placed into a realistic setting and dealing with relevant situations. Most importantly, a new emphasis was placed on supporting the strong cast with intelligent, naturalistic, and consistent writing, rather than relying on the actors to carry the show in spite of the sub-par writing; a paradigm which had dominated sitcoms of the previous decade (with a few exceptions). It also deliberately avoided escapism, attempting to depict a close facsimile of the lives of their ideal viewers: relatively young, living in urban markets, and receptive to the societal changes taking place in this era. On all these fronts, it was remarkably successful; though like most pioneers, it would later seem cautious, even quaint, in its ambitions.

While giving due credit to "Mary Tyler Moore", recognitions deserves to be given to a forerunner program, "That Girl" starring Marlo Thomas. A sitcom about a young woman who has moved to the big city on her own to fulfill her ambitions, it also featured intelligent writing, realistic situations, and witty byplay.

 

[Glen]

While giving due credit to "Mary Tyler Moore", recognitions deserves to be given to a forerunner program, "That Girl" starring Marlo Thomas. A sitcom about a young woman who has moved to the big city on her own to fulfill her ambitions, it also featured intelligent writing, realistic situations, and witty byplay.

That Girl was a great little show, though one could grow a little tired of the whining of 'Donald' that was a large part of it - but otherwise, a grand one, yes.

 

[Glen]

The immediate post-Star Trek period for William Shatner will be completely different, I imagine. This from his bio on Wikipedia:

"After Star Trek was cancelled that year, Shatner experienced difficulty in finding work in the early 1970s. With very little money and few acting prospects, he lived in a truck bed camper in the San Fernando Valley[21] until small roles turned into higher-paying jobs. Shatner refers to this part of his life as "that period", a humbling one during which he would take any odd job, including small party appearances, to support his family."

That's not going to happen ITTL (which, BTW, probably means his ego grows to new undreamt of heights!).

"Shatner again appeared in "schlock" films, such as the horror film The Devil's Rain, Corman's Big Bad Mama,[13] and the TV movie The Horror at 37,000 Feet, which many fans believe is his worst work.[21]"

He won't be in any of these, I feel (well, maybe Big Bad Mama).

"Shatner received good reviews as the lead prosecutor in a 1971 PBS adaptation of Saul Levitt's play The Andersonville Trial."

This one will be gone as I believe it will conflict with his filming schedule for the final season of Star Trek (I think).

"Other television appearances included a starring role in the western-themed secret agent series Barbary Coast during 1975 and 1976"

He won't be on that series at all, may not even see that series made.

 

[Unknown]

The bigger the ego is, the harder they fall.

This will be true of Shatner if he doesn't have that slump.

 

[Glen]

The immediate post-Star Trek period for Nimoy is harder, especially given the hints Brainbin has given us already. It appears this timeline is good for Shatner, but may be worse for Nimoy.

Again, from Wikipedia:

"Following Star Trek in 1969, Nimoy immediately joined the cast of the spy series Mission: Impossible, which was seeking a replacement for Martin Landau. Nimoy was cast as an IMF agent who was an ex-magician and make-up expert, 'The Great Paris'. He played the role from 1969 to 1971, on the fourth and fifth seasons of the show."

As already mentioned, the original leads stay on this show, and given what Brainbin has said about alcohol, I fear that Nimoy may take a nosedive after the series ends.

"He co-starred with Yul Brynner and Richard Crenna in the Western movie Catlow (1971)."

Probably not available for this due to the last season of Star Trek conflicting (and burn-out thereafter?).

"Nimoy appeared in various made for television films such as Assault on the Wayne (1970),"

Definitely gone.

"Baffled (1972), The Alpha Caper (1973), The Missing Are Deadly (1974),"

While some of these are possible, I suspect Brainbin will nix them. Nimoy may need to go into a recovery program, possibly only returning to acting with his return to play Spock in the first Star Trek movie, though hopefully that will see him straightened out and regaining his life and career (it would almost be more of a parallel (except for the alcohol) to what happened to Shatner IOTL).

"He also had roles in Night Gallery (1972)"

This is still likely to occur unless his drinking becomes catastrophic. Hey, plenty of actors worked with substance problems....

