Harve Bennett
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Harve Bennett (born Harve Bennett Fischman; August 17, 1930 – February 25, 2015) was an American
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
and
film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
and
screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...
.


Early years

Bennett was born to a
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
in 1930, the son of Kathryn (née Susman), a journalist, and Yale Fishman, a lawyer. As a young boy, Bennett appeared on the radio program ''
Quiz Kids ''Quiz Kids'' is a radio and TV series originally broadcast in the 1940s and 1950s. Created by Chicago public relations and advertising man Louis G. Cowan, and originally sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, the series was first broadcast on NBC from Chic ...
'', which introduced him to
show business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produc ...
. By the time Bennett had reached college age, the radio business was in decline, and he turned to the world of
film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
. He entered the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
and graduated from their
film school A film school is an 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 ...
. Following his graduation from college, in 1953 Bennett joined the United States Army. He served in the Military Police Corps, based at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in
Lompoc, California Lompoc ( ; Chumash: ''Lum Poc'') is a city in Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast, Lompoc has a population of 43,834 as of July 2021. Lompoc has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Chumash people, who called ...
. He was honorably discharged in 1955 with the rank of
corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
. Bennett then began his career as a production executive. He first worked at
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and later moved to the programming department of
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
, becoming Vice President of Daytime Programming. At ABC, he rose to become Vice 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 series with producer
Aaron Spelling Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series ''Family'' (1976–1980), '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), ''The Love Boat'' (1977–1986 ...
called ''
The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III as ...
'', which Bennett produced from 1968 until 1973. Following ''The Mod Squad'', Bennett joined
Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
where he produced a variety of television series and
miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
. The best known of these series are probably ''
The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is reb ...
'' (1973–78) and ''
The Bionic Woman ''The Bionic Woman'' is an American science fiction action-adventure television series created by Kenneth Johnson based on the 1972 novel ''Cyborg'' by Martin Caidin, starring Lindsay Wagner that aired from January 14, 1976, to May 13, 1978. ' ...
'' (1976-78). Other series and miniseries he produced at Universal include '' Rich Man, Poor Man'' (1976), ''
The Invisible Man ''The Invisible Man'' is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. Originally serialized in ''Pearson's Weekly'' in 1897, it was published as a novel the same year. The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a scientist who has devote ...
'' (1975) and '' Gemini Man'' (1976). Bennett then moved to
Columbia Pictures Television Columbia Pictures Television, Inc. (abbreviated as CPT) was launched on May 6, 1974, by Columbia Pictures as an American television production and distribution studio. It is the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gem ...
where he continued as a television producer, along with MGM TV employee Harris Katleman, which was joint partner from 1977 to 1980. His projects at Columbia Pictures included the series ''
Salvage 1 ''Salvage 1'' is an American science fiction series that was broadcast for 16 episodes (of the 20 produced) on ABC during 1979. The pilot film, ''Salvage'', was shown on January 20, 1979, to high ratings. Plot The pilot centers on Harry Broder ...
'' (1979) and the miniseries ''
The Jesse Owens Story ''The Jesse Owens Story'' is a 1984 American two-part, four-hour Television film, made-for-television biographical film about the black athlete Jesse Owens. Dorian Harewood plays the Olympic gold-winning athlete. The drama won a 1985 Primetime Em ...
'' (1984). While working at Columbia Pictures TV, Bennett was also brought to
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
to work in their television division producing television series. One of his first productions for Paramount was a television miniseries for
Paramount Domestic Television Paramount Domestic Television (PDT) was the television distribution arm of American television production company Paramount Television, once the TV arm of Paramount Pictures. It was formed in 1982 originally as Paramount Domestic Television and V ...
, ''
A Woman Called Golda ''A Woman Called Golda'' is a 1982 American made-for-television film biopic of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir directed by Alan Gibson and starring Ingrid Bergman. It also features Ned Beatty, Franklin Cover, Judy Davis, Anne Jackson, Robert L ...
'' (1982), which was
Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary ''Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is often ...
's final role and which co-starred
Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, then ...
.


