#1958s

I am admitting UP FRONT this is a convoluted post.

I've done my math, you'll have to follow with me.

I'm tying together 1957's The Enemy Below; 1958's Run Silent: Run Deep; the 1961 Twilight Zone TV Series episode, "A Quality of Mercy;" the Star Trek: The Original Series season one episode, "A Balance of Terror," and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' season one finale episode, "A Quality of Mercy."

1957's THE ENEMY BELOW

During WWII an American destroyer discovers a German U-boat, and in the ensuing duel the American captain (Robert Mitchum) must draw upon all his experience to defeat the equally experienced German commander (Curt Jurgens).

Some battle tactics and dialogue taken verbatim from this movie are in the STTOS episode, "Balance of Terror."

1958's RUN SILENT RUN DEEP

A U.S. submarine commander (Clark Gable) who's obsessed with sinking a particular Japanese ship butts heads with his first officer (Burt Lancaster) and crew.

Some battle tactics and dialogue taken verbatim from this movie are in the STTOS episode, "Balance of Terror."

1961's THE TWILIGHT ZONE'S SEASON 3 EPISODE "A QUALITY OF MERCY"

On the last day of World War II in the Pacific, hot-shot new Lieutenant Katell (Dean Stockwell) tries to make his mark on military history and receives a unique perspective on his actions. Leonard Nimoy appears as Hansen.

1966's STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES SEASON ONE EPISODE "BALANCE OF TERROR"

The Enterprise must decide on its response when a Romulan ship makes a destructively hostile armed probe of Federation territory. Mark Lenard guest stars as the Romulan ship commander, and Garry Walberg as Commander Hansen of Outpost 4.

2022's STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS SEASON ONE FINALE EPISODE, "A QUALITY OF MERCY."

In the season one finale, just as Captain Pike thinks he's figured out how to escape his fate, he's visited by his future self, who shows him the consequences of his actions.

Ali Hassan guest stars as Hansen Al-Salah, the commander of Outpost 4.

Ava Gardner & Robert walker

Jerry Lee Lewis, Los Angeles, CA, while filming ‘High School Confidential,’ c. late Feb 1958.  During his time there, he met and spent the afternoon with Elizabeth Taylor. 

He tried flirting with her a little, said “I kept winking at her but I never got through! She only give me a smile.” Now, I don’t know if her husband hadn’t noticed or didn’t care because she and Mike Todd were together, at MGM while they were filming, they met through Jerry’s agent Oscar Davis, Oscar and Mike were friends. The four of them ate dinner, and afterward, in their hotel room, Mike asked him, “Jerry, would you mind escorting Liz around for a while, for me, while me and Oscar go for a few drinks downtown, we’ll be right back,” adding, “will you kind of just, look after her for me?”

Whatever feigned confidence Jerry Lee had, faded. He recalled, “Elizabeth was sittin’ right by me…I ain’t never seen a woman that beautiful in my life. I’ve seen a lot of other women, but that one took the cake.” He was enamored by her, “There wasn’t a flaw anywhere! She had on black shoes, black stockings, a black dress and – a white blouse!” He was beside himself, “I was 21 and she was 23 and there I was trying to escort Elizabeth Taylor round.” He could hardly speak, “I ain’t much of a talker, Miss Taylor,” he said, she told him, “Don’t worry about it,” in fact, she was tired of talkers. “And I’m looking at Elizabeth Taylor. She looked at me and she said, ‘What do you think about the MGM lot?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, what do you think of it?’ She said ‘I think it ain’t worth a shit.’ That’s what she said.” 

In his older years, he’d spell the word instead of saying it, he told her. “I’m glad my Momma didn’t hear you say that.” He’d recall the afternoon fondly, “there I was, a boy from Louisiana. I didn’t even know what was goin’ on. All I knew was, Elizabeth Taylor was sittin’ right by me and I was her guardian. I don’t think I had enough sense at the time to be nervous. We talked for a long time.” 

Thank you for the message and compliment! I haven’t updated my bio in a while, now I’m 22. You bet I have! That was in January 1958. I’ve read three perspectives of that tour: 

The first: From “Buddy Holly: A Biography” by Ellis  Amburn, from Google books, [x] / [x] where he wrote that Jerry Lee confided to Joe Smith about riding naked on motorcycles with Elvis in Memphis, he said, “only for thirty-five of forty seconds, ‘round the corner and back.” He used to deny it ever happened, but these days he said, he can’t say anything because “Elvis ain’t around to defend himself.” Then, when he named Paul, Achor when they were on the plane, Paul tried to befriend him, by showing lyrics he was working on, including the ones to ‘Diana,’ and Jerry Lee made up his mind, he didn’t like “Anchor” or his No. 1 hit. 

The second: From “Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story” by Rick Bragg, where Jerry Lee talked about the trip, said Paul was “a drip.” (I love how he uses slang from the 1950s and ‘60s.) How the backstage area was too crowded for him to get to the restroom so he relieved himself in a beer bottle, that a horn player from Paul’s twenty piece band, was unlucky enough to drink–Then after spitting, screaming, and cursing the guy was like, “Just name the man, just show me the man…I want to kill somebody!” Meanwhile, Jerry Lee was like, “I don’t blame you, I would too.” Then he promised to find the guy who did it, saying “I’ll get him, I’ll find him.” And walked off like he was in pursuit–When it was even him.

Then the time, Paul, Buddy and Jerry Lee were on the hotel roof, drinking beer and Paul was standing at the edge, saying he was gonna jump and Jerry Lee was telling him to jump, knowing he wouldn’t do it, still Buddy was standing back, worried that Paul would do it. Though he said Paul wasn’t in any danger and it’s a funny story in hindsight, he’s such a jerk for saying, “That’s the very thing you ought to do.” Jerry Lee said it all disgusted and sauntered over to the edge and looked down. “It’s clear.” Still, the stories Jerry Lee shared in his book of that tour make me laugh, for how absurd he behaves in them. 

The third: From “My Way: An Autobiography” by Anchor Paul Anka and David Dalton, from Google books, [x] that’s told from Paul’s side! I love how he described Jerry Lee, it’s like payback:

“Jerry Lee himself was off the charts, I can’t even explain how abusively unpredictable this guy could be. His whole lingo and attitude were redneck obnoxious–it was just nothing like I’d ever seen before. Now we’re hip to bad behavior; it’s almost like a requirement int he movies and the music business these days. But back then it was just off the wall: white trashy spew, that’s what it was.” 

In the meanwhile, he talked about how Buddy Holly had to be the mature one from the three, and was “utterly unshockable,” to the worst Jerry Lee could throw at him. He’d have to fish a drunk Jerry Lee from bars, drag him back to the hotel, put him under the shower, and get him to the theater on time. I like how in these stories of the Austraila tour, Buddy Holly is the mature, level-headed, and responsible one–

THEN THERE’S JERRY LEE.

LITERALLY MINUTES BEFORE JERRY LEE DECIDED HE DIDN’T LIKE HIM.

I don’t know, I like how in these stories Buddy’s pretty much babysitting a hot mess Jerry Lee and sixteen-year-old Paul.

A New England sea captain (Gregory Peck) in the 1880s arrives at his fiancée's (Carroll Baker) sprawling Texas ranch, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land.

Director: William Wyler.

Based on Donald Hamilton's novel.

Screenplay by James R. Webb, Sy Bartlett and Robert Wilder.

Producers: Gregory Peck and William Wyler.

Composer: Jerome Moross.