"and Columbo (1973) where he played a murderous doctor who was one of the few criminals with whom Columbo became angry."

This one might still occur - not certain if Columbo happens or happens similarly enough for Nimoy to show up in this.

"In the late 1970s, he hosted and narrated the television series In Search of..., which investigated paranormal or unexplained events or subjects."

I think it is very likely that Alan Landsburg still makes this series at some point. He is one of the pioneers of documentary and reality TV and was already on a trajectory that would predispose him to making a series like this. Whether Nimoy gets the nod to host it is up in the air - it is possible, though absolutely not necessary.

"During this time, Nimoy also won acclaim for a series of stage roles. He appeared in such plays as Vincent, Fiddler on the Roof, The Man in the Glass Booth, Oliver!, Six Rms Riv Vu, Full Circle, Camelot, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The King and I, Caligula, The Four Poster, Twelfth Night, Sherlock Holmes, Equus and My Fair Lady."

Even though these plays are listed in the 1970s section on Nimoy, I am having a hard time verifying when they were (and not enough time to do more internet hunting). I suspect most if not all of them will be taken out ITTL in terms of Nimoy's participation. He may return to theater at some point, though - I think that actually likely.

 

[Glen]

DeForest Kelley may be the least changed ITTL. From Wikipedia:

"After Star Trek, Kelley found himself a victim of the very typecasting he had so feared. In 1972 he was cast in the horror film, Night of the Lepus."

Okay, with Star Trek movie likely on the horizon, I am hoping that he doesn't succumb to playing in Night of the Lepus!

"Kelley thereafter did a few television appearances and a couple of movies but essentially went into de facto retirement other than playing McCoy.[5]"

I think this is precisely what he will do ITTL.

"By 1978 he was earning up to $50,000 ($168,000 today) annually from appearances at Star Trek conventions attended by Trekkies.[6]"

BTW, my Trekker contacts tell me he was a very, very popular man on the convention circuit, considered a real gentleman and professional.

He stayed married to his wife through it all IOTL, and will do so as well ITTL I feel.

His bio did bring up some very interesting questions - first, how will the Trek Convention culture develop ITTL, and will Desilu take an active role in being involved with them at some point? Second, what kind of money will the actors from Star Trek be receiving from the re-runs and merchandising ITTL? Will Desilu do better by them than Paramount did?

 

[Glen]

James (Jimmy) Doohan's career will likely be the same as IOTL, with he as well being a mainstay of the convention circuit after Star Trek, but aside from the movies not doing much else acting-wise. His 1974 meeting of his future third wife and their marriage is likely to be butterflied away by filming the Star Trek movies, which will be a big difference in his personal life.

 

[Glen]

Nichelle Nichols, also one without much of an acting career other than the movies after the series. But, but....she had a distinguished role as an advocate for space and for women in space....from Wikipedia:

"After the cancellation of Star Trek, Nichols volunteered her time in a special project with NASA to recruit minority and female personnel for the space agency, which proved to be a success.[13] She began this work by making an affiliation between NASA and a company which she helped to run, Women in Motion.[14][15][16][17][18][19]

Those recruited include Dr. Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut, and United States Air Force Colonel Guion Bluford, the first African-American astronaut, as well as Dr. Judith Resnik and Dr. Ronald McNair, who both flew successful missions during the Space Shuttle program before their deaths in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986. Recruits also included Charles Bolden, the current NASA administrator, and Lori Garver, the current Deputy Administrator.[19]

An enthusiastic advocate of space exploration, Nichols has served since the mid-1980s on the Board of Governors of the National Space Society, a nonprofit, educational space advocacy organization founded by Dr. Wernher von Braun.[17]"

Okay, really weird idea here, but....given that we've already changed the President, are likely to change the trajectory of the Space Program, etc. - could we see Nichelle Nichols actually taking a formal role at NASA? Cabinet Secretary Nichols for NASA?

This may be a stretch - but it is not impossible, if they are looking for someone to inspire the organization rather than just a techno-geek to run it.

 

[Glen]

After reviewing their stints on Star Trek, I can see why you promoted John Winston to a recurring cast member - I agree that is a likely outcome.

