Monday, August 17, 2009

1994 Shatner article: Beam Him Down

(Click on images to enlarge.)

Clipped from People magazine, published 11/28/94. Bill was clueless as to why the secondary cast members resented him, and still seems to be these many years later. I suppose it seems to him that the "little people" around him just don't appreciate his greatness and being overshadowed by him.




Bonus: Below, a good blooper shot as Bill cracks up, most likely at one of his own slipups or jokes.



Below, in a dream photo opportunity, Captain Kirk poses with one of the great influences in his life, the bold and handsome captain of the stage and screen with whom he shared many character traits.



Below, we see that Shatner even sometimes clashed with the co-stars who threatened him by their height or screen time. Few could stand before his awesomely awesome awesomeness.


"Don't make me bring out the stalactite again, Ted!"

Hidden photo: I stumbled across a photo of Bill that I'm just not going to post here to avoid certain labels I'd rather not have to bear. But, I know there are people, ladies mostly, that would like to see it. So, if you like the words "Shatner" and "chest hair" in the same sentence, click here. Don't say I didn't warn you, there may be certain side effects, either good or bad.
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Obit: Ed Reimers, "Admiral Fitzpatrick," of "The Trouble With Tribbles" dies.

Known by Trek fans as the grandfatherly admiral that gave Kirk his orders in "Tribbles," but by the rest of the world as the voice of the Allstate "you're in good hands" announcer, Ed Reimers has passed away...unexpectedly, before his time.

Associated Press - August 16, 2009 7:44 PM ET

NEW YORK (AP) - A relative says the Illinois-born actor who told television viewers "you're in good hands with Allstate" for decades has died in upstate New York. He was 96.

Ed Reimers also served as an announcer for several TV shows in the 1950s and '60s

His nephew by marriage says Reimers died at his daughter's home today. The cause of Reimers' death wasn't immediately clear.

With his white hair and resonant voice, Reimers was best known for delivering Allstate's famous slogan. He was the Northbrook, Illinois-based company's TV spokesman for 22 years.

Edwin W. Reimers was born Oct. 26, 1912, in Moline, Illinois. He lived in Los Angeles for most of his life. He moved to Saratoga Springs, New York after his wife's death in 2007.

Survivors include his daughter, Kathryn, two grandsons and a niece.

Below, a screen capture from the blooper reel where Ed catches a tribble and delivers his line...


"You're in good hands with tribbles."

Read the Memory-Alpha.org entry on Ed.


Last time, as you recall, I posted a photo of the above mystery starship and quizzed you as to where it came from. It was somewhat of a trick question, as it as "inspired by" (or ripped-off from) the ships on Star Trek, but not actually from the show. Reader "Pierre" correctly identified it and contributed this info, saving me from having to do it now:

I know that ship! That was from the movie "The Shape Of Things To Come". It was built by the folks at Brick Price Movie Miniatures. These were the same folks who were hired to do much of the model work for the aborted Trek Phase II series.

I have a couple of magazine articles about the film, which was quickly made to cash in on the success of Star Wars. It was intended to be a sequel to "Things To Come", the HG Wells penned film from the 1930's. It starred Barry Morse and Jack Palance.

The ship definately looks Trek related. I think this is due in part to the fact that the saucer section was made from the K7 Space Station model kit from The Trouble With Tribbles.

Truth be told, the model work was very nicely done but the film itself was really quite abysmal!

Pierre

Thanks for the comment and thorough answer, Pierre! You have won a golden-haired pedigree Imaginary Tribble which should have already arrived. Have fun with him, but don't feed him much or your imagination may run away with you!

12 comments:

Jay said...

That ship reminds me very much of the almost-but-not-quite-Star-Trek ships that were frequently depicted on the covers of the "Best of Trek" series that were published (I believe) by Signet in the late '70s and '80s.

Frederick said...

Jay,

I hadn't thought it that, but you are right! They came up with a lot of variations on those covers, didn't they?

Pierre said...

My tribble arrived today, but oddly enough there was more than one. At last count, there were at least a dozen and counting. Make them stop!

Pierre said...

It's funny but Jay is correct. The ship does remind me of the ships from the Best of Trek books!

Lene Taylor said...

I'm pretty sure Bill's smooching that horse in the first photo. It is, after all, a mare.

The Weary Professor said...

Frederick said (regarding The Best of Trek series of books): They came up with a lot of variations on those covers, didn't they?

They sure did! Since they were unauthorized Trek books I suppose they had to be creative by necessity. If they had put anything resembling the bona fide Trek ships on the cover then New American Library/Signet would undoubtedly have found themselves embroiled in some sort of lawsuit. I still have some of the volumes. Many of the articles are wonderful, but the books are printed on such cheap paper they have become almost unreadably yellow and quite brittle over time. It's sad, really.

I bet Amazon could put out Kindle versions on the cheap (although I can't even yet afford a Kindle).

JK and LT said...

That secret photo? I LOVE IT! And for some reason, I am convinced he was nekkid. It just seems that way.

- Kitty

Frederick said...

Kitty,

I had the same impression, hence my reluctance to post it right up front! I admire the good captain as much as other fans, but not that much! :)

The Weary Professor said...

I chanced it and took a peek at the hidden photo.

I don't know if he's "nekkid", but it's certainly hard to reconcile the manimal in the photo with the smooth-chested Captain Kirk we couldn't help seeing so many times in the original series. He probably just stopped shaving his hair, but I like to think he got a two for one deal on the toupees and now wears one on his chest. This is only bare conjecture (pun intended).

Tanya said...

@Lene Taylor -- I have a feeling Shatner wouldn't care if it was a stallion or a mare!

Frederick said...

Tanya,

Mare or stallion, one thing's for sure... Bill would dominate it by sheer force of personality alone!

Iddy said...

Oh yes, Frederick, I have that pic locked away already. If Shatner's not nekkid in reality he is in my fantasy ~lol. All the pics of Bill are delicious. Thanks for starting my weekend off with a silly grin!