Samuel A. Peeples

Samuel A. Peeples
BornSamuel Anthony Peeples
(1917-09-22)September 22, 1917
DiedAugust 27, 1997(1997-08-27) (aged 79)
Pen nameBrad Ward

Samuel Anthony Peeples (September 22, 1917 – August 27, 1997) was an American writer. He published several novels in the Western genre, often under the pen name Brad Ward, before moving into American series television after being given a script assignment by Frank Gruber.[1] In addition to writing Western television scripts, he created several Western series, notably Lancer (1968), Frontier Circus (1961), The Tall Man (1961), and co-created the series Custer (1967).

Peeples was a literary science fiction enthusiast who also occasionally wrote science fiction for Television, starting by providing advice and reference material to friend and colleague Gene Roddenberry as the latter created what became the original Star Trek series. Peeples was one of three writers selected to write a proposed second pilot for the series, and his script, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (1965), was filmed and sold the series. He contributed the first aired episode of the animated Star Trek series, "Beyond the Farthest Star" (1973).[2] He also worked with Roddenberry on the script for the 1977 TV movie (and unsuccessful series pilot) Spectre. Peeples wrote an unused alternative script, Worlds That Never Were, for the second Star Trek motion picture. The name of one character from his draft, Doctor Savik, would eventually get reused for the character Lieutenant Saavik.

Peeples wrote a number of episodes for Filmation's live action Space Academy and Jason of Star Command series and wrote the script for their animated TV movie and seven first-season episodes of the Flash Gordon series that resulted from it.[3]

Peeples died of cancer on August 27, 1997, at age 79, just one month short of his eightieth birthday.

Novels

  • The Dream Ends in Fury (1949) (paperback title: Outlaw Vengeance)
  • The Hanging Hills (as Brad Ward) (1952)
  • Johnny Sundance (as Brad Ward) (1953)
  • The Marshal Of Medicine Bend (as Brad Ward) (1954)
  • The Baron of Boot Hill (as Brad Ward) (1954)
  • The Lobo Horseman (1955) aka (The Lobo Horseman: Was he the last threat to Dynamite Valley?)
  • The Call of the Gun (1955)
  • The Man from Andersonville (1956) (as Brad Ward)
  • Terror at Tres Alamos (1956)
  • Doc Colt (1957)
  • Frontier Street (as Brad Ward) (1958)
  • The Man Who Died Twice (1976)
  • Why I Am A Gangster (1978)

Films

Television series, as creator

Television scripts

TV movies

See also

References

  1. ^ Nolan, William F. (1985). Max Brand, Western Giant: The Life and Times of Frederick Schiller Faust. Popular Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-87972-291-3.
  2. ^ "The Cassutt Files". www.scifi.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2005. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  3. ^ Scheimer, Lou (2012). Creating the Filmation Generation. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 97, 142, 150, 152, 167. ISBN 978-1605490441.
  4. ^ "The Man in Black". Archived from the original on April 8, 2002. Retrieved June 9, 2023.