| Nichelle Nichols, died at 89 | |
| Posted by: showtunetrivia 04:34 pm EDT 07/31/22 | |
|
|
|
| Harry and I didn’t know her, but we have some good friends who knew this talented, classy, intelligent, funny lady well, and we mourn with them. She became best known, of course, as Nyota Uhura on the original STAR TREK series, but she got started in musical theatre in Chicago. She was a dancer-choreographer with Duke Ellington, was a dancer (opposite Sammy Davis, Jr.) in the film of PORGY AND BESS, was in a Chicago production of CARMEN JONES, and had the lead role in the 1961 musical KICKS AND CO. that closed before Broadway. She took the role on STAR TREK in 1966, figuring it was a gig before getting back to Broadway. And she was unhappy after the first season, since all her character ever did was “open hailing frequencies.” She brought her letter of resignation to Gene Roddenberry, the show’s creator. He asked her to at least think it over the weekend. She agreed. The next night, she was at an NAACP benefit, and one of the promoters said, “Sorry to interrupt your dinner, but there’s someone here who says he’s your greatest fan.” As she was being escorted away from the table, she suddenly told the promoter, “My greatest fan is going to have to wait. Because that’s Martin Luther King, and I have to meet him.” And Dr. King said, “Miss Nichols, _I_ am your greatest fan.” And here’s her own response: Ms. NICHOLS: And I was speechless. He complimented me on the manner in which I'd created the character. I thanked him, and I think I said something like, Dr. King, I wish I could be out there marching with you. He said, no, no, no. No, you don't understand. We don't need you on the - to march. You are marching. You are reflecting what we are fighting for. So, I said to him, thank you so much. And I'm going to miss my co-stars. And his face got very, very serious. And he said, what are you talking about? And I said, well, I told Gene just yesterday that I'm going to leave the show after the first year because I've been offered - and he stopped me and said: You cannot do that. And I was stunned. He said, don't you understand what this man has achieved? For the first time, we are being seen the world over as we should be seen. He says, do you understand that this is the only show that my wife Coretta and I will allow our little children to stay up and watch. I was speechless. So that Monday, she went back to tell Roddenberry she’d changed her mind. He opened his drawer—her letter had been torn into pieces. MLK’s kids weren’t the only ones watching. Whoopi Goldberg has told the story of seeing Nichols as Lt. Uhura, a senior bridge office in the 23rd century convinced her that she, too, could do or be anything. Goldberg said at her very first sight of Uhura, she ran through the house yelling, “There’s a black lady on tv, and she ain’t no maid!” Nichols would voice Uhura in the animated STAR TREK, and reprised the role in six movies. One of my friends commented, “We are all stardust.” I think some of us shine more brightly than others. Laura in LA |
|
| reply | |
|
|
|
| Previous: | re: Mr. Miss America - huskyital 06:25 pm EDT 07/31/22 |
| Next: | re: Nichelle Nichols, died at 89 - dreambaby 10:35 am EDT 08/01/22 |
| Thread: |
|
Time to render: 0.012417 seconds.