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"Scotty" Gets Walk of Fame Star
linuxwrangler writes "Actor James Doohan, aka Scotty on the original Star Trek series received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today. This is expected to be Doohan's last public appearance as he suffers from Parkinson's disease, diabetes and lung fibrosis as well as recently diagnosed Alzheimer's disease."
Here's to James Doohan, both for the man he was, seeing combat action on D-Day (where he lost a finger) and for the unforgettable character he gave us. A double toast of the finest Canadian and Scotch whiskeys for him and Scotty!
Well, Scotty was great, but I have to say Doohan himself was better--if perhaps not quite as in love with geeks as we are with him.
In Total Sell-Out, Brian Michael Bendis (you know, the comic book writer in charge of Powers and Ultimate Spider-man...) tells the most hilarious story of sitting by Doohan at a convention.
When it became evident that Bendis was sympathetic to the annoyance brought about by a constant "Beam me up, Scotty!" from fans, Doohan let loose.
"That's right, smart ass. Kiss my tribble. Bite me. Beam this, ya bloody nerds..."
Bendis describes it as being witness to one of the greatest moments a geek could aspire to. I couldn't agree more.
No hoax. Free PCs.
...when the engineer outlives the doctor. No engineer should have to see his doctor die.
--------
Jun 11 1999 3:15PM DeForest Kelley, who, as Star Trek's folksy spaceman Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, frequently issued the dire (and trademark) "He's dead, Jim" diagnosis, died today at the Motion Picture and Television Country Home and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. He was 79.
There's nothing Intelligent about Intelligent Design.
Yes he lost the middle finger on his right hand during the invasion of Normandy.
Scotty's Missing Finger
They shot around it in the T.V. series. Remember all those close up shots of just the hands on the transporter? They aren't Scotty's hands.
Sometimes my arms bend back.
I got a chance to see Mr. Doohan at the Las Vegas con in 2003 while he was not in the best of health you could tell he was very happy to spend time with his fans retelling his invention of the Klingon language. Congratulations on your star Mr. Scott
Meaning no disrespect to Doohan, but all a walk of fame star really means is that you paid $15,000 to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and they recognised your name.
Inclusion on the walk of fame is done entirely based on nomination, and since a successful nomination costs so much, people only ever nominate themselves, or are nominated by their studio/publicists. Which is why Britney Spears, David Spade and Pee Wee Herman all have their own stars, but Al Pacino never bothered.
The more I learn about the Internet, the more amazed I am that it works at all.
Alzheimers and Parkinsons are neural degenerative disorders. Hard to image them being totally independent of each other. I, too, feel bad for the guy.
Laboratree - Scientific collaboration based on OpenSocial.
Parkinson's is indeed a total bitch. And the thing is that there is such a thing as Parkinson's Related Dementia, and also a form of dementia caused by TIAs or small strokes.
Unfortunately, it will not become clear until the autopsy (if there is one) what Doohan actually had and what is causing the dementia symptoms.
It is good that people are honoring our beloved "Scotty" now, rather than posthumously or after he's too far gone to appreciate it.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
Really. I read that Shatner and Nimoy, who both appeared at the dinner a couple of nights ago and appeared on stage to yuk it up for a while, both left before Scotty -- err, Jimmy Doohan -- and the rest of the original series cast appeared. I don't know what that's all about, but for crying out loud, you'd think they could've stuck around a little while longer to join him on stage, let alone show up for his star ceremony.
I never met him either, but I have talked to people that go to the conventions.
Starting with the first one which was 25 to 30 years ago.
They all say James is a great guy, a real sport, and used to be quite the drinker and scamp.
He'd joke with all the guys and flirt with all the girls.
Sounds like someone I'd be proud to hang out with.
Then why didn't you provide the direct link yourself? <thwack> (-:
Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
He was kinda on DS9... reused footage from the Trouble with Tribbles episode.
His son organized donations for it.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
Please mod this up, I'm on as AC so it won't matter to my account.
In case anyone didn't know of it's existence.
Doohan's Autobiography is one of the best books of it's kind. It was written some years ago, and should be available in most metro libraries. He seems to give an honest look at his life, which is nearly as inspiring (maybe it is more so) as his characters on Star Trek.
Before he passes on, it's nice to have so many thinking of him and sending their prayers.
I read some place that Jimmy Doohan said something to the effect that he loved James T. Kirk, it was just Shatner he could not stand.
