1973–1974 C
h
a
p
t
e
r
T
W
E
L V
E
Exploring Strange New Galaxies
I
n February we made a deal with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Records to release the soundtrack to Fat Albert, and Ringling was considering concert and fair appearances. It was supposed to be through their Wheel Records label. In March Norm gave an interview to the Hollywood Reporter, boldly proclaiming “Disney Yesterday—Filmation Today.” It was hyperbole, but at that point we were riding high. Our production deal with Warner meant the films we were doing had funding; on the boards at that time were Oliver Twist, Treasure Island, and Huckleberry Finn. And our production deals for Star Trek and My Favorite Martians became public knowledge as of this article. At the end of March, NBC announced their new fall schedule, decimating their previous line-up. Seven first-season shows were cancelled in an attempt to stop the hemorrhaging that the network was feeling on Saturday mornings. They finally bought a series from us: the aforementioned Star Trek. William Shatner, who had already worked with us on several previously mentioned liveaction projects, agreed to reprise his voice as Captain James T. Kirk, which gave us a powerful chip in dealing with the other actors and the sure-to-be-vocal Star Trek fans. Nichelle Nichols signed on in May. A few weeks later, ABC and CBS both announced their schedules. ABC was keeping The Brady Kids and adding new episodes, as well as picking up Lassie’s Rescue Rangers and Mission: Magic! as new series. CBS dropped Sabrina from the schedule, but kept Archie under a new title, Everything’s Archie—although no new episodes were ordered, making this a rerun season—in addition to keeping Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and adding My Favorite Martians. That meant four new shows, two returning series with new episodes, and one all-repeat show, on all three networks. To put it mildly, we were doing well. In June CBS stole our consultants. By now Allan “Duke” Ducovny was director of children’s programs for CBS, and he liked our use of consultants on Fat Albert so much that he hired Dr. Gordon Berry and Dr. Roger Francesky to oversee the development, planning, and concept for all of CBS’s kids shows. Berry credited Filmation in interviews, noting that we had responded well to any changes or critiques
Opposite: Presentation art for Star Trek Above: Image of the animated U.S.S. Enterprise CHAPTER 12: EXPLORING STRANGE NEW GALAXIES
95