Kristine M. Smith Talks About Her Friendship With The Man Behind Star Trek's Dr McCoy
Interview Courtesy of Sci Fi Pulse

June 12 2002

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De and Kris sharing a moment appreciating the Garden.
Picture taken from the Writers personal collection

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Interview Conducted by: Ian Cullen, Pat Morris, Eric Koenig, Connie Koenig And Our Friend Laura.
Edited By Pat Morris Assisted By Ian M Cullen

On Saturday the 8 Of June. We here at Sci Fi Pulse had the honor of talking to Kristine M. Smith a close friend of Deforest Kelley and his wife Carolyn. Kristine shared with our merry group some of her memories of De and also told us a little about the man behind 'Star Treks' Dr McCoy.

Writers Note: Please note that some of Kristines rememberances of the Star Trek parts of this interview are taken from her memories of DeForest Kelleys convention appearances.

Sci Fi Pulse would collectively like to thank Laura for her help and assistance is setting this up for us, and having the foresight to ask a few questions of her own which otherwise may not have been thought of. Additional thanks go out to Pat Morris for all her help in Co Ordinating this.

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Laura: How and when did you first meet DeForest Kelley and his wife Carolyn?
Kristine M. Smith: I met them at the Wenatchee Apple Blossom Festival in Washington State when STAR TREK was on hiatus between its second and third season. (This carbon dates me, I know.)

Eric Koenig: About the summer of '68, then?
Kristine M. Smith: Yes -- May 4th, '68 to be exact. I drove there expecting to see him go by in the parade but as luck would have it, my friend and I ended up on the sidewalk where the Kelley car was.

Laura: Looking back on that very first meeting, did you ever imagine you were at the precipice of a 30+ year friendship?

Kristine M. Smith: Never, ever, in my wildest dreams. I would have had myself locked up if I had gone that far with my imagination!

Laura: How did you end up writing the book which in essence is a memoir.

Kristine M. Smith: Having never written his own autobiography, he gave (me) his blessing to write a memoir on his behalf after his passing. There is also another book due out in the not so distant future, written by an author who I admire, Terry Lee Rioux.
I think De would be pleased. I was supposed to write BOTH books -- the personal memoir that's out now and the bio -- but I am an anecdotal writer, not a researcher or historian, so I handed all the info De gave me off to Terry Lee Rioux and she contacted all the people in his life who were still alive (from age 6 through the military and through his STAR TREK and retirement years) and she has done a fantastic job with the biography. It will be out in December.

My book is out now and is called DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories. Terry's working title is Sawdust to Stardust, Star Trek's Doctor McCoy. Leonard Nimoy suggested the title. The two books together will be a real treasure.
My book is available at http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/7780. If you get it there, you will be getting a large discount! Other on-line E-tailers have it as well but they are selling it at RETAIL prices. 1st Books sells it at wholesale prices. Amazon.com, BN.com, Wal-Mart.com etc also carry the book, but again, at retail prices, so save money by ordering through 1st Books. If you have a hard time reaching the website for it, do a search on "DeForest Kelley Just An Old Country Doctor" and follow the links for the book from there. Read the reviews at Amazon.com if need be, but order from 1st Books. I don't want ANY of De's fans having to pay more for their copy!

Laura: Many fans have seen De break down in a fit of giggles in many of the Trek Blooper Tapes. He is also well known having a wonderful sense of humor. Was he a practical joker? Any specific jokes come to mind?

Kristine M. Smith: De had a great sense of humor. I don't want to give away the farm here -- so much of it is detailed in my book -- but he was a very funny guy and a good, yet always humane practical joker. The word HUMANE is important when you think of his practical jokes.. His humor was never condescending or cruel. He was as decent a human being as I have known; compassionate as well as wise. De didn't ACT like the typical movie star. He may have finally understood he WAS one, but it didn't change his lifestyle or his appreciation or his attitude. He was just a salt of the earth kind of guy. De drove his 68 Thunderbird from 68 to 1991 and then traded it in only when it began to be unreliable. Then he got a Lexus, which Carolyn still has. It has very few miles on it. (Even) the house they bought in 1961 is the one Carolyn still owns. You would never guess it belonged to a movie star. Very modest. He always said how LUCKY he was and how none of it would have happened without his/TREK's fans.

