Gerald Perry Finnerman

Director of Photography
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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About
About this interview

In his five-hour interview, Gerald Perry Finnerman (1931-2011) speaks about his early years and working as a cinematographer in the army. He talks about working as the cinematographer for Star Trek, where he gained a reputation for being able to properly light planets and female actors. He discusses his relationship with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and actors William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Finnerman recalls working on several films for actor Sidney Poitier, as well as working on the series Night Gallery, Emergency!, and Kojak, for which he was nominated for an Emmy award. He details his tumultuous years as cinematographer for Moonlighting, including shooting the infamous episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice." Karen Herman conducted the interview on October 8, 2002 in Studio City, CA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"Directors of photography create the mood of the show. They create the dimension. They tell a story with their lights."

People Talking About ...
Gerald Perry Finnerman
Highlights
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the challenge of making planets look real on Star Trek
01:27
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the Star Trek episode "Space Seed" starring Ricardo Montalban
03:26
Gerald Perry Finnerman on his professional fears as a cinematographer on Star Trek
02:22
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Barbara Bain on Mission: Impossible
04:48
Gerald Perry Finnerman on lighting Cybill Shepherd on Moonlighting
02:19
Gerald Perry Finnerman on filming the black and white Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
08:03
Full Interview

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Chapter 1
On his early life and influences; on becoming a cinematographer; on his earliest experiences with television, during his time in the Army
On how he came to be hired by Gene Roddenberry as cinematographer on Star Trek; on how Star Trek was initially described to him, and on his early ideas for the show

Chapter 2
On his ideas as cinematographer for Star Trek, and on being "too artsy"; on his mentor, Harry Stradling, and on various experiences of directors of photography
On the colors of Star Trek; on the challenge of making planets look real on Star Trek
On being cinematographer for Mission: Impossible; on working with Barbara Bain on Mission: Impossible
On working with Gene Roddenberry on Star Trek; on working with producer Robert Justman on Star Trek

Chapter 3
On his professional fears as a cinematographer on Star Trek; on dealing with the color scheme on Star Trek, and on the visual style of the show; on working with Leonard Nimoy's deep set eyes and William Shatner's hair pieces on Star Trek
On the equipment used to shoot Star Trek, and on the special effects of the show; on working with the crew on Star Trek; on making the Enterprise lurch forward or stop short on Star Trek, and on the challenges of lighting the interior
On creating the special effects that made the Enterprise fly on Star Trek; on working with William Shatner and as "Captain James T. Kirk" and the rest of the cast on Star Trek; on working with his friend DeForest Kelley as "Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy," and on using "diffusion" on women and men
On working with Walter Koenig as "Pavel Chekov" and Nichelle Nichols as "Lt. Nyota Uhura" on Star Trek; on working with, and sometimes conflicting with, the directors of Star Trek including Joseph Pevney

Chapter 4
On Star Trek directors Ralph Senensky, Marc Daniels, and Joseph Pevney; on dealing with the budgets of Star Trek as the cinematographer; on specific episodes of Star Trek
On various episodes of Star Trek, including "Space Seed" with Ricardo Montalban; on his favorite Star Trek episodes
On color correction on Star Trek; on exiting Star Trek in 1968 to work on a feature starring Sidney Poitier and directed by Robert Alan Aurthur

Chapter 5
On working in feature film with Sidney Poitier; on his decision to leave television for a while, and on surviving a plane crash
On lighting episodes of Night Gallery and Emergency!; on his more "gritty" work on Kojak; on working with Telly Savalas on Kojak, and on being nominated for an Emmy for the show

Chapter 6
On being director of photography on the Planet of the Apes series; on the challenge of filming Planet of the Apes with the prosthetics the actors wore; on being director of photography for Police Woman, being signed to work at Columbia Television, and working with different types of film stock
On working with Buzz Kulik on the made for television movies Kill Me if You Can, Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women, and From Here to Eternity; on coping with not working during a long strike, and on various director of photography jobs in feature films; on the challenges of doing cinematography for made-for-television movies

Chapter 7
On turning down the opportunity to be the cinematographer for Star Trek again, and on working with Gene Roddenberry; on Larry Parks and the Hollywood Blacklist
On working with Lloyd Bridges while he was starring on Capital News; on missing out on work with Buzz Kulik
On working on Moonlighting; on lighting Cybill Shepherd on Moonlighting