Oddly enough, I have no real recollection of the character on Star Trek - don't know why, but he never made any impression on me, apparently (and I am rewatching TOS with my eldest child, and he still isn't standing out to me).

For some odd reason, it's Bruce Hyde's character of Kevin Thomas Riley who stands out in my mind as an associate player, and in fact was quite surprised to see he only appeared in two episodes! I guess him taking over the engine room and singing, "I'll take you home again, Kathleen," really made him stand out in my memory? It's just weird.

Don't think this means anything, but I wanted to share.

 

[Glen]

So, while I know we won't be given any more on the crossover episode, I wanted to further elaborate on my previous comments by stating that it was clear that the showrunners wanted Roger Delgado as the Master for the major story arc throughout the upcoming Season 8 of Doctor Who. I firmly believe this will continue to be the case ITTL, and in fact will compel them to write the first appearance of the Master into the crossover.

Now then, while we know Liz Shaw will leave the show, who the new companion is might be perturbable, however. Katy Manning was not necessarily a shoe-in to get the role of Jo Grant, and in fact they were initially looking for someone a bit 'sexier' and 'tougher' - if you went with someone on the original short list, then maybe Gabrielle Drake. On the other hand, if you are thinking that they need to have an American companion to 'relate' to their cross-over audience, then I'm not 100% certain who would be tapped - unless you salvage the costar for Assignment: Earth - Teri Garr!

Or, you could just still go with good old Katy - the changes may not be severe enough to derail her casting in the role - whatever you'd like.

 

[Brainbin]

And now for the last volley of responses for the year 2011!

One thing I forgot to mention in regard to suspension of disbelief...

This is a very thoughtful and thorough analysis, and I don't have anything in particular to say in response, but thank you for your input.

That is the biggest hurdle to overcome now in positing Savalas in anything... Even if he really is the right choice.

We'll have to see if he still has occasion to say "Who loves ya, baby?" ITTL.

One right: "Police Squad". (Hint: I've dropped mentions of some of them...) I've never even heard of "Keen Eddie".

All right, more guesses. "The Greatest American Hero", "Twin Peaks", "My World and Welcome to It", and "Alien Nation".

Oh, no. "Titular" is "in the title". So...

It just doesn't look right without the "Wacky"

Not judging by the ratings of the nightly newscast...

Now, I didn't actually want to come out and say that, because I thought it might be rude... But yeah. If you're stuck in third place behind Global, you have no room to even think something like that, Mansbridge.

Who's heading Universal's Television division in the early 1970s? Looking at the history of the development of Kojak, it is by no means certain that we see the same chain of events that led to the creation of the character, Kojak - on the other hand, we might.

Excellent question. That's going to take some further investigation.

So, looking a bit more at that link I posted previously, Moonbase 3 seems like a perfect series for the times [...] It could be a small but critically aclaimed series that could act as a seed for other hard sci-fi movies and series in future.

Duly noted. I'll be sure to take that into consideration.

While giving due credit to "Mary Tyler Moore", recognitions deserves to be given to a forerunner program, "That Girl" starring Marlo Thomas. A sitcom about a young woman who has moved to the big city on her own to fulfill her ambitions, it also featured intelligent writing, realistic situations, and witty byplay.

Thank you for pointing that out. You've actually noticed something about the entertainment industry worth discussing. "Mary Tyler Moore" is remembered as the trailblazer because after it, other shows followed its lead. "That Girl" was an anomaly, a precursor. "Ahead of its time", as the saying goes. So you're right, but for the purposes of pop culture history, you're wrong. There are actually lots of other examples of this sort of thing in television, movies, music...

That's not going to happen ITTL (which, BTW, probably means his ego grows to new undreamt of heights!).

The bigger the ego is, the harder they fall.

This will be true of Shatner if he doesn't have that slump.

I think you make an excellent point, Unknown

The immediate post-Star Trek period for Nimoy is harder, especially given the hints Brainbin has given us already. It appears this timeline is good for Shatner, but may be worse for Nimoy.

As already mentioned, the original leads stay on this show, and given what Brainbin has said about alcohol, I fear that Nimoy may take a nosedive after the series ends.

