#tom troupe

[boyoyoyoing]

@gifevents 2: I Understood that Reference Day 7. Retelling: My Own Private Idaho retelling Henry IV

[all-action-all-picture]

Kelly's Heroes (1970). As far as I can tell, of the main cast, only Clint Eastwood (b. 1930, Private Kelly) and Tom Troupe (b. 1928, Corporal Job) are still alive.

Michael Clark (who appeared in a smaller role as the ill-fated Private Grace) may also still be with us. This was his first movie role and he doesn't get much screen time but he did get his face in the classic end credits 'Burning Bridges' roll call. His last screen credit was in the 1990's so information about him is scarce.

[filmjunky-99]

m y o w n p r i v a t e i d a h o, 1991 🏳️‍🌈 dir. gus van sant 'Portland'

[camyfilms]

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO 1991

I'm a connoisseur of roads. I've been tasting roads my whole life. This road will never end. It probably goes all around the world.

[moviesallday5]

#657 #My Own Private Idaho

[green-light-kid]

“Does it have to be the four I freed or would any four do?”

+

[redshirtgal]

In “Arena,” Lt. Harold had the dubious distinction of being the lone survivor of the Gorn attack on Federation Outpost Cestus III. As communications officer, he had informed the Gorn ship there were also women and children among them and that the outpost would surrender but to no avail. By the time he was found by the landing party led by Captain Kirk, Harold was suffering from radiation exposure, internal injuries and shock. Dr. McCoy told Kirk that this lieutenant only had a half hour to live, but they were finally able to transport him back to the Enterprise in time to save his life. End of story, right? Because we never see Lt. Harold again after he tells his story about the attack once he has been stabilized in Sickbay. Actually, there is a little piece of trivia about Harold that is interesting if you are into how items in one episode of Star Trek were often used again in later episodes.

It seems that the actor who played Lt. Harold (Tom Troupe) wore the same tunic that Gary Walberg wore as Command Hansen in “Balance of Terror.”  But how do we know this? After all, at first glance, Harold’s tunic appears the same as any other officer in Starfleet. But if you look really carefully, it appears the two uniforms do have several things in common. And there is one subtle difference.

1) They are both the beige operations tunic that first appeared in “Where No Man Has Gone Before” but were demoted to being worn by other unknown extras in the Enterprise corridors or crewmen from other ships (as well as Charlie X). In fact, since “Arena” was the 20th episode in production order, Lt. Harold may well be the last person to wear this tunic.

2) Oddly, they both have black collars, which never appeared on the beige uniforms until these two episodes. The collars on the original operations tunic were ribbed and also beige.

And ... 3) They both have this emblem, which apparently is worn by officers stationed at Federation outposts. It’s harder to see on Harold’s tunic, but if you look at his costume close up (http://bit.ly/2MJqzKD)you can see the vague image of the above emblem. It’s more apparent on the full sized image of Commander Hansen.  The above image comes from Memory Alpha in an article on Starfleet assignment patches. By the way, for those of you who are into how the braids on the sleeve of a Starfleet uniform represent the rank of the officer wearing it, Lt. Hansen presents another bit of minutiae. His tunic has no braids at all, which usually means he would be an ensign. Yet, he is referred to as lieutenant in the episode and actually in the final draft script there are four more references to his rank that did not make it into the actual episodes. Evidently when an officer’s uniform is held up at the ship’s cleaners, he or she is issued a generic one to wear until it comes back ( you know I just made that up, right?). Seriously though, you can’t use those braids as a definite marker of rank in every episode. Wardrobe problems happen.

Now that your knowledge of Lt. Hansen and his uniform have been enhanced, let’s move on to the actor who was in that uniform.

After having served two years in Korea, Tom Troupe went to New York and studied acting under the famed acting teacher Uta Hagen in the early 50s. He actually made his acting debut in 1957 playing the part of Peter in the original Broadway production of The Diary of Anne Frank. Many consider him primarily a stage actor but he also began appearing on television around the same time.

Throughout the 60s, he was on such shows as Rawhide, Dr. Kildare, and Combat! Two years before his appearance on “Arena,” he played an intern in an episode of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. titled “The Bow-Wow Affair.” In the same episode were fellow Trek alumnae Antoinette Bower and Susan Oliver.

