Don Ingalls Explained

Don Ingalls
Birth Name:Donald G. Ingalls
Birth Date:29 July 1918
Birth Place:Humboldt, Nebraska, U.S.
Death Place:Olympia, Washington, U.S.
Occupation:Screenwriter and producer
Known For:Star Trek, Fantasy Island, T.J. Hooker

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.

Early life

Don Ingalls was born in Humboldt, Nebraska on July 29, 1918. 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. Following the war, he subsequently became a test pilot for North American Aviation.

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. During this time, they worked from a single office on the 27th floor of the Los Angeles City Hall. The duo shared a desire to become writers, with Ingalls being the first between them to resign from the LAPD to pursue this objective.

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. He would also continue to recommend Ingalls for other screenwriting jobs around the same time, while Ingalls went on to become an associate producer at Have Gun – Will Travel. When Roddenberry began to develop Star Trek, he sent Ingalls a series outline but asked him to keep it "very, very confidential".

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".

He wrote episodes for a variety of television series, and was a producer on shows such as Fantasy Island, T.J. Hooker and . 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.

Death

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

Filmography

Films

Year Film Credit Notes
1970Dial Hot LineStory ByTelevision Movie, Co-Wrote story with "Carol Sobieski"
1972The Bull of the WestScreenplay ByTelevision Movie, Co-wrote screenplay with "Richard Fielder"
1974Airport 1975Screenplay ByBased on the novel "Airport" By "Arthur Hailey"
1975A Matter of Wife... and DeathWritten ByTelevision Movie
1976Flood!Written ByTelevision Movie
1978The Initiation of SarahScreenplay ByTelevision Movie, Co-Wrote screenplay with "Carol Saraceno" and "Kenette Gfeller"
1979Captain AmericaWritten ByTelevision Movie

Television

Year TV Series Credit Notes
1957-58Harbor CommandWriter3 episodes
1958-63Have Gun – Will TravelWriter, producer, Story Editor, Script Editor, Associate ProducerMultiple Episodes
1959Tombstone TerritoryWriter1 Episode
Bat MastersonWriter1 Episode
1960TateWriter1 Episode
Danger ManWriter1 Episode
Michael ShayneWriter1 Episode
Zane Grey TheaterWriter1 Episode
1961WhiplashWriter4 episodes
1961-72BonanzaWriter4 episodes
1962ShannonWriter6 Episode
1963-64The Travels of Jaimie McPheetersWriter, producer, Associate Producer
1963-69The VirginianWriter, producer
1965Daniel BooneWriter1 Episode
1965-66Honey WestWriter, Associate Producer
196612 O'Clock HighAssociate Producer11 episodes
1966-69The Big ValleyWriter5 episodes
1967GunsmokeWriter2 episodes
The Road WestWriter1 Episode
1967-68Writer2 episodes
1968Cowboy in AfricaWriter1 Episode
1969-70Then Came BronsonWriter2 episodes
1970Adam-12Writer1 Episode
Matt LincolnWriter1 Episode
Marcus Welby, M.D.Writer2 episodes
The Silent ForceWriter1 Episode
1971Writer1 Episode
1971-72The Mod SquadWriter2 episodes
1972The Sixth SenseWriter, Executive Story Consultant, Creative Consultant
1973The Snoop SistersWriter1 Episode
1973-75Police StoryWriter4 episodes
1974Doc ElliotWriter1 Episode
Born FreeWriter1 Episode
1976SerpicoProducerUnknown Episodes
1977Writer, producer
1979A Man Called SloaneWriter1 Episode
1979-84Fantasy IslandWriter, director, producer, Executive Story Consultant
1985-86T.J. HookerWriter, producer

References