THE HAT SQUAD: ALLAN MELVIN

When Dabbs Greer died last year, it made me take stock of my favorite character actors working in Toobworld. So many had passed away - Phil Leeds, Vito Scotti, Herb Vigran.... And with the death of Dabbs, I was thinking that I only had Allan Melvin left of that upper echelon.

And now, he too is gone.

Allan Melvin was 84 when he passed away from cancer at his home; he had been retired for about ten years.

Among the shows he's most famous for are 'Sgt. Bilko' ('You'll Never Get Rich') as Cpl. Steve Henshaw, Bilko's right-hand man, Barney Hefner on 'All In The Family' and 'Archie Bunker's Place', the voices of 'Magilla Gorilla' and Drooper of 'The Banana Splits', Sol Pomeroy on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', several different nemeses for Barney Fife on 'The Andy Griffith Show', and of course, Sam "the Butcher" Franklin on 'The Brady Bunch'.
I thought of him just yesterday while watching the 'Poirot' episode "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery". A United States Customs Agent named Tom Franklin was searching the Queen Mary for the stolen bearer bonds on May 31st, 1936, and I thought I might be able to make the argument that he could have been the father of Sam the Butcher.

Here's how much of an impact Mr. Melvin had with that role of Sam the Butcher: There are actors who make a very strong impression in a production with very little involvement.

The Marx Brothers in several of their films only rack up about 20 minutes of screen time in each.

Michael Keaton is only in seventeen minutes of 'Beetlejuice'.

Michael Dunn appeared in only nine episodes of 'The Wild, Wild West' as Dr. Loveless, who is not only my favorite TV character of all time but the centerpiece of my Toobworld mosaic.

Out of about 117 episodes of 'The Brady Bunch', Allan Melvin only appeared in eight as Sam the Butcher!

My favorite 'Brady Bunch' memory of Sam the Butcher wasn't even a part of an episode of the show but did concern one. I saw a comic once on Comedy Central - sorry, guy, can't remember your name! - and during his riff on the Hawaiian episodes of 'The Brady Bunch', he held up a duplicate of that Tiki idol that cursed the family.

He asked the crowd if they remembered the figurine and then reminded them of how Alice threw out her back while learning how to dance the hula.

Yeah, right, said the comic. She threw out her back from all of that meat Sam the Butcher was slipping her.....

"Sam the Butcher". That's the type of character name you'd only find today in an episode of 'Supernatural' or 'Criminal Minds'......

Someday I have to figure out a good splainin as to why Mr. Melvin's character of Rob Petrie's old Army buddy on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' not only had four different names, but shared two of them with two other actors (Marty Ingels as Sol Pomeroy and Henry Calvin as Sam Pomerantz).

Allan Melvin was so busy creating characters for Toobworld and providing so many voices for characters in the Tooniverse, that he only made one movie - "With Six, You Get Eggroll". That's the movie universe's loss and Toobworld's gain.

Here's to you, Allan Melvin. As Red Skelton would say, "May God Bless......"

BCnU....
Toby OB

"I've enjoyed the stuff I've done.
But the one you're getting paid for?
That's what you enjoy most."
Allan Melvin

VERA DUCKWORTH

Great Britain lost one of its great ladies in Toobworld last night with the death of Vera Duckworth on 'Coronation Street'. As I don't watch the show myself over here in the States, here's the description from "Corrie Blog":

Double episode written by Peter Whalley and Lucy Gannon
Jack and Vera had had a nice trip to Blackpool to see their new home and measure for curtains. Jack gave Tyrone some money to put a bet on before they went. When they got home, Paul had left a present for them - a framed photo of them when they were young and carefree and afraid of nothing. Vera told Jack she'd never loved anyone except him, and he, in his gruff way and with a bit of prompting from Vee, said he'd never loved anyone except her, and he'd go and fetch her slippers. Then he went for a swift half at t'Rovers, like he'd done so often over the years.

But this time, when Jack got back Vera was dead. Apparently she'd passed away peacefully in her sleep, sitting in her chair. Jack held her hand, told her not to be afraid, gently sang to her, "If you were the only girl in the world."