In the same year of his Star Trek appearance, he also had a part in an episode of Mission Impossible. Troupe was also seen in many other shows from the 60s and 70s including The Wild, Wild West, Planet of the Apes (in an episode directed by Ralph Senesky, with fellow TOS actors Percy Rodrigues, Joseph Ruskin, Mark Lenard and Gary Combs), and Night Gallery.

Besides television, Tom Troupe began to also make his mark in movies. He played the part of Pvt. Al Manella in The Devil’s Brigade which starred William Holden and Cliff Robertson. And it seems TOS actors seem to find each other everywhere they appear. With him in this movie were Maggie Thrett and Hal Needham. Along with Telly Savalas, Clint Eastwood, and Don Rickles, Troupe also appeared as Job in Kelly’s Heroes.

Also, Tom had an important role in critically acclaimed movie which has yet to make it to the DVD format despite its rave reviews. Sofi, adapted from Nickolai Gogol’s story “Diary of a Madman,” is a one character, black and white movie that delves into a lowly clerk’s slow descent into obsession and madness. Critics lauded Tom Troupe’s performance as the Clerk and recommended the film itself despite it being a low-budget indie film.

The Clerk was not the only role held by Tom Troupe in this production. He was also the co-writer of the play and the screenplay. At the time, he was 38 and only one year past his Star Trek appearance. Quite an accomplishment! The role of the Clerk was performed by Troupe for many years afterwards on the stage, but the play returned to its original name, Diary of a Madman. And he asked Don Eitner to serve as a director on some of these productions.

But there is also another Star Trek connection to this movie. Did you notice the co-writer of the play and screenplay was Don Eitner? Who is Don Eitner, you ask? He’s been mentioned here before as a body double and a photo double (yes there is a difference) for William Shatner and as a navigator on “Charlie X.” Don Eitner did go on after Star Trek to become a well regarded director.

Don Eitner later went on to direct Tom Troupe and his wife Carole Cook in the theater production of The Lion in Winter. The two were married in 1964 and over the years they performed together in the stage productions of The Lion in Winter, The Gin Game, and Father’s Day. They also appeared on several episodes of Break a Hip. And of course, they each continued their separate careers.

Carol Cooke has made her own mark on both television and Broadway. She was a protege of Lucille Ball who took her under her wing. Carole was part of Lucy’s group of actors known as The Desilu Revue. If you look in the upper right corner, there is a photo of her with four of the actors. Of course, Carole Cook was one of them (second from the left). But do you recognize the tall actress with the dark hair next to her? That is indeed Majel Roddenberry. It seems you can’t go far in early television history and not run into a Trek connection (in this case, two) somewhere.

The couple is affectionately known as the "the Lunts of L.A. Theater" for their extensive stage work in Los Angeles and surrounding area. In 2002, Tom and Carole were jointly honored with the L.A. Ovation Award for Career Achievements. This was the first time a couple had been given this award by members of the theater community. And they are still quite active, given their ages. Recently (August 18th) Carole starred in a benefit performance of “Hello Dolly.”  And Tom Troupe had a small part in a sci-fi short film titled “Time Out” which just opened about a month ago in July. If you are interested in Tom Troupe’s career as an actor, you may want to give this video a watch. It is a fascinating inside story of a person who knows so much of Broadway and Hollywood history. The link to Part 2 is within the description of the first one. https://youtu.be/AxfQB0IpSRI

[transparentgentlemenmarker]

Tom Troupe, acteur chevronné et vétéran de guerre, s’est éteint à l’âge de 97 ans, après une carrière emblématique au théâtre, à la télévision et au cinéma.

Il a participé à plus de 70 séries, dont Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Cheers et Murder, She Wrote. Au cinéma, il a marqué les esprits avec des rôles dans des films comme My Own Private Idaho, et s’est consacré activement au théâtre, jouant notamment aux côtés de son épouse, l’actrice Carole Cook, dans des pièces comme The Lion in Winter. Il est décédé le matin du 20 juillet 2025 à son domicile de Beverly Hills, de causes naturelles, seulement cinq jours après avoir fêté ses 97 ans. Sa mort a été confirmée par son agent et par son neveu, Mark Cocanougher, qui a souligné que Tom Troupe, est parti paisiblement après une vie bien remplie