The Kamchatka Incident; Kraft Suspense Theater; John Forsythe; Roger Perry; Leslie Parrish; Malachi Throne

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Season #2, Episode #5

The Kamchatka Incident

Original Air Date:  November 12, 1964 

Setting/Time: The present (or some time in "the past few years") in Tokyo and the North Pacific Ocean.

Plot/Review/Discussion:

Major Livingston is the pilot of an American military transport that is scheduled to fly from Tokyo to the American West Coast during a typhoon. The flight is complicated by the presence of a flight attendant with whom he has had an affair and a Russian defector among the passengers.  Further complicating the flight are mechanical defects that become apparent after the transport plane is airborne.

The episode begins with a narrative voice-over:

For the past few years, a report has circulated in the Orient about certain events, which occurred while a typhoon named Hazel was spinning itself in the far reaches of the Pacific. The report was originally classified 'Confidential', but word has continued to spread, and more and more people have heard and passed on the story that has come to be known as The Kamchatka Incident.

There are many conflicts in this episode, the biggest of which plays out between the American flight crew and the Russian military plane that attempts to intercept them in midair when they stray into Russian air space.  As Major Livingston and his co-pilot ponder their options for dealing with the Russians just outside their cockpit window, they are informed of the Russian defector among the passengers. The defector will almost certainly be killed if the American plane is captured. This reality creates conflict between the flight crew and the defector's handler from the U.S. government (also a passenger), who demands that the crew refuse to surrender. 

The Russian conflict has pushed to the background the drama between Livinston and the flight attendant.  The two had previously suffered tense moments at the airport and during the early part of the flight when discussing the affair and its end.  
The typhoon provides the added conlfict of "man v. nature." Even though they are beyond the storm's reach, the storm has forced them to fly an unusual flight path, which path, coupled with the plane's mechanical troubles, led them into the outer reaches of Russian air space. 

The North Pacific, Japan and the Kamchatka Peninsula

Livingston and his co-pilot must decide whether to surrender or try to flee in their damaged plane, while considering the safety of all of their passengers, including the Russian defector. The resolution is primarily action based.  The romantic angle does not contribute to the resolution, although the resolution of the primary conflict helps resolve the romantic plot.

John Forsythe as Major Livingston

It is apparent from the conversation between Livingston and the attendant that the affair was an adulterous one, even though the writing subtly avoids making that point clear (as best I recall).

The Kamchatka Peninsula is controlled by Russia and has been on the front lines of military and political conflict over many decades, especially involving Russia and Japan.  Nineteen years after this episode aired, the Kamchatka Peninsula was near the location where Russian fighter planes shot down Korean Airlines flight 007 in September 1983.  This episode also predated Pueblo by four years and Mayaguez by 11 years. Instead of copying this episode from modern headlines, this episode predated those headlines.

In 1985, Robert KcKinney wrote a novel with the same name as this episode, based loosely on KAL 007 (with substantial changes).  The online descriptions of this book describe very different plots than this KST episode.  It is possible that McKinney had never even seen this episode.

I was pleased by the realism of this episode.  The writers did not complicate the plot with implausible twists and complicated mysteries, such as you might see in modern political thrillers.  The writers presented a basic story with the Russians as the "bad guys."  They did not see the need to create a new "bad guy" that the Americans and Russians would team up to defeat, such as the shadowy groups fighting James Bond or those that appear in such movies as Sum of All Fears.

The Russians in this KST episode appear only on the periphery of the action.  They are the largely unseen enemy that cannot be ignored.  The primary conflict appears more ominous that way as the flight crew and passengers engage in their own conflicts attempting to deal with the problem. 

This episode has much in common with the old western series, Wagon Train, in which traveling groups must contend with various dangers while traveling great distances in the western desert. Wagon Train featured characters with stories in their past that are explored and revealed over the course of the episode while the convoy deals with their primary danger and their isolation.  This type of story idea is well represented here.  (Episode 1.19 was also similar to Wagon Train, without being overly similar to this episode.)

Actors

John Forsythe played Major Livingston in the second of his two roles in KST.

Frank Maxwell played the Russian defector's American handler in the second of his three KST roles. 

Star Trek connection

Roger Perry played the co-pilot.  Two years later, he would play Captain Christopher on Star Trek's "Tomorrow is Yesterday."  Perry's career has spanned more than 50 years, with his most recent credit coming in 2010.  Perry starred in two series that lasted only one season.  He has played guest roles on many famous series, including Ironside, Barnaby Jones and Falcon Crest.

