Tom Snyder's "Tomorrow" Show - with 3 Star Trek cast members - 1976!

From June of 1976, here is a TOMORROW SHOW with Tom Snyder, interviewing 3 cast members of the original Star Trek as well as author Harlan Ellison. They are joined by Al Schuster, who is a big Star Trek fan and planned some Star Trek Conventions.

[@patbrooks9823]

Snyder's hair is a violation of the Prime Directive. 😂

[@dtremethick8769]

It was recycled and used in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds for Pike.

[@boojum402]

Fuck you. For 1976, it was perfect. Tom Snyder was the shit. I miss watching Tomorrow... on Today.

[@kamuelalee]

He's an Andorian spy....clever bastard.

[@pauls.6360]

That's the trouble with tribbles.

[@fermisparadox01]

Check out his coke nose 👃 😂

[@signet9542]

To me the best thing about Star Trek was that it made you think. This is very rare for shows today.

[@NinjaChris77]

Sadly even rare for todays Star Trek shows, ... :(

[@Jay-nq2jl]

Jimmy was a Bonafide Canadian war hero on DDay!!! Jimmy we miss you

[@yesthatbruce]

This is correct. One of his fingers was partly blown off, and IIRC pains were taken when shooting Star Trek to not let it show on screen. Someone did find a shot or two where it showed, though.

[@drmodestoesq]

@@yesthatbruce They could have just said he lost it in an engineering accident. They didn't try to cover up Lee Van Cleef's missing finger tip in the Spaghetti Westerns. It was part of his character.

[@yesthatbruce]

@@drmodestoesq I agree. I've never understood why they were afraid to show it. It would have been yet another interesting detail of the show.

[@charlie-obrien]

@@yesthatbruce It was James Doohan's prerogative and he asked for his injury to not be displayed. The guy was very humble about his service, just as many WW2 vets also did not like to talk about it or seek recognition for their service.

[@yesthatbruce]

@@charlie-obrien Ah, gotcha. Thanks. TIL!

[@tommyz9910]

The smoking on these shows, man that takes me back. It was so normal to me as a kid in the 70's, because it was what grown ups did.

[@331SVTCobra]

All the movies and TV shows had people smoking. One morning my sister and I snuck into mom's room and stole her cigarettes. Mom woke up to discover us smoking at the age of eight. She promptly quit smoking.... or else did a really really good job of hiding it from us.

[@filmore62]

Go on the net and see Fred Flintstone hawking Winston Cigarettes

[@Jelsick]

I was born in 1965, and both my parents smoked. Unfortunately my mother passed in 1986 of cancer at 44 and my dad is 83 now and quit smoking in his 50s. Funny, of us 5 kids, only one smoked. Those winter road trips with both parents smoking sucked, even with the windows cracked.

[@txhansolo22]

not just Snyder was smoking on this show, so were Doohan and Kelly

[@bobbywhite1645]

I remember people smoking in shopping malls. Just walking around smoking, ashing on the floor, throwing buts in the fountain. I remember people going to shoe stores to buy shoes and there were little ashtrays built into the chairs they would sit in to try on shoes. I remember little tin gold colored ashtrays on tables at Burger King

[@billparrish4385]

Snyder asking about 'warp', Doohan starts to explain, Snyder interrupts to talk about the pretty picture. Attention span of that tribble on his head.... 😂

[@jonathanmartin-ives8665]

😂😂😂

[@billfargo9616]

I guess you have never worked in the editing suite of a television network.

[@billfargo9616]

This was recorded off the air from a local affiliate and butchered by lovesvegas.

[@joebandy9864]

No, he’s a Lucky man, great hair

[@davidstuart4915]

yep, an (h)airhead for sure...and dont start me on that writer pratt criticising one of the most highly regarded tv shows in history, adored by hundreds of millions for decades!!!!!!

[@stephengennarelli1808]

Jimmy Doohan was very wise in predicting the success of the Movie Franchise.

[@kamuelalee]

The Scots are no dummies

[@user-ys1jq6kr8z]

Dude wound up senile

[@HM2SGT]

@@user-ys1jq6kr8zOdds are you will too

[@kamuelalee]

@@user-ys1jq6kr8z You must be English, telling damn dirty lies about the Scots.

[@kevvoo1967]

You understand? What a guy.

[@captaincrunch8333]

James was bang on with his observation about being young enough to enjoy the fact they helped create a classic.

[@stevestipe4514]

I loved that line. He nailed it, too.

[@MrManfly]

@@stevestipe4514 Everyone's smoking ! 🤢😝

[@librarian66]

I got to meet and chat a little with Mr. Doohan once at a convention many years ago. He was a super nice guy to all of the many fans who paid him a visit. Yes, he's still missed today.

