Joseph Pevney, R.I.P.

Director Joseph Pevney died May 18 of age-related causes at his home in Palm Desert. Though he directed more than 35 theatrical films, including Man of a Thousand Faces and Tammy and the Bachelor, Pevney is best known for directing classic TV shows in the 1960s and 70s. 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. were all shows Pevney worked on, but he is best rememebered for the 14 episodes of Star Trek he helmed.

Among Pevney's episodes are the classics The City on the Edge of Forever, Amok Time, The Trouble With Tribbles and Journey to Babel.

The Trouble With Tribbles, written by David Gerrold, is one of the most popular and most fondly remembered episodes of the original Star Trek series. Jeff Bond, author of The Music of Star Trek and editor of the magazine Geek Monthly said Pevney directed "the first real comedy episode of the series, 'The Trouble With Tribbles,' which was a complete, all-out comedy about the ship sort of getting infested with a bunch of furry creatures. And he certainly worked on some of the strongest dramatic episodes."

Time Amok features Mr. Spock returning to his homeworld for a brutal Vulcan marriage ritual. It is the only episode of the original series to have scenes on the planet Vulcan.

Journey to Babel features the first appearance of Sarek and Amanda, the parents of Mr. Spock. In this episode, the Enterprise must transport dignitaries to a peace conference, with an assassin on the loose.

The City on the Edge of Forever was written by Harlan Ellison and guest-starred Joan Collins. It was one of the most critically acclaimed episodes of the series and was awarded the 1968 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. The filmed version of The City on the Edge of Forever is considered the best episode of the original series by many critics such as Entertainment Weekly. TV Guide ranked it #68 in their 100 Most Memorable Moments in TV History feature in its July 1, 1995 edition, and also featured it in another issue on the 100 greatest TV episodes of all time.

What I loved about this episode is that unlike most shows on TV, The City on the Edge of Forever features real drama, as opposed to the meladrama we normally see. At the end of the episode, Kirk must make a choice for which there is no good solution; no matter what he picks, he loses and that is the heart of true drama.