BUG/HOFF!

Volkswagen is running a series of ads in which the new VW is a sentient vehicle hosting its own talk show. Among its guests have been Shawn Fanning, Bobby Knight, and the Hoff - David Hasselhoff.

Hasselhoff is a great choice since - as he mentions in the blipvert - he was so big in Germany back in his 'Baywatch' days.

Ah, but wouldn't it have been great if he was appearing in the ad as Michael Knight of 'Knight Rider' instead? Even after he's no longer teamed up with the KITT 2000 (which appeared scrapped in the TV movie pilot for the new series), he's still hanging out with talking cars.

BCnU!
Toby OB

HERCULE FIGURES IT OUT

"The Numbers" of 'Lost', specifically the numeral "23", got a double-shot appearance in the 'Poirot' mystery "The Alphabet Murders".

The murders were taking place in August of 1936, and Inspector Japp held a strategy session to plan their next move on the 23rd:
And after examining the crime scene in Andover, Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings took the train back to London:
Now that track designation might not seem like much for making a connection to "The Numbers", but in my travels the tracks on either side of a platform would have been numbered "1 & 2" or "1 & 3". Track #1 had its own location away from the others at this station?

And if it still seems like a stretch to claim it's "The Numbers" at work, remember they've had some flimsy uses in 'Lost' itself. Biggest example of this would be in the toy store where Locke worked - regulation footballs were in Aisle 8 while Nerf footballs were in Aisle 15 ("Deus Ex Machina"). Wouldn't it have made more sense if they were in the same aisle?

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: "STRAWBERRY BLONDE"

I watched "The Alphabet Murders" during the overnight, a classic 'Poirot' mystery by Agatha Christie which was also the basis for a movie starring Tony Randall as the Belgian detective.

Poirot, Captain Hastings, and Inspector Japp traveled to Bexhall in August of 1936, hoping to prevent a murder. They took up position at the local beachfront cinema which that night was showing "Strawberry Blonde", starring Loretta Arlow, Robert Williams, and Rett G. William.

Those actors are fictional, so this movie should not be confused with "The Strawberry Blonde" which starred James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack Carson, and George Reeves. (Besides, that movie came out in 1941 and was a remake of "One Sunday Afternoon" of 1933.)

Based on this poster, "Strawberry Blonde" was the type of movie that would have been perfect for the Electro Cinema in Cardiff, as seen in the 'Torchwood' episode "From Out Of The Rain".
BCnU!
Toby OB

THE HAT SQUAD: STANLEY KAMEL

Adrian Monk, Dr. Charles Kroger, Harold J. Krenshaw
'Monk'

Actor Stanley Kamel has passed away of a heart attack at the age of 65. He had a lot of roles in a wide variety of shows, from 'Days Of Our Lives', 'Mork & Mindy', 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', and 'Columbo' to 'Murder One'. But he'll probably be best remembered now for the role of Dr. Charles Kroger in 'Monk'. And that's especially due to the fact that he was still playing the role.

Sitting on my desk here in Toobworld Central for weeks now has been a scrap of paper with an idea for a Deep Six list - my top six recurring characters in TV shows. I decided that it should be two lists - one of current characters and one of those from classic TV. But in the beginning, the list began with one character in mind - Dr. Kroger. The idea came to me as I watched one of the final episodes from this latest season of 'Monk'; and I realized how indispensable Kamel was to the show, even if he wasn't in every episode.

And now what shall they do? It's up to the producers and writers, of course. The show is still in production; it's not like a long-cancelled series in which I could theorize a proper tribute to a character who's actor has passed away. But I'm sure it will have to be addressed and I think they'll come up with a fitting memorial to the memory of both Charles Kroger and Stanley Kamel.

May God Bless.....

BCnU!
Toby OB

SEAN'S SHOW

Today is the first anniversary of my Little Buddy Sean's 27th birthday. Although for him, it was yesterday, as he's living over in Taiwan teaching English.

Sean's the father of my second god-daughter, Rhiannon (and of Eli and Calvin as well).

