Don Ingalls

Donald G. Ingalls (July 29, 1918 – March 10, 2014) was an American screenwriter and television producer. He was a lifelong friend of Gene Roddenberry, having served in the Los Angeles Police Department with him.

For the American football player, see Donald Robert Ingalls.
Don Ingalls
Born
Donald G. Ingalls

(1918-07-29)July 29, 1918
Humboldt, Nebraska
DiedMarch 10, 2014(2014-03-10) (aged 95)
Olympia, Washington
NationalityAmerican
OccupationScreenwriter and producer
Known forStar Trek, Fantasy Island, T.J. Hooker

Early life

Don Ingalls was born in Humboldt, Nebraska on July 29, 1918.[1] During the Second World War, Ingalls was in the United States Army Air Forces as a pilot. He was stationed in Europe, flying Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses.[2] Following the war, he subsequently became a test pilot for North American Aviation.[1]

Ingalls became a police officer and worked under Chief William H. Parker in the Los Angeles Police Department within the Public Information department. It was in the police that he met lifelong friend Gene Roddenberry for the first time, and both of them transitioned from the Newspaper Unit within the Traffic Department to the new section when Parker was made chief. The pair shared a common background, both of them having been B-17 pilots during the war.[3] During this time, they worked from a single office on the 27th floor of the Los Angeles City Hall.[2] The duo shared a desire to become writers, with Ingalls being the first between them to resign from the LAPD to pursue this objective.[4]

Screenwriting career

Roddenberry and Ingalls drifted apart following the latter's resignation, but reunited early on in their writing careers. Roddenberry was initially the more successful of the two, and recommended Ingalls as story editor to Sam Rolfe on the television series Have Gun – Will Travel.[5] He would also continue to recommend Ingalls for other screenwriting jobs around the same time,[6] while Ingalls went on to become an associate producer at Have Gun – Will Travel.[1] When Roddenberry began to develop Star Trek, he sent Ingalls a series outline but asked him to keep it "very, very confidential".[7]

Ingalls went on to write two scripts for Star Trek, his first being "The Alternative Factor". His second script, "A Private Little War", was intended to be a criticism piece on the Vietnam War, but was heavily re-written by Roddenberry to the extent that Ingalls was angry at him for a year and insisted on being credited only under the pseudonym "Jud Crucis".[8]

He wrote episodes for a variety of television series, and was a producer on shows such as Fantasy Island, T.J. Hooker and Kingston: Confidential. Ingalls also wrote a handful of television movies such as the 1979 Captain America film. He has a single theatrical film credit, Airport 1975 (1974). His final work was the novel, Watchers on the Mountain (2005) a fictional work about the Navajo Nation.[1]

Death

He died in 2014 after a long illness at his home in Olympia, Washington.[1]

Filmography

Films
YearFilmCreditNotes
1970 Dial Hot Line Story By Television Movie, Co-Wrote story with "Carol Sobieski"
1972 The Bull of the West Screenplay By Television Movie, Co-wrote screenplay with "Richard Fielder"
1974 Airport 1975 Screenplay By Based on the novel "Airport" By "Arthur Hailey"
1975 A Matter of Wife... and Death Written By Television Movie
1976 Flood! Written By Television Movie
1978 The Initiation of Sarah Screenplay By Television Movie, Co-Wrote screenplay with "Carol Saraceno" and "Kenette Gfeller"
1979 Captain America Written By Television Movie

Television
YearTV SeriesCreditNotes
1957-58 Harbor Command Writer 3 Episodes
1958-63 Have Gun – Will Travel Writer, Producer, Story Editor, Script Editor, Associate Producer Multiple Episodes
1959 Tombstone Territory Writer 1 Episode
Bat Masterson Writer 1 Episode
1960 Tate Writer 1 Episode
Danger Man Writer 1 Episode
Michael Shayne Writer 1 Episode
Zane Grey Theater Writer 1 Episode
1961 Whiplash Writer 4 Episodes
1961-72 Bonanza Writer 4 Episodes
1962 Shannon Writer 6 Episode
1963-64 The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters Writer, Producer, Associate Producer
1963-69 The Virginian Writer, Producer
1965 Daniel Boone Writer 1 Episode
1965-66 Honey West Writer, Associate Producer
1966 12 O'Clock High Associate Producer 11 Episodes
1966-69 The Big Valley Writer 5 Episodes
1967 Gunsmoke Writer 2 Episodes
The Road West Writer 1 Episode
1967-68 Star Trek: The Original Series Writer 2 Episodes
1968 Cowboy in Africa Writer 1 Episode
1969-70 Then Came Bronson Writer 2 Episodes
1970 Adam-12 Writer 1 Episode
Matt Lincoln Writer 1 Episode
Marcus Welby, M.D. Writer 2 Episodes
The Silent Force Writer 1 Episode
1971 The Bold Ones: The New Doctors Writer 1 Episode
1971-72 The Mod Squad Writer 2 Episodes
1972 The Sixth Sense Writer, Executive Story Consultant, Creative Consultant
1973 The Snoop Sisters Writer 1 Episode
1973-75 Police Story Writer 4 Episodes
1974 Doc Elliot Writer 1 Episode
Born Free Writer 1 Episode
1976 Serpico Producer Unknown Episodes
1977 Kingston: Confidential Writer, Producer
1979 A Man Called Sloane Writer 1 Episode
1979-84 Fantasy Island Writer, Director, Producer, Executive Story Consultant
1985-86 T.J. Hooker Writer, Producer

Notes
  1. Lentz, III 2015, p. 169.
  2. Alexander 1995, p. 114.
  3. Alexander 1995, pp. 107–108.
  4. Alexander 1995, p. 142.
  5. Alexander 1995, pp. 143–144.
  6. Alexander 1995, p. 157.
  7. Alexander 1995, p. 199.
  8. Alexander 1995, pp. 289–230.

References
  • Alexander, David (1995). Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry. New York: Roc. ISBN 0-451-45440-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Lentz, III, Harris M. (2015). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2014. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-1-476-61961-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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