DeForest Kelley On...     Kelley Filmography Home    

DeForest Kelley On...

the Star Trek Series: Specific Episodes


The Apple
City on the Edge of Forever
The Harry Mudd episodes
Turnabout Intruder

The Apple

There was a big explosion, a mine explosion that blew up in front of us and the special effects man had placed TNT into it That's what it sounded like. It was a terrible explosion and the three of us absolutely went deaf with it and had to go to Hollywood to a doctor's office and it was a pretty big shock when the three of us walked in. (Laughter) They thought, they landed. But until this day, I have a constant reminder of that show of a continually ringing ear.
[Convention: Baltimore, July 1985, transcribed in Guyer, 1991.]

City on the Edge of Forever

My favorite episode was ‘City on the Edge of Forever.’ I felt it was the best ensemble piece that we had done, you know, everybody worked together and I felt it had a marvelous mood about it, especially in its entirety without commercials. An excellent piece of film all the way. I thought the ending was particularly moving. It was a tremendous ending, that somehow haunted me. I can’t say that about many things. You don’t see many things that you do that you’re pleased with, but I was pleased with that episode as a group. I just thought it was a marvelous thing.
There was an interesting thing with Joan Collins. Originally, you know, as she’s taking care of McCoy upstairs... Well, there was a scene that was written that indicated that McCoy was falling for her. And before I come downstairs and discover... and Shatner and Nimoy discover I’m in this building, there’s a scene where she’s about to leave me, and she says, “Are you all right?” She says, “I’m gonna leave now, are you feeling better?” or something like that, and I say, “Yeah,” I say, “I’m okay.” I say, “Just a minute,” and she turns around a little and I say, “You’ve got the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen.” It was a wonderful mood, she looks at me, I look at her, and she leaves. They cut that out.
[Convention: Los Angeles, 10/25/87]

The Harry Mudd episodes

The epsiode that we had the most fun in? Gee, I don’t know. I think... The Harry Mudd shows were a lot of fun.
[Convention: Los Angeles, 10/25/87]

Turnabout Intruder

The only thing I remember about that episode is I was in the very last shot of the day and that was the last episode, I believe, we shot in the series. There were only two of us left on the soundstage and they asked us all to say something in the camera. I don't know what they wanted it for, just to kind of be silly before we said goodbye, because we knew that was the end of the series. So I was standing there and Bill was stretched out on the bed and he said, "Gee, I don't feel good." And so they had the camera on me and I did my Gable and I looked at him and I said, "Well, frankly, I don't give a damn!" (laughter/applause) I know you all thought I was gonna say, "He's dead, Jim." (Laugh­ter)
[Convention: New York City, 1980(?), transcribed in Guyer, 1991.]