If you didn’t catch the Tony Awards last night, in the memorial section Leonard’s picture was among the many 🙁 I do love the photo they chose to represent him; one of my favorites. I’ll add a copy of that picture when I find it!
Leonard had done a couple of plays on Broadway, Full Circle and Equus. And he had a theater named after him at Symphony Space in NYC. I’m glad the Tony’s remembered him as more than Mr. Spock.
Here’s some stage appearances from Mr. Nimoy, who did a lot of theater in the 1970’s. I wish I could have seen one of these. It looks like pure delight (and hard work) for the actor who loves theater like his own child.
Good Morning Scrappers! Here’s today’s flashback:
Another page of assorted bits notably, a postcard from TV Guide, thanking me for my letter to the editor (I was curious as to why Mr. Asimov did not mention Star Trek in the article “What makes good Science Fiction?”) They didn’t print my letter, of course, (I was such a dope!) but it was nice to be acknowledged. And why is there a picture of Prince Charles, looking somewhat fey here, in my Star Trek scrapbook? He’s watching the space shuttle Enterprise of course. Ironically, this was a key to my next scrapbook obsession; the Prince’s future wife, Diana Spencer, who was the same age as I. (I’ll be posting those scrapbooks here too eventually, in their own section)
And then one last look at Equus, for Nimoy’s run in it was quite successful. First, a blurb explaining Nimoy’s variety of jobs and salaries, and how the actor kept his integrity through it all. Interesting comment at the end “I can be bought, but if you bore me, we’re through!” (I’m guessing it was a LOT of money that got him to do the first Star Trek picture, which was incredibly boring!) This article was sent to me by my Aunt Eileen from Piscataway NY, clipped from my Uncle Eddie’s Money magazine. I always knew when something was from Aunt Eileen, for she loved the fancy font ball on her electric typewriter, which you can see here. (Her actual cursive handwriting was beautiful too; an art that is sadly dying out in the digital age).
On a lighter note, my mom, our neighbor Flo Watts, and Flo’s Aunt Sue took a day trip to NYC to see Equus with Leonard Nimoy!!! (and WHY was I not invited?). Mom said Nimoy was wonderful (rub it in, Ma!-just kidding!) and apparently, my sweet, devout, Catholic mom handled the full nudity in the play well (no, not Nimoy, but Mr. Ralph Seymore as the troubled youth…okay, this was why I wasn’t invited) You can at right see my pretty Mom (in blue jacket) with Ralph and Sue , and on the left, Sue with Flo (a great native New Yawker) in her rain bonnet with the big picture of Nimoy and Seymore.
I dedicate this post to Flo Watts and Eileen and Eddie Porowski, whom I all love and miss very much.
Here’s today’s flashback: From 1977, it’s amazing that show canceled eight years prior was now syndication gold! 
Who’d a thunk it? Certainly not Roddenberry! Also a few notes from the last few times Nimoy was in Equus, the space shuttle Enterprise has a successful third test drive, and talk of a possible ‘fourth network’ on television (for you youngsters, back in 1977, there were only THREE major commercial networks in America, ABC, CBS, and NBC). I remember thinking at the time that a fourth network wouldn’t happen, and I had further doubts that Trek would come back as a TV series. Of course, more commercial networks would pop up, but not for a good 18 years (remember UPN?).
Here’s today’s flashback: July 1977, more clippings from TV Guide. My parents had a subscription, so I was on top of every listing, paragraph, and blurb about anything related to Trek–definitely not what other 16 year old girls were doing at that age! (Geez, no wonder I never had a date in High School!) More news about the proposed new Star Trek TV series (it was titled Star Trek Phase II), Gene Roddenberry admits concern over how Trekkies may take the new improved special effects, Nimoy appears on an episode of the syndicated afternoon talk show The Mike Douglas Show (my Mom watched this almost every day), and Nimoy makes another appearance on Dick Clark’s The $20,000 Pyramid. But the most exciting thing for me in this month was that Nimoy was (finally) featured in a 5 page article in People magazine! (Now, if they had only put him on the cover as he deserved!) It’s a fine article about Nimoy and his family in NYC during Equus, his struggle to be seen as something other than Mr. Spock, and a great study on his take as Dr. Dysart in the Broadway production. A bonus is definitely the photo of him riding a horse and clowning in a Mr. Spock Tee-shirt that reads “Leonard Who?” (I must say, for a man of 46, which seemed so old to me at the time, he was remarkably trim!) The final quote in the article defines Nimoy even as he is today: “The day I’m satisfied, I’m finished!” 
Here’s today’s flashback (something to get you east-coasters minds briefly off of Hurricane Sandy–Stay Safe Everyone!)
From The New York Times in 1977, here’s a nice, long interview with Nimoy in his rented Manhattan apartment, talking about Equus, Star Trek, and being prescient about what roles he will play (He knew he’ play Dysart, he knew he’d play Sherlock Holmes). At this point, he was heavily lobbying to play the vampire Lestat in ‘Interview with the Vampire‘ that Paramout had just bought.
I don’t think he foresaw that it wouldn’t be made until 1993 and that Tom Cruise would get the part — I wonder if it would have been better if it had been made in the late 70s or early 80’s with Nimoy in the role. We can only imagine.
Here’s today’s flashback; From 1977, Leonard Nimoy got to Broadway as the 5th actor to portray Dr. Martin Dysart in Peter Shaffer’s Equus. The drama was about disturbed young man fanatically obsessed with horses. I bet he was delighted to be on Broadway (his second time, the first in 1973 in Full Circle with Bibi Anderson). and this was the first time I bought an issue of The New York Times just to get some articles! You can see Nimoy’s passion for the theater, and his regrets that he didn’t come to Broadway sooner.
My Mom and two of her friends went to NYC later that year and saw the show! Why oh why didn’t she take me with her? (It’s okay Mom, I’d meet him in 1978!)
Tomorrow: More Equus