Chapter 8
On being director of photography on Moonlighting, and on lighting Cybill Shepherd; on filming the black and white Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
On working with Bruce Willis on Moonlighting, and on his five Emmy nominations; on the musical numbers on Moonlighting, including one staged by Stanley Donen; on directing a Moonlighting episode guest-starring Imogene Coca

Chapter 9
On directing an episode of Moonlighting; on doing a takeoff of Casablanca on Moonlighting ; on the Moonlighting episode "Atomic Shakespeare," and on the crazy shooting schedule
On working with show creator Glenn Gordon Caron on Moonlighting, and on battles with show stars Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis; on the end of Moonlighting

Chapter 10
On Orson Welles appearing in the Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"; on shooting Room for Two with Linda Lavin; on shooting Double Rush for producer Diane English
On shooting New York Daze; on retiring from the business
On the cinematographer's relationship with the director, and on what he looks for in a gaffer; on how he would like to be remembered
Shows

Capital News

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working on Capital News
10:35

Double Rush

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on shooting Double Rush for producer Diane English
02:59

Emergency!

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on lighting Emergency!, and on problems he had lighting the fire station exterior
02:45

Emmy Awards, The (Primetime and Daytime)

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Telly Savalas on Kojak, and on being nominated for an Emmy for the show
02:12

Kojak

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on his more "gritty" work on Kojak
01:41
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Telly Savalas on Kojak, and on winning an Emmy for the show
02:12

Mission: Impossible

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on being cinematographer for Mission: Impossible
02:29
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Barbara Bain and Steven Hill on Mission: Impossible
04:48

Moonlighting

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working on Moonlighting
03:26
Gerald Perry Finnerman on lighting Cybill Shepherd on Moonlighting
02:19
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being director of photography on Moonlighting, and on lighting Cybill Shepherd
08:03
Gerald Perry Finnerman on filming the black and white Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
08:03
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Bruce Willis on Moonlighting, and on his five Emmy nominations
05:25
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the musical numbers on Moonlighting, including one staged by Stanley Donen
05:58
Gerald Perry Finnerman on directing a Moonlighting episode guest-starring Imogene Coca
01:28
Gerald Perry Finnerman on directing an episode of Moonlighting featuring Allyce Beasley as "Agnes DiPesto" and guest-starring Imogene Coca
06:11
Gerald Perry Finnerman on doing a takeoff of Casablanca on Moonlighting
04:39
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the Moonlighting episode "Atomic Shakespeare," on the crazy shooting schedule, and shooting Cybill Shepherd
05:43
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with show creator Glenn Gordon Caron on Moonlighting, and on battles with show stars Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis
06:49
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the end of Moonlighting
01:28
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the legacy of Moonlighting
03:16

Moonlighting: "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on filming the black and white Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
08:03
Gerald Perry Finnerman on Orson Welles appearing in the Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
03:33

Night Gallery

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on lighting episodes of Night Gallery
03:12

Planet of the Apes

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on being director of photography on the Planet of the Apes series
01:17
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the challenge of filming Planet of the Apes with the prosthetics the actors wore
01:09

Police Woman

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on being director of photography for Police Woman
09:05

Room for Two

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on shooting Room for Two
04:55