Apparently, 12.5 million people tuned in to see the exit for Liz Dawn's character who had been on the show for 33 years. (Ms. Dawn is retiring due to a chronic lung disease.)

BCnU!

Toby OB

TIDDLYWINKYDINKS: OLD QUEEN MAYR

Hercule Poirot, the great Belgian detective, became intertwined with real world history in "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery" when he and Captain Hastings set sail for New York on the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary.

The ocean liner set forth from Southampton on May 27, 1936, and so we can place the episode during that time.

When the Queen Mary was retired, it was berthed in Long Beach, California, where it now serves as a hotel and restaurant. As such, it has served as the setting for episodes of 'Quantum Leap', 'Airwolf', and 'Arrested Development'. In fact, Vincent Chase's birthday was celebrated on board the Queen Mary with a big blowout in the 'Entourage' episode of "Less Than 30".

So it could be said that TV characters can be found at either end of the spectrum in the "life" of the Queen Mary - from Hercule Poirot to Johnny Drama......

BCnU!
Toby OB

ps:
The subject heading is not a mis-spelling.

IT'S SUMMER TIME!

Finally caught the second episode of 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' and I've come to one main conclusion.

That title has to be way shortened.

But when it comes to titles, I liked the choice of "Gnothi Seauton" for the second episode. Get down and dirty all you like, but it's nice to see some high-brow embellishments in my Sci-Fi now and again.

I like this series. A lot. And it looks like it helps that I never saw the third movie. Not that it would have mattered; with the help of Cameron, the new pixie-bot, Sarah and her son John were able to leap-frog over the events that led up to the third movie and create a new timeline.

And I think I also have no problem in usurping the first two movies and adding them into the Toobworld mix, a la the 'Star Trek' franchise. The differences between Edward Furlong and Thomas Dekker could be splained away with the excuse of SORAS (Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome); and the differences between Linda Hamilton and Lena Headey can be chalked up to plastic surgery in the past.

The only problem I can see in that casting is that Linda and Lena might get their monogrammed towels mixed up.

But best of all in the new series is the addition of Summer Glau as the Terminator model; as I described her above, a pixie-bot. I think we have the first serious candidate for a 2008 Toobit Award with this character.


I liked Ms. Glau in 'The 4400' and 'Serenity' (the order in which I saw those). Here, she reminded me of Winnie Cooper from 'The Wonder Years'.

A Winnie Cooper who can kick some serious ass.

The creators of the show did a good job aligning the timelines between the movies and the TV series with that quantum leap at the end of episode one. And they helped to expand the TV Universe with a couple of additions:

World Shopping Channel
Security/Trust of Los Angeles
LeSearch.com

And since we can't see Sonia Walger as Penny Widmore every week on 'Lost', I'm happy for the additional time spent with her here as Michelle Dixon, Charlie's wife.

Granted, this is a second season that's anemic due to the writers' strike, but I think it's safe to say that this series would have come busting out of the gate just as strongly if every other show was operating full steam.

BCnU!
Toby OB

FINDING FERGUSON

One good thing that's come out of the writers' strike - at least, personally - is that I've finally discovered Craig Ferguson as Talk Show Host.

Always ready for what might become tele-history, I watched the returns of 'The Late Show' and 'The Late, Late Show' on January 2nd. (In other words, only the shows with writers.) And I think Ferguson ran away with the possibilities in his first hour back. Screw having guests - his monologue and sketches and bits were infectiously silly... and made a fan out of me.

I don't stick around for the guest chats - never did very often with Letterman either, though. But there's nothing quite like watching a grown man having so much fun on camera acting like a little boy. It's that same kind of pleased-with-himself giddiness - as if he got away with something naughty - that made me a life-long fan of Red Skelton.

So all apologies to Cousin Conan (Oh yeah, we're all related!), but Craig's got my eyeballs in that timeslot now.