[@marianmoses9604]

I also had the privilege to meet Mr. Doohan at a small Trek convention near Washington, DC back around 1987 as I recall. He was a very nice fellow and interesting to listen to, though I did get the sense that every so often the uber-nerds in the audience would rub a raw nerve or two by asking him some phenomenally stupid questions about fictional Trek engineering technology that, of course, does not actually exist - it’s just fantasy for the audience. Mr. Doohan had to deal very tactfully and patiently with a few such yo-yo’s and it made me a tad sad for him, as I know that these conventions must have been tedious at times for the cast members. I’m sure they must have all asked themselves, at times, if the money for these appearances was worth those awkward moments. But to their credit, they continued pleasing fans for many decades after the show ended, even if some of those fans were living in la-la land and wanted to pretend they were meeting the characters - not the actors. 🙄

[@Commandamanda]

I met him too! As an intrepid young 16 year old, I took it upon myself to figure out where the "backstage" area was and dragged a friend along with me. After sharing a tense few minutes in the elevator with Isaac Asimov, we dashed to some back stairs, and through a door...right into the setting up of the signing session with Jimmy Doohan! He was as surprised to see us as we were him, and after some begging forgiveness he chuckled and shook our hands, signed our posters, and told us stories about WWII. (I had noticed his lost finger.) He even asked me to date his son! What a sweetheart. He was smart, well spoken, and a real charmer of a man.

[@signet9542]

Mr. Doohan was a bona-fide war hero. He was present on D-day and wounded in action.

[@SirWinstonBeech]

I first met Jimmy at a video store appearance promoting the release of the TOS episodes and movies on VHS and Beta. I actually bought my first VCR when that happened - finally Star Trek was in my control, any episode any time I wanted it, no commercials, never miss. I now have all of TOS on DVD, and all of TNG and some of DS9. Anyway it was a much more intimate setting than a convention. I got a picture of my kids with him. The funny part: the video store had a backroom porno catalog, which had become quite popular. Across the street was a big Pentacostal church. On Saturdays protestors would picket the video store parking lot - it was in a strip mall. So there are about a hundred people in line to meet Scotty standing outside the store, and a news crew shows up to film the protestors and interview them and there were probably 8 protestors talking about the evils of porn and how this horrible store was polluting the community and corrupting our children. The camera then pointed at the video store with the big line of people... so there are 8 people against porn, but a hundred lined up at the store to get porn. The news people were totally clueless. I never saw the broadcast but I just thought it was funny as hell that it made it look like all of us were waiting in line to rent porno videos.

[@Natakel]

My wife and I did also in the early 80's . . . in fact, he let my wife sit on his lap for a picture. He was quite the ladies man. 😉 As I understand, he fathered his last child when in his 80's.

[@timothyedwards5176]

I watched it in '76 and I'm still watching now. i'm watching this and it's 2024

[@lovesvegas]

cool, isn't it!!!

[@marcyfan-tz4wj]

i watched tom's show then but didn't know this existed. thank you. tom's hair is something easy to dismiss but hard to duplicate.@@lovesvegas

[@sflorio]

Me too. I remember DeForest saying he was getting tired of the conventions. It must have shocked me to hear that as a teenager.

[@reginabinion11]

All Star Trek fans should really thank Desilu Productions. Desi Arnaz used the best film. That’s why they have lasted so long until digital video.

[@ChrisHyde537]

@@reginabinion11Interesting. Thanks

[@Cherokeeseeker]

I wasn’t expecting James doohan to be so knowledgeable on the Trekkie data. So cool

[@marshallross3373]

Not only that, but he's very enthusiastic and energetic, too.

[@Cherokeeseeker]

@@marshallross3373 I know. Dang, it really would’ve been great to meet and have a chat with Scotty.

[@Ryan-ff2db]

I was surprised as well. Most actors have no idea of the lore even after filming. Most Game of Thrones actors never read the books.

[@tim8067]

As a matter of fact he also invented the first words of the Klingon language during the making of the first movie.

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@marshallross3373Yeah , and he was hit by 6 BREN rounds on D-Day too!

[@RayR]

What a gem. Harlan's reputation is spot on. Walter does a great job of defending the series.

[@richardvernon317]

He was more than a little pissed off with all of the Rewrites!!

[@Jath2112]

I love seeing grown people disagree on TV and still enjoy discussing a topic together. It's crazy to see how forceful Harlan is with his conversation. His writing is incredible. He doesn't just blow smoke... some of his stories have permanently affected me. He's a heavy guy.

[@KevinSills]

I was born in 1961, I loved Star Trek as a kid, I own all the episodes in a collection I bought on Amazon, and all the movies that followed. Almost all of the cast has passed on now, it's 2024, and with each passing member of the original cast I think a little more of me passes on too, because the best years of my life were spent watching the original Star Trek.

[@ricoz2016]

Well, half are gone- Nimoy, Kelly and Nichols. It WAS great seeing those original episodes 'in living color' though. Live long & Prosper✌✌

[@1998gst4611]

Only 3 left of the original cast, Kirk, Sulu and Chekov

[@1998gst4611]

as of 2024

[@HouseGuide]

Kevinsills, the members of star trek did not pass on, they just went to a different spot in space and time. By the way, I noticed Bones and Scotty smoking. Minus 20 years.

[@stevenmitchell5319]

@@HouseGuide I was born in 61 as well. Same.

[@pavplus57]

Despite Ellison's claims of "mediocrity", Star Trek is still going strong all these many years later. Up yours, Harlan.

[@motorhead281]

What is this alternate universe where people speak clamly, politely, and intelligently? Today, everyone would be yelling, talking over each other, and laughing like monkeys at even the dullest joke! I really enjoyed seeing my heroes acting like gentlemen in real life!

[@spo616]

Well said&Itake upir point!👍🏻

[@kabiam]

The lunatics have taken over the bridge.