Star Trek

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on how he came to be hired by Gene Roddenberry as cinematographer on Star Trek
05:44
Gerald Perry Finnerman on how Star Trek was initially described to him, and on his early ideas for the show
06:13
Gerald Perry Finnerman on his ideas as cinematographer for Star Trek, and on being "too artsy"
04:14
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the colors of Star Trek
02:00
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the challenge of making planets look real on Star Trek
01:27
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Gene Roddenberry on Star Trek
03:00
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with producer Robert Justman on Star Trek
03:47
Gerald Perry Finnerman on his professional fears as a cinematographer on Star Trek
02:21
Gerald Perry Finnerman on dealing with the color scheme on Star Trek, and on the visual style of the show
03:20
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Leonard Nimoy's deep set eyes and William Shatner's hair pieces on Star Trek
01:27
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the equipment used to shoot Star Trek, and on the special effects of the show
03:19
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with the crew on Star Trek
01:21
Gerald Perry Finnerman on making the Enterprise lurch forward or stop short on Star Trek, and on the challenges of lighting the interior
02:11
Gerald Perry Finnerman on creating the special effects that made the Enterprise fly on Star Trek
01:32
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with William Shatner and as "Captain James T. Kirk" and the rest of the cast on Star Trek
02:08
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with his friend DeForest Kelley as "Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy," and on using "diffusion" on women and men
05:24
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Walter Koenig as "Pavel Chekov" and Nichelle Nichols as "Lt. Nyota Uhura" on Star Trek
01:23
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with, and sometimes conflicting with, the directors of Star Trek including Joseph Pevney
03:54
Gerald Perry Finnerman on Star Trek directors Ralph Senensky, Marc Daniels, and Joseph Pevney
04:41
Gerald Perry Finnerman on dealing with the budgets of Star Trek as the cinematographer
01:01
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the pilot episode of Star Trek, "The Cage"
01:11
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the Star Trek episode "The Enemy Within"
05:39
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the Star Trek episode "Space Seed" starring Ricardo Montalban
03:27
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the Star Trek episode "Errand of Mercy"
01:22
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" starring Joan Collins as "Edith Keeler"
00:41
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles"
00:27
Gerald Perry Finnerman on his favorite Star Trek episodes
01:00
Gerald Perry Finnerman on color correction on Star Trek
00:49
Gerald Perry Finnerman on exiting Star Trek in 1968 to work on a feature starring Sidney Poitier and directed by Robert Alan Aurthur
08:24
Gerald Perry Finnerman on turning down the opportunity to be the cinematographer for Star Trek again, and on working with Gene Roddenberry
05:34

Star Trek: "The City on the Edge of Forever"

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on the Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" starring Joan Collins as "Edith Keeler"
00:41
Topics

Classic TV series episodes

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on Orson Welles appearing in the Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
03:33

Comedy

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on filming the black and white Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
08:03
Gerald Perry Finnerman on filming the black and white Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
08:03
Gerald Perry Finnerman on Orson Welles appearing in the Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
03:33

Emmy Awards

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Telly Savalas on Kojak, and on being nominated for an Emmy for the show
02:12

Hollywood Blacklist

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on Larry Parks and the Hollywood Blacklist
05:13

Industry Crossroads

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on Larry Parks and the Hollywood Blacklist
05:13

Pop Culture

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on filming the black and white Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
08:03
Gerald Perry Finnerman on Orson Welles appearing in the Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
03:33

Television Industry

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on Larry Parks and the Hollywood Blacklist
05:13
Professions

Cinematographer

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Gerald Finnerman on the role of a director of photography 
01:51
Gerald Perry Finnerman on dealing with the color scheme on Star Trek, and on the visual style of the show
03:17
Gerald Perry Finnerman on making the Enterprise lurch forward or stop short on Star Trek, and on the challenges of lighting the interior
03:46
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the equipment used to shoot Star Trek, and on the special effects of the show
03:19
Gerald Perry Finnerman on dealing with the budgets of Star Trek as the cinematographer
00:58
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being director of photography for Police Woman, being signed to work at Columbia Television, and working with different types of film stock
09:05
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the challenges of doing cinematography for made-for-television movies
01:30
Gerald Perry Finnerman on filming the black and white Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
08:03
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the cinematographer's relationship with the director, and on what he looks for in a gaffer
04:20

Production Professionals

View Profession
Gerald Perry Finnerman on dealing with the color scheme on Star Trek, and on the visual style of the show
03:17
Gerald Perry Finnerman on making the Enterprise lurch forward or stop short on Star Trek, and on the challenges of lighting the interior
03:46
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the equipment used to shoot Star Trek, and on the special effects of the show
03:19
Gerald Perry Finnerman on dealing with the budgets of Star Trek as the cinematographer
00:58
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being director of photography for Police Woman, being signed to work at Columbia Television, and working with different types of film stock
09:05
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the challenges of doing cinematography for made-for-television movies
01:30
Gerald Perry Finnerman on filming the black and white Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
08:03
Gerald Perry Finnerman on the cinematographer's relationship with the director, and on what he looks for in a gaffer
04:20
Genres

Adventure/Espionage Series

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on being cinematographer for Mission: Impossible
07:17

Comedy Series

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on shooting Moonlighting
28:58
Gerald Perry Finnerman on shooting Moonlighting
28:07
Gerald Perry Finnerman on Orson Welles appearing in the Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
03:33
Gerald Perry Finnerman on shooting Room for Two with Linda Lavin
04:55
Gerald Perry Finnerman on shooting Double Rush
02:59
Gerald Perry Finnerman on shooting New York Daze
08:26

