Harve Bennett
Encyclopedia
Harve Bennett is an American
television
and film producer
and screenwriter
.
, which introduced him to show business. By the time Bennett had reached college age, the radio business—aside from music radio—was in decline, and he turned to the world of film
. He entered the University of California, Los Angeles
, and graduated from their famous film school
. Following his graduation from college, in 1953 Bennett joined the U.S. Army. He served in the Military Police Corps, based at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Lompoc, California
. He was honorably discharged in 1955 with the rank of corporal
. Bennett then began his career as a production executive. He first worked at CBS
in New York City
and later moved to the programming department of ABC
, becoming Vice President of Daytime Programming. At ABC he rose to become Vice-President
of Programming for a time.
called The Mod Squad
, which Bennett produced from 1968 until 1973.
Following The Mod Squad, Bennett joined Universal Studios
where he produced a variety of television series and miniseries
. The best known of these series are probably The Six Million Dollar Man
and The Bionic Woman
. Other series and mini-series he produced at Universal include Rich Man, Poor Man
, The Invisible Man (1975 series)
, and Gemini Man
.
Bennett then moved to Screen Gems
where he continued as a television producer. He projects at Screen Gems included the series Salvage 1
and the mini-series The Jesse Owens Story
and A Woman Called Golda
, which was Ingrid Bergman
's final role and which co-starred Leonard Nimoy
.
to work in their television division producing TV shows. Only a few weeks into his contract, he was called to a meeting with then top executives of Paramount Barry Diller
and Michael Eisner
, along with Charles Bluhdorn
who was then head of Paramount's parent Gulf+Western
. Bluhdorn, dissatisfied with the results of Star Trek: The Motion Picture
, was looking for someone new to take over the next film in the series.
According to Bennett, Bluhdorn asked him what he thought of the first Star Trek film and, after Bennett said he found it boring, Bluhdorn asked him if he could make a better picture and if he could do it for less than $45 million (the eventual budget of the first film). When Bennett said that he could, Bluhdorn said "do it" and he was hired.
To prepare for the job of producing a Star Trek film, Bennett first screened all 79 episodes of the original Star Trek series
in a projection room at Paramount. He was particularly drawn to the "Space Seed" episode which featured Ricardo Montalban
as the genetically enhanced supervillain Khan Noonien Singh
. At the conclusion of the episode, Khan and his followers are exiled to an uninhabited planet, and Kirk
and Spock
wonder what will become of them. This gave Bennett the 'hook' he was looking for, and led him to develop a sequel to the episode.
Bennett's idea formed the beginnings of what would become Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
. Bennett himself developed the original story premise, and then worked with screenwriter Jack B. Sowards
on the early drafts of the screenplay. Nicholas Meyer
was later introduced to Bennett and completed the final drafts of the script, in addition to directing the film with Bennett as executive producer
and Robert Sallin as producer. Star Trek II proved to be an enormous success, both in terms of the box office receipts and fan response.
Following the success of Star Trek II, Bennett served as producer on the next three Star Trek films: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
—which stands to this day as one of the most successful of the Star Trek films—and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
. In addition to serving as producer, Bennett also wrote Star Trek III, co-wrote the story and screenplay for Star Trek IV, and co-wrote the story for Star Trek V. Bennett also made cameo appearances in Star Trek III (as the voice of the flight recorder) and Star Trek V, (as a Starfleet
Chief of Staff Admiral who gives Captain Kirk his orders).
Following Star Trek V, Bennett developed an idea for a sixth Star Trek film that would take a different approach from the previous films. Titled "The Academy Years", it would have focused on the characters of Kirk and Spock when they were much younger and cadets at Starfleet Academy
. It would have delved into the early relationships between these characters, and shown how they developed such a close friendship over the years. While William Shatner
and Leonard Nimoy
would have had cameos at the beginning and end of the film to "bookend" the story in flashback form, new actors would have portrayed most of the roles in the film, including the young Kirk and Spock.
Although Paramount was initially enthusiastic about the idea, they were ultimately leery of producing a Star Trek film without the established actors that fans had come to know and love. Also, Martin Davis who at the time was the head of Gulf & Western, wanted a film featuring the original cast to mark Star Trek's 25th anniversary in 1991. Paramount offered Bennett the opportunity to produce this film with the original cast, even offering to produce his academy film afterward, but Bennett declined, citing multiple reasons including a lack of story ideas for the requested film and the rushed time frame in which the film would have to be completed in order to coincide with Star Trek's 25th anniversary.
