Joseph Pevney, 96; directed popular 'Star Trek' episodes
LOS ANGELES - Joseph Pevney, a film and television director who directed some of the most popular episodes of the original "Star Trek" television series in the late 1960s, has died. He was 96.
Mr. Pevney, a former Broadway actor who played supporting roles in several films in the late 1940s before directing movies such as "Man of a Thousand Faces" and "Tammy and the Bachelor," died May 18 of age-related causes at his home in Palm Desert, Calif., said his wife, Margo.
Focusing on television from the early 1960s to the mid-'80s when he retired, Mr. Pevney directed episodes of numerous television series such as "Wagon Train," "The Munsters," "The Fugitive," "Bonanza," "12 O'Clock High," "The Virginian," "Adam-12," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "Emergency," "The Incredible Hulk," "Fantasy Island," "Medical Center," and "Trapper John, M.D."
But "Star Trek," the classic science-fiction series that ran on NBC from 1966 to 1969, proved to be Mr. Pevney's most enduring television credit as a director.
As has been noted on "Star Trek" fan sites since his death, Mr. Pevney directed 14 episodes of the original series, tying with the late Marc Daniels as the credited director of the most episodes.
Mr. Pevney directed some of the top fan-favorite episodes, including "The City on the Edge of Forever," "Amok Time," "The Trouble With Tribbles," and "Journey to Babel."
"The first half of the second year of the show, when he was alternating with Marc Daniels, is regarded as the best part of the series," said Jeff Bond, author of "The Music of Star Trek" and editor of the magazine Geek Monthly. "That's when it hit its stride. There was more humor, it was more adventurous, and the tone, I think, was lighter."
George Takei, who played Sulu on the series, recalled Mr. Pevney as being "very organized and authoritarian" as a director.
"He was very precise in what he wanted," Takei said, "but he was [also] very relaxed - in fact, jovial - in the way he directed. I enjoyed working with him."
Born in New York City, Mr. Pevney launched his more than 60-year show-business career in 1924 as a boy soprano in vaudeville.
After becoming an actor, he appeared on Broadway in the '30s and '40s in plays such as "Battle Hymn," "The World We Make," "Native Son," and "Home of the Brave."
Mr. Pevney appeared in "Thieves' Highway," "The Street With No Name," and "Body and Soul," the classic boxing film in which he played John Garfield's feisty pal, Shorty Polaski.
He made his debut as a film director with "Shakedown," a 1950 film noir with Howard Duff, Brian Donlevy, and Lawrence Tierney.
Mr. Pevney went on to direct more than 35 movies, most of them in the '50s, including "Meet Danny Wilson" (starring Frank Sinatra and Shelley Winters), "3 Ring Circus" (starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis), "Female on the Beach" (starring Joan Crawford and Jeff Chandler), and "Twilight for the Gods" (starring Rock Hudson and Cyd Charisse).
At his peak at Universal-International in 1957, Mr. Pevney had three movies open simultaneously in Los Angeles theaters: "Man of a Thousand Faces," a biographical drama about silent film star Lon Chaney, starring James Cagney; "Tammy and the Bachelor," a comedy-romance starring Debbie Reynolds; and "The Midnight Story," a crime-drama starring Tony Curtis.
Mr. Pevney retired in 1985 and moved to Palm Desert several years later.
His first wife, actress Mitzi Green, died in 1969; his second wife, Philippa, died in 1996; and his son David died in 1998.
In addition to Margo, his wife of six years, and his son Jay, Mr. Pevney leaves his daughter, Jan Pevney Holt; his son Joel; two grandchildren; and three great grandchildren. 