Eric Koenig: I'd like to ask something especially regarding the fact that you met De and Carolyn before the last season of The Classic Star Trek Series began.

Kristine M. Smith: Now we're getting away from De. De and I didn't discuss STAR TREK at all -- which is one of the reasons he kept me around, I think!

Eric Koenig: Did De have any favorite episodes from that time ... perhaps For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky ... aka Doctor Gets Girl?

Kristine M. Smith: De's favorite episode was CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER.

Eric Koenig : I remember reading that, when GR (Gene Roddenberry) wanted him to do the cameo "Admiral" role in Encounter at Farpoint, De agreed to do it for minimum pay ... quite modest considering he was a legend.

Ian Cullen: Thanks Eric For that reminder. Kris did De ever speak to you about his brief cameo in the TNG Pilot: 'Encounter at Far Point'. A lot of the original cast were resistant to TNG. I was surprised he agreed to do the cameo.

Kristine M. Smith: De did speak on stage about the cameo, but it isn't in the book. I can relate it if you like.

Ian Cullen: Please do, am sure that there are still people out there who havent heard about it.

Kristine M. Smith: De said that he was at first reluctant to do the cameo as he didn't know what the feeling was among the rest of the cast -- old and new. But DC Fontana showed him that moment and it was so good. and De got to thinking about how much Gene had done for De in his career, so he said, "I'll do it, but I want to do it for scale" (the lowest pay rate) to thank Gene for all he had done for him . So he did that.

He went into makeup at 4:30 the morning of the shoot because they said his scene would be shot at 8:30 and there was four hours worth of makeup. But 8:30 passed and noon passed and 2:30 passed and he had to drink lunch through a straw to keep his makeup from being ruined. He inquired as to when his scene would be -- as he was getting weary by this time and had planned to be back home by noon -- and they said, "Real soon." Well, real soon ended up being 5:30 that night! But he stayed, for scale, because he owed Gene that scene. That says a lot. Many actors would have stormed off the stage and gone home.

Laura: That says a lot about his character and his patience.

Ian Cullen: I thought his teasing Data was funny as hell. Did he ever relate anything about working with Brent Spiner?

KristineMSmith: About Brent Spiner. I heard that De was at the first personal appearance Brent was at and Brent was backstage, very nervous and said to De, "I just don't know what to do -- what do the fans expect?" and De counseled him, "Just love them. That's all they want. Love them." It was good advice. Brent relaxed and his fans loved him.

*Group Discussion turns to De and Carolyn's 55 year marriage...Kris is asked what De thought the secret to their successful marriage was, since such a marriage is virtually unheard of now).

Kristine M. Smith: De answered that question one time at a convention. It's in my book, but I will try to recall it verbatim here for you: "The first thing you have to do is find the right girl. That’s number one. And then of course you fall in love and then when you fall in love, you fall into life and you have find a way to sustain the love, and it grows into a deeper kind of thing...."

Eric Koenig: Father's Day is coming up ... what was De like as a family man?

Kristine M. Smith: He was loving and supportive, although he and Carolyn had no children. Their pets were their children.

Ian Cullen: Change of venue here. From feet planted firmly on earth, to a trip to the stars, let's now go to the Old West! De had done a lot of westerns before he did Star Trek.

Kristine M. Smith: De would love that! (Referring To The Change Of Venue)

Ian Cullen: There is a younger generation of Star Trek Fans that would probably be interested in some of the movies DeForest did prior to his Star Trek role. Which movies do you think De would want these new fans to see.

Kristine M. Smith: There are several. Apache Uprising, Warlock, The Law and Jake Wade. Also the motion picture WHERE LOVE HAS GONE. And for television, his Bonanza episodes.

At this point Kristine explains to the group that her becoming a fan of the late actor was actually during the days he was portraying cowboys in the wild west era of movies.

Kristine M. Smith: I had seen De in Westerns before STAR TREK. He is what attracted me to STAR TREK in the first place. I was a big western fan and he seemed to be in just about every one -- but as a heavy, as a bad guy. Then McCoy comes along - and suddenly I saw a side of him that really attracted me.

And it was this which led to Kristines first meeting with DeForest and his wife in the summer of 68. As we trek on with proceedings the subject hovers back to the final frontier.

Eric Koenig: Out of the Star Trek Movies which one did he enjoy the most.

Kristine M. Smith: His favorite TREK movie was IV The Voyage Home.

