Jeffrey Hunter as Christopher Pike was the first captain of “Star Trek”. Yes, the franchise revealed others before him, including a previous vessel named Enterprise. However, in 1965 when “The Cage” was filmed and its footage retooled in the following year for “The Menagerie”, audiences back then had no knowledge of anyone commanding the ship before Captain Pike.
As the universe expanded, so did its lore. “Star Trek” has evolved into an imagined universe rich in history, canonized by its television shows and feature films. We know by now that Captain Archer commanded the NX-01 predating Pike and Robert April. But, from a production standpoint, Jeffrey Hunter was the first to assume the role, even before William Shatner as Kirk. Arguably, Jeffrey Hunter may very well have turned into the icon that Shatner did, had Hunter returned. It’s an event set in an alternate universe that we’ll never know. Then again, “Star Trek” may not have been the success it eventually became, if it wasn’t for the recasting of its second pilot.
No doubt, the character of Christopher Pike is essential, as four actors have portrayed him including Sean Kenney in “The Menagerie” as a disabled Pike. Bruce Greenwood’s portrayal sought to take on a father-like figure for Kirk while in “Strange New Worlds”, Anson Mount’s approach is unlike Hunter’s or Greenwood’s. It becomes clear that Captain Pike holds a special place in Trek’s story. Further, the man who was first cast may be a mystery to some. I’ll take it a step further and suggest that perhaps he tends to go underappreciated and maybe underrated.
Growing up as a fan, I regarded Jeffrey Hunter’s contribution as nothing more than an interesting footnote, the “false start”, if you will until “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. Perhaps it is how Pike’s story continues to evolve in “Strange New Worlds” that has me reconsidering my somewhat dismissive attitude towards Hunter. Or is it that I can never look away when an original episode airs and time and time again I see Hunter? I’m constantly further evaluating episodes that I’ve seen many times. As I get older, I usually take note of something I previously hadn’t. Some may think it’s a form of psychosis to be obsessed, but I see it as deepening my appreciation for the very art behind television and film. I do the very same with music. How many times have I listened to an album by The Cure? Who cares, as long as I’m still enjoying it and walking away with something new!
So, what really happened with Gene Roddenberry’s initial vision of who would command the Starship Enterprise? Why did Hunter not return and also, what was his fate after his exit? From what I’ve read, there are conflicting stories as to why Hunter didn’t come back. The official story back then was that he simply wasn’t available. Over the years as more versions mounted on what happened, the official explanation now seems like it was a way to conceal perhaps some of the real tensions that were going on behind the scenes and to make it appear as amicable as possible. One thing that all seem to agree on is Hunter passed on returning for the second pilot.
His second wife, Joan “Dusty” Bartlett was said by a few (including Shatner and Leonard Nimoy) to have a significant role in Hunter moving on from “Star Trek”. Hunter was already a film star, for example appearing in “The Searchers” with John Wayne and “King of Kings” as Jesus, himself. It is alleged that his wife at the time drove a hard bargain with the executives and with Roddenberry, using Hunter’s Hollywood status as being too big for a fledgling science fiction series that had no guarantee of success. No matter who or what was truly the driving force, all roads meet where Hunter wasn’t interested, perhaps seeing more lucrative opportunities doing films, as opposed to T.V. Sadly, that didn’t work out for Hunter, as he died the same year that “Star Trek” was canceled, May 27, 1969, at the young age of 42.
The story of Hunter’s death is strange to me. It’s tragic and untimely. Where he is buried has a personal connection to me. Just recently, as I read more about him, the fact that he was interred at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Sylmar, CA is intriguing. It’s a place I’ve visited several times. I’ll elaborate on that a little later. From here, I feel it’s time to get underway with the details of an “away mission” that my girlfriend, Tori, and, I embarked on. It was time to find the captain, as “The Search For Pike” will now unfold.
On a beautiful fall day this year, October 12th, Tori and I went to our first destination, as I was trying to piece together the day when Jeffrey Hunter was laid to rest. I drove us back to my old neighborhood, Altadena, CA, a short drive from where we live now in Monrovia. According to Find a Grave’s website, Hunter’s funeral was held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Altadena. That would later be brought into question.
I spotted the old church to our left and parked. As we got out of the car and I gathered my camera gear, I attempted to place ourselves in that situation decades ago when I’m sure a sizable crowd gathered for Hunter’s memorial service. I took a few exterior shots and noticed something was going on next door inside a building that is part of the church’s property. Across from it, the door to the church itself was open. I thought this would be a good opportunity to capture the inside of the church, something I had not expected to get on a Saturday.
I stepped inside the adjacent building where the crowd was gathered while Tori stood outside, somewhat nervous about me asking for someone’s permission to enter the church. It was amazing how after trying to make eye contact with anyone who seemed in charge, I went unnoticed. For a second, I thought since my presence didn’t concern anyone, we could quietly sneak in next door. I admit, I’ve been influenced by watching Kirk and Spock prowling around trying to infiltrate something. However, maybe this wasn’t the time. Maybe all I had to do was ask.