This marked the end of Bennett's association with the Star Trek franchise, and shortly thereafter he left Paramount.
(1993–1995), and produced the animated miniseries Invasion America
(1998), for which Nimoy was a voice actor.
Bennett is now "semi-retired."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
Early years
As a young boy, Bennett was one of the kids on the radio program Quiz KidsQuiz Kids
Quiz Kids, a popular radio-TV series of the 1940s and 1950s, was created by Chicago public relations and advertising man Louis G. Cowan . Originally sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, the series was first broadcast on NBC from Chicago, June 28, 1940, airing as a summer replacement show for Alec Templeton...
, which introduced him to show business. By the time Bennett had reached college age, the radio business—aside from music radio—was in decline, and he turned to the world of film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
. He entered the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, and graduated from their famous film school
Film school
The term film school is used to describe any educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are usually incorporated into...
. Following his graduation from college, in 1953 Bennett joined the U.S. Army. He served in the Military Police Corps, based at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Lompoc, California
Lompoc, California
Lompoc is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city was incorporated in 1888. The population was 42,434 at the 2010 census, up from 41,103 at the 2000 census....
. He was honorably discharged in 1955 with the rank of corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
. Bennett then began his career as a production executive. He first worked at CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and later moved to the programming department of ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, becoming Vice President of Daytime Programming. At ABC he rose to become Vice-President
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of Programming for a time.
Move to production
Following his work with ABC, Bennett moved over to production. His first project was to develop a television show with producer Aaron SpellingAaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
called The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad is a television series that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. This series starred Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, and Tige Andrews...
, which Bennett produced from 1968 until 1973.
Following The Mod Squad, Bennett joined Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
where he produced a variety of television series and miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
. The best known of these series are probably 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 Bionic Woman
The Bionic Woman
The Bionic Woman is an American television series starring Lindsay Wagner that aired for three seasons between 1976 and 1978 as a spin off from The Six Million Dollar Man. Wagner stars as tennis pro Jaime Sommers who is nearly killed in a skydiving accident. Sommers' life is saved by Oscar Goldman ...
. Other series and mini-series he produced at Universal include Rich Man, Poor Man
Rich Man, Poor Man
Rich Man, Poor Man is a novel written by Irwin Shaw in 1969. It is the last of the novels of Shaw's middle period before he began to concentrate, in his last works such as Evening In Byzantium, Nightwork, Bread Upon The Waters, and Acceptable Losses, on the inevitability of impending death...
, The Invisible Man (1975 series)
The Invisible Man (1975 TV series)
The Invisible Man, the second television series with this title, debuted in 1975 on NBC and starred David McCallum as scientist Daniel Westin, and Melinda Fee as his wife, Dr. Kate Westin. The series was created by legendary producer Harve Bennett.-Cast:...
, and Gemini Man
Gemini Man
Gemini Man is an American action/adventure drama series that aired on NBC in 1976. This is the third of four weekly television series based on the H. G. Wells science fiction novel, The Invisible Man.-Synopsis:...
.
Bennett then moved to Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
where he continued as a television producer. He projects at Screen Gems included the series Salvage 1
Salvage 1
Salvage 1 is an American science fiction series that aired for 16 episodes on ABC during 1979. The pilot film, Salvage, aired on January 20, 1979 to high ratings....
and the mini-series The Jesse Owens Story
The Jesse Owens Story
The Jesse Owens Story is a biographical film about the black athlete Jesse Owens. Dorian Harewood plays the Olympic gold-winning athlete. The drama won a 1985 Primetime Emmy Award and was nominated for two more....
and A Woman Called Golda
A Woman Called Golda
A Woman Called Golda is a 1982 made-for-television film biopic of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.Made by Paramount Television and directed by Alan Gibson, the film stars Ingrid Bergman in the title role...
, which was Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
's final role and which co-starred Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
.
Star Trek
While working at Screen Gems, Bennett was also brought to Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
to work in their television division producing TV shows. Only a few weeks into his contract, he was called to a meeting with then top executives of Paramount Barry Diller
Barry Diller
Barry Charles Diller is the Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC/InterActiveCorp and the media executive responsible for the creation of Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting.-Early life:...
and Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.-Early life:...
, along with Charles Bluhdorn
Charles Bluhdorn
Charles Blühdorn was a Vienna, Austria-born American industrialist.-Biography:Per a Who's Who in Ridgefield he was considered such a "hellion" that his father sent the 11-year-old to an English boarding school for disciplining...
who was then head of Paramount's parent Gulf+Western
Gulf+Western
Gulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
. Bluhdorn, dissatisfied with the results of Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,...