[@skatalyst00]

Great observation. It's so true, it's like violent, aggressive Kirk has increasingly dominated civil life. This interview holds up a mirror to the change. Or maybe a mirror, mirror (sorry, couldn't help myself) 😁

[@fmphotooffice5513]

Aptly put. Take a look at some Allen Ludden game show Password episodes. Compare ANY of them to the fidiots believing they are "entertaining" and clever on today's Password game show. Sheesh...

[@motorhead281]

@@skatalyst00 The Terran Empire has finally conquered us!

[@neiladlington950]

The 70's was my decade and I can state with confidence that StarTrek was more popular then than it was when it first aired in the 60's. That was the decade when it made real money where reruns seemed to be everywhere on every channel.

[@RCINFORMER]

James Doohan really had a good grasp on what Star Trek is... He really cares about it. He's way more than just an actor.

[@lawrencestrabala6146]

Jimmy, your son so captured the essence of Chief Engineer Scott in the fan production Star Trek!!

[@justaskin8523]

He sure did, Lawrence!

[@rameyzamora1018]

Original Trekkie here. Thanks for the appreciation, Walter. Always love you!

[@merkury06]

I did not know Scotty was playing an accent. And Deforest Kelley has a fantastic voice. Chekov was a great addition.

[@Rico-je4yy]

Deforest Kelley sounds like Charlie Rose, a gentle southern accent.

[@user-vg2eg7oo5n]

Tom's hair is tribble inspired.

[@ScreaminJames]

Tom's hair is pet rock-inspired. But Tom's hair has been known to mate wirh Tribbles and...help me out, will ya..??

[@user-vg2eg7oo5n]

The rainbow colours in Tom's hair gave Mick Jagger something to joke about with Dan Akroyd.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Harlan Ellison is Michael Sheen in _Frost/Nixon._

[@BIGELOW.65]

Tom probably borrowed it from William Shatner.

[@sleightofmind2016]

And set to 'stunning!' :)

[@TheSteveSteele]

This is a treat. I’ve never seen this. It’s great to hear Doohan know so much about the technology of Star Trek, being the engineer.

[@YouzTube99]

@TheSteveSteele And it turns out he inspired a lot of people to become engineers: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKLIlZasd52Agdksi=hNyZgZxwqMmz22f9

[@ridiculous_gaming]

Deforest Kelly predicted Star Trek 5. I went to a convention in Seattle in 1990, with both Shatner and Nimoy. It was quite the experience.

[@lookoutforchris]

Casually dropping the plot of Star Trek 5 13 years ahead of time. What an OG.

[@mysterymac38]

Shatner must have stole his idea. lol

[@davidstuart4915]

wow, who was driving? ;)

[@facttrek]

Actually, what Kelley described was similar to the ending of Roddenberry's rejected "Star Trek II" screenplay from the year prior, which fans often refer to as The God Thing (which was the name for the never finished novelization of that story), which climaxed with an entity that took on the popular appearance of Christ and which alternately healed and harmed the crew.

[@stevet7487]

​@@facttrekAnd....elements of that script were used in Star Trek V.

[@51ghardy]

Walter Koenig remains incredibly underrated as an artist and an intellectual.

[@marmaly]

Really?

[@gravitationalslipstream]

Yep. Check out his books. Koenig along with Doohan was way more "intellectual" than what people remember.

[@dancingvirgil]

Underrated by who?

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@dancingvirgil Me, my wife , my 3 kids , my neighbors , the mayor of my city , the mayor’s brother… the list goes on

[@scoho2000]

It's just so hard to get past that atrocious Russian accent. Also, while clearly a smart guy, he comes off as kind of insufferable in this interview.

[@michaeljensen5020]

Growing up in The Projects in NYC in the 60s, "Star Trek" gave me a window to a future filled with adventure, happiness and, moreover, hope. Hope for a future with education, health care, comfort and safety for everyone. Today in my 60s, Star Trek still fills me with the hope I experienced so long ago. I still hope for a future Star Trek opened for us through imagination. Maybe, we will get there...

[@apexerman1]

13:30. Kelley got it right. It was the interest in science and philosophy that gave the show legs after the series stopped. It may not have been ideal for a primetime audience, but exploration, moral quandaries, theoretical questions, engineering, and social commentary reached a segment of viewers thirsting for more than westerns and daily drama. It put science on a pedestal and we were curious for more.

[@SwingingInTheHood]

Yes. I was one of the many young persons influenced by Star Trek to pursue a career in technology.

[@elizabethlanders9805]

Well Said!

[@davidstuart4915]

@@SwingingInTheHood making phasers? :)

[@SwingingInTheHood]

@@davidstuart4915 40 years ago, writing computer programs. Today, programming AI.

[@guidonthief]

I can't watch Tom Snyder without thinking of No Country for Old Men.

[@ianlassitter2397]

James Doohan looks like a bad ass! Deforest was suave as hell.

[@permiek]

Don't you love that De southern smooth drawl

[@tanler7953]

I've always been impressed by the resumes of Kelley and Nimoy. They were veteran actors. They had been in many, many films. I really enjoyed watching them.

[@raptango_na6199]

Whoever posted this video WOW. Thank You! What a wonderful thing to see these actors off script for the first time (for me) all these years later!

