William Shatner and Joe Pinner on Mr. Knozit in 1967 prior to the “incident.”
A story to commemorate William Shatner’s 90th birthday…March 22, 2021.
In 1967, when William Shatner was 36 years old and had been on Star Trek only a year, the actor made a series of appearances promoting the show across the country on local NBC affiliate stations.
One of those assignments was to host the kid show, Mr. Knozit, at WIS-TV in Columbia when the regular host, Joe Pinner, was away.
I was the main cameraman on that show, which was still in the era of black and white television. Shatner appeared at first with Pinner and then went on alone.
As he interviewed one of the kids—sitting in his lap—the little girl had an accident on his leg. The on-air look of horror on Shatner’s face was hilarious.
When we went to a commercial, a furious Shatner approached me. “I didn’t sign up for this,” he shouted.
I could barely contain a laugh. It was clear at that moment Captain Kirk was not cut out for live children’s television.
Shatner was a pro, though. When the commercial break ended, he calmed down quickly and went on with the show.
But it’s the TV moment I will always remember about William Shatner.
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