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RIP Harve Bennett

harve_bennett MEDFORD, Ore.–Harve Bennett, who produced four “Star Trek” movies and the TV series “Mod Squad,” “The Six Million Dollar Man” and “The Bionic Woman,” died here March 4. He was 84.

MSTies will remember that he was also the executive producer and creator of the TV series “Gemini Man,” seen in episode 814- RIDING WITH DEATH.

Variety has an obit here.

Thanks to Paul for the heads up.

16 Replies to “RIP Harve Bennett”

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  1. Dan in WI says:

    When I think Harve Bennett I think of his contributions to the Star Trek movie franchise.

    I’m 41. I’m about as young as you can possible be and still have a memory of seeing Star Wars first run (remember back when movies had more than one run?) in a theater. I grew up with Star Wars and it grew up with me. On the other hand I never cared for Star Trek The Original Series nor did Star Trek The Motion Picture did anything to change my mind. Then along came Bennett and The Wrath of Kahn and suddenly there was a second space based franchise in my life. There is no doubt in my mind Star Trek never would have been anything but a 60’s syndication rerun phenomenon without him. He and his team is what made that franchise truly live again.

       10 likes

  2. WeatherServo9 says:

    This has been a tough few days for Star Trek.

       11 likes

  3. MSTie says:

    RIP Now he’s as elusive as Robert Denby.

       5 likes

  4. robot rump! says:

    well, at least spock has someone else to talk to besides scotty.

       3 likes

  5. jaybird3rd says:

    This is a sad time indeed for classic Star Trek fans: we just recently lost Leonard Nimoy, and now Harve Bennett is gone, too.

    Bennett was involved in many TV shows and movies beyond those already mentioned (my Dad’s favorite was the short-lived “Salvage 1”), but he certainly worked wonders for “Star Trek”. Nimoy referred to the franchise as a “beached whale” after “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”, and Bennett was the one who was most responsible for getting it back on track. Without the success of “Star Trek II” through “Star Trek IV”, I don’t think we would have seen “Star Trek: The Next Generation” or any of the Trek productions which followed it.

    Bennett was unfamiliar with Star Trek when he was given the assignment to make “Star Trek II”, but he watched every episode and really understood what made “Star Trek” at its best work so well, and I think his writing and his whole approach to the series and characters reflected that. I still like his Trek movies much more than the current incarnation under J.J. Abrams. The Abrams movies may be skillfully-produced action movies, and may bring in lots of box office dollars, but as I see them, they aren’t really true to the spirit of “Star Trek”.

       9 likes

  6. Johnny's nonchalance says:

    I see Ben Murphy turns 73 today. They always come in threes…

       2 likes

  7. radioman970 says:

    I placed a big order with amazon near Christmas. In Search Of boxset with Nimoy. Now he’s gone. Same order, Mod Squad complete series. I promise I ordered nothing MST3K related!!!

       3 likes

  8. jaybird3rd says:

    @#7: I have the “In Search Of” box set also, and I’d highly recommend it to everyone. It was a great series, and with the impressive intellectual range that he brought to it, Nimoy was the perfect host. He even wrote one very good episode on the life of Vincent van Gogh, after having portrayed van Gogh years earlier in a one-man play.

    Another item I’d highly recommend is “Mind Meld”, a conversation between Shatner and Nimoy that was filmed in Nimoy’s backyard. That may not sound very interesting, but they’re both such fascinating people that I was left wanting even more.

       2 likes

  9. Bad Wolf says:

    I watched a lot of Harve Bennett’s interviews in the Six Million Dollar Man DVDs not long ago. He really had a strong hand in several things that were very important to me as a youngster–and are fondly remembered now. I recommend them to hear about an interesting life and man!

       2 likes

  10. Doug Glassman says:

    jaybird3rd:
    This is a sad time indeed for classic Star Trek fans: we just recently lost Leonard Nimoy, and now Harve Bennett is gone, too.

    Plus Maurice Hurley died recently. Admittedly he did nearly destroy TNG before the show could get its footing, but at the very least he provided SF Debris with some good snark material.

       1 likes

  11. Th1rt3eN says:

    looking in the local paper to find his obituary…. it’s as elusive as Robert Denby!

       1 likes

  12. Goshzilla says:

    If Hollywood deaths really do come in threes (which is nonsense), Nicholas Meyer might want to get his effects in order.

       1 likes

  13. jaybird3rd says:

    I never understood the whole “death comes in threes” thing, either. People are dying all over the world all the time, so their deaths only come in threes if you group them together in threes.

       3 likes

  14. radioman970 says:

    @8. I didn’t know he had a one man show. Can’t wait to see that episode. and absolutely, all his fans should grab ISO after the price drops back down. It was $40-50 before LN died. It’s like Unsolved Mysteries in the 80s. And One Step Beyond in the 60s.

       0 likes

  15. Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy says:

    robot rump!:
    well, at least spock has someone else to talk to besides scotty.

    What am I? Chopped liver?

       6 likes

  16. MSTie says:

    Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy: What am I? Chopped liver?

    You’re dead, Jim.

       1 likes

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