Sarge

The example of acting technique in the previous entry is particularly relevant to our analysis of Robert Pine, and how his acting skills - if inherited or learned by his son - would make Chris Pine a worthy successor to William Shatner as Captain Kirk. We were discussing the ability of an actor to express something without words. Shatner has that skill. And so does Robert Pine.

Often, actors such as Robert Pine - underrated and therefore given few leading roles - can utilize their abundant talent to make the most of a supporting performance. Pine did so for many years on CHiPs. In the character of Sarge, he was able to project leadership qualities much as Shatner did as Kirk. Pine is one of those actors, like Fred Thompson or Morgan Freeman, who can play a leader so well that you wonder why he hasn't been drafted to run for public office yet.

But acting without words - there is one example of Robert Pine's mastery of this that comes not from a TV show or motion picture, but rather from a commercial. As I recall, it was for a car battery. Two men have left their cars in the long-term lot at an airport while traveling for business. Upon arriving back, there is a terrible blizzard and it is 20 below zero. Of course, one man (Robert Pine) has the brand-name battery in his car. The other guy has XYZ brand. Pine's car starts right up; the other won't start. But the story here is told through Pine's expressions. First as the confident businessman. Then, when he realizes the other guy's cheap battery has failed, he shakes his head, chuckles, and makes an expression of "what a knucklehead." In the end, Pine gives the other guy a ride home. His acting was the only memorable thing about this commercial.

So, the question is, has Chris Pine inherited that ability and others? If he has, he will be well suited to follow an actor such as Shatner, who can make a 30-second scene into an Oscar-worthy performance.