THE HAT SQUAD 2007 (#2300)

For this final post of 2007, which happens to be #2300, I'd like to pay respects one last time to those people who have enriched and expanded the concept of Toobworld with their contributions in the fields of acting, writing, directing, etc.

I will admit to a certain bias to the order in which some of them are listed......

ACTORS
Charles Lane
Yvonne DeCarlo
Tom Poston
Dabbs Greer
Charles Nelson Reilly
Dick Wilson
Brett Somers
Roscoe Lee Browne
Calvert DeForest
Ron Carey
Kitty Carlysle
Barry Nelson
Steve Ryan
Miyoshi Umeki
Marcel Marceau
Jane Wyman
Robert Goulet
George Grizzard
Joey Bishop
Deborah Kerr
Alice Ghostley
John Inman
Ian Richardson
John P. Ryan
William Hutt
Tige Andrews
Floyd Red Crow Westerman
Darlene Conley
Betty Hutton
Barbara McNair
Laraine Day
Mala Powers
Calvin Lockhart
Lois Maxwell
Michel Serrault
Sigrid Valdis
Richard Jeni
Ronnie Burns
Michael Evans
Carol Bruce
Gordon Scott
Kerwin Mathews
James Callahan
Tony DeSantis
Gretchen Wyler
Shirl Conway
Anne Pitoniak
Edward Mallory
Gareth Hunt
Walker Edmiston
Mike Reid
Ronald Magill
Jeanne Bates
Lonny Chapman
Robert Symonds
Bart Burns
Nicholas Worth

PERSONALITIES
Don Herbert
Tom Snyder
Merv Griffin
Anna Nicole Smith
Chef Tell
Joel Siegel
Phil Rizzutto
Stanley Myron Handelman
Tammy Faye Bakker Messner
Jerry Falwell
Rex Humbard
Hal Fishman
Charmaine Dragun
Bernard Manning
Magnus Magnusson
Claudia Cohen
Yolanda King
Evel Knievel

SINGERS & MUSICIANS
Luciano Pavarotti
Beverly Sills
Don Ho
Gian Carlo Menotti
Tommy Newsom
Theresa Brewer
Frankie Laine
Ray Evans
Ike Turner

WRITERS
Mel Tolkin
Sidney Sheldon
Bob Carroll Jr.
Norman Mailer
Kurt Vonnegut
Ira Levin
David Halberstam

DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS, ETC.
Verity Lambert
Delbert Mann
Roger King
Jack Kuney
Stan Daniels
Ed Friendly
Iwao Takamoto
Bob Clark
Ingmar Bergman
Carlo Ponti
Richard Franklin
Freddie Fields

OTHERS
Leona Helmsley
Wally Schirra
Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.
(I've added these people because they either appeared as themselves on Television or had their lives enacted in Toobworld.)

This list is by no means complete. For that, you'd have to look through the 2007 deaths listed in the IMDb.com's browsable sections.

But these are the ones of note whose passing caught the attention of Toobworld Central.

As Red Skelton would say, "May God Bless......"

BCnU.....
Toby OB

THE STRIKE: HOW YOU CAN HELP

My plan was to take the holidays off, save for those quote-posts leading up to Christmas. But I'm chiming in to pass along this message which my friend Ivy sent me:

Dear Friend,

The studios thought they could cross their arms and ignore the writers until financial hardship set in and they gave up. They didn't count on the fact that this time, the writers didn't need "big media" to get their message out. This time, they have the internet.

Thank you for sending emails to the network executives in charge of your favorite shows and letting them know that it's time to give the writers a fair share. So far, nearly 20,000 emails have been sent. With the help of the fans who are willing to spread the word, the WGA can and will prevail in its struggle to win fair wages for working people from the AMPTP.

What can you do now?

Please tell your friends and family to send emails to network executives, too. The more people they hear from, the more they'll know that people are aware of what's going on, and they care about what's at stake.

You can do it here:

http://firedoglake.com/wga

Happy holidays to you, your friends and family, and thank you again for your support.

Jane, Christy, Pach, Siun and the crew at firedoglake.com

If you could help the cause to get this strike resolved (and hopefully in the writers' favor!), that would be fantastic. And as full disclosure, let me just add that I'm hoping you'll help out for purely selfish reasons. I have tons of stuff from TV's past which I could write about here, but I needs me some fresh material as well!

So thanks from all of me at Toobworld Central!

BCnU!

Toby OB

"MURRY CHRISTMAS"*

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night when - lo! The Angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were so afraid.

"And the Angel said unto them: 'Fear not! For behold! - I bring you tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

'And this shall be a sign unto you: You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.'

"And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth, peace and good will toward men.'

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

- Linus Van Pelt

'Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown'

*The Festus Hagen Pronunciation from 'Gunsmoke'

IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE! (PART TWO)

"Sometimes the best gifts are the ones you can't wrap."

Mrs. Morris
'Saved By The Bell'

IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE! (PART ONE)

FRED FLINTSTONE:

"Hey, Blinky! How do we deliver presents all over the world in just one night?"

BLINKY THE ELF:

"We don't take coffee breaks."

'The Flintstones'

TWO DAYS TO CHRISTMAS!

"Sure tell Christmas is coming round;

everybody gets kiss-happy!"
Uncle Fester
'The Addams Family'