Spawk's Stuff

De and the crew were filming "The Apple." Interior guest hut scenes were among those filmed. The actors were likely still suffering from the effects of the explosion on set that happened two days earlier (67 07 17).

DeForest Kelley Still the Real McCoy. Star Trek Communicator

This Los Angeles Times Article Appeared

The back story paraphrased from a volume of Kris Smith's Phone Tag series.

After lunch, the episode Charlie X began filming. McCoy's exam on Charlie were among the scenes shot this day.

DeForest Kelley's Western Days. Starlog Magazine.

These pictures weren't a part of the article but I thought it'd be fun to show off De's "Western Days".

The teaser, cafe, and street scenes for the episode Wolf in the Fold were shot.

De and his buddies began a 15 day furlough from Roswell AAF to Long Beach, CA.

Morning Reports for 430702 and 430717 from the 91st Base HQ & Air Base Squadron.

Press Telegram 430712

Press Telegram 430718

This article appeared in The Atlanta Journal

This article from The Cincinnati Post and Times Star appeared.

De, Carolyn, and their friend saw a UFO while driving across Louisiana.

Below is De calling into the radio show "The Open Mind with Bill Jenkins" to discuss the incident. I couldn't find the newspaper De is talking about, but below are some other newspapers reporting on the incident. (Transcript of De's call below).

Bill Jenkins: Mr. DeForest Kelley, one of our fine, fine actors and a very integral part of one of my favorite shows, Star Trek. DeForest, welcome to Open Mind.

De: Well, thank you, Bill. I heard you talking tonight about the UFOs and I listened to you for so many nights and I thought, well, it's about time that I'm calling Bill Jenkins and telling him something about an experience that I had some time ago. An experience that I don't often tell I didn't tell for many years and then when I became a part of Star Trek I just thought it off completely. But having heard and read about the San Francisco incident the other day, I thought, well, it's about time that I call Bill Jenkins and just let everybody on the radio hear it, too.

Bill: Well, thank you DeForest. I appreciate that very much.

De: But I want to tell you how much I enjoy your show. That's the main reason that I go on and it's always an entertaining show and one that is certainly enlightening in many areas.

Bill: Well, if you, if I've entertained you just one 100th as much as you've entertained me, then I've done a grand job.

De: Well, thank you. And I hope you're going to enjoy the one we just wrapped up. I think

Bill: Did you?

De: You're going to love it. As a matter of fact, we wound the show up in San Francisco. We -the show wrapped in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago.

Bill: Oh, fantastic. I can't wait.

De: You're going to love it. I'm sure I want to tell you when you were talking about the year 1950. Now, this is really going back sometime. My wife and I and a friend of ours who at that time was a businessman and executive for with the Time Seaboard Finance Company. We were driving to New York and we were in the swamplands of Louisiana and it was late in the afternoon, possibly around 4:30. This was in the latter part of June, 1950. And we had been switching off driving and I was in the back seat at the time and it was just twilight time.

And about 600 ft above us the old story: a long cigar-shaped object whipped past us in front of us. And had an identification light, a red identification light on the end of it that was flickering and laid down a jet stream. This was in 1950.

And of course, I couldn't believe what I saw. I thought, well, you know, it's crazy. And we, my wife and my friend saw it, too. But I was in the position in the back seat and I really had a good look at this thing. And off the sides of it were whipping like blue flames kind of rolling off of the side of it. But it went into the distance at a very rapid rate it was, you know, I had to look real quick, but I saw this red light flicking off and on, on the tail end of this thing.

So we drove into Montgomery, Alabama. I said, “My god, nobody's ever going to believe this.” And when we got into Montgomery, Alabama, outside of a restaurant, went in to eat. There was a headline, the paper that said mysterious object sighted over Southland. I've regretted to this day that I didn't buy that paper and keep it. But I just wondered if anyone on your show over the years during that period of time, that time frame had any reportings that you can recall or remember?

Bill: Well, we've had obviously we've talked about many of them. But I don't in my mind I can't put one down to that, that time frame. But let's throw it out on the table and see if anyone remembers that.

De: Alright.

