Shatner's acting change after 1st season

[Smellincoffee]

As for Tinnitus, I'm a sufferer... and for most people, it's just a background ringing or "static". It doesn't make you shout louder to overcome it! If it was that loud, you'd go insane.

I get it from time to time, and expressions can very.. Sometimes it sound as though my head is next to a waterfall and I have to restrain myself from trying to "talk over it".

 

[Esteban]

Personally I don't think Shatner's acting has ever "changed". He's always been fairly broad, and if he does not have good material and a strong director then he veers into ham territory.

Oh, it's definitely changed. Have you seen much of his pre-Trek work? He was a lot more relaxed and naturalistic than he tended to be post-Trek.

But there is also speculation that the Tinitus explosion was way later, from "Requium for Methuselah".

There were no explosions in that episode.

Yes there was, when M4 started shooting at the Big 3 in the teaser.

They were small, but close.

 

[Noname Given]

There's a generally darker tone to Star Trek in general in the first season, and I think to some degree Shatner was modulating his performance to the overall tone of the material.

^^^^
I think it may be he shifted from a more 'movie' approach to a TV approach (and I agree, Shatner's Kirk in season one has an ernestness and seriousness to him, that's absent throughout the majority of the second and third season - hell, I think the set and a lot of the character lighting in the first season is different (and better) than what they did in later seasons. Don't know iif that was due to a production staff change, or a budget consideration, etc. But overall, the first seson in general (and imo) has a more serious underlying tone than the later two seasons.

 

[Christopher]

But there is also speculation that the Tinitus explosion was way later, from "Requium for Methuselah".

There were no explosions in that episode.

Yes there was, when M4 started shooting at the Big 3 in the teaser.

They were small, but close.

Okay, I found the clip on YouTube, but I doubt those little charges would've been enough to generate sufficient noise and shock. And in both cases, Shatner was the most distant one from the detonation, Nimoy the closest, so it doesn't make any sense that Shatner would've been the one to suffer the most damage (although it is true that Nimoy and Kelley also experienced tinnitus as a result of the explosion).

Besides, I've never before heard that episode suggested as the source of the injury. The only online source I can find for the suggestion is a post by Captain Robert April in this very forum. No offense to CRA, but he's much less primary a source than the men who were actually there. Shatner himself has said on camera that it was "Arena." DeForest Kelley's biography says it was "The Apple." Leonard Nimoy has said that he doesn't remember the episode title, but that it was one shot on a soundstage, ruling out "Arena," but consistent with "The Apple."

Between those three sources, I'm leaning toward "The Apple." It fits both Nimoy's recollection and Kelley's biographer's account (though I don't know where the biographer got it from), and it would be easy enough for Shatner to have confused the words "Arena" and "Apple." Also, Nimoy's account makes sense, and has a level of detail that lends it credence:

There was an explosion that went off, off-camera, and typically, when there's a planned explosion in a scene in a movie, they will open the sound stage doors so the concussion has some place to go; it can go outside the doors. Well, they had failed to open the doors, so there was a big concussion within the building, and we were close to it, Bill and I.

Given how much care pyrotechnicians have to take in their work, I find it more plausible that the error occurred at second hand, by whoever was responsible for cracking the doors rather than the person who rigged the charge. And it's true that the concussion from an explosion would be more likely to cause hearing damage in an enclosed space, with nowhere for the pressure to escape, than outdoors.

 

[ToddPence]

Thius guy's youtube channel has a TON of great short clips of Shatner's pre-Trek work:

http://www.youtube.com/user/zainin666

 

[Gary7]

For Shatner, reportedly, his tinnitus did become very severe, a lot worse than a typical case. He's said that it almost drove him to suicide until he underwent treatment for it.

And I didn't say it made him shout, I said maybe it interfered with his hearing or concentration enough that it wasn't as easy for him to gauge the level of his performance.

Well, you had said "he was trying to hear himself over the loud ringing in his ears," which suggests he was talking louder... not to split hairs or anything.

Thanks for the link to that article regarding his tinnitus. I found this interesting:

And then he underwent tinnitus refraining therapy, which helped him retrain his brain to ignore the buzzing

I've heard about that as a form of therapy, although its effectiveness varies a lot from person to person, depending upon the nature of the tinnitus sound.

 

[MANT!]

Shatner could act..but he'd much rather emote....

right now The Shat is the best known emoting star..ever since Charlton Heston died...

 

[KirkShatner]

Shatner's acting definitely changed after the 1st season. To be honest I didn't mind his acting in the 1st season but that's just me.