Leslie Parrish played the flight attendant with the not-completely-defined romantic link to Major Livingston.  She played Lt. Palamas in Star Trek's "Who Mourns for Adonais?"  Her careen spanned more than 20 years, beginning with uncredited roles in movies in the mid-1950's and continuing with guest roles on shows such as Perry Mason, Big Valley, Adam-12 and Police Story. 

Malachi Throne played the Russian defector in the third of his three KST appearances.  Little more than two weeks after this episode aired, Throne and the cast of Star Trek would begin filming the pilot episode ("The Cage") of that series.  A more detailed summary of his career appears for episode 1.07.  Throne died at age 85 on March 13, 2013.  Throne is the third actor from "The Cage" to appear in the second season, and one of eight different actors from "The Cage" to appear in KST over both seasons.

In one scene, where the defector came to the cockpit to confer with Major Livingston, the only people in the scene were the three Star Trek actors and John Forsythe.

One of the writers for this episode is Paul Schneider, who wrote episodes "The Squire of Gothos" and "Balance of Terror" from Star Trek, along with "The Terratin Incident" from Star Trek's animated series.

Cars.

The only vehicles in this episode were the American transport plane and the Russian fighter plane.  I do not know what type of airplanes the producers used.

Kraft Suspense Theatre; Leviathan Five; Arthur Kennedy; Hobbes; Harold Stone; Andrew Duggan; Robert Webber; Frank Overton; Frank Maxwell

Click here for my previous episode review.

Season #1, Episode #14

Leviathan Five

Original Air Date - January 30, 1964. This was the 4th episode aired during 1964. Twenty-nine (29) total episodes were aired during 1964 - more than any other year and almost half of all KST episodes.

Setting/Time - (1) a courtroom in a modern (unnamed) American state and (2) a nearby underground research facility (via flashback).

Plot/Review/Discussion -

Four scientists and a security guard are trapped by an accidental explosion in an underground laboratory. (I do not remember how deeply underground they were, but I recall the elevator clearly indicating a descent of more than 1,000 feet.)

After the explosion, the scientists calculate how long their limited air will last and how long it will take rescuers to reach them and reopen the air vents to the surface. They determine that they cannot survive unless they kill one man quickly. They devise a method where one man will be selected by lottery either to commit suicide or kill one of the others at his own discretion.

The story takes place in a courtroom as the surviving four men are placed on trial for the murder of the fifth man. We do not see exactly how the man died or who killed him, but that is not the point of the trial. All of the survivors face trial, even though only one man presumably pulled the trigger.

Many of the KST episodes focus on a choice between right and wrong. This episode includes the same focus but with a different emphasis. In "Leviathan Five" the choice has already been made and the characters must fight over whether that choice was right or wrong. The survivors' very method of choosing one among them to die is the basis for the charges against all of them. There is no obvious bad guy, only a near impossible situation and plausible arguments on both sides of the issue.

The survivors defend the charges on the basis that they were cut off from society and had to create new rules. They argue that they were not subject to the laws of their (unnamed) state anymore. [The writers' avoidance of any reference to any particular state is a source of awkwardness.] The issue comes down to whether it is right for a small group to kill one of their members if it will save the rest and if they are cut off from civilization. In this episode, the question depends also on the fact that all five men voluntarily took part in the plan.

The story is not as scientific or philosophical as I am making it sound. Other reviewers (at IMDB.com) have focused on Hobbes or an article by a Harvard law professor, but one need not be familiar with these works in order to enjoy this episode. The dispute is presented thoroughly through crisp and simple dialogue - mainly the cross-examination between the prosecutor and the lead scientist.

The writers needed to separate the scientists and the guard from civilization in order for the plot to work. In doing so, the plot lost some credibility. They never made clear why the scientists needed to perform their duties so far underground in the first place. All the audience sees of the underground laboratory are books, papers, a wall control panel and some living quarters.

More interesting is the question of why they needed an armed guard so far underground (aside from the fact that the presence of the guard and his gun are important to the plot). Who was the guard expecting to shoot? What kind of trouble was he expecting 1,000 feet below ground? Is scientific work prone to erupt in violent arguments? If not each other. who was the guard protecting the scientists from? There already were guards and a checkpoint at the entrance to the facility. Notwithstanding the protection above, were they expecting prowlers to make the long journey down the shaft?

