He was unhappy about how City on the Edge of Forever was rewritten & portrayed, these things are commonplace, Movie wasn't like the book & such is common fare, but I happenned upon a book about about that episode & his issues over it, ( didn't buy it, 17.50$ at a used book store- not), & I noticed Shatners comment about Ellison saying not so nice things about him, but that he, Shatner loved the story. Anyway, just wondered if anyone knows what that might be about. Please don't take this as a hate Shatner thread, that's gotten old.
Harlan Ellison. Beef with Shatner?
- Thread starter voggmo
- Start date
My take is both men are very strong-willed (read that as "egotistical" if you wish) , and two Alphas will clash.
Ellison has said that Shatner came to his home to read the first draft of "City," and he observed him (via finger motions and lip-reading, I guess) counting his lines in the script. This must have put Ellison off. He also says Shatner laid his bike down, gouging a chunk out of his driveway which he did not offer to repair.
Ellison believes that Shatner, unhappy because Nimoy would have two or three more lines, then went to GR, etc., and told them the script would need to be rewritten.
But this is just from Ellison. I've not read any comments from Shatner other than the book blurb you mentioned. Again, I think both men are very similar in character and personality, just from what I've read.
Sir Rhosis
Ellison has said that Shatner came to his home to read the first draft of "City," and he observed him (via finger motions and lip-reading, I guess) counting his lines in the script. This must have put Ellison off. He also says Shatner laid his bike down, gouging a chunk out of his driveway which he did not offer to repair.
Ellison believes that Shatner, unhappy because Nimoy would have two or three more lines, then went to GR, etc., and told them the script would need to be rewritten.
But this is just from Ellison. I've not read any comments from Shatner other than the book blurb you mentioned. Again, I think both men are very similar in character and personality, just from what I've read.
Sir Rhosis
All actors count their lines. It is just a fact. Ellison couldn't hold it against Shatner for doing it.
Certainly Nichelle Nichols did with ST III. Supposedly, she rang Harve Bennett and told him she was passing on the film because she didn't have enough to say in it. He asked her had she actually read the script, or just counted the lines. She phoned back a while later to say she was signing on.
Just to throw it out there, from someone who's just gone through an MFA in Creative Writing and lives in Los Angeles, writers and actors tend to be very egotistical (you have to be in order to think that someone wants to view or read your work) and that sometimes it's a healthy dose, sometimes it is not and sometimes it comes into conflict with other egos.
Harlan Ellison had a beef with someone! Gee, what a, uh, surprise! You know what would be a really surprising thread? "Harlan Ellison woke up and for one day, had a beef with not one person!" Stop the presses then! LOL! -- RR
JMS and Ellison seem to get along pretty well.