Calvin's birthday was the other day; Sean's brother Michael had his on Monday. Sean's wife Gosia celebrates hers on Tax Day.

Bunch of April Fools, if ya ask me!

Celebrating the first anniversary of his 27th birthday puts me in mind of Jack Benny, who was perpetually 39. Although the resemblance ends there. Jack built his stage persona around his miserly stinginess. I can't think of anyone more generous than Sean.

I'm not talking about money. Remember, he's a teacher; there is no money! Sean is generous in spirit, very open and giving, always there to listen even though he's got a bleepload of enough troubles of his own. I always say that if I ever wrote one of those "My Most Unforgettable Character" stories for the Reader's Digest, I'd choose Sean as the subject.

Well, anyway, it's his - it WAS his birthday and he's been partying all night. (It's after 2 AM there.) And how did he do that? By watching 'Lost', its second season ender.

Brings a tear to the eye......

Of course, then he got really drunk and noisy and bothersome and it made Anthony Fremont scowl.... He'll probably end up in the rice field.

Well, they are in Taiwan, after all........

Happy Birthday, Little Buddy!
Toby OB

BLOOMING LILY

I'm not sure if Lily Winters of 'The Young & The Restless' is making any crossovers onto 'The Bold & The Beautiful', but she has forged her own personal connection between the two shows. Lily has two modeling contracts going - one for Jabot, a fragrance line that is based in her hometown of Genoa City, Wisconsin, and the other for the fashion house Forrester Creations in Los Angeles.

Both of those contracts may be in jeopardy though (Wouldn't be a soap opera otherwise!) because Lily is pregnant with her boyfriend Cane's baby......

BCnU!
Toby OB

BEN-HUR. DONE THAT.

Following just a few days after the death of Charlton Heston, who won an Oscar for playing "Ben-Hur", the son of director William Wyler is looking to make the original book by Lew Wallace into a mini-series.

This would mean it would include a lot of scenes that could never have fit into a theatrical release. And it would bring Judah Ben-Hur into Toobworld, of course. (Although he already exists in the Tooniverse, voiced by the late Heston.)

For the lead role, the producers are looking for an actor in his mid-20s to play Ben-Hur. I'm not sure if they would be looking for a younger Heston (who was in his mid-30s when he played the role), but I think they should look for somebody with the muscular build who could convincingly pull off the chariot race scene.
And while he might look good in the galley scenes, I don't think this is something that Chace Crawford should audition for.....

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: PAPAL BULL

For the second season of 'The Tudors', Peter O'Toole is calling on his rascally talents to bring Pope Paul III to life. This is another sign that the Showtime series is in the Evil Mirror Universe, because it was Pope Clement VII, Paul's predecessor, who dealt with King Henry VIII and his request for an annulment from his marriage to Catherine of Aragorn.

Using various stalling tactics, Clement VII hoped that his spies might bring him the proof he needed to rebuke Henry and his proposed new wife Anne Boleyn for being adulterous lovers. But he never got that proof, and because of his procrastination in the matter, Henry broke away from the Church and founded the Church of England.
Even without the beard, O'Toole looks more like Paul III than he does Clement VII......

BCnU!
Toby OB

CROSSING ZONE: BUSTER LINKS

On his "News From ME" blog (link to the left), Mark Evanier posted a link to a 1964 Ford Econoline van commercial which starred Buster Keaton.

(http://youtube.com/watch?v=v-WqV56vdjw)

It could be that we're seeing his character of Woodrow Mulligan from 'The Twilight Zone', in a sequel to the episode "Once Upon A Time".

Woodrow Mulligan was a janitor from Harmony, New York, in 1890. He borrowed the Time Helmet from the scientist he worked for, and sent himself into the future - 1961. After a series of wild misadventures, he made it back home with a fellow named Rollo in tow. Rollo yearned for the simpler pleasures in the life of 1890; but once he got there couldn't do anything but complain about the lack of amenities. So Mulligan sent him packing back to the future with the Time Helmet, leaving the janitor at peace in 1890. And that's where the story ended.

