‘Eat, Fry, Love’: William Shatner and the turkey-fryer fire

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It’s a mystery greater than what keeps Gordon Ramsay’s hair so fluffy, even under severe pressure in a sweltering kitchen: Why is William Shatner so funny?

Rather than becoming paunchy in his later years, the former “Star Trek” and “Boston Legal” star has turned roly-poly -- almost cherubic. And with his deep voice and wide-eyed sense of playful melodrama, Shatner can make even the most mundane subject matter hilarious, which is why his recently released public service announcement about the dangers of turkey fryer fires is igniting a fire of its own online.

Titled, “Eat, Fry, Love,” the clever PSA finds Shatner reenacting his deep desire for a turkey fryer (“Back then everyone was doing it”) and his disregard for the safety instructions that would prevent a fire. (“Blinded by my hunger I ignored safety. Spat in the face of science.”)

The resulting fire engulfs his forearms and he is forced to throw his fryer away, lucky that more harm wasn’t done to him on Thanksgiving. (“That fryer took so much from me. Mostly arm hair -- a little skin.”)

The PSA concludes with Shatner’s words of wisdom for the coming holiday and everyone who plans to dunk a raw bird in a metal pot of boiling oil: “Fire, metal, oil and turkey are glorious when in harmony -- but their power is unrelenting in careless hands.”

Truer words have never been uttered about deep-fried turkey.

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-- Jessica Gelt