Journey back to Talos IV this Wednesday when Larry Nemecek (aka “Dr. Trek”), talks to Robert Butler, the director of “The Cage”, in a special live web teleconference that should thrill Trek and pop culture buffs alike.
Robert Butler had a long and varied directing career, helming The Fugitive, Batman, Mission: Impossible, Hill Street Blues, Moonlighting, and countless other shows in a 37-year career that dates back to the late 1950’s. He is best known to Star Trek fans for directing the show’s first pilot, which ultimately was rejected and later repurposed as the two-part first season episode “The Menagerie”, where we met Christopher Pike, Vina, and those mysterious fellows with the big heads, the Talosians.
Portal 47, Larry Nemecek’s online service, which offers a “monthly insider deep-dive” into the world of Star Trek, is speaking to Robert Butler this Wednesday in a live teleconference at 7pm Pacific/10pm Eastern. In honor of Portal 47’s first anniversary, the show will be free. To listen in and send Robert your questions, you must reserve a virtual “seat”, which you can do here.
More information on the event and Portal 47 can be found at Larry’s Trekland website.
This is great! Looking forward to it.
According to IMDB, Robert Butler is 89 years old — how wonderful that he’s still around to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek!
I remember in a late 80s interview him discussing the possibility of directing TWOK for Bennett, but Butler wanting to do it ‘dirty’ (alien/star wars/used look), which I guess had been his inclination for THE CAGE as well. I know it flies against convention, but if they’d gone for the Sowards idea of Starfleet abandoning ‘boldly go’ for TWOK to put Kirk into his midlife crisis, the vision of a Starfleet with coffee-stained uniforms could have really worked.
Butler’s pilot track record is pretty phenomenal!
I was on the call and it was an excellent interview. Robert Butler was very nice and open about his experiences, gave plenty of credit to others, and even had a good sense of humor. Many thanks to Larry and Robert!
This wasn’t archived????? Guess I’ll never hear/see it then! POO!