But there was a caveat within the episode - the Time Helmet would only send the wearer into a different time for one half hour before it returned to its point of origin. That meant that eventually the Time Helmet would return to 1890 Harmony, with or without somebody wearing it. Rollo wasn't a completely foolish man - I think he would have made certain that he wasn't wearing that helmet when the half hour concluded. And so it would have wound up back on the scientist's workbench soon enough.

What if Woodrow Mulligan - content as he was to be back in his own time period - used the helmet one more time and ended up back in the 1960s?

There could be any number of reasons why this would have happened - several times in the episode, even back in his own time, we saw how easy it was for Mulligan to run afoul of the Law. Maybe he had no choice but to escape into the future again and this time stay there for good.

Once there, Woodrow Mulligan had to adjust to his new life. Eventually he would have to find employment and to learn how to do things like the others who lived in the 1960s - which would include learning how to drive. And that's where the Ford Econoline "supervan" blipvert picks up the story - Woodrow Mulligan was now working as a mover for Mothers' Brothers Moving. And once again he found himself in trouble with the Law.....

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: RAO

Last Friday, the Long Island public broadcasting station, WLIW, rebooted their Friday night schedule of Britcoms. Some of them began again with their first episodes ('A Fine Romance', 'Keeping Up Appearances', 'As Time Goes By', 'My Hero'), and two other series joined the line-up - 'Mulberry' and 'Supernova'.

'Supernova' is about Dr. Paul Hamilton, who is having a mid-life crisis in London so he jumps at the offer to work at an astronomical observatory in the Autralian outback. It looks like it's going to be a fish-out-of-water romantic series, sort of like 'Northern Exposure'.

The show takes place at the Royal Australian Observatory, whose brochure trumpets the acronym of "RAO".
Rao was the name of the red sun of Krypton in the Superman mythos, (as seen here in 'Smallville') so I thought it made for an interesting coincidence.....

If it was a coincidence.......

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: WOLSEY WOOZY

'The Tudors' has entered its second season on Showtime at the end of March, but one of the main historical characters from the first season failed to return for the new batch of episodes. As played by Sam Neill, Thomas Cardinal Wolsey met his Maker in the season finale, slashing his own throat rather than be returned to London to possibly face execution for treason.

Earth Prime-Time, the main Toobworld, already has the life of King Henry VIII woven into its fabric, thanks to the 1970s mini-series starring Keith Mitchel, 'The Six Wives Of Henry VIII'. (John Baskcomb played Wolsey in that production.) The version of History presented by 'The Tudors', with its graphic emphasis on sex, would not only be the representative of an alternate TV dimension, but I believe it should be housed in the Evil Mirror TV Universe. And the death of Cardinal Wolsey as depicted in the show makes the argument for me.
I won't deny Cardinal Wolsey was a sinner. He had illegitimate children by his mistress; he destroyed those around him who were a threat to the power he amassed; and he quite likely was conspiring against Henry. But even with the vagaries of Time, there's never been any suggestion in any of the histories that he cut his own throat to avoid the executioner's blade. All of them hew to the story that he died of some sort of illness on his journey back from Yorkshire.

Maybe based on that, the theory could have been proposed that he had been poisoned - but again, not by his own hand.

The way I see it, lapsed Catholic that I am, Wolsey would have considered all of his many offenses in life to be forgiven with penance and absolution before he died, or through the punishment of Purgatory after his death. But there would never be salvation after death by suicide. Wolsey's faith would have dictated that his soul be cursed to Hell for Eternity for such a crime against self.

That he would do so anyway can only mean that this televersion of Thomas Wolsey was in the Evil Mirror Universe.

(Just for giggles, I'm also presenting pictures of Wolsey as played by John Gielgud in the 1988 TV production and Orson Welles from the 1960s movie "A Man For All Seasons".....)