[@MrAschiff]

The key to Star Trek's popularity, is the positive view of the future.

[@dino_j]

I agree, but also the friendships and loyalties amongst the characters made for some really memorable moments.

[@motorhead281]

Agreed, and that's why nutrek has failed.

[@chrisbrown7362]

. . . and the skimpy outfits on the alien ladies! Especially the "Baked Potato Woman!"

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@motorhead281 You mean Picrap?

[@motorhead281]

@RideAcrossTheRiver I do enjoy SNW overall... particularly Anson Mount, but it does have its bad moments.

[@VideoNOLA]

A genuine conversation, so CASUAL as to suggest none of them foresaw it would get replayed thousands of times, decades into the future. #irony

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

The actors had just attended the rollout of Space Shuttle _Enterprise._ The ship was named _Constitution,_ but Trek fans wrote NASA and suggested the change.

[@dzines65]

They saw it after the video in September 1976. This is February 1976.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@dzines65 Ah, maybe fans saw this show, THEN did the write-in campaign--?

[@dzines65]

@@RideAcrossTheRivercould be. They would have definitely be talking about it if they had just seen it. Especially James. 👍

[@henrysmiley5878]

Dee Kelley always looked like Dee Kelley. One of the many things I loved about him.

[@signet9542]

I agree with what you're saying. I don't find much difference between D Kelly and Dr. McCoy. It's like he wasn't acting on the show.

[@RichS.73yroldbodybuilder]

Gene Roddenberry used to say that Star Trek was wagon train in space. He had written for that show when it was on TV. That was a show about going out to new environments seeking change. They just moved it into space.💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

[@brooklynrobotworks9866]

Man, this takes me back...I was fourteen when I first saw this...the smoking, the hair, the collars, the tinted glasses...things were so different then...

[@theprofiler8531]

Jimmy Doohan landed on D-day and killed two German snipers. He was later shot six times losing a finger on his hand. It was covered up in the shows.

[@BoycottChinaa]

Salute

[@marcyfan-tz4wj]

perhaps that's why he was losing his patience with harlan!

[@STho205]

He simply didn't like to show it and stage directors worked with him for that preference. The Cage in front of the warp core was extremely useful as he grabbed it as: 🎶...the little ship was tossed 🎶

[@BoycottChinaa]

@@STho205 if not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Enterprise would be lost!

[@STho205]

@@BoycottChinaa on a three year tour. A three year tour.

[@danburnes722]

I really like James Doohan he n this interview.

[@Wizardofgosz]

Ellison was still so angry after they "mucked up" his episode that he was ranting 8 years later. LET IT GO DUDE. How bad could they have mucked it up considering it is most Trek fans' favorite episode?

[@bmiller949]

He had a hissy fit with James Cameron for Terminator. Harlan wrote "Devil with a Glass Hand" for the Outer Limits, which is exactly the story of the Terminator.

[@northernbohemianrealist1412]

You don't know Harlan Ellison. His small size made him tough early on and it never left him. Search out his interviews, especially with Tom. You won't be disappointed.

[@stevejensen3471]

@@northernbohemianrealist1412 Small shrimps complex. Fruitcake!

[@cornfilledscreamer614]

Well - he's been dead for almost 6 years now, so he's not saying as much now.

[@marcmaschal2897]

He comes on and kills the good vibes !

[@valueofnothing2487]

DeForest predicts StarTrek V and everyone laughs about it.

[@DoubleDoubleWithOnions]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@excession30]

When it actually came out it provoked more tears than laughs.

[@stevet7487]

Wow, Shatner was watching.

[@mrFalconlem]

yes and they predicted we werent ready for Star Trek V and im still not, the only good part of that movie was the rock climbing scene.!

[@facttrek]

@facttrek 0 seconds ago What Kelley described was similar to the ending of Roddenberry's rejected "Star Trek II" screenplay from the year prior, which fans often refer to as The God Thing (which was the name for the never finished novelization of that story), which climaxed with an entity that took on the popular appearance of Christ and which alternately healed and harmed the crew. I suspect he was referencing that,

[@funghouls5498]

Star Trek was one of the first beloved shows I watched in the early 70’s and even today, I will watch episodes over again and remember how I felt as a little kid. :)

[@TheSteveSteele]

Same here. I bought the entire series on Apple TV. Looks great.

[@KevinTrotman]

I made an audio recording of this episode on cassette back in '76 when it came on. I played it for friends for years. So nice that the actual video was preserved and is available on KZbin. Thanks for sharing it. It's nice to experience it again.

[@LeadSurge3000]

*Yes! KZbin is really an amazing archive for so many things that may otherwise have been lost to the ages!* 🖖🏼

[@kirk1968]

Mr. Doohan was SUCH a nice guy. I was 18 years old in 1986, and had already been a lifelong fan. Spotted him in the Burbank airport, he was wearing a "Star Trek IV" jacket and I ran up to him and said something like, "Mr. Doohan! My dad and I are lifelong fans, just wanted to shake your hand!" and shake my hand he did. Didn't bother him for an autograph, just meeting him was enough. He's greatly missed.