Cop/Detective/Mystery Series

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on his more "gritty" work on Kojak
03:53
Gerald Perry Finnerman on shooting Moonlighting
28:07

Medical Dramas

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on lighting Emergency!, and on problems he had lighting the fire station exterior
02:45

Sci-Fi/Supernatural Series

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Gerald Perry Finnerman being the cinematographer for Star Trek
05:44
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being cinematographer for Star Trek
15:44
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being cinematographer for Star Trek
06:47
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being cinematographer for Star Trek
28:30
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being cinematographer for Star Trek
28:50
People

Barbara Bain

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Barbara Bain and Steven Hill on Mission: Impossible
04:48

Bruce Willis

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Bruce Willis on Moonlighting, and on his five Emmy nominations
05:25
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with show creator Glenn Gordon Caron on Moonlighting and on battles with show stars Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis
06:49

Buzz Kulik

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Buzz Kulik on the made for television movies Kill Me if You Can, Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women, and From Here to Eternity
05:45
Gerald Perry Finnerman on missing out on work with Buzz Kulik
01:37

Cybill Shepherd

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on lighting Cybill Shepherd on Moonlighting
02:19
Gerald Perry Finnerman on being director of photography on Moonlighting, and on lighting Cybill Shepherd
08:03
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with show creator Glenn Gordon Caron on Moonlighting and on battles with show stars Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis
06:49

DeForest Kelley

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with his friend DeForest Kelley as "Dr. Leonard 'Bones' McCoy," and on using "diffusion" on women and men
05:24

Diane English

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on shooting Double Rush for producer Diane English
02:59

Gene Roddenberry

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Gerald Finnerman on being hired as cinematographer on Star Trek
06:32

Glenn Gordon Caron

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with show creator Glenn Gordon Caron on Moonlighting and on battles with show stars Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis
06:49

Herbert F. Solow

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Gerald Finnerman on being hired as cinematographer on Star Trek
06:32

Imogene Coca

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on directing a Moonlighting episode guest-starring Imogene Coca
07:26

Joan Collins

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on the Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" starring Joan Collins as "Edith Keeler"
00:40

Joseph Pevney

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with, and sometimes conflicting with, the directors of Star Trek including Joseph Pevney
03:56
Gerald Perry Finnerman on Star Trek directors Ralph Senensky, Marc Daniels, and Joseph Pevney
04:41

Larry Parks

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on Larry Parks and the Hollywood Blacklist
05:13

Leonard Nimoy

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Leonard Nimoy's deep set eyes and William Shatner's hair pieces on Star Trek
01:27

Linda Lavin

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on shooting Room for Two with Linda Lavin
04:55

Lloyd Bridges

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Lloyd Bridges when he was starring on Capital News
10:35

Marc Daniels

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on Star Trek directors Ralph Senensky, Marc Daniels, and Joseph Pevney
04:41

Matt Jefferies

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Cinematographer Gerald Finnerman on first working with the sets of Star Trek
06:11

Nichelle Nichols

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Nichelle Nichols as "Lt. Nyota Uhura" on Star Trek
00:52

Orson Welles

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on Orson Welles appearing in the Moonlighting episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"
03:33

Ralph Senensky

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on Star Trek directors Ralph Senensky, Marc Daniels, and Joseph Pevney
04:41

Ricardo Montalban

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on the Star Trek episode "Space Seed" starring Ricardo Montalban
03:27

Robert Alan Aurthur

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on exiting Star Trek in 1968 to work on a feature starring Sidney Poitier and directed by Robert Alan Aurthur
08:26

Sidney Poitier

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on exiting Star Trek in 1968 to work on a feature starring Sidney Poitier and directed by Robert Alan Aurthur
08:26
Gerald Finnerman on working in feature film with Sidney Poitier
07:14

Steven Hill

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Barbara Bain and Steven Hill on Mission: Impossible
04:48

Telly Savalas

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Telly Savalas on Kojak, and on being nominated for an Emmy for the show
02:12

Walter Koenig

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Walter Koenig as "Pavel Chekov" on Star Trek
00:29

William Shatner

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Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with Leonard Nimoy's deep set eyes and William Shatner's hair pieces on Star Trek
01:27
Gerald Perry Finnerman on working with William Shatner and as "Captain James T. Kirk" and the rest of the cast on Star Trek
02:08

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