BCnU!
Toby OB

TIDDLYWINKYDINKS: SPOT MARKS THE X

Two years before she became a teacher at a very snobbish private school in England, Sarah Green appeared in a TV commercial about the endurance and resilience of Scruffs work clothing. It was a highly suggestive advert that bordered on - perhaps even crossed over into - soft porn. (Ms. Green played the secretary in the work trailer who did the construction worker on the desk, with a Geiger counter monitoring the action.)

But it was still just a bleeping blipvert.

Ms. Green's students found the commercial on the web and once the word got out, she was suspended from her job as a teacher.

Of course, (so far as I can tell), no punitive actions have been taken against the men who appeared in the ad.

BCnU!
Toby OB

STRIKE-STRUCK: A NEW HOPE

Now that the AMPTP has completed negotiations with the DGA, they're finally willing to come back to the table with the WGA over their contract differences. Hopefully, once they come back to the table, they'll come to their senses and accept the WGA's proposals.

Here is the statement they've released on their website:

JOINT STATEMENT

The agreement between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Directors Guild of America establishes an important precedent: Our industry’s creative talent will now participate financially in every emerging area of new media. The agreement demonstrates beyond any doubt that our industry’s producers are willing and able to work with the creators of entertainment content to establish fair and flexible rules for this fast-changing marketplace.

We hope that this agreement with DGA will signal the beginning of the end of this extremely difficult period for our industry. Today, we invite the Writers Guild of America to engage with us in a series of informal discussions similar to the productive process that led us to a deal with the DGA to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for returning to formal bargaining. We look forward to these discussions, and to the day when our entire industry gets back to work.

As United Hollywood pointed out, "Nowhere in the invitation does anyone mention preconditions or thresholds for these informal talks. There are no demands here that we take 'distributor's gross' off the table, for example -- which was one of their precondition of resuming talks -- in fact, they just agreed to distributor's gross with the DGA."

So it looks like progress can finally be made and this strike may get settled.

Unless of course, it's a trap.........

BCnU!
Toby OB

NUMBER'S UP FOR POIROT

Here are two frame grabs of Hercule Poirot standing outside 168 Harley Street, as seen in the mystery, "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe". "168" is a 'Lost' number, as it is a combination of the numerals "16" and "8".
If only the building was located on a "Hurley Street" rather than on Harley Street!

BCnU!
Toby OB

FOODSTUFF

Looks like talking food is making a comeback in Toobworld.

Talking food used to be more prevalent in blipverts - that pastrami sandwich in the refrigerator that urged the guy to drink more orange juice instead of eating the sandwich, for example.

But then they seem to have faded away - for real world consideration, maybe it was because people didn't really want their food talking back to them. Arthur Dent certainly didn't want a conversation with the Dish of the Day in 'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

But now they're back; striking up dialogues with unsuspecting passersby, organizing!

And the government wants to convince you that it's okay to eat cloned food. Why? That may be the only way to get rid of this digestible intelligence......

Back around the World Series, Applebee's introduced its new "Spokesapple" (who sounds a lot like Wanda Sykes).

Typical exchange of dialogue in these ads:
[Man is sitting on park bench. Apple is perched behind him.]
Apple: "That's how you carry on a friendship, baby? With your thumbs? Of course, it ain't my business."

Man: "Well, if it ain't your business, why are you all up in mine?"

Apple: "Cause you people need to get eyeball-to-eyeball over the flavors that bring people together."
[Man is now eating with friends at Applebee's.]
Man: "Can everyone hear you or is it just me?"

Apple: "Talk to your buddies."

What causes talking food? Damned if I know. I suspect alien intelligence; maybe something like "The Stuff", a movie by Larry Cohen starring Michael Moriarty. Who knows.

And now the items to be found on the dollar menu at McDonald's are holding board meetings and voting on membership! For a limited time only, the double cheeseburger is now on the dollar menu. (The only abstention was by the regular cheeseburger.)

You know what would have been really creepy? If the vote was by a show of hands....