I have definite plans for Nimoy, and they'll be made clear in the next few updates. You've correctly observed that he had far and away the best career of any of the Star Trek alumni in the 1970s IOTL, which I think we can credit to his acting ability.

"Kelley thereafter did a few television appearances and a couple of movies but essentially went into de facto retirement other than playing McCoy.[5]"

I think this is precisely what he will do ITTL.

I'm willing to reveal Kelley's fate because, indeed, it will be almost exactly as IOTL. Bear in mind that he's making two extra seasons' worth of money from Star Trek, and we're looking at big raises for Seasons 4 and 5. Given his utter exhaustion after five long years playing Dr. McCoy - work that, once again, he is on record as having found "grueling" - he'll be going into semi-retirement right away. (Yes, that means no Night of the Lepus. You're welcome.) He'll have a nest egg, yes, but where will the extra money come from?

"By 1978 he was earning up to $50,000 ($168,000 today) annually from appearances at Star Trek conventions attended by Trekkies.[6]"

Personal appearances - and I refuse to explain any more clearly than that - will supplement his income nicely ITTL.

BTW, my Trekker contacts tell me he was a very, very popular man on the convention circuit, considered a real gentleman and professional.

By all accounts, he was the nicest member of the cast. (I've alluded to this within the TL proper.) I have no intention of changing that.

He stayed married to his wife through it all IOTL, and will do so as well ITTL I feel.

Oh, fear not, he'll be "happy in the valley, with the very same wife", till death do them part, just as IOTL.

His bio did bring up some very interesting questions - first, how will the Trek Convention culture develop ITTL, and will Desilu take an active role in being involved with them at some point? Second, what kind of money will the actors from Star Trek be receiving from the re-runs and merchandising ITTL? Will Desilu do better by them than Paramount did?

There's only one way to find out!

James (Jimmy) Doohan's career will likely be the same as IOTL, with he as well being a mainstay of the convention circuit after Star Trek, but aside from the movies not doing much else acting-wise.

Likewise, Doohan will go into semi-retirement after the end of Star Trek, just as IOTL. But I might have some interesting plans for him...

His 1974 meeting of his future third wife and their marriage is likely to be butterflied away by filming the Star Trek movies, which will be a big difference in his personal life.

I don't know if I'd brush off that tenacious young lady so cavalierly, Glen. She'll still be a Trekkie ITTL, no doubt about it, and by any outward appearances, all it would take is just the one meeting. IOTL, the marriage certainly seemed to be a very happy one.

Okay, really weird idea here, but....given that we've already changed the President, are likely to change the trajectory of the Space Program, etc. - could we see Nichelle Nichols actually taking a formal role at NASA? Cabinet Secretary Nichols for NASA?

This may be a stretch - but it is not impossible, if they are looking for someone to inspire the organization rather than just a techno-geek to run it.

Technically, the Administrator of NASA is not in Cabinet - it's recognized as a position of Cabinet-level rank - similar to the Trade Representative, or the Ambassador to the UN. And no, she won't become the Administator; everyone appointed to that position is going to be either a scientist or a military officer, or both. Will she become involved with NASA, as she did IOTL? I certainly wouldn't count it out.

After reviewing their stints on Star Trek, I can see why you promoted John Winston to a recurring cast member - I agree that is a likely outcome.

Thank you. Like I said, they really seemed to like both the character (who made several appearances on TAS), and the actor (who made a cameo in TWOK). Given the greater budget, I think he'd be one of the first in line to reap the rewards.

Oddly enough, I have no real recollection of the character on Star Trek - don't know why, but he never made any impression on me, apparently (and I am rewatching TOS with my eldest child, and he still isn't standing out to me).

His most memorable appearance is actually not technically him - at the beginning of "Mirror, Mirror", his parallel universe counterpart is the one that Mirror!Spock punishes with the Agonizer. He, on the other hand, is personally knocked out by someone attempting to escape the ship in all three of his appearances in the first season: Capt. Christopher, Khan, and Dr. McCoy, respectively.