BCnU!
Toby OB

CALVIN: A MIRACLE TWO YEARS RUNNING

The word "miracle" has pretty much lost its power over the years from being too easily used. "Miracle seasons" in sports? Really? That kind of cheapens the Miracle at Cana to being just a parlor trick.

Today is Calvin's birthday. (Actually, since he's now in Taiwan, it was yesterday.) He's the youngest son of Sean & Gosia, two of my dearest friends. As they might say in "Elfquest", they are family in all but blood. (Their middle child, Rhiannon, is my god-daughter.)

Calvin is now two. And that he made it to this milestone really justifies the use of the word "miracle".
His grand-mother sent out an e-mail today that tells Calvin's story far better than I can. And with her permission, I present it here:

Today is a very special day. It was two years ago exactly that we got the kind of phone call you hope never to get from someone you love. It was from Sean in Taiwan, telling us that their just-born son, Calvin, was not expected to live, and that Gosia, after a three-hour emergency surgery during which she stopped breathing, and needed 9 units of blood, was in very critical condition.

Well, if you know even the slightest bit of the story since then, you rejoice with us that Gosia is alive and well; and both she and Sean have put in an all-out effort to bringing that little kid out of dialysis, off the respirator, through countless hyperbaric oxygen treatments and from feeding tube to successful breast-feeding [which "they" said could never be done.] His sight is improving and his motor skills - the brain area judged most damaged - are responding to continuous therapy - bit by bit, but unmistakably. He knows each parent's voice and responds excitedly. He loves the beach and wants to move toward the sound of the waves as soon as he hears them.

On the iffy side, since swallowing is still not entirely natural for him, some of what he eats does come back up, and weight gain is a very elusive goal, which makes him vulnerable in fighting off infections, colds, etc. Even teething seems to bring on the petit mal seizures to which he is prone, But on the plus side, he's been experimenting with chewing which is a monumental milestone.

Sean sends us the gift of a twice-weekly blog so we can be somewhat in on their lives. Last week, he wrote:

"We know it is very slow, and it's a lot of work (especially for him) but he's a happy boy.
His birthday is next Tuesday -- he'll be two.

If you have any extra prayers, please dedicate them to Calvin."

Two years ago, when I told Sean about the outpouring of your prayers and concern, he said "That's the ground we walk on."

For then and for now, from them and from us, THANK YOU.
The "Cur" family, near and far

What does all this have to do with TV? Nothing, really. But then again, "My So-Called Life" is part of Toobworld, thanks to certain TV shows of my youth. So Calvin is one of the supporting players in my large cast of characters.

And if he had to have an alter-ego, "Miracle Kid" is as good as any.....

Happy Birthday, Calvin.

BCnU...
Toby OB

TVXOHOF APRIL '08: JOSE, CAN YOU SEE?

In our hardened society, the sweetly gentle and innocent must look like fools. Time and again, they are always proven to be wiser. And so it is that it's a wise fool whom we induct this month into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame. He has his requisite three shows in Earth Prime-Time to his credit, but he has made his mark in so many of the alternate dimensions as well - the Tooniverse, Skitlandia, the Cineverse, and even in a fictional universe born from the creative spark of long-playing records.....

His name... Jose Jimenez.

Here are the basic facts about Bill Dana's most famous and enduring character from Wikipedia:

José Jiménez was a fictional character created and performed by comedian Bill Dana on the Steve Allen Show in 1959 and who became increasingly popular during the 1960s. This character introduced himself with the memorable line: "My name...José Jiménez".
During the course of his José Jiménez acts, Bill Dana (who is of Hungarian-Jewish ancestry unlike the Hispanic character he played) took his character through various roles including elevator operator, sailor, and submariner until settling into the most famous occupation that José would hold: astronaut.

Perhaps surprisingly, the character of José Jiménez caught on amongst the seven Mercury astronauts and Dana became good friends with the astronauts. "Okay, José, you're on your way!" Deke Slayton quipped as Alan Shepard's famous first flight launched, in reference to the astronaut parody.

For his role as José the Astronaut, Dana was officially made an honorary Mercury astronaut.

