Welcome to the 1953 edition of the “Shatner Year In Review.” At the end of each year covered in the review posts I will provide a summary as it relates to Shatner and his career, as well as display some key entertainment statistics.
1953 has the distinction of being, at least for this blog, the last relatively uneventful year in the life of Mr. William Shatner. Early in the year, he would have been performing with the Canadian National Repertory Theatre in Ottawa, and in the summer he was right back to the Mountain Playhouse…then back to the Canadian National Rep for their winter program. In other words, Shatner’s working world of 1953 was little different than what I related in my 1952 Shatner Year in Review post.
Meanwhile, about 350 miles southwest of Ottawa, something was happening that would soon prove to be of enormous consequence to young Bill’s life…
A year earlier, in 1952, a journalist named Tom Patterson came up with an idea to save his small railroad town in southwest Ontario from certain economic disaster. With the elimination of steam power, he knew that his native town was soon entering an era of dramatic hardship and so he approached the local council with what turned out to be an ingenious plan: as his hometown shared the same name as British birthplace of the soon to be second-most famous William in the world, why not create a festival in Stratford, Ontario to put on plays by Shakespeare?
It wasn’t really too surprising that the mayor and council agreed with this plan…I mean, what did they really have to lose? Anything that they could do to somehow bring tourists and their dollars in would be a boon. What was incredibly surprising was that the legendary British stage director, Tyrone Guthrie, agreed to be the artistic director for an unproven festival in a remote Canadian location.
Shatner relates in Up Till Now that while he was at the Ottawa Rep:
…a woman contacted me and told me very seriously that a company was being formed to perform Shakespeare in Stratford and invited me to join the company. I thought she was kidding. Give up a secure job that paid thirty-one dollars a week to go to some little town and become a member of some Shakespeare company I’d never heard of? What did they think I was, an actor?
‘Thank you,’ I said, ‘but I have a regular job and I’m going to keep that one.’
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival opened and within months had become celebrated throughout Canada and eventually around the world.
Indeed, from the moment Alec Guinness (!) stepped out onto the stage to speak the first lines of Richard III to kick off the festival, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival was an instant sensation. It brought, and continues to this day to bring, theater critics and fans from all of over the world to see the yearly productions of Shakespeare and others.
Shatner had missed his chance to get in on the ground floor of what quickly became the one of the most celebrated theaters in all of North America. But he would make up for it shortly.
1954 is right around the corner, folks.
Best Shatner Appearance of 1953: N/A
Worst Shatner Appearance of 1953: N/A
1953 – Selected Statistics
US President: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Canada Prime Minister: Louis St. Laurent
- The Robe
- From Here to Eternity
- Shane
- How to Marry a Millionaire
- Peter Pan
- Hans Christian Andersen
- House of Wax
- Mogambo
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
- Salome
Best Picture of 1953: From Here to Eternity
Best movie that I’ve seen from 1953 (of the ones listed above): Well, this is embarrassing. I’ve seen a lot of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but I did not prefer it so didn’t finish it. I’ve seen pieces of From Here to Eternity, but I don’t remember watching the whole thing. The others I have not seen. So, for the second year in a row: N/A.
Best movie that I’ve seen from 1953 not listed above: Probably Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat or Alfred Hitchcock’s I Confess starring Montgomery (“Shoot his right profile!”) Clift.
- I Love Lucy
- Dragnet
- Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts
- You Bet Your Life
- The Milton Berle Show (formally Texaco Star Theatre)
- Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
- Ford Theatre
- The Jackie Gleason Show
- Fireside Theatre
- The Colgate Comedy Hour
- “Vaya Con Dios” – Les Paul & Mary Ford
- “Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes” – Perry Como
- “The Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)” – Percy Faith
- “I’m Walking Behind You” – Eddie Fisher
- “That’s Amore” – Dean Martin
Best 1953 Song that I own: “I’ve Got the World on a String” – Frank Sinatra
Runner up for Best 1953 Song that I own: “South of the Border”- Frank Sinatra
- Music for Lovers Only – Jackie Gleason
- Jazz at Massey Hall – The Quintet (interestingly, I’ve seen Shatner in person at Massey Hall in Toronto…)
- Songs by Tom Lehrer – Tom Lehrer
- Black Coffee – Peggy Lee
- Christmas with Arthur Godfrey – Arthur Godfrey
Best 1953 Album that I own: N/A
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