We were eventually approached by two women affiliated with the church. I believe one was the pastor. I introduced ourselves and told them what we were there for. They permitted us to take a few photos of the interior. The other elder lady, Maryanne was familiar with Jeffrey Hunter and “Star Trek”. As popular as Trek has become, you never know when you’re going to run into someone who has never seen the show, so her familiarity might have actually helped our mission. After snapping a few photos and a pleasant conversation with Maryanne, we got back in the car. We picked up a couple of sandwiches for our picnic at our next destination, Glen Haven Memorial Park.
I’ve done this before, driving down the 210 West in my Datsun 280Z and exiting Osborne. Usually, it was at night. I’ve had a few strange things happen at Glen Haven over the years. This place is the subject of urban legends, things like Satanic worship, the KKK, its gravity hill, and all the silly things that get the curious to come out and snoop around. The cemetery has no perimeter or gates even though it officially closes at 5 PM. Until 2012, I ignored that. These days, I take it seriously.
I’ve taken a few people here, usually girls in the past. I’ve been known to make a few morbid connections. I spent an afternoon there with someone who claimed to be a psychic medium. Another time I sat in the Z with someone else in the middle of the night and heard footsteps rushing towards the back of the car. No one else that I could tell was there with us. In 2012, a white pickup truck barreled into the park with its headlights blinding us. A man got out of the vehicle and threatened me and my two companions. We could only make out his silhouette due to the intensity of his lights. A few minutes after he left, a sheriff’s vehicle quickly approached us and almost arrested me for trespassing. After checking my clean record, I was released from the back of their SUV and advised to leave with my friends immediately.
On another late evening, someone was aggressively trailing me in my car. I had to make a dramatic U-turn to evade whoever that was. Now, I don’t mean to get carried away. All I’m saying is that the people around there are very suspicious and the experiences I’ve had at the cemetery are unusual. I guess the most normal time I’ve had there was in 2015 when I attended a funeral. All that said, I had no idea that Jeffrey Hunter was so close, in some cases, literally right under my nose.
Jeffrey Hunter is located in the “Olive” section of the park, which is easy to find. I had a plot number and row, but that didn’t do us any good. This was around 2:30 in the afternoon, plenty of time before things could get weird. Heh. After searching about half of this narrow sliver of the cemetery, we decided to eat. Insert the picnic scene from “The Cage”.
After our lunch, we continued the search. After a while, the plaques were starting to meld together. It was warm too, as the sight of graves induced a hypnotic effect. We had combed through most of Olive. I started wondering if Hunter’s plaque was still there. Parts of Glen Haven are unkept with the grass completely dried out and in some cases, tombs and plaques have been damaged. That’s one of the many things I find peculiar about this place. Hunter has been dead for over 55 years, so anything could have happened whether his marker was uprooted by a tree or vandalized, which the latter has been known to occur, as it was revealed to me during my brush with the sheriff.
With only a few rows until we reached the end of the section, I started to consider what to do next if he wasn’t there. Maybe we would sort through Olive all over again or perhaps move on to another part. It’s interesting how certain things start to feel irrationally out of reach the more precious they become. Finally, he was discovered intact, resting close to a tree. “Found it!”, I exclaimed, as if we stumbled upon a treasure chest. Over the years, I must have walked over this site and was totally unaware of it, never once distinguishing it from the sea of others.
What struck both of us was his third wife, actor Emily McLaughlin was buried next to him. Sadly, they married just three months before his own death. She passed away in 1991. I believe Hunter was the love of her life, despite their brief union. Emily was married twice, but never remarried after Hunter. In addition, “Emily Hunter” is inscribed, taking part of her husband’s stage name, The plot next to him remained vacant for 22 years, only to be taken by Emily for when the time came. I find that bittersweet.
It seemed we had accomplished what I had set out for. The two locations from that day were crossed off the list, photos were taken, and a story for this blog’s first entry was coming together. I admit, I was feeling celebratory. I was ready to crack open a bottle of New Zealand wine that evening and toast to our little….trek.
On the way home, Tori was looking at Jeffrey Hunter’s Wikipedia page. Down the rabbit hole she went, as she likes to do. It’s almost unavoidable for anyone. As she read on, she found that perhaps we had visited the wrong church earlier that afternoon. Wikipedia contradicts the other site I had relied on, mentioning that his funeral took place at another church called St. Mark’s Episcopal in Van Nuys! Wikipedia is known to be inaccurate once in a while, so maybe Find a Grave had the correct information. At least I tried rationalizing that possibility for a few seconds.
The drive from Altadena to Sylmar would make for a longer procession. That always bugged me. Hunter died in Van Nuys, so wouldn’t it make more sense that his service took place somewhere not only closer to where he was before his death but also closer to the cemetery? The more I thought about it, the more Van Nuys sounded more logical. One site was wrong. I had to finish what was started and visit the church in Van Nuys. This was one of those moments where I had to make a decision based on new information and also my gut. Geography would be the strongest argument that we weren’t quite finished yet.
1 Comment
Narciso (Nick) Lopez · October 26, 2024 at 5:58 pm
I love this new platform. Thank You Andy for creating it. 🖖🏼