Bill: And even more so, maybe someone has a copy of that paper. There are a lot of UFO buffs, if we can put it that way,  that are in Southern California.

De: Well, that's an interesting thought.

Bill: I really do appreciate you sharing that with us. I bet you that there are a lot of people. Have you got some time just to stay on the line and spend some time with us here?

De: Sure. I'll be on.

Bill: and  say hello to George Green who is deeply involved. There's not the George Green who is our manager here but, and our leader.

De: Yes, your captain.

Bill: Our own captain Kirk. This is George Green who is deeply and extensively involved in UFO research in a very serious manner. Say hello to DeForest Kelley there, George.

George: DeForest, I got a question. You said that there was some kind of vapor or something coming off the craft. 

De: No, there were it was like a- blue flames like were whipping off of the side of it. It appeared to be uh,

George: You mean like at a high speed and increased temperature?

De: Yeah. It laid down a like a vapor stream. When we- after it passed, there was just a like a  low vapor stream.

George: How- what was the elevation of the curve?

De: The elevation of it apparently it looked to me like it was around 7, 6 or 700 ft. Very low.

George: And the speed did you estimate that?

De: Oh god. I just- it just whipped by. But I-

George: You mean  from the back of the car to the front of the car? Is that what you're talking about?

De: Now, see, it passed in front of the car. It was as we were going down the highway and it was like oh, probably three or 400 yards in front and it just crossed, you know, in front of the car.

Bill: Warp three. Warp three, Mr. Sulu.

De: Yes, warp four.

Bill: Also, we have with us Jason Rand who has had an experience himself at about that time period.

Jason: Hi, Bones.

De: Yes. Hi. Hi.

Jason: Again, excuse me. My voice is really bad. Listen-

Bill: I don't want to hear about your voice.

Jason: Listen, you're great. You guys have done more to enlighten and enrich the not only the imagination of the world, but I think maybe that what your crew has done is probably very honorable for those of us who really take this thing seriously. And I understand that Bill Shatner had a very important experience. Did you ever hear about that from Bill?

De:  I know that he has. I have never heard him relate it. But I've been told that Bill has and for some odd reason I've never discussed it with him.

Jason: I think you I think you might want to talk to him. From what I understand-

De: Maybe he's like me. He's afraid for many years I didn't tell this story.

Bill: Well, you guys have been busy fighting Klingons.

De: Yeah, absolutely.

Jason: Can I ask you-

De: That’s taken care of now. We're moving on to other things.

Jason: There you go. Can I ask you a couple questions about your experience?

De: Sure.

Jason: Immediately prior to that, could you or would you remember whether or not you might have had any kind of telepathic contact a week, a month, a year before bringing you to that particular point? I'm doing research on my new book and I have found a very strong connection between what we call precognitive awareness of things that are heard and seen within the mind and then usually within a month to 6 months or maybe a year that person who either has what we call dream state implant reality suddenly in fact sees a manifestation of the things that we call UFOs or or extraterrestrial vehicles.

Bill: That was another movie.

Jason: Yeah. Right. Do you remember having any kind of conscious awareness or dream state awareness before, during, or after that experience?

De: No, no, I really don't. It was a point in my career where I was moving on to New York and I had it's a long time ago. It was just an essence of that happened and it was so long ago that I all I- I will never forget that, that sighting or- and seeing I did. I was making a personal appearance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania or in in the 70s when I first related this story and  the end of the session I was signing autographs and a gentleman came by with a young boy, his son, And he told me that he was with some somebody with the government and with UFO sightings and that the sighting that I had related to that audience was-  had been identified or they had made note of it, that it was down on the books. So evidently I was not the only one that was aware of it.

Bill: That cigar- shaped craft has been reported-

De: So many times

Bill: -as much as the flying saucer actually.

De: So many times, yes. But that's exactly what it was. It was really the old, old thing you've heard many, many times, a cigar- shaped craft. And um I was- I feel privileged to have seen it, but at the same time, it's one of those things you're, you're rather reluctant to talk about, particularly when you're on a show like Star Trek.

(Cut the interview short here due to the time restrictions but De says he’s thought about calling multiple times and always backed off, but Carolyn said to do it to get it off his mind. Bill asks De to stay on the line, asks when Star Trek IV is coming out, and later they talk about the Battle of LA, which will be posted at a later date.)

