MURDER MOST RECAST

Miss Jane Marple has returned to the airwaves, but her village of St. Mary's Mead is not located in the main Toobworld of Earth Prime Time. Instead, when she investigates "The Murder At The Vicarage" tonight on PBS, Miss Marple will be ensconced in that TV Land of remakes, Earth Prime Time-Delay.

For this new installment of mysteries, Jane Marple is being portrayed by Geraldine McEwen, hence the need to remove her to another TV dimension. Plus, there's always the fact that she has already solved this first case regarding the Vicarage murder and I don't think St. Mary's Mead would be the focal point for a time loop.

(But wouldn't that be a fantastic crossover? The Time Lord of Gallifrey known as The Doctor lands his TARDIS near Miss Marple's cottage! Or The Doctor could team up with Dame Agatha Christie's other creation, Hercule Poirot.)

Miss Marple is best known as being portrayed by Joan Hickson over a decade ago on PBS; that is the Miss Marple who is accepted as occupying Earth Prime Time, the main Toobworld.

And now for something completely different.

In keeping with the current practice of inserting new characters into established scenes, the following is a reprint from earlier in the week with pertinent substitutes.

There was another version of the story told just a few years ago. It was actually two TV movies - 'Murder With Mirrors' and 'A Caribbean Mystery'. It starred Helen Hayes as Miss Jane Marple. But it was only those two TV movies, so I'm inclined to toss them into yet another TV dimension.

Since this version of the Agatha Christie tale didn't involve orgies among the populace of St. Mary's Mead, or Miss Marple going off her nut and drowning puppies, I'm forced to abandon the attempt to stick them into the evil mirror universe. But I gotta tells ya, it was tempting.....

This version was only a limited time offer; just the two TV-movies. Therefore, by the powers invested in me by me, I'm going to put it into the alternate dimension known as Earth Prime Time-MOW.

"MOW" stand for "Movie Of the Week". This is the dimension which has the line of succession among the American presidents based on the various TV movies that had fictional presidencies depicted.

Among these would be:

'Vanished'

'Washington: Behind Closed Doors'
and
'The President' Plane Is Missing' (not to be confused with the 'Saturday Night Live' sketch "The President Has Mustard On His Chin" which starred host Charlton Heston.)

They may have all had a fictional timeline but that chronology had to be based on the real one at some point in prime time.......

And we're back.....

One final thought - when talking of Miss Marple, I can't help but think of Dame Margaret Rutherford in several movies based on the Miss Marple stories. And I wish that there had been some great TV role with which the grand dame would have been forever, indelibly, associated.

Margaret Rutherford would have been perfect for a special guest appearance on 'Bewitched'. And picture (if you will) her teamed up with the aforementioned Doctor back in the Patrick Troughton years of 'Doctor Who'!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby