Star Trek has these little, unique stories that surround its production. Little things that happened that didn’t happen on other shows. This week, we’ve got another one of those stories. But it's a bigger deal. Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto discuss the studio that produced Star Trek, Desilu. When the show first went into production, the studio was owned by Hollywood and TV great, Lucille Ball. Lucy liked Star Trek and saved the show on several occasions. A great example of her loyalty came on the last day of production on the second pilot, Where No Man Has Gone Before. Sand was accumulating on the camera dolly tracks. Lucy grabbed a broom and began sweeping the sand away to keep the production on track. In 1967 Lucy decided to sell Desilu to Paramount which was owned by Gulf+ Western. While it was the end of Desilu, this sale was necessary for the rebirth of Star Trek in the 1970s. Only a studio the size of Paramount had the capital, the vision and the ability to invest in multiple development projects in 1975, ’76 and ’77 and then be able to see it through to the opening of The Motion Picture in 1979.