As time passed, Dana realized that such ethnic humor by a person not of that ethnic group was becoming offensive. In 1970 he announced that he would no longer affect the José Jiménez character. In 1997 Dana received an image award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition.

Jose Jimenez proved to be very popular in many sketch comedy shows of the late fifties, early sixties - 'The Steve Allen Show', 'The Spike Jones Show' and 'Hollywood Palace', among others. And because of that, Jose Jimenez is a resident of the Toobworld off-shoot, "Skitlandia". He also appeared in a cartoon version and so he also resides in the Tooniverse as well. And on a comedy album by Joey Forman (as the Mashuganishi Yogi) which spoofed the Indian mystic movement popular in the psychedelic sixties, Jose Jimenez made a cameo appearance as well as appeared in the album art.

So Jose Jimenez really gets around in the Multiverse!

His "life" in the main Toobworld, Earth Prime-Time, has not been neglected, and it is for his appearances in three different TV series that he's being inducted into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.

'The Bill Dana Show'
'Make Room For Daddy'
'Batman'
On 'The Bill Dana Show', Jose was a bellman at a New York City hotel where he worked with the cousin of Maxwell Smart, Byron Glick the hotel dick. Many sites say that the sitcom was a spin-off of 'Make Room For Daddy' and I vaguely remember Bill Dana playing Jose as the elevator operator on that show which starred Danny Thomas. However, my Westphallian counterparts (See Tommy Westphall's Mind in the links to the left.) have been disputing this.

But I'm going to allow it, based on the remembrance of an impeccable source. According to Marjorie Lord's website, it looks like Bill Dana was appearing as Jose Jimenez on 'Make Room For Daddy'.

Here's an entry from her episode guide for the show, ninth season:

Season 9251.
"For Every Man There's a Woman"
guest stars: Bill Dana (Jose Jimenez)
Tonight, comedian Bill Dana appears as his own character creation Jose Jimenez.
aired: 02-Oct-1961

That's good enough for me!

And then there was his "Bat-Climb Cameo" on 'Batman'. When the camp superhero show was at its peak in popularity, all of the stars wanted the chance to lean out a window and meet the Dynamic Duo, from Jerry Lewis and Edward G. Robinson to Santa Claus and the Carpet King.


Jose popped out of a Gotham City high-rise window in the episode "The Yegg Foes Of Gotham" and told Batman and Robin he was watching some crazy people on TV.

Why was he in Gotham City? Don't know; don't care. That small bit is enough to fulfill the requirements for entry into the Hall.

So here's to you, Jose Jimenez. Maybe you're no longer politically correct in the real world, but in Toobworld you are still remembered fondly in references on such shows as 'Seinfeld' and 'Farscape'.

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: CONEY ISLAND

"Reclassified", what may turn out to be the penultimate episode of 'New Amsterdam', centered around the Astroland amusement park in Coney Island. As with many facets of life in New York City, 400 year old John Amsterdam knew a lot about the history of the area, and so he probably knew the Lenape Indians called the island Narrioch which means "the land without shadows".

John's people, the Dutch, called the place "Conyne Eylandt", which means "Rabbit Island" and which can be found on the New Netherland map of 1639. Apparently, when it was an island, the place was overrun with rabbits right up to the early 20th Century.

Several of the amusement park locations came into play during the episode; especially the Wonder Wheel ferris wheel, but also "Dante's Inferno" where Chechin mobster/snitch Nazir was hanging out when Amsterdam spotted him.

Most of the few remaining attractions at Coney Island are going to be razed to be replaced by housing and business developments. However, three of the rides at Coney Island are protected as designated NYC landmarks, as well as recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. So they're safe from getting torn down.

From Wikipedia:

1] Wonder Wheel. Built in 1918 and opened in 1920, this steel ferris wheel has both stationary cars and rocking cars that slide along a track. It holds 144 riders, stands 150 feet tall, and weighs over 2,000 tons. At night the Wonder Wheel's steel frame is outlined and illuminated by neon tubes. It is part of Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.

