DeForest Kelley (1920-1999)

I met with DeForest Kelley in 1973 to interview him over breakfast at a restaurant in Sherman Oaks, a few miles from the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood where Star Trek , the original series, had been filmed.  This venue turned out to be a poor choice. You will hear restaurant sounds in these recordings along with the voice of DeForest Kelley. This meant that I could not use much of the DeForest Kelley interview in my radio documentary.

However, I’m sure you will appreciate listening to these recordings because DeForest Kelley was so open and so generous with his answers. Over the course of his life, DeForest Kelley rarely sat down for any interviews. That makes this interview all the more special.

I was interested in where DeForest Kelley had come from, and when I mentioned I was at that same time producing a radio documentary about The Waltons television series, he told me about his backwoods Georgia roots and his Baptist minister father. MP3 (0:27)  326K

He went on to explain that Gene Roddenberry wrote Star Trek stories to include a Georgia birthplace for Dr. Leonard McCoy, and that there were plans to do an episode featuring Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) and Dr. McCoy involved in an interracial story. MP3  (0 :43)  510K 

He described being on Star Trek as having had a major influence on his life and compared the character of Dr. Leonard McCoy to a “ghost who won’t let go.” MP3 (0:48)  572K

DeForest Kelley had worked previously with Gene Roddenberry on a pilot called “Police Story.”  And it was because of his work on the pilot that he got the nod to play Dr. Leonard McCoy and created a magic chemistry together with William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk) and Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock). MP3  (3:08)  2214K

In spite of their closeness on Star Trek,  the trio did not socialize after work.  MP3  (0:19)  228K

DeForest Kelley was amazed by Star Trek, both as a viewer of the series and an actor in it. MP3  (1:08)  806K

Did the strong credibility of Star Trek inspire the actors to work extra hard to make it believable?  It certainly did, says Kelley. MP3 (0:20)  242K

The “rather strange feeling of working on Star Trek motivated everyone to help make the show, “very now” and “very real,” contributing to the believability of the unreal story situations. MP3 (1:38)  1158K

One of DeForest Kelley’s very favorite Star Trek episodes was “City on the Edge of Forever,” which, in spite of its fantastic time-travel narrative was played “right down the middle” by the actors. MP3 (0:15)  184K

He noted that the first episode aired in September 1966, “The Man Trap,” was very difficult for him  MP3 (0 :12)  222K

“We’re all part of a little bit of immortality” from having worked on Star Trek, he said.  MP3 (0:26)  306K

Was he a proponent of the American space program?  “Absolutely,” was DeForest Kelley’s answer, noting that our future is “up there in the stars.” MP3 (0:19)  546K

He said it “was very flattering” that people were had such positive and hopeful devotion to Star Trek and its actors. MP3 (1:33)  1096K

Before he was selected to play Dr. McCoy, Kelley played characters who were likable, but bums, and many roles as  “heavies” (bad guys.) MP3 (0:57)  678K

He said that he was interested in legal drama and had hoped he would be chosen to play the lead on Perry Mason. MP3 (0:42)  498K

A very fond memory that DeForest Kelley had was working on the second season episode, “The Deadly Years,” because he got to play a man so advanced in age MP3 (0:25)  298K

In comparing the three seasons of Star Trek, Kelley said he felt the third season was “the worst.” MP3 (0:57)  680K

He wanted to tell me about his “favorite fan letter.” DeForest Kelley told me that he once received a marijuana cigarette from a fan who included it in the letter and wrote:  “You have turned me on so many times, I thought I would return the favor.” MP3  (0:25)  298K