[@Greg_Chase]

This show with Tom Snyder was filmed live, almost 1/2 a century ago (48 years as of today, March 2024). It's a dang shame they couldn't have been on with the original series as long as Gunsmoke (which was on the air for 20 years). We have 3 years of episodes. It's fun to watch them over and over. It would have been so nice to have 20 years of episodes.

[@jayheinz4624]

I hear what you're saying,, but I do not think the movies would have come about the way they did if the TV series would have kept running.. I think about some of the gunsmoke movies that followed years later ,with James Arness and some of the original cast..

[@Embur12]

Yes they definitely had enough sci-fi material that they could have done another couple of seasons. I'm thankful we at least got at least a third season, thanks to the write in campaign.

[@Greg_Chase]

@@Embur12I didn't know about the write-in campaign, wow. I find it tragic, in a very large way, that only 3 seasons were created. I don't know who the studio execs were who pulled the plug but I hope, when the popularity shot to the stars due to the syndication of those three seasons, I hope those studio execs got fired, had their reputations put in grave doubt, etc. They showed extremely poor judgment. They stole some of the best storytelling in modern times from the entire TV audience around the world. The writers, the cast, the special effects people for that time, did such great work, and it's tragic those executives had the ability to cheat the public that way.

[@skye1212]

So funny w all the smoking. I used to love watching this show. Tom Snyder was an incredible interviewer.

[@kamuelalee]

Smoke was so thick i could barely see them

[@danielyoung1846]

24:15 Kelley jokes that they should do a movie where the Enterprise meets Jesus and finds out he's Lucifer...I'd have to look again, but I think that was the original plot for Star Trek V...

[@test-zl2lw]

even if not, the basic idea definitely was around for a long time already, but i don't remember where i read about it. (or it was another youtube video)

[@patrickt6642]

In that movie spocks half brother thinks he is communiating with God and takes over the enterprise.

[@tennoklark]

He called it 😊

[@facttrek]

@facttrek 0 seconds ago What Kelley described was the ending of Roddenberry's rejected "Star Trek II" screenplay from the year prior, which fans often refer to as The God Thing (which was the name for the never finished novelization of that story), which climaxed with an entity that took on the popular appearance of Christ and which alternately healed and harmed the crew.

[@Jeremiah7-ox2nj]

The sheep dog on Tom's head was well behaved.

[@Raven77559]

NBC hired the best animal trainers.

[@remixandkaraoke]

big LOL!

[@davidevans3227]

makes me laugh when he fluffs it up a bit

[@lr4165]

It's interesting that Kelley suggests a plot where the Crew meet Christ and discover that he's Lucifer. 13 years later, Star Trek V's plot involved the crew meeting God only to discover that he's instead a malevolent alien.

[@davidevans3227]

ever come across an Arthur c Clarke story called 'childhood's end' ?

[@penoyer79]

Doohan was a heavy smoker going back to world world 2 and carried around a metal cigarette case his brother gave him. he took 6 bullets from friendly machine gun fire. one blew off his finger... and a 6th shot would have hit him in the chest, but the bullet hit the cigarette case and bounced off - saving his life

[@dzines65]

A great Canadian!

[@johnmorgan4405]

Walter Koenig is the only one not smoking, and the only one still kicking in 2024.

[@cornfilledscreamer614]

Doohan and Kelley were about 15 years older than Koening, too.

[@nunyabizness6595]

William Shatner. 93.

[@shumla7ranch]

Turned out that Vulcans don't live any longer than humans after all.

[@bouncyfun3]

Who wants to live long in this crazy... climate volatile...trumpified....polluted earth anyway

[@Benjiesbeenbetter.]

​@nunyabizness6595 Shatner and George Takei are immortal as neither is prepared to be outlived by the other.

[@TubeScrewed]

'The Conscience of the King' was incredibly well written. Also 'Charlie X.'

[@boke75]

Fog of smoke culture was strong in the 70's. 😂

[@davidevans3227]

still is, in some places cough cough cough... Llol 🙂 😉

[@gilmer3718]

48 years later and about what 12 movies? Scotty was pretty prescient about the movies, eh? A movie, then another one, then another one after that! DeForrest Kelley's scene in Final Frontier when he was shown his father's death and his part in that death. I loved that scene. He was so human at that point.

[@sflorio]

Walter Koenig seemed the most intelligent of the three cast members, and went head to head with Ellison. And Ellison was what my dad used to call a "puke", just spewing his negativity all over everything.

[@motorhead281]

I really like how the loudmouth with the glasses basically said "it's been 8 years... Trek is dead", (like he was so hoping for that to be true) then, Koenig said "were coming back baby!", which of course was very true!

[@boke75]

Ellison wasn't happy with Roddenberry's script of "City on the Edge of Forever" of which Ellison wrote the original short story. I wouldn't say he was negative...more just angry and mad at the system. He does have a point that TV at the time dumbed down the storylines big time.

[@johnsoos6907]

​@@boke75He was an artist in conflict with the biz. Frustrated.

[@tonyhill1264]

3 years before the Star Trek movie came out in 1979..Wow!!

[@kevinbrennan-ji1so]

The energy of this interview took a decided change when Harlan entered the scene. And he kind of took over (to my chagrin, as I wanted to hear more from the 3 actors). Not knocking Harlan - he had a lot to say and was obviously very passionate about it, but with that overbearing attitude, he needed to be on his own separate segment. His problem is that he espoused to be a comedian while he was being paid to be a writer. And he thought very, very, very, very highly of himself. We've all met people like that in our lives.