Pat Morris: As was mine

Ian Cullen: I can see why he would like Trek IV with its emphasis on saving Humanity, the whales and the humor within it.
Pat Morris: From personal observation, no one could miss the smile on Nimoy's face in the water scene

Kristine M. Smith: But acting is not all fun and games. It was serious business to De --- it put the roof over their heads and making movies can be tedious. I know. I work at a motion picture and television studio. It is FAR from glamorous.

Pat Morris: Hard work aside, did he have fun making these? From personal observation, no one could miss the ("non regulation Vulcan") smile on Nimoy's face in the water scene.
Kristine M. Smith: Absolutely.

Ian Cullen: I heard that at some point DeForest considered becoming a real doctor, before he became an actor. Did he ever talk to you about this? Would it be fair to say that whatever he did pick up during his early days of looking into the medical profession helped him in his portrayal of DR. McCoy and the other doctors he portrayed in other series.

KristineMSmith: De did consider becoming a doctor -- and also wanted to be a cowboy -- when he was a youngster. His uncle was a doctor and had encouraged him, but he grew up during the Depression and the money for the schooling wasn't available. He did work as an orderly in a hospital in Long Beach at one time when he first came to California, but that was his only real experience in hospitals. He later repeated, grinning, to an audience what was written about him in the Journal of the America Medical Association magazine (he was the first thespian doctor ever profiled in that prestigious magazine up to that point, of which he was very proud): "I became the most famous doctor in the galaxy!" He was proud that his portrayal of McCoy inspired so many fans to enter the profession. Many had written to him to let him know that, and he kept many of the letters as treasures. He said his other dream came true as well -- "I got to be a cowboy, too!" He encouraged fans never to give up on their dreams. He read a lot about medicine and remained interested in it. He fashioned McCoy after his OWN first doctor in Encino -- a man who was very good at what he did -- and also brought his dog to work with him! De felt strongly that doctors should have a compassionate, calming, HEALER side that went beyond what they could do for you as a patient. (De felt that way as an actor, too, as his fans can attest who had the pleasure of meeting him or seeing him on stage.) I believe his portrayal as McCoy was actually much more Healer than Doctor -- except when he flew off the handle with Spock!

Kristine M. Smith: He sometimes called himself "The Galactic Quack"!

Pat Morris: And his Wagon Train to the Stars made him a Space Cowboy.

Kristine M. Smith: Right!

Eric Koenig: De seemed to exemplify, to me, the "soul" of Star Trek -- a passionate, motivated, caring individual, the antithesis of the cold logic of Spock. Just what were De's own personal feelings about human compassion, the way the world was heading, and so forth?

Kristine M. Smith: He was a compassionate, caring man. I'm not sure what he thought about the way the world was heading -- but I do know he was an optimist, as was Gene, and thought we'd somehow get through it (with the help and by the grace of God).

As an aside, I'm glad he wasn't here for Sept 11th -- it would have broken his heart, as it did all of ours -- but I also think he would have been relieved to see the now-more-obvious and celebratory patriotism and pride and love of country that came from that horrendous day. This is speculation on my part, of course, but I think he would have been proud of the way America rallied after Sept 11th.

Pat Morris: Tell us what it was like for you, to know this couple so well for so long and become as close friends as you did?

Kristine M. Smith: What it was like to be loved by De and Carolyn -- that answer takes a 324 page book. It's all show and tell, all about that. Their love and emotional support literally transformed my life and my being. As to how knowing them transformed me. I started out as an insecure, uncertain teenager. I ended up being De's caregiver in the hospital and was at his bedside when he passed away. That span of years, between "I'm not sure I can do anything right" to "I have to do everything right because De needs me" --- it truly takes a book. There is no short answer here!

Laura: Of the two of them.....who was the extrovert and who was the introvert?

Kristine M. Smith: They were both introverts -- but De was less introverted than Carolyn. In private, it was the other way around.

Connie Koenig: First I want you to know I learned alot about how to deal with the bumps in the road of life from Dr. McCoy. From what I know of the man, he seemed to put a lot of himself into the role. I got my sense of humor from watching Dr McCoy.

De was well known for is pranks. Are there any pranks that you can relate to us that he pulled on you personally or on his close friends or family?

