William Shatner is 83 years old today. Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, singer, author, film director, spokesman and comedian. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of Captain James Tiberius Kirk, commander of the Federation starship USS Enterprise, in the science fiction television series Star Trek, from 1966 to 1969; Star Trek: The Animated Series from 1973 to 1974 and in seven of the subsequent Star Trek feature films from 1979 to 1994. He has written a series of books chronicling his experiences playing Captain Kirk and being a part of Star Trek, and has co-written several novels set in the Star Trek universe. He has also authored a series of science fiction novels called TekWar that were adapted for television. Shatner also played the eponymous veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker from 1982 to 1986. He has since worked as a musician, author, director and celebrity pitchman. In 1967, when Shatner was 36 years old and had been on Star Trek only a year, the actor made a series of appearances promoting the show across the country on local NBC affiliate stations. One of those assignments was to host the kid show, Mr. Knozit, at WIS-TV in Columbia, S.C. when the regular host, Joe Pinner, was away. I was the main cameraman on that show, which was still in black and white at the time. Shatner appeared at first with Pinner and then went it alone. As he interviewed one of the kids — sitting in his lap —the little girl peed on his leg. The on-air look of horror on Shatner’s face was hilarious. When we went to a commercial, Shatner became furious, telling me “I didn’t sign up for this.” It was clear at that moment that Capt. Kirk was not cut out for live children’s television. He was a pro, though. He calmed down quickly and went on with the show. But it’s the moment I always remember to this day when I see William Shatner on television. Here’s a photo with Shatner and Joe Pinner on “Mr. Knozit” in 1967 prior to the “incident.”
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 13:50:04 +0000
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