In a 1972 episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, Nimoy played Henry Auden, a recent widower who isn’t too upset that his invalid wife Margaret has passed away. Although he loved her, he can’t help feeling mildly relieved at his freedom from his constant care of his late wife. A creepy friend of Margaret’s gets him a cat who’ll ‘be company for him’, but Henry is slowly driven crazy between still hearing the bell his wife used to ring, and a sneaking suspicion that this little kitty is actually a wild cat out to kill him… The episode also co-starred Kathryn Hayes, whom Trek fans will recognize as “Gem” from The Empath (I always like it when actors get to work more than once together in different venues). Here, they argue and almost kiss. (It always seemed to be ‘almost’ or no kissing for Nimoy whenever he appeared in these ’70’s shows; maybe the TV execs were afraid his fans would simultaneously combust a the sight…) Even though Nimoy’s character here wasn’t the nicest, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for his fate. Ironically, Nimoy’s always been an animal lover in reality, but not here!
Night Gallery
My Weekly Spock 3/4/13 That Eyebrow!
As a kid I used to marvel at how Mr. Spock could raise just one eyebrow- and I practiced until I could (sort of ) raise my right one –mostly by pushing my left one down. But Nimoy does this with ease, and incorporated it into a surprise reaction from not only Spock, but several other characters as well, making it one of his trademarks. It’s a wonder that right eyebrow didn’t climb straight off his forehead!