Kristine M. Smith: Yes, De was a (humane) prankster and there are incidents I have shared in my book that will tickle your funny bone AND have you in gales of laughter -- but I feel that divulging them now would DE-prive you of the so much of the joy of finding them throughout the course of my book . So may I just refer you to the book? That sounds like a sales pitch, I know, but -- pulling them out and setting them down separately in an interview would truly cripple their effectiveness once you get into the narrative of the book. All I can say is yes, he was a prankster par excellence! PREPARE TO LAUGH, PREPARE TO CRY AND PREPARE TO LOVE DE FOR A LOT MORE REASONS THAN YOU DO RIGHT NOW! That's what the book is all about -- to expand and extend the memories you have of him and make him "come alive" for you, far beyond Dr. McCoy!

De and Kris share their appreciation of Animals.
Picture taken from the writers personal collection

Kristine M. Smith: Ah, that's easy. His wife, first and foremost. His pets. His rose garden. His fans. His fans' pets. His friends. His cowboy days and cowboy movies. What I was doing (whenever he spoke with me.)

The odd thing about De is, he was mostly an OBSERVER. He mostly LISTENED and then would comment when he had something he felt was significant to communicate. He was not a chat-ter, per se. He was an observer of human nature.
Carolyn and I would go to town on any subject imaginable in the universe, and he would sit and smile and grin and nod and only occasionally would he offer a comment -- but it was always endlessly noteworthy whenever he DID open his mouth. Not your typical actor at all! He didn't feel life was about HIM. Life was about what was happening to everyone else around him.

Ian Cullen: Kris, having known DeForest personally, how much of the real DeForest Kelley would you say was in the role of McCoy and what aspects of his own personality would you say were NOT used in his portrayal of the good doctor?

KristineMSmith: The "Reel" McCoy was partly De -- the aspects that made that role truly shine were pure De. McCoy was originally designed by Roddenberry to be an HL Mencken type character -- a cynical man with nothing much good to say about anything. But Kelley's own innate kindness and compassion shone through and the McCoy we love and remember today is pure Kelley.

On the other hand -- and this is definitely NOT a Kelley trait (but he used the appropriated skill to good effect in Westerns as well!) -- Mc Coy flew off the handle quite a bit when frustrated by Spock or other situations, whereas De -- in my experience -- NEVER did. He was uniformly even-tempered in every encounter. Even when he had to "fight for his rights" it was done in an even-handed, respectful-but-certain way that left no doubt that it was the ISSUE at hand, not personalities, that was the problem. There were times when he was sick -- and even a few times at conventions when he was more or less insulted or accosted on stage by insensitive or pushy, uninformed fans -- that he COULD have flown off the handle, out of frustration, but he never did. He treated everyone with respect, compassion and sensitivity.

He once joked -- when explaining the difference between himself and McCoy -- that McCoy was "more patient" than he was himself, but I have to disagree with that. He was the most patient man I ever met -- and always seemed to have a great measure of love and understanding in his heart for whatever the issue or the personality might be.
But back to the UN-Kelley-like aspects in his portrayals. He fashioned his "heavy" roles in Westerns after a Georgia sheriff who reminded him of a snake: "He'd look at you as if he was just praying you'd step out of line, even a little, so he'd have an excuse to assassinate you." Anyone who has seen APACHE UPRISING or THE LAW AND JAKE WADE knows the look and the attitude I'm referring to. Like a coiled snake -- just waiting for his chance to get you.

Connie Koenig: De as a man just sounds too good to be true. A great man, with a wonderful sense of humor and humility. He seems almost more than human. Could you tell us what De really hated in life? He sounds like a man of deep convictions.

KristineMSmith: I don't believe I ever heard De say he hated anything in life. His mind did not run toward hate -- it seemed solely focused on love and kindness and compassion. I suppose he hated being sick -- and I do know for a fact that he hated the thought of leaving Carolyn (due to death). But other than that, I never heard him express hatred of anything or anyone. I think if you asked any of his close friends or colleagues the same question, they would come up with a similar response.

Eric Koenig: Who were the people who inspired De most in life? (shall we say ... Kelley's Heroes?)

Kristine M. Smith: Gosh, that's a tough one. Tom Mix was a boyhood hero of his (you know, the movie cowboy). I also think his military buddies in WW II inspired him, as did Roddenberry. And certainly his MOTHER inspired him immensely -- she supported his aspirations even though De's father (a Baptist minister) was pretty sure De was headed straight for hell, for having decided to become an actor! That was a tense and sad situation for De, to have disappointed his father.