BCnU!
Toby OB

TIDDLYWINKYDINKS: SAINTED MISS BEHEADING

Here is a short description of the life of Saint Winifred, which was edited from "A Dictionary Of Saintly Women" by Agnes Dunbar:

Gwenfrewy, more commonly called Winifred, was a descendant of the early Kings of Powys and the daughter of Tyfid, a great and rich man in North Wales: Lord of the townships of Abeluyc (Trefynnon alias Holywell), Maenwen & Gwenffynnon in Tegeingl. After being harassed by some young Princes of Powys, her uncle, St. Beuno, decided to move home with his family and offered to become Winifred's teacher in return for some land on which to build a church. Tyfid gave him Abeluyc and here, in the steep Valley of Sechnant, Beuno set up house. Daily, he instructed Winifred in the little church he had built and, eventually, gave her the religious veil, with the approval of her father and mother.

One day, Winifred's parents and their servants were all at church, Beuno was officiating, and Winifred was left alone in the house. While they were out, Caradog, son of Prince Alaog, Lord of Pennarlag (Hawarden alias Pennard Halawg) rode by and stopped at the house to ask for a drink. He was so overcome by Winifred's beauty, that he made improper suggestions and, when rejected, moved to force himself upon her. Winifred fled to join her family at Abeluyc. The young horseman easily overtook her, however, and, in a fit of rage, cut off her head on the steps of the church (22nd June).

Caradog stood with his sword in his hand, unable either to stir from the spot or to repent. At all the commotion, St. Beuno came rushing outside. Distraught, he cursed the young prince for his terrible crime, who immediately dropped down dead and was whisked away by devils. Beuno informed the assembled Christians that Winifred had vowed to die a martyr to her virginity and Christianity. Then he took up her head from the ground and set it back in its rightful place.

From where it had fallen, there instantly sprang up a well of pure clear water. At the same time, he commanded the congregation to pray that Winifred might be restored to life and fulfil her vow; and, when they arose from praying, she arose with them. For the rest of her life she had a red mark round her throat where it had been sliced through.

For the full story, go to this page about St. Winifred.

Winifred finally died in 660 AD, and this story about her life didn't get transcribed until about four centuries later - enough time for the fantastical to blend in with the truth in the retellings. For alls I know, as Stuart Best would say, she got nicked on the neck by Caradog, that dog. And that simple tale got blown out of proportion into her losing her head.

As far as the St. Winifred of the real world, that is......

But when it comes to Toobworld, I fully support the legend. After all, this is a world in which your wife could be a witch and your uncle a Martian; a world full of talking cars, talking horses, talking dogs, talking toasters, and singing toilets. Just this week I watched a cyborg pixie toss around a cyborg linebacker and that in a week when there was hardly anything of interest for Toobworld due to the writers' strike. Imagine how much more wonders can be seen when all of the shows are up and running!

So a woman who gets her head lopped off and then reattached to continue living? All in a day's work for Toobworld, even back in the 7th Century!

But don't tell Benny16 that I'm going around saying that!

BCnU!

Toby OB

STRIKE-STRUCK: STILL HANGING IN THERE!

CLICHE STADIUM

In Alan Sepinwall's blog, "What's Alan Watching?" (link to the left!), a commenter posted this question in regards to the premiere of 'Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles'. (I originally typed that as "Sarah Jane Chronicles"; you know where my mind usually is!)

Anyway, here's the question:

Another point: Why is it that when there's a strong female character she always comes across at least 4 frat boy types that are misogynistic and always saying really stupid stuff like "Oooh baby, yeah come here I'll show you what you can do"?

One of the foundations of Toobworld is its dependence on cliches. This particular one can join the likes of:

An elevator will break down while a TV character is riding in it with a pregnant woman who goes into labor.

Shopping bags contain at least one loaf of Italian bread.

Phone numbers all begin with the prefix of "555".

Everybody has a wacky neighbor and an evil twin.
So it didn't bother me that when Cameron, Sarah, and John arrived in 2007, the first people they encountered were the good ol' boys. (Nor that their clothes would be a perfect match for them, since their own outfits were lost in the time-stream.)

I would have been more surprised if it had NOT happened!

