Martel Remembers Long Career, Interesting Men

Arlene Martel, who very nearly became Spock's bride in "Amok Time", recently spoke about her background at the High School for Performing Arts, dating James Dean and the screenplay she is trying to get produced.

Stuart Blair of Australia's Sci Fi Reporter E-Newsletter interviewed Martel, who in addition to creating an indelible impression as T'Pring appeared on many cult hits including the original Battlestar Galactica, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone and others. "My Mother worked for Martin Stone who produced The Howdy Doody Show and The Gaby Hayes Show, recalled Martel, who attended New York's prestigious performing arts high school after successfully auditioning, then becoming one of only two who graduated out of a class of 45. "Originally, I had submitted my application without telling my mother." Stone cast Martel as a waitress, and because of that, she got her AFTRA card.

Though she worked primarily in the northeast, including two seasons at the Berkshire Playhouse in Massachusetts, Martel followed her young husband to Los Angeles to work in television. "My memories are quite delightful when I look back at the two episodes of The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits and My Favourite Martian," she said. She laments never having a powerful agent to get her plum roles, but has happy memories of her first boyfriend, Dean, one of the three men her book My Three Giants will be about - the other two being Marlon Brando and Cary Grant.

Martel has written a screenplay, Whisper into My Good Ear, for which she is looking for a director and funding. "Maximilian Schell and Max Von Sydow will be the two leads," she said. "This will be a low budget film...the film is a dark comedy and I must also find someone to produce it with me."

The actress said she enjoyed seeing co-workers and fans at Star Trek 40th anniversary conventions and said she planned to appear at another in New York next March. More information is on Martel's web site.

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