If the scientific work involved something so dangerous that it had to be kept more than 1,000 feet below the surface, was it really safe to risk gunplay down there? [This is never explained, but maybe that is what caused the explosion - a guard in another underground shaft at the same facility got trigger happy - with disastrous results.]

And speaking of safety, why did the scientists wear labcoats (aside from the television/movie stereotype of scientists wearing labcoats as some sort of uniform)? They did not seem to be doing anything that could get their clothes dirty (aside from dealing with the consequences of the explosion that trapped them all below ground with limited air). Maybe the facility owners would have been better advised to spend their safety money on preventing explosions instead of issuing useless labcoats.

And not to be overly picky, but the motorized golf cart that carried the scientists from the elevator down the long hallway (the guard would later reveal the exact distance) seemed to be pointless too. Come to think of it, they could have done without that entire hallway. There did not appear to be any other offices down there. Why not simply place the lab near the base of the elevator and avoid some very difficult tunnel construction (not to mention the expense of maintaining the golf cart)?

While others (for example Star Trek fanatics) might try to explain these points with reference to some implausible scenario (e.g. 'this is how laboratory work is done in a parallel universe'), I am content to suspend disbelief just enough to enjoy the plot despite these questions. In fact, a viewer is not likely to notice these things upon seeing the episode for the first time.

I noted also that the courtroom objections seemed to be handled correctly, especially the judge's treatment of the hearsay rule and the fifth amendment (although the main character's use of the fifth amendment would turn out to be improper and might result in contempt charges). This contrasts sharply with modern courtroom dramas.

This episode is one of three KST episodes in which William P. McGivern received a share of the writing credits. His writing focus was usually on crime and police work. I suspect he contributed some of the courtroom and legal knowledge to supplement "Leviathan's" philosophical conflict.

Cars

As far as classic cars are concerned this episode featured quantity over quality.

The opening to the flashback featured a shot of a full parking lot of early 1960's models. The only one you see actually moving is a 1962 Dodge Dart station wagon that carries the lead scientist from his home to this facility. And this brings to mind another question about plot awkwardness. The scientist testifies that he drove, even though he had a driver in the car with him. This is never explained, although it does place the "driver" in the same category as the armed guard. The scientist should have suspected trouble at this point, seeing that he had a driver that served no purpose. This fact should have tipped him off that the armed guard that met him at the shaft entrance would serve no purpose either - except to fill a plot hole that might involve shooting.

As the Dart wagon moves through the parking lot, we catch glimpses of two early-mid-1960's Ford Thunderbirds and a 1963 Mercury Monterey (among many others). Those were all definitely quality cars, but it is much less fun when you see them parked instead of moving along the highway.

Actors

Arthur Kennedy played the lead scientist, who provided the testimony during the trial. Kennedy acted for fifty years until his death in 1990. He received five Oscar nominations.

Harold Stone played another of the scientists. Stone played numerous roles on television and movies for almost 40 years, including guest roles on Big Valley (with fellow KST actor Steve Ihnat) and KST spinoff Run For Your Life. I remember him as gangster Frank Nitti in The St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1967.

Robert Webber played the prosecutor. Webber was a well-known character actor for almost forty years until his death in 1989. This was the first of his two KST appearances. I remember him as a drug kingpin in Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978). He guest-starred in many of the most famous TV shows of his time.

Frank Maxwell played the armed guard in the first of his three KST appearances. He did character work for almost 50 years, including guest and regular appearances on network television. His roles usually were authority figures (police, military, etc.).

Andrew Duggan portrayed another of the scientists in the first of his two KST appearances. He is known for playing presidents, including Eisenhower and Johnson numerous times. He also played military leaders in modern settings and in westerns, such as Big Valley. He enjoyed many starring roles in television for nearly 40 years until his death in 1988.

Star Trek connection.

This episode's Star Trek actor is Frank Overton, who played the defense attorney. Overton starred in Star Trek's "This Side of Paradise" (directed by KST's Ralph Senensky). Overton played in one of the more well-known episodes of Twilight Zone, opposite KST's Gig Young. His IMDB "trivia" bio mentions his Star Trek appearance to the exclusion of the remainder of his 20 year career.