BCnU!
Toby OB

TWIDDLYWINKYDINKS: IN CADFAEL'S TIME

The book that introduced Brother 'Cadfael' to the world was "A Morbid Taste For Bones" by Ellis Peters. In it, Cadfael's investigation into a murder becomes entwined with the historical events surrounding the translation of St. Winifred's remains from Gwytherin, Wales, to the Shrewsbury Abbey in Shropshire in 1136.

However, in Toobworld, the tale is the seventh in the series, which was already set in stone as having begun in 1138. Since Undersheriff Hugh Berengar does not appear in the story, it might be tempting to move it up in a personal chronology for the DVDs to before that of the episode "One Corpse Too Many".

There is a different casting drawback, however, to that plan. Brother Radulphus was already installed as the Abbot at Shrewsbury, and in the TV series that doesn't happen until the fourth episode, "Monk's Hood". If "A Morbid Taste For Bones" was placed at the beginning of the episode list, then Brother Herribert should have been the Abbot.

At the very least, "A Morbid Taste Of Bones" should be placed as the fifth episode in the 'Cadfael' chronology to give some breathing space before Eoin McCarthy takes over the role of Undersheriff Hugh Beringer (a subject that we will be addressing as soon as I make my way through the entire series.)

BCnU!

Toby OB

BROTHERS & SISTERS BY THE NUMBERS

Yet another appearance by a 'Lost' number in a different TV series.....

The campaign by Senator Robert McCallister for the Republican Presidential nomination is struggling - despite the drop-out by Governor Clay Adamson - because of the Senator's admission that during a rescue mission in the first Gulf War, he froze up with fear for 23 seconds.

Twenty-three - the penultimate numeral in the 'Lost' sequence.

It was a pivotal moment in his life and shows how powerful those numbers can be in the TV Universe......

BCnU!
Toby OB

TIDDLYWINKYDINKS: SOMERSET HOUSE

In "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe", 'Poirot' went to Somerset House on the Thames and spent the better part of a day in 1937 to search through the records for the wedding of his chief suspect.

According to Wikipedia, the Registrar General of Births, Marriages and Deaths set up his office in the North Wing of Somerset House in 1837. This established a connection that lasted for almost 150 years. This office held all Birth, Marriage and Death certificates in England and Wales. But if Poirot was around today, he wouldn't be looking up his information... information... information there - indexes to those documents are now at the Family Records Centre.

This fact may not be of much interest to Londoners who already knew about the place, but Anglophiles here in the U.S. might like to learn more about Somerset House.

BCnU!
Toby OB

"LOST" AMONG THE BLIPVERTS?

During Monday night's return of 'Kyle XY' to ABC Family, there were several commercials about the student loan website, "Astrive423.com".

As you can see, two of the numbers from 'Lost' appeared in that URL: "4" and "23". And this commercial should count towards being part of the TV Universe because it illustrated the travails a young woman would have to go through in order to raise tuition money on her own. Therefore she is a TV character and not appearing as the actress who played her.

BCnU!
Toby OB

PAPERING THE WORLD

BBC-Americas has given licence to Chilean TV to remake 'The Office', tailored to their market. It will be the first adaptation of Ricky Gervais' show in South America; variations exist in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, and I believe in India as well.

From "Variety":

"The license covers seasons one and two of the office-set spoof documentary plus end-of-season specials. Chilecorto and Canal 13-Chile, part of leading Chilean network UCTV, will begin production early this year; the show will air on Canal 13-Chile in May.

Chilean actor Luis Gnecco will play the role of the smug boss played by Gervais in the British version (and Steve Carell in the NBC remake), which has gone into syndication."

Gervais says he won't rest until he has an Inuit doing "the dance".

[Thanks to Rob Buckley for the heads-up!]

BCnU!
Toby OB

POIROT IS "LOST"

Back in 1937, Mr. Morley had both his residence and his dental practice in the same building, which he owned. The tragic events that came to be known as the "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" murder case began on the front stoop of 168 Harley Street, and two of the three murders were committed there. And Belgian detective Hercule 'Poirot' was present when those tragic events were set in motion.