For some odd reason, it's Bruce Hyde's character of Kevin Thomas Riley who stands out in my mind as an associate player, and in fact was quite surprised to see he only appeared in two episodes! I guess him taking over the engine room and singing, "I'll take you home again, Kathleen," really made him stand out in my memory? It's just weird.

Everyone remembers Riley - and I have no doubt that the producers would have noticed that and made him a regular - perhaps even in place of Chekov, given his youth (only 25-26 years old, and looked younger, during the first season) - but they ran into a snag. It was 1967, and Bruce Hyde decided to become a hippie. No, really. That's why we never saw him again. But he seems to have no regrets.

I hope to have the next update ready tonight, to end the year with a bang, but I can't promise anything. If not, well then tomorrow I should be able to start the new year with a bang! So until then, thank you all for reading my timeline this year!

 

[Glen]

And now for the last volley of responses for the year 2011! I have definite plans for Nimoy, and they'll be made clear in the next few updates. You've correctly observed that he had far and away the best career of any of the Star Trek alumni in the 1970s IOTL, which I think we can credit to his acting ability.

Yep - actually, love him or hate him, Shatner too stuck to his acting chops, and later in life I think again proved he can in fact act. But Nimoy was early on clearly interested and capable of having a serious acting career.

Likewise, Doohan will go into semi-retirement after the end of Star Trek, just as IOTL. But I might have some interesting plans for him...

Now that is intriguing - and if you do, maybe I will tell you the Legend of the Doily War.....

I don't know if I'd brush off that tenacious young lady so cavalierly, Glen. She'll still be a Trekkie ITTL, no doubt about it, and by any outward appearances, all it would take is just the one meeting. IOTL, the marriage certainly seemed to be a very happy one.

Okay, if you say, but then I would make it clear that she was angling for a meeting with Doohan.

Technically, the Administrator of NASA is not in Cabinet - it's recognized as a position of Cabinet-level rank - similar to the Trade Representative, or the Ambassador to the UN.

Sorry, I left out some explanation on that - I was thinking that with the increased emphasis on Space ITTL we might actually see NASA head as a Cabinet position, not that it was IOTL.

And no, she won't become the Administator; everyone appointed to that position is going to be either a scientist or a military officer, or both.

It was a bit of a stretch, it was late, I was getting silly....

Will she become involved with NASA, as she did IOTL? I certainly wouldn't count it out.

Actually, I would say that part is a near certainty.

Everyone remembers Riley - and I have no doubt that the producers would have noticed that and made him a regular - perhaps even in place of Chekov, given his youth (only 25-26 years old, and looked younger, during the first season) - but they ran into a snag. It was 1967, and Bruce Hyde decided to become a hippie. No, really. That's why we never saw him again. But he seems to have no regrets.

Yeah, I read that.

I hope to have the next update ready tonight, to end the year with a bang, but I can't promise anything. If not, well then tomorrow I should be able to start the new year with a bang! So until then, thank you all for reading my timeline this year!

MUST - HAVE - CROSSOVER - UPDATE - SOONEST!!!!

 

[Orville_third]

An idea for James Doohan. Perhaps he could be involved somehow in engineering? He inspired some people to make that their career. Also, could the CBC invite him back? He appeared in a number of CBC shows early on- plus he was a Canadian WWII veteran...

 

[krinsbez]

Yep - actually, love him or hate him, Shatner too stuck to his acting chops, and later in life I think again proved he can in fact act.

I should think his being declared a promising Shakespearean actor in his early days would have demonstrated that.

Yes, this actually happened. No I don't understand what happened to his acting ability between the '50s and '60s.

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

I should think his being declared a promising Shakespearean actor in his early days would have demonstrated that.

Yes, this actually happened. No I don't understand what happened to his acting ability between the '50s and '60s.

Perhaps it's a stage versus TV thing. With no live audience, he felt something was missing and tried to compensate with, well, I remember the jokes about his hamming it up, such as in my Muppet Trek http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3201650/1/Muppet_Trek (Brainbin, it doesn't have to be like this, but it might give you an idea once the Muppet Show does happen) but I'm sure there's other stuff, too.

And, of course, after enough time in TV, perhaps those bad habits stuck, even if he did try the stage again, which i don't know if he did or not.

