SF in film and TV
June 1999
DeForest Kelley, 1920-1999
Actor DeForest Kelley, who played Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy on the original Star Trek TV series from 1966-1969, died today in Los Angeles after an extended illness. He was 79 years old. Kelley was not in either of the two pilot episodes for Star Trek but assumed the role of ship's doctor of the Starship Enterprise with the first production episode, ''The Corbomite Maneuver''. After the series' cancellation by NBC, Kelley reprised his role in the animated Star Trek series (1973-1974) and then in six Star Trek feature films from 1979 to 1991. He is the first regular cast member of the original series to die, and perhaps the only one not to have written a book about the show. He's survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Carolyn.
(Fri 11 Jun 1999)
§ Entertainment Weekly June 18
An article [not online] about the amibitious SF film Stanley Kubrick was never to complete, or even begin production of: A.I., based on Brian Aldiss' short story ''Super-Toys Last All Summer Long''. He met with special effects experts Dennis Muren and Ned Gorman to talk extensively about what it would be possible to depict on screen. ''While it is ambiguous whether the child protagonist of Aldiss' story is absolutely human, 'Kubrick had an idea that this kid should look too perfect to be real'.'' The film was never fully cast or scripted. There were other abandoned projects, the article notes, including Napoleon, worked on for years with Anthony Burgess.
Also in this issue: a progress report (first of six!) about the filming of Stephen King's The Green Mile, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Frank Darabont, who filmed King's The Shawshank Redemption. King: ''I think [Darabont]'s a total anal retentive, but unlike Stanley Kubrick, he's an anal retentive you can talk to.''
(More on Kubrick: an article in The New Yorker quoted in Aether Vibrations.)
(Fri 11 Jun 1999)