''Star Trek''

In 1980, only a few weeks into his contract with Paramount, Bennett was called to a meeting with then top executives of Paramount
Barry Diller Barry Charles Diller (born February 2, 1942) is an American businessman. He is Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC and Expedia Group and founded the Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting. Diller was inducted into the Television Hall of ...
and
Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film st ...
, along with
Charles Bluhdorn Charles George Bluhdorn (born Karl Georg Blühdorn; September 20, 1926 – February 19, 1983) was an Austrian-born American industrialist. Early life Bluhdorn was born in Vienna, Austria, to an Austrian Jewish mother Rosa Fuchs and father Paul B ...
who was then head of Paramount's parent
Gulf+Western Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. (stylized as Gulf+Western) was an American conglomerate. Originally, the company focused on manufacturing and resource extraction. Beginning in 1966, and continuing throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the company ...
. 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 ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' series in a projection room at Paramount. He was particularly drawn to the episode "
Space Seed "Space Seed" is the twenty-second episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber and directed by Marc Daniels, it first aired on February 16, 1967. In the e ...
" which featured
Ricardo Montalbán Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG (; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a var ...
as the genetically enhanced supervillain
Khan Noonien Singh Khan Noonien Singh is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' science fiction franchise, who first appeared as the main antagonist in the ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode "Space Seed" (1967), and was portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán ...
. At the conclusion of the episode, Khan and his followers are exiled to an uninhabited planet, and
James T. Kirk James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in ''Star Trek'' serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as captain. Kirk leads ...
and
Spock Spock is a Character (arts), fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. He first appeared in the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star Trek'' series serving aboard the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), USS ''Enterprise ...
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 '' The Wrath of Khan''. Bennett himself developed the original story premise, and then worked with screenwriter
Jack B. Sowards Jack B. Sowards (March 18, 1929 - July 8, 2007) was an American screenwriter who wrote '' Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'', and the 1988 '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode "Where Silence Has Lease". Sowards created the term Kobayashi ...
on the early drafts of the screenplay.
Nicholas Meyer Nicholas Meyer (born December 24, 1945) is an American writer and director, known for his best-selling novel ''The Seven-Per-Cent Solution'', and for directing the films ''Time After Time (1979 film), Time After Time'', two of the ''Star Trek'' ...
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 (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
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: '' The Search for Spock'', '' The Voyage Home'' — which for a long time stood as one of the most successful of the ''Star Trek'' films — and ''
The Final Frontier ''The Final Frontier'' is the fifteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 13 August 2010 in Germany, Austria and Finland, 17 August in North America, 18 August in Japan, and 16 August worldwide. At 76&nbs ...
''. 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 is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
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 In the Setting (fiction), fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', Starfleet Academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's mot ...
. 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 (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
and
Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the ''Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, then ...
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, feedback from fans was almost universally negative over 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. The sixth ''Star Trek'' film was later titled '' Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'' and was released in movie theaters on December 6, 1991.


Later works

After producing the ''Star Trek'' films, Bennett wrote the television movie ''Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232'' (1992). He co-created and produced the science-fiction television series ''
Time Trax ''Time Trax'' is a science fiction television series that first aired in 1993. A police officer, sent two centuries into the past to a parallel Universe, must apprehend and return convicted criminals who have escaped prison in the future. This ...
'' (1993–1995), and produced the animated miniseries ''
Invasion America ''Invasion America'' is a 1998 American animated science fiction series that aired in the prime time lineup on The WB. Produced by DreamWorks Television Animation (then part of DreamWorks proper, now owned by Universal Studios), the series was ...
'' (1998), for which Nimoy was a voice actor.


Death

Bennett died on February 25, 2015, in Medford, Oregon, due to a burst embolism in his small intestine and a second one found in his lung.Harve Bennett dies at 84; TV producer rescued 'Star Trek' film franchise
David Colker, LA Times, March 7, 2015
His death occurred two days before that of Leonard Nimoy. He was interred at the
Willamette National Cemetery Willamette National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located about southeast of the city of Portland, Oregon. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses straddling the county line between Multn ...
.


Filmography


References


External links

* * *
Harve Bennett Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Harve 1930 births 2015 deaths Film producers from Illinois American male screenwriters Television producers from Illinois American television writers Jewish American screenwriters Writers from Chicago UCLA Film School alumni United States Army non-commissioned officers American male television writers Screenwriters from Illinois Deaths from embolism 21st-century American Jews