2] The Cyclone roller coaster, built in 1927, is one of the nation's oldest wooden coasters still in operation. A favorite of some coaster aficionados, the Cyclone includes an 85-foot, 60 degree drop. It is owned by the City, and operated by Astroland, under a franchise agreement. It is located across the street from Astroland.

3] The Parachute Jump, originally the Life Savers Parachute Jump at the 1939 New York World's Fair, was the first ride of its kind. Patrons were hoisted 190 feet in the air before being allowed to drop using guy-wired parachutes. Although the ride has been closed since 1968, it remains a Coney Island landmark and is sometimes referred to as "Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower."

John Amsterdam was in the area hoping to track down who shot his first partner on the force, Andy Gleason. The bullet couldn't be removed since it was too close to his heart and its lead coating caused Andy to get leukemia. After the case was solved, Andy asked John for one last favor - to ride the Wonder Wheel with him one last time, even though John was scared of heights. While they were near the top, Andy passed away.

Coney Island came into play with several other TV shows, two of them with events that happened in the past. From 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit', Detective Brian Cassidy can best describe what happened best at one of these situations:

"There was this guy in the hood that she liked, this guy named Vince. She went down to Coney Island to, uh, to see him. You know that whole 'under the boardwalk, down by the sea' thing? After Vince... did her... his whole set wolf-packed her. Seven, eight guys... she's not sure. Which is bad enough, Captain, but it just gets worse. They left her there, uh, by herself, in the cold, wrapped up in a beach towel. It was after dark, you know, and she couldn't walk. She just sat there in what was left of her... clothes, and this guy comes along and asks her if she needs some help, and she says, 'yes, please... thank you.' And this guy... this, uh... this Good Samaritan, he, uh... he..." (He then broke down, crying.)

The other connection to the Coney Island of Toobworld Past is more famous. When he was a boy, Ed Norton's beloved dog Lulu jumped off his lap in the Tunnel of Love to chase after a cocker spaniel. Ever since he lost Lulu, Norton walks in his sleep crying out "Luluuuuuu!", which of course drives his pal Ralph Kramden nuts. (From 'The Honeymooners') Ralph tried to cure the sleepwalking by getting Norton a new dog, but all that did was make the sewer worker walk in his sleep while carrying the new dog.

Once more from Wikipedia:
Astroland owner Carol Hill Albert, whose family had owned the park since 1962, sold the site to developer Thor Equities in November 2006 for $30 million. Thor proposed a $1.5 billion renovation and expansion of the Coney Island amusement area to include hotels, shopping, movies, an indoor water park and the city's first new roller coaster since the Cyclone. The developers hope to start construction in 2007 and complete the project by 2011. However, recent deals allowed Astroland to operate for one more year; the park's opening day is set for March 16, 2008.

BCnU!
Toby OB

"Let me have Coney Island."
Father William Mulcahy
'M*A*S*H'

WHUU-UHHHH?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcatQSyRK6c

You can get a "Who's On First" dialogue going here........

What is the most used line of dialogue in "Lost"?

Yes.

Yes is the most used line of dialogue in "Lost"?

No.

What is then?

Yes. What is the most used line of dialogue in "Lost".

I'm asking you!

Dude.

BCnU!

Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: LEW WALLACE

With the passing of Charlton Heston, attention has been drawn once again to his Oscar-winning role of Judah Ben-Hur in the movie "Ben-Hur". Cecil B. DeMille's film was based on the 1880 novel by Lew Wallace, "Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ".

Wallace (April 10, 1827 – February 15, 1905) was a lawyer who organized troops for the Union Army during the Civil War and was finally rewarded with his own regiment. Unfortunately, at the Battle of Shiloh he screwed up because of his interpretation of General Grant's hand-written marching orders which Wallace deemed too vague. As a result, he arrived too late to provide support for Sherman during the first forays and so Sherman had to pull back. Wallace and his division were finally in place to hold the extreme right of the Union line and were the first to attack on the second day of the battle - 146 years ago today.

