John Meredyth Lucas
Encyclopedia
John Meredyth Lucas was an American writer, primarily for television.
He was the son of screenwriter Bess Meredyth
and writer/director Wilfred Lucas
, and the adopted son of director Michael Curtiz
.
, where he attended a number of schools, including Urban Military Academy
, Southwestern Military Academy, Pacific Military Academy, and Beverly Hills High School
. After a failed attempt at college, he began his Hollywood career with a job as an apprentice script clerk at Warner Brothers.
He is best remembered for the work he did on Star Trek
as a writer, producer and director. He wrote four episodes for the Star Trek series from 1967 to 1969, "That Which Survives", "Elaan of Troyius", "Patterns of Force", and "The Changeling". He also directed the 1968 Star Trek episodes "The Ultimate Computer, "The Enterprise Incident" and "Elaan of Troyius". Lucas was also credited as producer for much of the second season (1967-1968). He was the only writer on the original series to direct an episode he had authored ("Elaan of Troyius").
He also wrote for Mannix
, The Fugitive
, The Six Million Dollar Man
, and the television adaptations of Planet of the Apes
and Logan's Run. Dark City
and Peking Express
were among his feature film writing credits.
He was cremated and his ashes were launched into space on a suborbital flight in 2007. They were subsequently launched on an orbital flight on 2 August 2008, however the rocket failed two minutes after launch.
He was the son of screenwriter Bess Meredyth
Bess Meredyth
Bess Meredyth was a film writer and silent film actress. The wife of the Casablanca director Michael Curtiz, Meredyth wrote The Affairs of Cellini and adapted The Unsuspected . She was one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
and writer/director Wilfred Lucas
Wilfred Lucas
Wilfred Lucas was a Canadian stage and film actor, film director, and screenwriter.-Career:A native of Ontario, Canada, Lucas headed to New York City to work in the theater, making his Broadway acting debut in 1904 at the Savoy Theater in the production of The Superstition of Sue...
, and the adopted son of director Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...
.
Career
He grew up in Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, where he attended a number of schools, including Urban Military Academy
Urban Military Academy
Urban Military Academy was a boarding and day school in Hollywood, California, for boys between the ages of six and fifteen, founded in 1905 by Mary McDonnell and at the time it opened "the only private school for boys in the City." Its commandant was Major Harry Lee Black, who in 1928 helped...
, Southwestern Military Academy, Pacific Military Academy, and Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. Beverly is part of the Beverly Hills Unified School District and located on on the west side of Beverly Hills, at the...
. After a failed attempt at college, he began his Hollywood career with a job as an apprentice script clerk at Warner Brothers.
He is best remembered for the work he did on Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
as a writer, producer and director. He wrote four episodes for the Star Trek series from 1967 to 1969, "That Which Survives", "Elaan of Troyius", "Patterns of Force", and "The Changeling". He also directed the 1968 Star Trek episodes "The Ultimate Computer, "The Enterprise Incident" and "Elaan of Troyius". Lucas was also credited as producer for much of the second season (1967-1968). He was the only writer on the original series to direct an episode he had authored ("Elaan of Troyius").
He also wrote for Mannix
Mannix
Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors...
, The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
, The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
, and the television adaptations of Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes (TV series)
Planet of the Apes was a short-lived American science fiction television series that aired on Friday evenings at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Central on CBS in 1974. The series starred Roddy McDowall, Ron Harper, and James Naughton, Mark Lenard and Booth Colman...
and Logan's Run. Dark City
Dark City (1950 film)
Dark City is a 1950 film noir. The casting of Charlton Heston—in his first Hollywood film appearance—as a petty hood is unusual in light of his subsequent career. The film also features Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, who both went on to co-star in Dragnet. The musical score was composed by Franz...
and Peking Express
Peking Express
Peking Express is a Dutch/Flemish reality game show that follows a series of couples as they hitchhike to or from Beijing . The series has already gone through five seasons. In The Netherlands it is screened by Net 5 and in Belgium by VT4. A German version was shown in 2004...
were among his feature film writing credits.
He was cremated and his ashes were launched into space on a suborbital flight in 2007. They were subsequently launched on an orbital flight on 2 August 2008, however the rocket failed two minutes after launch.
Star Trek episode credits
- "The Changeling" (1967) (writer)
- "Patterns of Force" (1968) (writer)
- "The Ultimate Computer" (1968) (director)
- "The Enterprise Incident" (1968) (director)
- "Elaan of Troyius" (1968) (writer and director)
- "That Which Survives" (1969) (teleplay)