A Wild Run-In With A Star Trek Fan Once Led To A Fire Truck Escape For Leonard Nimoy

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A Wild Run-In With A Star Trek Fan Once Led To A Fire Truck Escape For Leonard Nimoy

Spock, against a red sky, holding a bladed weapon, from an episode of Star Trek

Paramount

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While “Star Trek” was never a ratings bonanza during its initial run in the 1960s, it was something of a cultural phenomenon. Specifically, Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, grabbed the public’s attention, largely because of the character’s striking visage and dignified demeanor. Spock, a Vulcan, had pointed ears, angled eyebrows, and a severe haircut that made him stand out from the human characters around him. The other members of the “Star Trek” cast were all exceptional in their respective roles, of course, but it was Spock who was the face of the show, at least as far as non-viewers were concerned.

Spock’s popularity led to a rather unusual curio in the “Star Trek” franchise. In 1967, Leonard Nimoy recorded an album called “Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock’s Music from Outer Space.” The record featured the theme to “Star Trek,” but also a few humorous novelty tunes, including “Highly Illogical,” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Earth.” It also featured Lalo Chifrin’s theme song to “Mission: Impossible,” another hit show that Nimoy appeared on. The album wasn’t a smash, but it was successful enough to reach #83 on the Billboard top 200. (Not to be outdone, Nimoy’s “Star Trek” co-star William Shatner released his own album, “The Transformed Man” in 1968, but that’s a story for another time.)

It was during a signing for “Music from Outer Space” that Nimoy once faced a terrifying mob scene. Nimoy had, no doubt, encountered many rabid fans during his lifetime, but this encounter was notable enough to be recorded in his 1995 autobiography “I Am Spock.” He recalls an instance when he had to flee a crowd into his manager’s office with no escape. Luckily, his manager had the bright idea to get the fire department involved.

Leonard Nimoy was able to escape out of a tall building using a fire truck ladder

Spock, smiling at Kirk, in an episode of Star Trek

Paramount

The way he described it in the book is that Nimoy was at an autograph-signing venue, sitting at a counter where fans were to line up. To his left and right, he was protected by metal gates, and his exit was located to his rear. This was on a high floor in the building where his manager’s office was located, and that office, also located behind him, was where he was going to hide when the event was over. It seems that the crowd got a little too excited to see Nimoy, however, and they pushed so hard on the gates that they began to buckle. Nimoy got up on the counter to calm the fray, but it had no effect. The fans needed to get a piece of him. As Nimoy wrote: “Finally, the manager grabbed my arm and said, ‘Let’s get out of here!'”

They fled out the back and into the manager’s office. The problem with this plan was that there was no other exit, other than the way they came. The fans didn’t penetrate as far into the building as the manager’s office, but the two men realized that they wouldn’t be able to exit the building any other way than pushing through the crowd and taking an elevator down. “But the manager was a resourceful man,” Nimoy wrote, “and [he] said, ‘Wait a minute. We can’t go down because of all the people. But we can go up. There’s a back stairway that leads to the roof…'”

Nimoy took the stairwell up to the roof while his manager called the fire department to explain the situation. The fire department was understanding, and drove a truck to the rear of the building. Nimoy said simply: “I went up to the roof, [then] climbed down the provided fire ladder, and made good my escape!”

Nimoy was not killed that day, thanks to the fire department. Presumably, Nimoy was far more careful at fan events after that.