Film-maker George A. Pappy Jr. has set up an Indiegogo project to help him complete the funding a documentary on Susan Oliver (1932-90). Perhaps best known in sf circles for her role as Vina in the original pilot episode (“The Cage”) of Star Trek, Pappy writes that he discovered much more about her, and realized a film about her life needed to be made. He writes: “My name is George Pappy, and until two years ago, I knew virtually nothing about Susan Oliver (other than the fact that she played “Vina” in the original Star Trek pilot and appeared in an episode of Twilight Zone with Roddy McDowall).

“Then one day I happened to look her up on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com) and was shocked at what I saw (I invite you do to the same – click the link): http://www.imdb.me/susanoliver

“This remarkably-long resume left me wondering how I could have possibly missed her in so many iconic TV shows of the ’50s/’60s/’70s, almost always playing major guest-starring roles.

“I was even more surprised to see that she directed episodes of M*A*S*H and Trapper John, M.D. (major shows!) during the early 1980s, virtually unheard of for a woman in the male-dominated world of television back then.  (It turns out she was an original member of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, which still exists today.)

“And this was just the tip of the iceberg.  She was also a record-setting aviator who flew a single-engine plane across the Atlantic in 1967 and was one of the first women to ever pilot a Lear Jet.  As I delved deeper and deeper into her story, I found that she was a truly fascinating and enigmatic woman, much more than just another “pretty actress” whose heyday came and went – which makes her relative obscurity today even sadder.”

His project is seeking a final $10,000, and at press time, he had more than $5,300 pledged with 27 days to go. For more information, see the Indiegogo project page for The Green Girl: A Documentary About the Enigmatic Susan Oliver.