, was looking for someone new to take over the next film in the series.
According to Bennett, Bluhdorn asked him what he thought of the first Star Trek film and, after Bennett said he found it boring, Bluhdorn asked him if he could make a better picture and if he could do it for less than $45 million (the eventual budget of the first film). When Bennett said that he could, Bluhdorn said "do it" and he was hired.
To prepare for the job of producing a Star Trek film, Bennett first screened all 79 episodes of the original Star Trek series
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...
in a projection room at Paramount. He was particularly drawn to the "Space Seed" episode which featured Ricardo Montalban
Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning six decades and many notable roles...
as the genetically enhanced supervillain Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh
Khan Noonien Singh, commonly shortened to Khan, is a villain in the fictional Star Trek universe. According to backstory given in the character's first appearance, the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed" , Khan is a genetically engineered superhuman tyrant who once controlled more...
. At the conclusion of the episode, Khan and his followers are exiled to an uninhabited planet, and Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
and Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
wonder what will become of them. This gave Bennett the 'hook' he was looking for, and led him to develop a sequel to the episode.
Bennett's idea formed the beginnings of what would become Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the second feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise. The plot features James T...
. Bennett himself developed the original story premise, and then worked with screenwriter Jack B. Sowards
Jack B. Sowards
Jack B. Sowards was an American screenwriter best known to genre fans for the story and screenplay of the second Star Trek feature film, 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan....
on the early drafts of the screenplay. Nicholas Meyer
Nicholas Meyer
Nicholas Meyer is an American screenwriter, producer, director and novelist, known best for his best-selling novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, and for directing the films Time After Time, two of the Star Trek feature film series, and the 1983 television movie The Day After.Meyer graduated from...
was later introduced to Bennett and completed the final drafts of the script, in addition to directing the film with Bennett as executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
and Robert Sallin as producer. Star Trek II proved to be an enormous success, both in terms of the box office receipts and fan response.
Following the success of Star Trek II, Bennett served as producer on the next three Star Trek films: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is a 1984 motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the third feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the center of a three-film story arc that begins with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and concludes with Star Trek IV:...
, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series and completes the story arc begun in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The...
—which stands to this day as one of the most successful of the Star Trek films—and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth feature in the franchise and the penultimate to star the cast of the original Star Trek science fiction television series...
. In addition to serving as producer, Bennett also wrote Star Trek III, co-wrote the story and screenplay for Star Trek IV, and co-wrote the story for Star Trek V. Bennett also made cameo appearances in Star Trek III (as the voice of the flight recorder) and Star Trek V, (as a Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
Chief of Staff Admiral who gives Captain Kirk his orders).
Following Star Trek V, Bennett developed an idea for a sixth Star Trek film that would take a different approach from the previous films. Titled "The Academy Years", it would have focused on the characters of Kirk and Spock when they were much younger and cadets at Starfleet Academy
Starfleet Academy
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet Academy is where the future's recruits to Starfleet will be trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded...
. It would have delved into the early relationships between these characters, and shown how they developed such a close friendship over the years. While William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
and Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
would have had cameos at the beginning and end of the film to "bookend" the story in flashback form, new actors would have portrayed most of the roles in the film, including the young Kirk and Spock.
Although Paramount was initially enthusiastic about the idea, they were ultimately leery of producing a Star Trek film without the established actors that fans had come to know and love. Also, Martin Davis who at the time was the head of Gulf & Western, wanted a film featuring the original cast to mark Star Trek's 25th anniversary in 1991. Paramount offered Bennett the opportunity to produce this film with the original cast, even offering to produce his academy film afterward, but Bennett declined, citing multiple reasons including a lack of story ideas for the requested film and the rushed time frame in which the film would have to be completed in order to coincide with Star Trek's 25th anniversary.
This marked the end of Bennett's association with the Star Trek franchise, and shortly thereafter he left Paramount.
Later works
Since producing the Star Trek films, Bennett wrote the TV movie Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 (1992). He co-created and produced the science-fiction television series Time TraxTime Trax
Time Trax was an American/Australian co-produced science fiction television series that first aired in 1993. A police officer, sent through time into the past, has to track down and return convicted criminals who have escaped prison in the future...
(1993–1995), and produced the animated miniseries Invasion America
Invasion America
Invasion America is an animated science fiction miniseries that aired in the prime time lineup on The WB Television Network and later as a part of the Kids' WB programming block...
(1998), for which Nimoy was a voice actor.
Bennett is now "semi-retired."