TVXOHOF, 12/2009-B: CHARLES DICKENS

Our next inductee into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame for December, representing the "As Seen On TV" category, has made several appearances in the posts of Inner Toob in the past.

CHARLES DICKENS

AS PORTRAYED BY:
Simon Callow

AS SEEN IN:
. . . "Doctor Who" (2005)
{The Unquiet Dead (#1.3)} . . . An Audience with Charles Dickens (1996)
. . . Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairy Tale (2001)

. . . The Mystery of Charles Dickens (2000) That many appearances in Toobworld as Dickens earns Simon Callow the "honor" of representing the author in the Hall of Fame gallery.

(There's also "Christmas Carol: The Movie" from 2001, which is mostly an animated film. But it begins with a live-action introduction that takes place in 1857 Boston where Dickens is about to give a live reading of "A Christmas Carol" - as we saw him do in that 'Doctor Who' episode'. And again, over in the Cineverse, Simon Callow played Dickens.)

This doesn't negate any other portrayals of Charles Dickens on television; all save one, that is. Most of the others can be placed in alternate TV dimensions.

The one exception is the Dickens played by Jonathan Harris in an episode of 'Bonanza'. In his tour of America, Dickens never made it past the Mississippi River, and yet there he was in Carson City, Nevada and at the Ponderosa Ranch if I'm not mistaken.

O'Bviously, as I once splained in the old Tubeworld Dynamic website, this charlatan was a professional Charles Dickens impersonator who scammed the people of the wild, wild West into paying him for his "lectures". He was a very confident confidence man - not even after being arrested for a crime he didn't commit did this grifter drop the ruse and reveal himself to be anyone else other than Charles Dickens.
Here's Charles Dickens, as seen in "The Unquiet Dead", one of my favorite episodes of 'Doctor Who':



And here's the imposter as seen in the 'Bonanza' episode "A Passion For Justice":



So here's to Charles Dickens, and to his "official" representative, Simon Callow, for this induction into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.

BCnU!

ZONKS: SCROOGED BY "FLASH-FORWARD"

'Flash-Forward' has now gone on hiatus until March, and when it returns, it'll probably play out its storyline before leaving the airwaves forever.

I've been enjoying the series, although it never had the must-see right away quality of the show it was most compared to - 'Lost'. Still, I'm invested in what happens to the Benford family and their friends and co-workers, and in finding out the secret behind the massive blackout.

However, I'm also not keen on solving any Zonks that might pop up in the series because it has no bearing on the main Toobworld. From the very first episode we knew this was an alternate dimension, because one of the planes that crashed was Air Force Two carrying the Vice President. Had this been Earth Prime-Time, that would have meant that Joe Biden was now dead because he's the Veep for both Toobworld and the real world.

So when Demetri Noh blathered on about an established TV character and the actor who played him, I didn't go diving for my notebook to write down the details - because Dem and that other TV character weren't sharing the same dimension. (I wish now I had jotted down the information though - at least then I'd have remembered the character's name!)

In a later episode we learned the Toobworld/F-F Vice President's name, although bleeped if I could remember it now. But we also got to meet the POTUS, and it's not Barack Obama - his name is David Segovia (played by the great Peter Coyote). And we also met the future Vice President, Senator Joyce Clemente played by Barbara Williams. So Earth Prime-Time/F-F doesn't have to be held to the same rules as those that govern the maintenance of Earth Prime-Time, the main Toobworld. And that's why I don't have any problem with the characters of a TV show were watching a TV production of 'A Christmas Carol' in this last episode before the hiatus. Instead of showing us Reginald Owens or Alistair Sim or Albert Finney (or even Jim Carrey if ABC really wanted to push the Disney synergy!), the "Christmas Carol" clips were of Sir Michael Hordern as Ebenezer Scrooge and John LeMesurier as Jacob Marley. This was from a cheaply produced, poorly received 1977 version from Britain. In this at least, Toobworld/F-F and the real world have something in common: this version of "A Christmas Carol" was made for TV. Although why it was considered good enough to be shown twice in Hong Kong, I have no idea....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: DOROTHY DANDRIDGE

DOROTHY DANDRIDGE

AS SEEN IN:
"Introducing Dorothy Dandridge"

AS PLAYED BY:
Halle Barry

Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) was an American actress and popular singer. Dandridge was the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.

All of her early parts were stereotypical African-American roles, but her singing ability and presence brought her popularity in nightclubs around the country.

In 1954, director and writer Otto Preminger cast Dandridge, along with Harry Belafonte, Pearl Bailey, Brock Peters, Diahann Carroll, Madame Sul-Te-Wan (uncredited), and Joe Adams in his production of "Carmen Jones". Dandridge's singing voice was dubbed by Marilyn Horne.

