Happy Birthday William Shatner

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:04 am

There was a made-for-television production of the play "The Andersonville Trial" many years ago (maybe for "American Playhouse" or some similar series) that featured a cast composed entirely of 'B' list actors (Jack Cassidy, for example, and that dude who played the captain on "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea" who's name escapes me at the moment)...the young-ish William Shatner played the Union prosecutor, as I recall. The play depicts the post-Civil War trial of the Southern commandant at the infamous Andersonville prison in Georgia, where Yankee P.O.W.'s were kept...one of the first War Crime trials in human history. Andersonville was a bad scene...of course, the Confederacy could barely afford to keep their end of the war going towards the end, and lack of resources comes down on prisoners hardest...but the stuff that went on in that camp was despicable. It was a clearing in the woods...no shelter at all, and not even a fence. The commandant arranged his meager force of guards in a circle at the treeline...a line was drawn in the dirt around the 'prison', and guards had orders to shoot to kill if anyone stepped across it...this is the origin of our modern term, 'deadline'. The play is really excellent, to begin with, and the television production was absolutely first rate. You wouldn't think some of these guys could act so well, given their bottom-shelf resumes, but the acting was superb...I'd put Shatner's performance above anything else he's ever done...well, maybe right next to that Twilight Zone.

It sure beat the hell out of appearing on "Hollywood Squares" or "The Love Boat"...Happy Birthday, Bill.

86kubicki · Post by **86kubicki** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:48 am

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jaybic · Post by **jaybic** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:49 am

I just caught Shatner as a guest star on an episode of Hawaii 5-0. He was using a ridiculous southern accent, but I watched the show just for him.

doctorwho · Post by **doctorwho** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:17 am

Dane said:

... that dude who played the captain on "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea" who's name escapes me at the moment ...

I believe that would be David Hedison, who also played Felix Leiter in some of the James Bond films, and, as Al Hedison, was the main character in the original (1958) version of The Fly.

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:51 am

Thank you, Google Clauson

doctorwho · Post by **doctorwho** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 2:22 pm

I wasn't called "Mister Know-It-All" in school for nothing!

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 2:30 pm

Here's one for you then Doc... who was the admiral in "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea"?

I've forgotten........

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 2:44 pm

Sorry, Gary... it just came to me... Richard Basehart, I think.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 5:41 pm

Who played the Doctor in "Time Tunnel"?

byu · Post by **byu** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:36 pm

Here's William Shatner's greatest performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVbv6r_tKnE&search=Shatner
Watch the whole thing!

winston · Post by **winston** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:04 pm

Thanks Bill,

That was great.

doctorwho · Post by **doctorwho** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:27 pm

Correct, Howard; I think Richard Basehart also was the main character (a WWII bomber pilot) in the series 12 O'Clock High. The other VTTBOTS character I can think of is Sparks, who I think was the communications officer; I don't remember the actor's name, though. What always cracked me up about that series was that it used monsters/creatures that also appeared on Irwin Allen's other series at the time, Lost In Space.

Paul, I can sort-of picture the actor, but I'm drawing a blank as to a name. I did see a DVD set of The Time Tunnel at a local Sam's Club; not sure whether it was a complete series issue or just one season.

What was the original subject of this thread?????

kog · Post by **kog** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 2:03 am

OK, on "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea", Richard Basehart was Adm. Nelson, David Hedison was Cap. Crane. The exec was called "Chip". There was a Chief Sharkey who was a major suck-up to Adm. Nelson. Then of course the original "red-shirted crewmen", Kowalski, Patterson and Sparks.

"The Andersonville Trial" was broadcast in 1970 on tape (rather than film) and I believe it was actually on PBS, but I may be wrong about that. Besides Shatner, it starred Richard Basehart (not David Hedison) playing the Confederate Cap. Wirz. Other "B" listers in the cast included Cameron Mitchell, Jack Cassidy, Buddy Ebsen, Alan Hale Jr. (the "Skipper"), Albert Salmi, and a guy named Martin Sheen. And it was directed by George C. Scott. Not bad for "B" list.

Another piece of useless trivia -- Whit Bissell was also in "Andersonville", and he played General Kirk in "Time Tunnel", and if you still don't remember him, he was K12 Station Mgr. Lurey on Star Trek's "The Trouble With Troubles".

And Robert Lansing was the original Gen. Frank Savage on "Twelve O'Clock High" -- and he later played Gary Seven in the "Assignment Earth" episode of Star Trek.

"Time Tunnel" starred Robert Colbert and James Darren, the doctor was John Zaremba, and the woman doctor was Lee Meriwether -- who also was in the episode "That Which Survies" on -- you guessed it -- Star Trek.

Last Shatner trivia. In 1964, he was the major guest star on the "The Project Strigas Affair" episode of "Man From U.N.C.L.E.". Werner Klemperer ("Col. Klink") played the evil diplomat of an unnamed nefarious eastern European power, aided by a young actor with a bad accent and a slightly 'early-Beatley' haircut -- Leonard Nimoy.

Ah, it felt good to get that out. Always fun to play "Six Degrees of William Shatner".

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 5:00 am

Leonard Nimoy was not the first choice to play Spock. Though he was chosen for his striking looks.

The first choice for Spock turned the role down. That actor was Martin Landau, who went on to Mission Impossible, and was later replaced on that show by Leonard Nimoy

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 9:25 am

Thanks, guys...Basehart was the name I couldn't recall. Excellent work!

"A round of drinks for all my friends..."