From Wikipedia:
At first, there was little fallout from this. Wallace was the youngest general of his rank in the army and was something of a "golden boy." Soon, however, civilians in the North began to hear the news of the horrible casualties at Shiloh, and the Army needed explanations. Both Grant and his superior, Halleck, placed the blame squarely on Wallace, saying that his incompetence in moving up the reserves had nearly cost them the battle. (Sherman, for his part, remained mute on the issue.) Wallace was removed from his command in June and reassigned to the much less glamorous duty commanding the defense of Cincinnati in the Department of the Ohio.

Personally, Wallace was devastated by the loss of his reputation as a result of Shiloh. He worked desperately all his life to change public opinion about his role in the battle, going so far as to literally beg Grant to "set things right" in Grant's memoirs. Grant, however, like many of the others Wallace importuned, refused to change his opinion.

Wallace participated in the military commission trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators as well as the court-martial of Henry Wirz, commandant of the Andersonville prison camp. He resigned from the army in November 1865.

Wallace held a number of important political posts during the 1870s and 1880s. He served as governor of New Mexico Territory from 1878 to 1881, and as U.S. Minister to the Ottoman Empire from 1881 to 1885. As governor, he offered amnesty to many men involved in the Lincoln County War; in the process he met with Billy the Kid (Henry McCarty).

On 17 March 1879, the pair arranged that Kid would act as an informant and testify against others involved in the Lincoln County War, and, in return, Kid would be "scot free with a pardon in [his] pocket for all [his] misdeeds." But the Kid returned to his outlaw ways and Governor Wallace withdrew his offer.

While serving as governor, Wallace completed the novel that made him famous: "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ". It grew to be the best-selling American novel of the 19th century. The book has never been out of print and has been filmed four times (1907, 1925, 1959, and 2003.) It was the first work of fiction to be blessed by a pope.

Recently, historian Victor Davis Hanson has argued that the novel was based heavily on Wallace's own life, particularly his experiences at Shiloh and the damage it did to his reputation. There are some striking similarities: the book's main character, Judah Ben-Hur accidentally causes injury to a high-ranking commander, for which he and his family suffer no end of tribulations and calumny.

I knew Lew Wallace appeared in Toobworld at least twice - played by Cameron Mitchell in "The Andersonville Trial", and in an episode of 'Law Of The Plainsman'. Not knowing who played him in that show, I checked out the character at the IMDb.com, and was surprised to find that Wallace had so many televersions:

Rene Auberjonois (Gov. Lew Wallace) . . . Longarm (1988) (TV)

Wilford Brimley (Gov.Lew Wallace) . . . Billy the Kid (1989) (TV)

Matt Crowley (I) (General Lew Wallace) . . . "Philco Television Playhouse, The" (1948)

{The Death of Billy the Kid (#7.23)} TV Series

Frank Ferguson (I) (Lew Wallace) . . . "Tall Man, The" (1960)

{The Great Western (#1.37)} TV Series

Len Hendry (General Lew Wallace) . . . "Branded" (1965)

{A Destiny Which Made Us Brothers (#2.19)} TV Series

Forrest Lewis (Gen. Lew Wallace) . . . "Bronco" (1958)

{Death of an Outlaw (#2.13)} TV Series

Dayton Lummis (Lew Wallace) . . . "Death Valley Days" (1952)

{Shadows on the Window (#8.19)} TV Series

Cameron Mitchell (I) (Gen. Lew Wallace) . . . Andersonville Trial, The (1970) (TV)

Robert Warwick (I) (Governor Lew Wallace) . . . "Law of the Plainsman" (1959)

{Amnesty (#1.27)} TV Series

The fact that I would do the research into the life of Lew Wallace on the anniversary of his involvement at Shiloh was a bit of "serendipiteevee". And here's another:

In 1957 Charlton Heston - the reason I'm writing about Wallace - played Chipman in a 'Climax!" episode entitled "The Trial Of Captain Wirz", which was also about the Andersonville Trial.

BCnU!
Toby OB