I'm going to spend 5 years in college to get an undergrad degree in engineering physics. After that, I'm going to go to grad school all the way through PhD. Ultimately, the only reason I'm doing it is so that maybe I'll have a shot at building the machines Montgomery Scott so deftly manipulated in all those Star Trek episodes and movies I loved when I was a kid.
The legacy of the character that Mr. Doohan brought to life affects not just those who grew up during the 60s. Its entrenchment in popular culture will continue this popular depiction of an engineer recognizable for a long time to come.
Here's a link to Wil's speech: http://www.wilwheaton.net/mt/archives/001678.php#0 01678
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I got to meet Mr. Doohan at a Star Trek convention almost twenty years ago. He was the guest of honor at that one, and I learned some interesting things about him from his monologue. Most TV viewers are familiar with his Scottish brogue, but he was a master of literally hundreds of accents - he could do a Texan's drawl just as convincingly. In the original Trek series, he did many of the voice-overs and sound effects for the robots, computers, and aliens in those episodes. And he is also credited with the invention of both the Klingon and Vulcan languages. A very talented gentleman. I was glad I got the chance to meet him.
Alzheimer's is the corruption and death of neurons by unknown agents (the amyloid placques associated with it do not seem to be a direct causitive action, from the last SciAm article [yeah, real authoritive, I know...] about it).
Parkinson's is caused by parts of the brain having impaired production of/response to dopamine in the inner brain.
You don't have to be 75 years old to get Parkinson's [Davis Phinney, Michael J. Fox].
Both suck to be a witness to (my experience was watching my grandmother wither away from Parkinson's). It is very hard to get to the point where you enjoy and appreciate the fewer and fewer lucid moments the person has. Eventually, they do just become a visage of what they once were.
It sucks when someone you know dies suddenly in a car crash, heart attack or any other sudden cause. It sucks when it takes someone 10-15 years to slowly die from Parkinson's/Alzheimers [and I imagine, any terminal disease].
James Doohan is a war hero...a Lieutenant in The Royal Canadian Artillery he was injured by machine gun fire on Juno Beach on D-Day. He was shot in the leg and the hand, which cost him a finger. After recovering from his wounds, he became a spotter plane pilot, earning the title of "The craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Corps".
Every person who stormed the beaches on D-Day is a Hero, and to have survived nearly being killed, and getting into an even more dangerous role in the War speaks to the courage and valour Mr. Doohan has as a person, some of of which came through in his charactor of Scotty.
He should be made a member of The Order of Canada, the highest honour Canada can bestow upon it's citizens. This man has inspired many people to go on and earn degrees in engineering, and that is a great service to society. Having attended a number of his talks at Carleton University in Ottawa, I can say that I have always been impressed by him as a person.
ttyl
Farrell
CAN-CON 2019 - Ottawa's only book oriented Science Fiction Convention! October 18-20, Sheraton Hotel, Ottawa, Canada h
Doohan didn't invent the Klingon Language, that was Marc Okrand.
The spoken Klingon in ST:TMP were random grunts. Okrand did the job of not only inventing a language, but backfitting it to those grunts such that people who understood the language could actually understand those grunts.
This is, of course, not to detract on Doohan's achievements - his star is very well deserved.
-- Soruk
Comment removed based on user account deletion
It must be tough to remain a decent, likable guy among the swirling mass of egos in the entertainment industry. Scotty managed it. I took my kids to the Virginia Air and Space Museum and was surprised to see Scotty standing around talking to the staff as they set up a table for autographs. I shook his hand and spoke with him for just a moment, introducing him to the kids (who had no clue what I was so excited about). We didn't have any deep thoughts to share, but Scotty was plesent and friendly with me and my kids. I don't meet many famous people, but got the impression that Scotty was the type I would like to have over for a visit and to get to know better. The stuff about Scotty's service in WWII was new to me and makes me think that much more of him.
:-)
Scotty,
Thank you for the smiles and fun over all those years on small and big screens. But especially, thank you for your selfless service and the way you treated others. You will be missed and well remembered.
Do you suppose he reads slashdot?
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced. - Geek's corollary to Clarke's law
A friend of mine posted on his blog his own pesronal recollection of what a great guy Mr. Doohan is.
He had a certain "toughness" about him. Sort of reminded me of a pirate. He used a lot a anatomical references: "We'll see if they have the belly for it", "I'll ram this ship right down it's throat if I have to."
causAtive, not "causitive"
"Eventually, they do just become a visage of what they once were."
Perhaps you meant "vestige".
Yes, I AM being an asshole today, thank you.
Sorry.
Look at the bright side:
I only do it to people whom I think might actually care.