 

[Starbreaker]

Kirk was obviously infected by a Conspiracy alien in the second season.

 

[siskokid888]

Shatner wasn't the only one. Jim Doohan was reserved and introspective as Scott in season 1, then slowly gave over to what I call "Screaming Scotty Syndrome" for season 2 and 3. The subdued Scott returned in TMP, but screaming scotty was back for the remaining TOS films. Interestingly, the more subdued Scott was back in TNG's "Relics". I would guess the reasons varied from different directors wanting different things to the actor themselves changing their view of the character.

 

[Botany Bay]

IMO, the only actor that never gave up was De Kelley. Consistently brilliant as Bones from start to finish.

As much as I love Kelley, he can be seen on occasion with his lips moving to the lines of the other characters. There was a wonderful article published back in the 70's that stated that McCoy only exhibited six facial expressions. I've never fact-checked that, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Never noticed this once in thousands of viewings, but happy to be proven wrong if Blu Ray has revealed it. Any specific episodes I should look at?

We'll have to agree to disagree on the merits of Kelley's acting. I rate him the best in the cast, a touch ahead of Nimoy, and certainly the most consistent performer. He had Bones down from the first scene of "Corbomite" right through to "Turnabout Intruder".

 

[Christopher]

He had Bones down from the first scene of "Corbomite" right through to "Turnabout Intruder".

Understandable, since Roddenberry created the part specifically for DeForest Kelley. In fact, he created Boyce and Piper for Kelley as well, but Kelley wasn't available for either pilot.

 

[MikeH92467]

He had Bones down from the first scene of "Corbomite" right through to "Turnabout Intruder".

Understandable, since Roddenberry created the part specifically for DeForest Kelley. In fact, he created Boyce and Piper for Kelley as well, but Kelley wasn't available for either pilot.

It's interesting that he chose another veteran of Western movies and TV shows, Paul Fix for WNMHGB. It seems Roddenberry had a definite mindest in choosing his ship's doctor.

 

[Maurice]

Understandable, since Roddenberry created the part specifically for DeForest Kelley. In fact, he created Boyce and Piper for Kelley as well, but Kelley wasn't available for either pilot.

That's not how Solow and Justman recall it...

But [Cage director] Bob Butler had recently seen the much-traveled and better-known actor John Hoyt perform at a Shakespeare festival. Butler was very impressed. John Hoyt got the role. Roddenberry raised no objections.

(Inside Star Trek, p.37,39)​

​

When the veteran actor Paul Fix was recommended for the part by director James Goldstone, Roddenberry again pulled back and accepted the decision of his director.

HERB: When casting was discussed with Gene, the only performers he would stand up for were the actresses with whom he's had a previous personal relationship: Majel Barrett, Nichelle Nichols, and Grace Lee Whitney. After the casting of Fix, I told Gene, "Too bad De Kelley hadn't been born a woman!"
​

(Inside Star Trek, p.75).
​

 

[Botany Bay]

Thanks DS9Sega

I was just about to post the exact same thing

 

[Cpt. Porthos]

I prefer first season Kirk to any later versions.

noo season 2 kirk was so much better.. especially in The trouble with tribbles.. that had to be the best job Shatner ever did as Kirk.. "I take this mission very seriously.....its you i take lightly"

 

[Josie]

As regards to the OP, like I'm sure others have stated, I think the acting change occured at the end of season 1, around the last handful of episodes.

In Errand of Mercy (Horrendous directing btw) he was already starting to exhibit that annoying habbit of speaking somewhat similar to Iambic pentameter. The stilted way he delivered dialogue grated, and the emphasis on certain words and weird pauses mid way through speech was nasty.

As for his ego, that was always there folks. From the hair piece to girdle to line stealing. It just sort of seemed to explode in the second season, perhaps when he really felt upstaged by Nimoy as Spock and felt he nedded to overcompensate playing the diva on set to let everyone know he was still top dog. Truly ugly, but still watchable, if you weren't laughing with Kirk/Shat you were laughing at him.

 

[Christopher]

Understandable, since Roddenberry created the part specifically for DeForest Kelley. In fact, he created Boyce and Piper for Kelley as well, but Kelley wasn't available for either pilot.

That's not how Solow and Justman recall it...

Thanks for refreshing my memory. What I should've said was that Roddenberry did conceive the role for Kelley from the beginning, but proved unwilling to stand up for that choice to his directors. Which might've been a symptom of his inexperience as a producer as well as his general avoidance of open confrontation.