[@apexerman1]

No doubt. Harlan was quite opinionated. I can see why Roddenberry didn't want to work with him. I also had to agree with Doohan when Harlan thought Trek was just a cop show in space. There were many episodes the went far beyond the cop show fare. Perhaps Harlan's fear of mediocrity compromised his ability to see the show in a larger framework. Star Trek entertained, but it also inspired interest in science and technology in ways that can't be counted.

[@johnsewell6593]

Rod Serling called Star Trek Inconsistant. Quite an astute observation in my book.

[@FallenStarFeatures]

In retrospect, Ellison's criticism of the willful mediocrity of Prime Time TV in that era was dead on, particularly his disdain for the pig-headed arrogance of network moguls. But the pretentious, classicist attitude Ellison exudes makes him look conceited and condescending. At the time this interview was aired in 1976, Star Wars was still a year off, Star Trek was scraping by on reruns, and science fiction was dismissed as pulp. Ellison was highly talented, but he was no Norman Mailer, and his feud with Roddenbury over "City on the Edge of Forever" served only to make him look petty.

[@Trekbuys]

Ellison's disdain for Trek came from the script change Gene made to "City on the Edge of Forever". The original script was not as TV friendly and Ellison took it personally. It took him decades to get over this. Although Harlan was a prolific writer, yu can see his overblown ego on display as he argues with Jimmy. Oddly enough the episode in question is considered a fan favourite.

[@kevinbrennan-ji1so]

@@Trekbuys Exactly. And Harlan didn't factor budgetary requirements into the mix. At the end of the day, he was a good writer, but a pud as a human being.

[@dskywalker3397]

Tom Snyder's hair is outstanding!

[@notmyrealname6150]

It's interesting to hear James Doohan speak in his real voice.

[@trhansen3244]

Same with the other two.

[@dfo132]

Yeah similar to David Ogden Stiers… their famous characters have strong accents but in real life they’re very much plain whitebread American or Canadian.

[@marcmaschal2897]

I guarantee you most people who watched the show in the 60 s didnt know the accent was fake lol

[@terrythompson6637]

The wafting smoke in the interview, blast from the past.

[@markaustin2474]

Everyone smoked back then

[@jhogan1960]

The smoking really defines the era this was from. I was 16 when this was shown. I loved watching Tomorrow. This was an era when adults did the talking.

[@TheBoxfitter]

The key to their success was character development and humanity.

[@royfr8136]

An honest and articulate interview..... You dont get that these days

[@SJ-mn9ut]

A friendly, honest, positive conversation. The interviewer wasn’t trying a “gotcha,” and the cast was able to share.

[@dr.doolittle4763]

@@SJ-mn9ut Exactly, no 'gotcha' just a relaxed fun interview. A reflection of the 70's in many ways.

[@windnchgo]

Here';s a little irony. I discovered Star Trek when it was broadcast at the 10PM Friday night time slot, most likely because it was one of the few times of the week I didn't have to fight my two brothers, mom or dad for control of the TV. Having said that, it was when it went into syndication that I became obsessed about the show. In Indianapolis, the syndicated show came on after the local late night night news, WTHR channel 13 if I remember correctly. The entire newscast "beamed aboard" the Enterprise at the end of the news cast - which btw included weatherman David Letterman. That's right, the very same David Letterman you're thinking of. It's important to note the reason why I watched the late news wasn't because of the events of the day but because I LOVED that weatherman who I thought was very, very funny. In a way I very much was one of the earliest people to discover what was to become a legend in television history. I was very fortunate person to be at the right place at the right time to become a fan of of both David Letterman and Star Trek.

[@johnsewell6593]

Very Cool anecdote. I've seen some of the clips of Letterman as a weatherman. It is hard to believe he was a Meteorologist. Do you know if he was? In closing -- I've always wondered why you so rarely see the clips of Dave as weatherman. I used to believe he was embarrassed by this stage of his life and maybe he tried to block any screenings of them. Watever it may be , they are seldom seen so consider yourself fortunate as I'm pretty sure its not all that well known about Dave.........JRS.

[@docbohemian1328]

I grew up in Baker City, Oregon. The TV stations back then and this was circa 1979, were that we had a Portland Oregon TV station, A Boise Idaho TV station and A Spokane Washington that showed Star Trek at 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. respectively. Each station showed a different episode and they did this five nights a week. For a 12-year-old kid who loves Star Trek, it was pure Bliss.

[@mrtrek2117]

Been a Star Trek fan all my life and now I'm one year into a five year mission to build the entire interior of that epic Starship in 1:25 scale. All the original cast were just incredible.

[@robertengland8769]

Scotty was one of my favorite characters. "Aye, sir! But I dont know how much longer i can hold it together! She'll break apart!"

[@davidevans3227]

yee canna change the laws of physics cap'n... 🙂

[@freakywayne8790]

Oh wow! Haven’t seen Tomorrow show since it was on the air. Doohan really took his engineering role seriously. I love seeing that.