"Carmen Jones" grossed $60,000 during the first week and $47,000 in the second upon release in 1955. The film received favorable reviews, and Dandridge was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming only the third African American to receive a nomination in any Academy Award category (after Hattie McDaniel and Ethel Waters). Grace Kelly won for her performance in "The Country Girl".

On September 8, 1965, Dandridge spoke by telephone with friend Gerry Branton. Dandridge was scheduled to fly to New York the next day to prepare for her nightclub engagement at Basin Street East. Several hours after her conversation with Branton ended, Dandridge was found dead by her manager, Earl Mills. Two months later a Los Angeles pathology institute determined the cause to be an accidental overdose of Imipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant. She was 42 years old.
(edited from Wikipedia)

BCnU

HEIR A PERRIN?

'Dollhouse' returned last night to polish off its remaining episodes. One of the characters introduced this second season was Senator Daniel Perrin, played by Alexis Denisof. Perrin had more information on the Dollhouse system than any outsider really should have, and was publicly trying to end the practice through the influence of his office.

With no idea of what is the final fate of Senator Perrin before 'Dollhouse' goes off the air for good, and with a couple of hundred years separation to keep the issue cloudy, it's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that Ambassador Sarek's third wife Perrin could have been named after this theoretical ancestor.... Just sayin', is all.....

BCnU!

BLOODLINES: HERRICK

Jason Watkins made quite an impression this year as the vampire Herrick in 'Being Human'. And coming from me, that's high praise as I'm not a fan of recastaways which are too much work when it comes to splainins. Also, I'm a big fan of Adrian Lester, who played Herrick in the 'Being Human' pilot.

We know that William Herrick was already a vampire during World War I, where he turned John Mitchell into one as well.

Here's what Wikipedia has about the character:

William Herrick (Jason Watkins) is a socially powerful vampire who is interested in the way Mitchell lives his life. They used to be close partners but grew apart as Mitchell decided to try and control his vampire urges. Herrick was the vampire who "recruited" Mitchell, during World War I. Herrick is the leader of the vampires based in Bristol, their headquarters being a funeral parlor called B Edwards. He works as a police sergeant. He is leading a vampire styled Final Solution, which sees the whole world either turned into vampires, or kept like cattle as food. Their motto is 'No one gets left behind'. [Watkins's portrayal of the character was designed to be "more down-to-earth" than that of his predecessor in the role.]

I took out the next paragraph - it's a spoiler.

This doesn't tell us when Herrick was "embraced" into the Kindred himself. He could have been hundreds of years old, at least. And he was certainly old enough to have sired children before he became a vampire.

So there could be many family trees out there in Toobworld that can be traced back to William Herrick. And every so often the tele-genetics of Toobworld could produce a carbon copy of the source for those lineages - such as:

Oswald Cooper in 'Lewis' - "The Great And The Good"
Havers in 'Holby Blue' - "Episode 2.11"
Murray in 'Hotel Babylon' - "Episode 3.5"
Desmond Marshall in 'The Last Detective' - "Once Upon A Time On The Westway"
Barr in 'Blue Murder' - "In Deep"

(This is a picture of Jason Watkins in "Wild Child", but it could have easily been of Oswald Cooper at least.)

But Herrick can't be the ancestor for Colin Merrick in a second season episode of 'Life On Mars'. I won't play Spoiler King here for those still not exposed to one of the greatest TV series ever. But those in the know understand why this is not an option.

BCnU!

REFLECTIONS OF A CATHODE BRAIN

As I waited for the subway tonight to go to work, a woman walked past me whose hair had been dyed a deep day-glo orange. She wore tight dungarees and a checked red jacket.

And all I could think about was what it would be like to boink a post-op tranny Howdy Doody......

That's not too much information... information... information, is it?

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: OTTO PREMINGER

Otto Preminger's birthday was yesterday. But as Walt Disney is a member of the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame, he won the day's ASOTV showcase.....

OTTO PREMINGER

AS SEEN IN:
"Introducing Dorothy Dandridge"

AS PLAYED BY:
Klaus Maria Brandauer
(Seen here with Halle Barry as Dorothy Dandridge)

Otto Ludwig Preminger (5 December 1906 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-born American film director who moved from the theatre to Hollywood, directing over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as "Laura" (1944) and "Fallen Angel" (1945). In the 1950s and 1960s, he directed a number of high-profile adaptations of popular novels and stage works. Several of these pushed the boundaries of censorship by dealing with topics which were then taboo in Hollywood, such as drug addiction ("The Man with the Golden Arm", 1955), rape ("Anatomy of a Murder", 1959), and homosexuality ("Advise and Consent", 1962). He was twice nominated for the Best Director Academy Award. He also had a few acting roles.

