Shatner a man of many talents
I AM forever reading funny things people remember about meeting William Shatner, the “Star Trek” captain. And one such is by the press agent Dick Guttman whose voluminous memoir we have detailed recently.
After “Star Trek” became a TV legend and then a blockbuster movie franchise, there were and still are “Star Trek” conventions of actors from the original series and therein it was discovered that Shatner could not, to save his life, make a Vulcan salute, popularized by Leonard Nimoy’s, Mr. Spock. This gesture has become world famous and is used by mere mortals all over the world. Everywhere, one is likely to meet a person who separates their fingers and gives this hand sign, accompanied by the blessing “Live long and prosper!” But Guttman says that person won’t be Shatner. He can’t.
For photographs of the iconic two (Shatner and the late Nimoy) it is said the “Captain” had to have his fingers taped to achieve the proper effect.
MORE Shatner: In her new memoir, “A Fine Romance,” Candice Bergen describes her enjoyment at co-starring with Shatner in the TV series “Boston Legal.” (She played the law firm’s senior partner, with plent y of verve and humor, and the feisty independent streak that made her a TV legend in “Murphy Brown.”)
She writes that she found her two costars — Bill Shatner and James Spader — “wonderful to work with.”
Candy says she had no idea that Bill Shatner would be so deft at comedy. “But he was versatile and had also played Shakespeare in Canada, where he was born and raised. He had range, he had authority.” But now his role was to be loopy and eccentric.
Candy writes, “He threw nothing away. Every line, every look, was specific and important. He took stage with a vengeance. It was truly impressive. You had to stay alert in scenes with him or they were gone and you were road kill ... he skied ... he bred and showed Tennessee Walking horses ... he bred Doberman Pinschers.
He rode motorcycles. He was happily married.” Candy describes how Shatner “reinvented himself constantly. He pushed products on TV. He took his fee in stock options. He wrote books, albums, he won Grammys. He was never still. During a Halloween show, Spader and Shatner dressed up as flamingoes ... they performed a tango together, seriously. They often dressed as women. ... It was a joie de vivre time!”
And I, Liz, suddenly remembered meeting This week’s Patio Page crossword puzzle can be found on Page D4. Bill Shatner in the WNBC “Live at 5” makeup room. We were alone and after introducing himself, he peered into the mirror. “What base makeup should I wear?” he asked, as if I weren’t waiting for makeup myself !
I remarked without thinking — “Light Egyptian!” Shatner fell down laughing. He knew his movie history. MGM’s make-up people had dreamed up a color for Ava Gardner to wear in the movie “Showboat.” It was based on the natural skin tones of Ava’s good friend Lena Horne.
Lena had hoped for the role of the tragic mulatto, Julie, in “Showboat.” But Hollywood circa 1951 couldn’t really put an African-American and a Caucasian onscreen together as a romantic couple. They chose the exotic Ava instead. Lena said: “Then they put this Light Egyptian all over Ava Gardner! I was mad for a little while — like 10 years! But I always told Ava to ‘go for it, girl’.”
Light Egyptian has become a show biz inside joke.
Dr. Michael Fox
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