Star Trek has these little, unique stories that surround its production. Little things that happened that didn’t happen on other shows. This week, we’ve got another one of those stories. But it’s a bigger deal.
Desilu
The history of Star Trek begins with one of Hollywood’s original power couples: Lucille ball and Desi Arnaz. The pair purchased the old RKO movie studio in 1957 and wanted to begin producing TV there.
Early on, Desi pioneered a three-camera production process at Desilu that soon became the norm for the production of situation comedies. In fact, Desilu Studios became known for their television expertise in the 1960s.
When the couple divorced, Lucy bought Desi becoming the majority owner of the studio.
Here’s Lucy
When Gene Roddenberry was able to get Desilu executives interested in his concept, and eventually landed a development deal from the NBC television network.
When the second pilot sold, it was time to go to work.
Lucy liked the idea behind Star Trek and on several occasions she stepped in to keep the show alive when board members at Desilu wanted to end it because of the cost.
A great example of her loyalty came on the last day of production on the second pilot, Where No Man Has Gone Before. A large mound of dirt and sand had been created for the show’s climatic scene. Sand continually rolled off the mound and was accumulating on the camera dolly tracks. As the production ran longer and longer, Lucy grabbed a broom and helped to sweep the sand away to keep the production on track.
Paramount
In 1967 Lucy decided to sell Desilu to Paramount. While it was the end of Desilu, this sale was necessary for the rebirth of Star Trek that occurred in the 1970s. Only a studio the size of Paramount had the capital, the vision and the ability to invest in multiple development projects in 1975, ’76 and ’77 and then be able to see it through to the opening of The Motion Picture in 1979.
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