"168" can be considered one of "The Numbers" from the series 'Lost', as it can be seen as a combination of "16" and "8".

Ah, ze little grey cells! Zey are at work even for me, ze new Baron of Greymatter!

BCnU!
Toby OB

CROSSING THE POND: "L&O"NDON BRIDGED

It looks like there will be a London version of 'Law & Order' with the blessings of Dick Wolf, joining variations of the 'L&O' theme in Russia and France. I'm not very familiar with the Russian series, but I know the French show is more like 'Criminal Intent', and that Richard Belzer appears in one episode as his Crossover King, Detective John Munch.

The London series will probably be entitled 'Law & Order: London' and be produced by the same company as makes 'Spooks' ('MI5' over here).

BCnU!

Toby OB

MR. MONK GOES TO THE MOVIES?

IESB asked Tony Shaloub if he’d ever like to see his character of Adrian Monk on the big screen to which he responded:

“It’s so funny you ask that because it’s something we talk about all the time. We would love to do that. The writers and the producers have kicked this idea around over the last, probably, three or four years. I’m hopeful that it would happen.

"There’s this two-parter… coming up at the end of the new run of shows. I think we’ve kind of proven that we can pull it off.. This particular episode is really cinematic. It’s got all the elements that the audience has come to appreciate about Monk. It just feels like a feature.

"So the answer is that I really hope so.”

Don't get me wrong. I love the show. But I just don't see it happening. The movie business is just so wrong for this type of movie in this day and age. 'Star Wars' ruined everything as to what type of movies get made - they can still be small stories, but something about it better be BIG (i.e., the cast)......

Not that I'm any kind of expert, but that's how I see it. And if it does happen, it will probably be acceptable as part of Toobworld.....

Of course, within Toobworld, it's already been done. Adrian Monk's life was adapted for the big screen in the episode "Mr. Monk And The Actor"......

BCnU!
Toby OB

TIDDLYWINKYDINKS: WORLDS WITHIN WORLDS

There have been TV shows in the past, usually sitcoms, which have looked at the backstage world of soap operas - 'The New Dick Van Dyke Show' and 'All Is Forgiven' are two examples that come to mind. And along with the antics of the people making the soap operas, we also get to see scenes from the soaps as they're being taped.

Now UK TV has expanded on that premise with 'Moving Wallpaper'/'Echo Beach', in which we first see a show about the making of a soap opera, and then have that followed by the finished product - the entire episode of the soap opera that was supposedly taped during the previous show.

Rob Buckley of "The Medium Is Not Enough" (link to the left!) can splain it far better than I can. He has a review of the show up in his blog now.....

There's no Zonk here for Toobworld, and no Solomonic dilemma. 'Moving Wallpaper' is the show that is set on Earth Prime-Time, and its characters are the real people of TV Land. 'Echo Beach' is a TV show that they watch (and create).

Whether the denizens of 'Echo Beach' share an alternate reality with 'Hi Honey, I'm Home' and the "Remote Control Man" episode of 'Amazing Stories', in that they can leave their fictional TV show to interact with the characters of Toobworld, is unknown at this point and will probably never be a factor.

The idea that TV could be an alternate reality...... really!

BCnU!
Toby OB

CAUGHT IN THE FACT

Toobworld Central doesn't like to deal with "reality TV". (I should type that as "reality tv" because I hate it so much.) And that includes the news and documentaries.

But sometimes something happens that just has to be pointed out, if only because it's good for a larf.

Take for example the news report on MSNBC about the security precautions taken for a Giuliani campaign appearance in Florida, which had to be moved to a nearby airport hangar. Suddenly the camera cut away from the footage of the news story and back to anchorwoman Contessa Brewer.

Who was applying her lipstick.

It could have been worse. She could have been picking her nose. And then eating it.

Twice in the last couple of months, that's happened to schmucks caught on tape at football games - one a player, the other a spectator.

Eeeeurrrgh.

