William Shatner's career was in a weird place in 1973. He'd toiled for years before journeying the final frontier on Star Trek. Suddenly, he was a known commodity. His voyages upon the USS Enterprise boldly put his likeness where no face had gone before as the show grew in popularity in syndication. However, as Star Trek grew in popularity, Shatner became more recognizable as Captain Kirk. He was no longer just an actor. Now, he was the actor in that space show. So, while Shatner was capable of more, he struggled with typecasting during the era.

In between suitable roles, Shatner turned to commercial acting, where he could use his famous face to pay the bills. In 1973, Shatner spoke with Brock Ketchum of the Ontario Standard, while the actor was on the set of one such TV ad production. The commercial, filmed at Ontario's Schneck Farms and Greenhouses, was for the local grocery chain Loblaws. Specifically, the ads promoted the stores' meats and produce. "By gosh— the price is right!" Shatner would exclaim with a smile at the end.

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But these prices were a sticking point for reporter Brock Ketchum. In his coverage of the local commercial shoot, Ketchum approached Shatner with a line of questioning about just how much Loblaw groceries cost. Apparently, The Standard reporter felt that Loblaws was "clipping its customers while wearing a halo with its price-is-right slogan."

Shatner was immediately defensive, according to the publication.

"I don't really want to get involved in what food prices are," the one-and-future Kirk retorted.

"They are getting higher like everything else is now," he told The Standard. And this was true. After all, 1973 was the year of the oil crisis. The affected sector drove prices skyward in others, as any product relying on truck-based transportation suddenly cost more to ship. 

This didn't satisfy Ketchum, as the reporter continued needling Shatner about the prices at Loblaws. Shatner countered, reporting that Loblaws' prices remained competitive even as food costs soared.

An even more burning question wrapped up the article. Would viewers be seeing more of Shatner as a Loblaws spokesman in commercials to come?

"Yes," said William Shatner, "because the price is right."

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