Alexander the Great (TV Movie 1963)
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Alexander the Great |
| Abbreviation(s): | |
| Creator: | |
| Date(s): | filmed in 1963, didn't air until 1968 |
| Medium: | Television |
| Country of Origin: | USA |
| External Links: | IMDB |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Alexander the Great was a 1963 television movie that starred William Shatner (as Alexander). It also included Adam West as Cleander.
The movie is based on Alexander the Great, an historical figure.
Connections to Star Trek and Mary Renault
In the first authorized biography of William Shatner, Shatner: Where No Man by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath, one chapter is devoted to an interview with Gene Roddenberry. The authors compared Kirk's friendship with Spock to the bond between Alexander the Great and his friend Hephaistion.
Shatner had played Alexander in a TV-movie (filmed in 1963, aired in 1968), and both he and Roddenberry described themselves as fans of the historical Alexander.
In that book, Roddenberry further revealed that he had cast Shatner as Kirk partly on the basis of his performance as Alexander.
In context, a series of historical novels about Alexander's life by Mary Renault were appearing at the time this book was being prepared, and Roddenberry had read them.
A Source of Photo References
Star Trek fans found the movie to be a great source of photo references.
a screenshot of the movie, an inspiration for fanart
![cover of Way of the Warrior #6 by Shelley Butler "I'd been marveling at this lavish cover of Kirk (albeit in an 'Alexander the Great' pose) for days before I opened it up and saw that it was a new artist. How fortunate for fandom. The shading used presents a profile that comes alive off the page. Even the hair has a genuine look to it, rather than that 'too clean' appearance that so many other illos present." [1]](/w/images/thumb/d/d9/Way_of_the_Warrior_6.jpg/139px-Way_of_the_Warrior_6.jpg)
cover of Way of the Warrior #6 by Shelley Butler "I'd been marveling at this lavish cover of Kirk (albeit in an 'Alexander the Great' pose) for days before I opened it up and saw that it was a new artist. How fortunate for fandom. The shading used presents a profile that comes alive off the page. Even the hair has a genuine look to it, rather than that 'too clean' appearance that so many other illos present." [1]
![cover of Way of the Warrior #6 by Shelley Butler "I'd been marveling at this lavish cover of Kirk (albeit in an 'Alexander the Great' pose) for days before I opened it up and saw that it was a new artist. How fortunate for fandom. The shading used presents a profile that comes alive off the page. Even the hair has a genuine look to it, rather than that 'too clean' appearance that so many other illos present." [1]](/wiki/File:Way_of_the_Warrior_6.jpg)
Sample Art
posted by trekmedia at Deviant Art (Dec 2, 2023)
Meta
- B-Movie Enema: Alexander the Great (1968); archive link (August 2016)
References
- ^ from The LOC Connection #54