BCnU!
Toby OB

(Thanks to Joe from "I Am A TV Junkie" - link to the left! - for pointing this out.)

TIDDLYWINKYDINKS: THE FIRST CRUSADE

Jerusalem was taken by the European "liberators" in July of 1099, in what would later be known as the First Crusade. A month later, Ascalon fell as well.

Both of these events of world history are a part of the Toobworld timeline officially, as a fictional TV character took part in both campaigns: Brother 'Cadfael', whom the audience meets forty years later as a murder-solving monk at Shrewsbury Abbey in Shropshire.

By the way, the term "crusade" would not be coined until sometime in the 13th Century to describe these waves of invasion into the Holy Land. And therefore any use of the word by Brother Cadfael and others in those episodes would be an anachronism. The only way out is that once again, here is a difference between the real world and Toobworld, and the word "crusade" must have been coined far, far earlier in TV Land.

BCnU!
Toby OB

AN AGE-OLD TRUTH?

I've been watching 'Burke's Law' on American Life TV Network, and twice now we've seen the murder victim and then be told their age. Based on the look of the actor playing the role, the murder victim looks to be younger than he really must be.

This weekend's entry was "Who Killed WHO IV?", and Mr. W.H. Otis IV was found in a stable stall, clubbed to death. We only got maybe three or four seconds to view the body, but it was apparent that the late millionaire had to be at least in his sixties.

Yet Captain Burke mentioned later that he was fifty-five.

In an earlier episode, "Who Killed Jason Shaw?", we saw the body of a businessman, fully clothed, in a running shower. Maybe I'm insulting the guy based on his lousy genetic inheritence, but he looked to be in his mid-forties. Yet he was described as being in his early thirties.

I believe that unless otherwise stated, a character's age should reflect that of the person who's portraying him. But when the age is given, the actor better be able to justify that with his looks. If not, he better be a damned good actor to pull it off.

Makeup helps, especially if playing someone far older, but it gets dicier when trying to play younger. When Richard Chamberlain played a Scottish youth in 'Centennial', I bought into it because Chamberlain threw himself into the exuberance of that young age.

This is something that's bugged me since I first began watching 'The Twilight Zone'. Like the Narrator in 'Pushing Daisies', Rod Serling seemed intent on the audience knowing how old his protagonists were in the episodes.

Sometimes the show got it right:

David Wayne, 45, as Walter Bedeker, 44, in "Escape Clause"

Inger Stevens, 26, as Nan Adams, 27, in "The Hitch-Hiker"

Roddy McDowall, 32, as Samuel A. Conrad, 31, in "People Are Alike All Over"

Howard Duff, 37, as Arthur Curtis, 36, in "A World Of Difference"

Some were a little off, but still believable, like Vera Miles, 30, as Millicent Barnes, 25, in "Mirror Image"

But then there were others, that I just couldn't buy into:

Gig Young, 46, as Martin Sloan, 36, in "Walking Distance"

Harry Townes, 46, as Arch Hammer, 36, in "The Four Of Us Are Dying"

James Daly, 42, as Gart Williams, 38, in "A Stop At Willoughby"

Joe Mantell, 40, as Jackie Rhoades, 34, in "Nervous Man In A Four Dollar Room"

Richard Haydn, 55, as Bartlett Finchley, 48, in "A Thing About Machines"

George Grizzard, 32, as Roger Shackleforth, "youthful twenties"

With some of these, the difference may not seem great, but the fault lies in the actor. They don't bring out what it was like to be that younger age; they now have the experiences of their own age and carry themselves as such.

Although Gig Young is the better example, I'll use James Daly in "A Stop At Willoughby" to illustrate my point since the age gap isn't so great. At the time of filming this episode, Young was already over forty, and there's just some kind of gravity that pervades the demeanor of most people once they pass that milestone. (Although I can't see Jonathan Winters having that happen to him!)

Even though Gart Williams is supposed to be a beaten man, there's nothing to suggest to me that he shouldn't be as old as the actor who's playing him. And for me, it's always been a drawback to that episode.

Just sayin', is all......

BCnU!
Toby OB