 

[vultan]

Goodness gracious Lordy me, I cannot believe I've missed this fabulous timeline until this point.

Not much I can praise you on that hasn't already been said - it's wonderful! Also not much I can suggest (you seem to have gotten an earful from those wanting an earlier Battlestar Galactica, and count me among them). Maybe George Lucas is able to do an earlier Star Wars, or his Flash Gordon project.

And, though it isn't the focus of this timeline, I wonder how things are going on politically. For instance, let me think of a few political figures who became notable in the 70's. Ron Dellums. Jim Buckley. Jack Kemp. Bella Abzug. Ron Paul. John Hospers. Are any of them going to be different ITTL (or would that be a spoiler?)

But speaking of politicians, I wonder how Senator Bill Proxmire, THE opponent of space exploration in OTL, is doing?

 

[phx1138]

We'll have to see if he still has occasion to say "Who loves ya, baby?" ITTL.

I wouln't object if he didn't because he got something else. Nor, TBH, if he still did; I liked the show, the character, & Savalas.

All right, more guesses. "The Greatest American Hero", "Twin Peaks", "My World and Welcome to It", and "Alien Nation".

2 more right: "GAH" & "AN" (tho the casting of "AN", after the movie, was pretty odd; what part of James Caan looks like Mick Jagger? Eric Pierpont was excellent.) I've never understood the appeal of David Lynch.

It just doesn't look right without the "Wacky"

Fair enough.

Now, I didn't actually want to come out and say that, because I thought it might be rude... But yeah. If you're stuck in third place behind Global, you have no room to even think something like that, Mansbridge.

He was working for CBC at the time, no? What was he supposed to say? "This network sucks"? ("CBC regrets to announce Peter Mansbridge is stepping down to spend more time with family.")

Excellent question. That's going to take some further investigation.

"Kojak" appears to have depended quite a bit on a '63 murder case & false confession, in the pre-Miranda days, so IMO you'd get something like it in any case.

Duly noted. I'll be sure to take that into consideration.

At the risk of POV-push, it seems to me "Moonbase 3", "UFO", & "1999" could be amalgamated, depending on who's doing it: bigger budget "M3" gives you a very hard-SF "1999" (an *ESA or "Earth Space Organization" base?), & more paranoid "1999" gives you "UFO".

Also, I came across this. I didn't recall Bob Justman being associated with it. In the changed SF environment, it could go more than one season. (Yes, I liked it.)

Yes, that means no Night of the Lepus. You're welcome.

Having made the mistake of watching that on cable, you have no idea how glad I am.

Given his utter exhaustion after five long years playing Dr. McCoy - work that, once again, he is on record as having found "grueling" - he'll be going into semi-retirement right away.

I am sorry about that. You don't suppose you could have him do something like "Matlock" after a decade or so?

Personal appearances - and I refuse to explain any more clearly than that - will supplement his income nicely ITTL.

I smell an interesting outcome.

By all accounts, he was the nicest member of the cast. (I've alluded to this within the TL proper.) I have no intention of changing that.

I got that sense, too, & I suspect that contributed to his semi-retirement: just being tired of dealing with dicks so many hours of the day for so long.

There's only one way to find out!

Knowing Lucy, I'd bet they get a better deal. She was a tough, smart businesswoman, but she'd also seen the other side, & I have no doubt she knew actors who were broke because they got denied residuals.

Likewise, Doohan will go into semi-retirement after the end of Star Trek, just as IOTL. But I might have some interesting plans for him...

You're such a tease.

It was 1967, and Bruce Hyde decided to become a hippie. No, really. That's why we never saw him again. But he seems to have no regrets.

Tune in, turn on, drop out. And in an age of free love? I'm less surprised.

...a promising Shakespearean actor ...
Yes, this actually happened. No I don't understand what happened to his acting ability between the '50s and '60s.

It was where he started, in Montreal. Bear in mind, this is a Canadian acting community, which is pretty small. He was good enough to get to Hollywood & make a steady living. In TV acting, excellence isn't mandatory. It's been years since I saw his "Twilight Zone" spots. Were they that bad?

 

[Glen]

Well, I guess our next installment will be a New Year's Day treat. I await it with much anticipation!