***********

50 06 24 The Birmingham News

50 60 25 The Daily Advertiser

De was elected to the Community Players board of directors. He was committee chairman of membership.

42 06 23 Press Telegram

De and the cast were at the Starlog Salute to Star Trek: 20th Anniversary Convention.

De received a cake with the inscription, "To the Best Doctor in the Galaxy"

Here is Starlog #112's write up of the convention (De's portions).

I need video of De doing "muscleman poses".

De and several cast members were at Houstoncon, AKA The Ultimate Fantasy.

But it's called The Con of Wrath for how poorly managed it was.

Here is De on stage reading part of the "The Big Bird's Dream"

My wife did the calligraphy on them, and she wrote, dedicated to all whose heart’s follow Star Trek.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away There lived a big bird nesting on a play. He thought if he could hatch it and get it on the air, He’d make himself a fortune and build himself a lair.

The day finally came and the story was born He let out a cackle: “No more corn!” So he flew from his nest with the play in his claw, Certain to sell it, for it had no flaw.

The story he hatched within his yarn Took place on a ship as big as a barn. Not only that, it was in outer space, Far removed from the human race.

Its crew searched the universe for worlds unknown To teach and learn ~ and not try to own. And not only that, they built a new nation This time known as the Federation.

All of this, taking place in the skies On a starship known as the Enterprise. Now wouldn’t you think, with a plot like this, The big bird had what couldn’t miss? Well, he landed in Burbank on Hollywood Way, And headed east, to sell his play. But things weren’t as easy as he thought they’d be ~ Particularly when dealing with NBC.

De: Yes, the lady in white on the aisle waving there, yes. Are you just waving or are you?

Audience member: Do you have any little stories to tell us about how people react when they recognize you?

De: Oh, little stories. Oh I will tell you, I was in a market just a couple of weeks ago. I went to the market to pick up some stuff. And I ran into Richard Crenna [James Slattery from Slattery’s People. De was on an episode].  And we were talking, and when I finished talking to Richard, a lady approached me and she said, “Excuse me.” She said, “Was that Richard Crenna?”

333 Montgomery premiered on Alcoa Theater.

You’ve seen this location before. The man in it now is the real article, the master himself, Jake Erlich. Perhaps the greatest trial lawyer of our time. A defense attorney who has never had a client pay the supreme penalty of law. A brilliant, many faceted man. Ruthless compassion. Tough, gentle. Crafty, sincere. In my entire career as an actor I’ve never faced a challenge like this: watching him, learning from him, and trying to find a way to bring this excitement to life in front of the camera. I started by living with the master. Incidentally, you’re seeing the actual office at 333 Montgomery. Wherever possible, here, the courtroom, around the city, we photographed scenes on actual location. It’s an honest picture, right down to the nails in the wall. I wore the same clothing, took his calls, even wore his attitudes and ideas. And when you do that, if you love this business as I do, something begins to happen. You forget you’re an actor named DeForest Kelley and you become the master too.

Now, add to all of this the most colorful city in the world, the one locale which matches the excitement of the character, and blend all that into the hundreds of actual cases from Jake Erlich’s varied career: the episodes, incidents, and stories, which tumble out of this man, well, I think you know what it adds up to: an exciting [unintelligible] television series unlike any you’ve seen or any we’ve been privileged to work on.

Well I’m sure you can see the satisfaction on my face and yet I’ve never worked harder in my life or with a greater sense of exhilaration and accomplishment. And I’m not going to try to hide the fact that it hasn’t been fun because it has. 333 Montgomery. I hope you like it. Good night.

Thank You for Your Kind Expression Of Sympathy

To De's friends and fans:

I want you to know how deeply you have touched me with your many cards, letters, and emails. It's good to know how much DeForest meant to you.

Most Sincerely,

Carolyn Kelley

From Star Trek After They Were Famous, 2002 British Documentary

Reporter: Millions of Star Trek fans are in mourning today after the death of DeForest Kelley, who played Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy. Kelley, who was 79, was in more than 70 episodes of the series as well as six feature films.