Creative Eavesdropping

[Scoop]

(New guy here. Hi to all. Great site and interesting posts!!)

I am in line for a flight to Los Angeles from San Francisco in the Year of Our Lord Nineteen Hundred and Seventy Eight. The man directly in front of me speaks to the airline personnel sotto voce:

"Would you mind seating me first? I'm William Shatner."

"Of course not sir." Shatner moves off. Then, to her partner: "Who's William Shatner?"

"Oh, he's an actor. Was that him? He's on Star Trek."

"Oh, that's why I don't know him then. Never watch it."

I am checked in and go off to find a seat. In the far corner of the airport lounge sits WS, his trenchcoat collar up, his hat pulled down and a newspaper up in front of his face. If people recognize him, which is near impossible by the camouflage he has erected, they don't show it. Realizing this, WS lowers the newspaper a bit, placing his lower face into view. . .a bold move. Still. Nothing. Zero recognition happening.

To a star, this is worse than being recognized. Not being recognized. I say "star." We have to remember that we are talking about William Shatner.

Eventually it is time to board our flight to LAX. Desperate now, WS is loaded into the plane first, just like he wanted. He takes the very first aisle seat and has removed all camouflaging items -- collar and newspaper down, hat brim up -- and he is shamelessly making eye contact with every single passenger that boards the plane.

No one recognizes him. And he looks like he's ready to chat now. In a few years, he'll be turning down Trekkie conventions. But for now, the show is over and he's afraid he's a forgotten man.

Still no recognition. No one even sits next to him. It will be 20 years before his career is revived by a dot.com commercial and he manages a neat second act as a sight gag.