[@captlazer5509]

At the time of this interview, Mego Toy Company was selling their likenesses in action figures, and the actors weren't getting a dime. They didn't mention the Star Trek Animated series, which they voiced. There was early pre-production of Star Trek Phase 2, which would be a continuation of the series on TV, but the following year, Star Wars hit theaters. I'm glad they were able to be compensated later for their hard work.

[@calkelpdiver]

Walter was right in saying Star Trek was a jumping off point for Science Fiction television and film. It set a standard and vision that it needed to be interesting and provide a mechanism for personal and moral questions. I went to one of the first Star Trek conventions in the 70's as a kid. Everyone of the cast except Shatner and Nimoy were there. There was a Q&A that was done, and they kept it brief and polite. They showed a couple of Blooper reels that were pretty funny with all the mishaps (walking into sliding doors, breaking character, etc.). And the best part was a showing of the original pilot "The Cage" in B&W (they hadn't found the color master yet). I watched most of this episode of Tomorrow back in 76. I didn't last all the way through as it was on way late at night and I had school the next day. I mean c'mon, I was 13 at the time. I stayed up because I heard this was the show that night. I have to admit Star Trek inspired my interests in science and technology. I'm now in my 36th year in the Software Industry.

[@michaelschramm1064]

I myself recall setting the alarm clock for this segment, viewing it in my sophomore year in HS. Seems like yesterday.

[@D.N..]

These fellows are all very articulate and well spoken, so different than today

[@visualonestudio]

It’s kinda sad. Actors used to be high class not because they were rich, but because they were enlightened, articulate and well read.

I was just thinking that myself.

[@curiouspenguin6887]

Any appearance of the Star Trek cast was very precious during the great sci-fi drought of that time.😊

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

There were _Space: 1999_ and The _Starlost._ Lucas borrowed quite a lot from both.

[@sdad6378]

Chekov sporting the serious lapels. Love this interview. 3 of the many greats of a great show.

[@arthouston7361]

What memories this evoked. 1976 is the year I met Jimmy, in Philadelphia of all places. Of everyone apppearing in this segment, Walter is the only living actor left, at age 87. Notice Dee Kelley smoking on the show. I have to wonder if that was the cause of his stomach cancer. Tom Snyder died from Leukemia. That aside, what a great cast. I never got to thank Gene properly for making this all happen.

[@nunyabizness6595]

William Shatner. 93.

[@arthouston7361]

@@nunyabizness6595 Bill was not on this program...

[@tanler7953]

Sadly I have to agree. I lost my Mom to cancer when she was 57. Smoking probably took 20 years off her life.

[@oceanicfeeling3135]

Never actually heard Harlan Ellison's voice. He was even as a young man, the "angry man of science fiction". This was cool.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

_The Starlost_ !

[@alpha-omega2362]

@@RideAcrossTheRiver yikes....I remember that..... how did it end?

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@alpha-omega2362 Garth got a job with the ship police!

[@davefinfrock3324]

@@alpha-omega2362 Someone had to go there. How'd it end? Well, you'd have to ask Cordwainer Bird...

[@jefft786]

Amazing how anyone survived the lack of oxygen from Ellison's ego.

[@freemarketjoe9869]

For anyone lucky enough to have been a cast member on Star Trek, it was like striking gold. Famous forevermore.

[@jonharvey8919]

Nice too hear from James walter and deforest.who they shared the stories sad they not get paid for the work they did deserve royalties ❤

[@my3dviews]

They made a lot of money for the movies though.

[@Stardustceiling]

This video is a time capsule gem! 💎I am so enjoying watching this and feeling like it's 1976 all over again for a little while. Frankly I often wish I could actually time travel back. Those were some good times as you can tell by this video. Thank you so much for recording this and posting it here. 🖖🏻

[@MartinScreeton]

I was dedicated watcher of this program in the 70's.... Tom Snyder interviewed everybody that was anybody. ;)

[@user-ys1jq6kr8z]

..and anybody that was nobody. ;)

[@gerardtoner9191]

You guys were blessed , in England this never aired , we all thought James was a fellow Brit , if anybody ever does go on a 5 year mission my money on you Yanks,

[@yesthatbruce]

In my dorm in college, the only TV station we could pick up was the NBC affiliate, so we watched tons of Tom. That and Saturday Night Live, thank god.

[@Robert08010]

I'm impressed with how much of the technobabble Jimmy knows. It many cast interviews, cast members don't even understand the tech they supposedly run.

[@olecram3544]

One of my life wishes is to have attended at least one Star Trek convention.

[@elvisspringsteen72]

What a wonderful piece of television. I wasn’t expecting Doohan to be so thoughtful and engaged with Star Trek. His passion shone through. Snyder mentions in a piece to camera at the end that this June ‘76 show is a revisit of a show from Feb ‘76. Fascinating how in ‘76 it was all movie talk. Nothing about a new Phase II TV series. When Snyder said it was originally hoped Gene Roddenberry would appear but he pulled out due to having flu. However, when Harlan Ellison came on we release the *real* reason!! He was a pain in the butt. Snyder held this slot on NBC until Late Night with David Letterman took over.

[@freemarketjoe9869]

Very cool having three cast members all together here. What a shame Roddenberry couldn't show up.

[@davidevans3227]

that would've been so cool! with the three actors...

[@deanyanko3326]

this was good late night TV not like the trash on network TV in 2024 .

