Walter Koenig's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

[andriech 0]

Did you know Walter Koenig is the only one of the original "Star Trek Seven" not to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? It's time for the fans to unite and help correct this ridiculous oversight!

 

Walter's been nominated for a star and the Walk of Fame Committee will be voting in June 2007 on whether to award it to him. A letter-writing campaign to convince the committee to vote for him has started, and you can help!

 

Walter's official website -- www.WalterKoenigSite.com -- has all the information. Here is the link to the "Star" page: www.walterkoenigsit e.com/waltersstar.html

 

Thank you for your help and support!

We have new banners and links for this campaign as waltersstar has raised all the money!

 

 

 

Have you written your letter to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce yet? Great! :blink:

 

Now we have a mission for you! Get 10 of your friends to write a letter too! (Have each of them get 10 of their friends...) This is how we got Trek renewed in the 60's!

 

The campaign has spread to Europe, but we need it spread everywhere... it's going to take thousands of letters! (The chamber is really stubborn!) Please spread the post to a few other forums if you belong to them.

 

And now we have flyers on the website! You can print them to post at the supermarket and work, leave in your doctor's waiting room...there are Trek fans everywhere! There are also versions to cut apart and bring to conventions.

 

We'll even mail them to you if you are going to a con--just let us know!!!

[Kor37 9]

This has really got to be eating Koenig up that he is the only Trek actor without a star..... :blink:

[trekz 7]

Looking back at my notes from the 2006 Las Vegas Star Trek convention, the comment was made by George Takei and Nichelle Nichols that the former Chairman of the Walk of Fame committee has stated that there are already too many Star Trek actors with stars on the Walk of Fame, and is actively opposing giving Walter a star. Nichelle Nichols suggested that fans write in to say what a dumb person he is (and added a colorful adjective!) I think this man is wrong about Walter. IMHO, however, I think any letters should be respectful and concentrate on the positives of Walter, and note all his many roles over the years. It might not hurt to add that you would go to Hollywood to his star when it is added (that might really appeal to the Chamber of Commerce!)

[andriech 0]

Looking back at my notes from the 2006 Las Vegas Star Trek convention, the comment was made by George Takei and Nichelle Nichols that the former Chairman of the Walk of Fame committee has stated that there are already too many Star Trek actors with stars on the Walk of Fame, and is actively opposing giving Walter a star.

 

In fairness to Johnny Grant, (the chairman of the WOF committee) he did reply to a fan's email last fall that he "has always supported Walter Koenig to be granted a star" and "has always voted for him whenever he was nominated." (The email from Mr. Grant was posted in several groups.)

 

There's no telling if he was back-peddling to cover his.... we'll never know: the WOF committee meetings are closed. We can't verify Walter was ever nominated before, although the money has been raised on several different occassions. (And it's the only committee which the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce won't release the names of the members.) But we KNOW Walter was nominated for this June's vote. (I can guarantee it personally!) If they get enough letters I think it can only embarrass Mr. Grant into putting his vote where his mouth is.

 

But the letters MUST be polite! If fans piss off the committee members by being rude or trying to threaten them into doing the right thing, it'll only make them vote against Walter just to 'teach everyone a lesson'.

 

Maybe we should mention Walter's the last of the TOS cast that will be getting a star... it's not like there's going to be an onslaught of further nominations. True, "Leslie" was in 59 episodes...but I don't forsee fans raising the money to put his star on the WOF!

[Kor37 9]

No doubt Koenig believes that this is all a plot concocted by Shatner to keep him from getting a star...... :blink:

[andriech 0]

Actually, Walter is the only one of 'the fab four' who didn't completely trash Bill in his autobiography. He acknowledged the problems but said something like: "He had to carry the show and no one ever told him he was being an *buttocks*, so we only have ourselves to blame."

 

And the people at Shatner.com and the Shatner forum are being very supportive and helping out. They are even planning a surprise marketing technique for the letter-writing campaign.

 

In truth, I suspect that Walter thinks it's an underground MacCarthyism plot leftover from the blacklist days... (Before you ask, no he's not a communist, but has close relatives that are.)

[Vulcan_lover 1]

Aww, poor guy. He deserves a star...he always was my favorite, even tho his Russian accent was terrible.

[andriech 0]

Aww, poor guy. He deserves a star...he always was my favorite, even tho his Russian accent was terrible.

 

Blame Gene Roddenberry: he wanted Walter to 'ham it up'. He had his reasons...think about it: it was the middle of the Cold War and the Space Race against the Russians.

 

Walter's brother used to kid him about the accent all the time. He's obviously able to do a correct one: both his parent's were born in Russia!

[Vulcan_lover 1]

I'm also from Russia, and his accent isn't that great. I don't say "wessels". The Russian language doesn't really have a W sound like he portrays it, and there are other minor things, but he's still one of my favorite characters from TOS.

[andriech 0]

I'm also from Russia,

Hi there! Where are you from originally? I going there for a visit in April.

 

I live in an area of very high immigration from the Russian Federation and former Soviet Union countries and I've yet to hear anyone speak even remotely like Walter's put-upon accent. Did you catch the New Voyages episode "To Serve All My Days"? Walter was finally able to do the accent the way he wanted to and coached Andy Bray--who plays the young Chekov--in the accent. Finally, a Chekov at the helm whose accent doesn't grate against your nerves.

 

Chekov would have been taken more seriously if the accent wasn't so distracting. But we have to view it through the glasses of the sixties. Americans were still afraid of Russians on a pure basis of ignorant biotry. Star Trek may have been groundbreaking, but it was still a reflection of the times. We still have incidents where Star Fleet officers are heard to declare "Captain, I'm so frightened!" and an entire episode based on the fact that women genetically don't have what it takes to captain a starship.

 

Then again, if it weren't for Chekov I wouldn't be teaching Russian history and culture now.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

That and people always confuse him with Davy Jones from the Monkeys.

[Kor37 9]

That and people always confuse him with Davy Jones from the Monkeys.

 

 

Actually, Koenig was put on the show just to have a Davy Jones clone on there. That was the intent.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I'm still trying to grasp equating Chekhov with Davy Jones. :blink:

 

I guess I sound like a traitor here but I wouldn't think that just being one of the TOS cast merits a star - however, I believe Koenig has probably done more than Takei or Nichols as far as other work after TOS

 

And LVR it was the Monkees

Edited February 13, 2007 by TheUnicornHunter

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

And LVR it was the Monkees

 

Maybe so, but think of this:

 

Monkee - someone who has been monked, as in a monk did something to him.

 

Monkey - as in the theme to the Monkees, "People say we monkey around"

 

So what makes more sense?

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

This is what Wikipedia says:

 

In the fall of 1967, both The Monkees and Star Trek were beginning their second seasons on NBC. While the former was quite successful, Star Trek's ratings were sagging. In an attempt to add "teen appeal" to Star Trek, NBC asked Gene Roddenberry to add a new character that looked like one of the Monkees. The result was the role of Pavel Chekov, played by Walter Koenig, who bore a resemblance to Davy Jones at the time.

 

There was also a scene from Trekkies where Koenig talks about the time he was misstaken for Davy Jones by a group of fans.