Connie Koenig: After his retirement from acting he was heard to say "Acting has become my hobby and my home has become my heart." That he worked in his Rose Garden, wrote poetry and read biographies. What type of poetry did he like? Was there any favorites of his that you could recite for us?

Kristine M. Smith: He actually enjoyed biographies of other actors, as well as other historical people and places. His library included biographies of Capote, Churchill, Marilyn Monroe (Carolyn's particular favorite), Judy Garland, Harry Carey Jr., John Ford, along with the history of Andersonville during the Civil War, etc.

As far as poetry goes, he wrote his own -- much of which (except for his well-known and well-loved STAR TREK poems) has never been released. Unfortunately, I don't have the authorization to share them with you at this time. A couple non-TREK poems that De read at conventions ARE reprinted in my book, however. Carolyn gave me permission for those few, but I don't have authorization to present them elsewhere -- just within the pages of the book.

Eric Koenig: Other than just being typecast as "'Bones' from Star Trek," what was De's greatest fear?

Kristine M. Smith: I never asked him. Perhaps that the phone would never ring again with a job, all those years he struggled as an actor? He mentioned that as a fear. (All actors have that fear, no matter HOW successful they become.) He also feared dying -- but only because it meant leaving Carolyn behind. Otherwise, I think he was amazingly accepting of his fate.

Connie Koenig: As De's caretaker at the end, could you relate how he felt about his life and the legacy he was leaving behind?

KristineMSmith: De loved his life (simple and unassuming as it was), and felt the legacy he was leaving behind was honorable (for as you know, many of his fans became doctors, nurses, technicians, writers, actors, decent honorable people as a result of his example). I don't think he truly allowed himself the pleasure of fully coming to grips with how MUCH people loved him, though, or for all the reasons they loved (and continue to love) him. He said once that taking it all in (actually embracing the love people felt for him) would have overwhelmed him to such a degree that he might lose his mind. He didn't truly allow himself to "go there" for that reason. He was always surprised when I would send him an Internet article or comment that was particularly heartfelt or adulatory about him. An example or two of that is spotlighted in my book.

Laura: Knowing what a private man De was, what do you imagine he would think of such a Tribute on the anniversary of the third year since he left us.? Did he ever surf the internet to see what the fans were saying or was he very much like his charactor of DR. McCoy who was a little afraid of new technology.

Kristine M. Smith: I really can't speak for De, except to say I believe he would have been very pleased. He was a humble man and all this love stuff from his fans may have embarrassed him a bit, but in his heart ofhearts -- and in Carolyn's -- he and she would have loved and appreciated all the emotion that fans feel for him. As for computers, that little bit of info can be found in my boook in very humorous fashion. They didn't have a computer. Let's leave it at that. I think it intimidated them.

Laura: So There would have been no real chance of getting De in an internet chatroom then.

Kristine M. Smith: None whatsoever. He would read stuff I gave him from websites, and he appreciateed and loved them and once in a while he would respond to one of the rumors (that''s in the book too) but all in all, computers were really no part of their lives.

Pat Morris: As for Carolyn, and this is something we will have listed at the Pulse, can you give fans an address to write to her?

Kristine M. Smith: Yes. CAROLYN KELLEY, 23388 MULHOLLAND DRIVE, WOODLAND HILLS, CA 91436. She would love to know people still think of her.

Kristine M. Smith: The cards and letters have fallen off of late. But there is good news -- she seems to have turned the corner on her sorrow and she seems to be starting to enjoy life again. It took a long time -- they were joined at the hip and at the heart and it has taken her this long to come to grips with it. I am ecstatic with the new turn of events. To see her smile again after so long is a God-send.

If you are a fan of Deforest Kelley and would like to write to his wife Carolyn you can use the address listed below:

Carolyn Kelley
23388 Mulholland Dr.
Woodland Hills, Ca 91436

If you are interested in reading more about Kristines Friendship with Deforest and his Wife Carolyn you can order the book here.

You know, he's not really dead as long as we remember him. Well, We just did.
Continue With Us To Celebrate The Life and Good Times Granted Us Because Of The Life Of:
DeFOREST KELLEY
Among Hollywood's Finest - More Importantly Among Humanity's Finest
Jamuary 20th 1920 - June 11th 1999

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