[@stevencramsie9172]

Stop gatekeeping Gramps, you’re out of touch

[@rossdawgsbrokenspirit9038]

@@stevencramsie9172go watch colbert so he can tell you how to think you dolt

[@LindwayLand]

I think the set is on fire.

[@briggsquantum]

I watched the Tomorrow Show back in the 70's - had a late shift job, usually got home in time to settle down watching Tom and his guests. I had not seen this one until today. Harlan Ellison is one of the very best writer/authors ever in that industry. His reputation preceded him - difficult, opinionated, at times excruciating. But I had not ever seen him interviewed. Interesting how he has a sense of humour and everyone laughs with him, and yet he suddenly trashes Star Trek with some of its greatest actors sitting next to him. The laughter stops. Doohan was visibly upset with him. But Harlan was correct. Fun show but not the greatest thing ever. Harlan kicked James Cameron around a few years later about "Terminator" and won. Got credited in the film with the idea. Harlan was more complex than contemporary reviewers credited him. He was abrasive, but brilliant. Thanks for posting this. I'll watch it again soon.

[@nathancoleman7235]

Deforest Kelly(1920-1999)RIP

[@justaskin8523]

Now that I've watched it and read some of the comments below, I must raise the point that nobody has made as yet. The unsung hero in this whole history was not Captain Kirk. Not Bones, Spock, Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, or any of the other cast or crew. Was not the Enterprise herself, nor her designer, Matt Jeffries. Not even Gene Roddenberry. No no no, my friends. The one unsung hero without whom Star Trek would have never gotten out of spacedock was a spicy little redhead named Lucille Ball. Thank you Lucy. You gave the world one hell of a gift!

[@lovesvegas]

very true!!

[@davidevans3227]

provided money? somebody else would've I'm sure 🙂

[@roberta.6399]

I enjoyed Tom back then. He had fantastic guests and he was an outstanding interviewer, Great sense of humor as well.

[@Mantikal]

One of the other factors that made the stories great is something that they would never do now. They brought in guest writers - who were not union for the Hollywood studios. They instead brought in writers who had cut a name for themselves selling Sci-iFi books in the publishing industry - not insulated from the harsh real world. They either made great stories and as a result sold tons of books or they were out!!!

[@willgilliam9053]

Grew up watching these men in Syndication. I do miss them like many of us

[@MountainDragonMedia]

It's amazing how knowledgeable Jimmy Doohan was about the series, ins and outs and operation of the ship. He was very passionate about the show! DeForest Kelly points out his favorite episode and the challenge being in Star Trek. Very cool thanks for sharing!

[@genegustafson715]

Watched Tom every night. The best of the rest and no one even comes close to his caliber

[@marklatimer7333]

I'd forgotten the horror against humanity that was 1970s men's hair styles, we have a lot to answer for.

[@ricoz2016]

Remember the 'hot comb?' 🙄😲😂 The horror, the horror...

[@RW4X4X3006]

That shit scared me as a kid back then.

[@user-bv7ib4vs2i]

Back when late night, and late-late night talk TV was worth staying up for. Snyder's interview with KISS is a classic. Dan Ackroyd used to do skit parodies of Snyder on SNL. Over the top but totally hilarious.

[@ardalla535]

I liked it when Scottie was in command. He had more of a 'captain persona' than Shatner. "I'll not turn over command of this ship ... "

[@davidevans3227]

when we played star trek in the playground i always wanted to be Scotty.. i'd be left in charge of the ship while they went off doing whatever, getting into trouble.. and i had a great time 🙂 x commanding the log we played on.. (i mean ship..)

[@remaguire]

Enjoyed this. I was a big fan of Snyder when he was on. He didn’t get the recognition he deserved.

[@dljr60]

i miss shows like this

[@jay-day]

I had attended the Start Trek Convention in NYC at the then Commodore Hotel. I remember DeForrest Kelley spoke. In the middle of his speech, fans started begging him to "say it" or something like that. Dee, the obliging gentleman that he is, picked up the Mike and said inn his most serious McCoy voice, declared,o "He's dead, Jim!" to a loud cheering and applauding. James Doohan spoke also. Gene Rodenberry had spoke. Shatner and Nimoy weren't there. I remember meeting David Gerrold (whose first professional writing was the very popular "Tribbles" episode). A young kid at the time, I told him, "I've never met real live writer before". To which, without missing a beat, he responded, "Neither have I. How does it feel?" 😆😂🤣

[@ronpetrosky1814]

I own the series and I still watch on ME TV on Saturday night. This interview was fabulous !

[@PCat2385]

this is such a treat to watch today seeing how Trek was before the first movie and what it expanded to now

[@HellhammerSS]

I love it when I heard that the TOS cast were all for the TNG show and a new cast....except for Doohan, who was WAY against it. Then eventually did an episode for it lol.

[@JohnCee754]

You could see James Doohan bristle when Harlan Ellison dismissed "Star Trek" as basically just another cop show. Ellison's hostility to the show after he angrily objected to Roddenberry's rewrite of his "City on the Edge of Forever" episode was well-known and it's something he apparently couldn't get over.

[@HailAnts]

Wow, I saw this late at night in the summer of '76 as a kid, and haven't seen it since. Had no clue who Harlan Ellison was back then. And smoke, everybody smoke. And my god, those lapels!!