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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shatner Plays It "Lite" . . . with Tongue in Cheek and a Wink, 12 Jun 2008
Up Till Now will appeal to Shatner fans and those who are thinking about acting careers. He provides a "lite" look at what it was like where even the tearful moments are mostly played for laughs.
William Shatner and David Fisher provide lots of entertaining fare that manages to explain his roles and attitude toward life. Being an actor brings an appreciation for irony: An ordinary role may create stardom while a great role may lead to a cancellation. Mr. Shatner's long and successful career has taught him to appreciate simply being able to work and save a little money. He also humbly understands that building and maintaining a marriage while acting is even more difficult, an area where he has not excelled.
The book contains lots of humorous details that were hidden to the camera at the time and the writing sparkles with bon mots like: "This was a series that spared every expense." "Call me 'Lost my life savings in uranium' Shatner. But don't call me collect!" "Where divorce is concerned, it takes two to tangle."
The writing also simulates a conversation in which Shatner continually changes the subject just as you get the juicy part, such as interrupting a story about performing nude with Angie Dickinson with another story about learning how horses can help physically and emotionally handicapped kids. I assume this is Shatner's personal style.
There's also a lot of peek-a-boo in the book, where an allusion is made to some secret that reveals much of the secret without getting into the whole detail such as in the book's final question (I won't say what it is, that would be a spoiler).
Star Trek fans may be a little disappointed that the book doesn't revolve around the series and movies. But most of Shatner's career involved non-Enterprise appearances.
The book kept me laughing throughout. Unlike most books where I race through the book, the entertainment value in this one kept me reading closely.
Why didn't I rate the book a little higher? Shatner was so coy for so long that I didn't feel like he was playing consistently fair with me. Perhaps he doesn't know any more what his own feelings are compared to what he knows will entertain.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An enterprising man, 23 Aug 2008
I Like Bill Shatner. There is just a likable quality about this old stager that you have to admire, a refusal to fade away & a willingness to do whatever it takes to keep going.
To call this an autobiography is perhaps a little generous. Whether, as a previous reviewer noted, Shatner really has forgotten what is real & what isn't, or whether as I suspect he is a crafty old stager who knows when & how to play it daft, the fact is that you will learn only what he wants you to & in the end you know more only about the actor not the man.
Nevertheless to bemoan this is to miss the point. Shatner wants to entertain & he does so by the bucket load here. A very funny man who has a sharp eye out for irony & a very personable way of relating his stories. From the outset, where he hops from one opening idea to another, he rambles from one anecdote to the next & often moves on before a story or quote is complete. He roughly follows things in chronological order but freely wheels through his career as he see's fit. There are a huge amount of anecdotes here that will make you laugh & a lot most will not know.
Star trek is mentioned of course but it doesn't dominate, he has done far too much else to dwell too long on any one of his projects too long.
A nice point is his lack of rancour, either with others, fans or 'the business'. He comes across as generally satisfied. Honesty too is shown in painful memories & moments that perhaps do not show him in the best light.
In the end this is more like an after dinner speech from a raconteur than a revealing conversation with a star.
Shatner is a professional at what he does & although at times you find yourself wishing the gloss was a little less polished & the barriers lowered it is understandable that he would want to keep some distance & treat this 'biog as yet another job.
This is a funny & enjoyable reading, he is relaxed , personable & witty. The scatalogical style may not suit everyone but I enjoyed this very much and will certainly be listening to it again.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Much, much funnier than you might expect, 2 Jan 2009
Well I know Shatner from Star Trek and when the series was on television in the UK in the 70s, I was in love with Spock. Still am actually. But, as this audio CD reveals (beautifully read by Mr Smooth himself), there's been a lot more to Bill Shatner's career than Capt James T Kirk. He tells the story of a working actor, who will pretty much do anything to stay in the business, in very entertaining, cleverly-paced anecdotes, with good build-up to comic set-pieces and excellent 'running gags' which keep you going back for more. He comes across as honest, self-deprecating and genuinely with his heart in the right place. But the surprise was, also very very funny. Who knew?
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