An Example of a Production Schedule for My Favorite Martian
A glimpse into the production routine for My Favorite Martian can be found on its Desilu Studio call sheet. A call sheet is a daily schedule issued to the cast and crew of a TV series. The call sheet lets everyone connected with the show know who will be needed on a given day and the time and location that they are to report for work. It also tells which scenes are scheduled for filming.
This call sheet for Monday, April 6, 1964, gives an idea of the type of production schedule followed on My Favorite Martian. Apparently, all of the scenes for the episode "Uncle Martin’s Wisdom Tooth" were filmed by Friday, April 3,1964. However, retakes were needed for the scenes in the dentist’s office and they were to be filmed on Monday morning at 8:30 AM.
Following that, production on another episode, "Shake Well, But Don’t Use", began at 11:00AM on the same area of the sound stage. The dentist office set had to be taken down and replaced with the set for Tim’s office at the Los Angeles Sun. The segments filmed on the newspaper office set were probably the opening (Teaser) and closing (Tag) scenes for that episode.
The next day, Tuesday, April 7, 1964, some scenes are scheduled to be shot on a different area of the sound stage, using the set for Tim’s apartment, presumably for the "Shake Well But Don’t Use" episode. To confirm this sequence of filming, it can be noted that a large chair, not seen in other episodes, is placed where Tim’s desk should be, for both the "Wisdom Tooth" and the "Shake Well.." episodes. The chair is utilized in both shows, and its presence indicates that the apartment set décor was not altered during the filming of those two episodes.
This call sheet provides an example of the consecutive shooting schedule of "Martian", which the actors often mentioned in interviews. Episodes were filmed back-to-back, taking two and a half days for each one, and then production moved on to the next script without having any days off for rehearsal.
text © 2003-2011 JH Harison