While filming Carmen Jones (1954), Preminger began an affair with star Dorothy Dandridge, which lasted four years. During that period, Preminger reportedly had been in discussions to secure Dandridge for the featured role of Tuptim in the 1956 film of "The King and I". However, for reasons unknown, Dandridge was not cast. She ended the affair with Preminger upon realization that he had no plans to leave his first wife to marry her. Their affair was depicted in the HBO Pictures biopic, "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge".
(from Wikipedia)
Among those "few acting roles" is a Toobworld character that is still a Zonk waiting to be splained away: Mr. Freeze from the 1960's show 'Batman'. Preminger was the second to assay the role, after George Sanders but before Eli Wallach. I'm still not sure if they were: all different men taking on that alias; the same man with splainins regarding the change in appearance; or a combination of both splainins.

BCnU!

TIDDLYWINKYDINKS: RETURN OF THE NOID

Domino's Pizza is bringing back the Noid to help raise money for St. Jude's Hospital.

Check out the news story here.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: WALT DISNEY

Walt Disney was born on this day in 1901....

WALT DISNEY

AS SEEN IN:
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes: The Annette Funicello Story"

AS PLAYED BY:
Len Cariou

Walter Elias "Walt" Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation he co-founded, now known as The Walt Disney Company, today has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion.

Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created a number of the world's most famous fictional characters including Mickey Mouse. He received fifty-nine Academy Award nominations and won twenty-six Oscars, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He also won seven Emmy Awards. He is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, Japan, France, and China.

Disney died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, a few years prior to the opening of his Walt Disney World Resort dream project in Florida.
(from Wikipedia)

Several years ago, he was also made an honorary member of the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.
BCnU!

SKED ALERT! NEW WHO!

Fantastic news from Airlock Alpha about the BBC-A sked for the last two 'Doctor Who' episodes. They'll air the day after their BBC broadcasts:

http://www.airlockalpha.com/node/6936

Finally they have figured out the best possible way to thwart the bit torrents. Took the suits long enough to wise up!

BBCnU!

(Thanks for the tip, Rob!)

HAPPY CHRISTMAS WITH THE DOCTOR

My thanks to Rob Buckley for pointing this out. (Check out his blog "The Medium Is Not Enough, folks. The link is to the left!)



This will probably win out as being my favorite Christmas station identification for 2009. But for all-time? Definitely the 1966 one for CBS by R.O. Blechman. I'll post that next week....

BCnU!

MR. MONK AND THE MIDNIGHT CALLER

Tonight, we say good-bye to 'Monk' as the series wraps up its two-part finale. I always enjoyed the show, but I will admit that many times - watching the episodes the next morning after I got home from work - I would fast-forward through a lot of the scenes in which Monk was being his obsessive-compulsive self, which you have to admit was often-times padding out the hour. A little goes a long way.

But like I said, I liked the show a lot. I just wish they could have done some cross-overs during its run with other USA Network shows, besides what we'd see in those alternate universe promos where he'd meet the characters from 'Psych', 'The Dead Zone', and 'The 4400'.

Still, every so often an unintentional crossover would pop up with some other show from the past. And I'm not just talking the Numbers from 'Lost' or other theoretical possibilities.

One such example came in an episode earlier this season, "Mr. Monk And The Critic", in which John Hannigan, the murderer, worked at the San Francisco Dispatch as a theater critic. He's not the only TV character who worked there. Back in the 80s series 'Midnight Caller', the gossip columnist at the Dispatch was Becca Nicholson (played by Eugenie Ross Leming. And Deacon Bridges was a reporter for the paper as well, often working in tandem with radio talk show host Jack Killian, the show's main character. (Mykelti Wiliams played Bridges.) The only reason we didn't see them in the 'Monk' episode (working from an inner reality perspective)? Deac was out working a lead for a story and Becca was in the ladies' room.....

My thanks to Jerome Holst of TV Acres for his help on this......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: ANDREW MARVELL

ANDREW MARVELL

AS SEEN IN:
"The Tragedy of John Milton (August 13, 1660)"
- 'You Are There'

AS PLAYED BY:
Richard Kiley
(We spared no expense! Sorry, couldn't resist.....)

Andrew Marvell (31 March 1621 – 16 August 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, Parliamentarian, and the son of a Church of England clergyman (also named Andrew Marvell). As a metaphysical poet, he is associated with John Donne and George Herbert. He was a colleague and friend of John Milton.

Marvell was born in Winestead-in-Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire, near the city of Kingston upon Hull. The family moved to Hull when his father was appointed Lecturer at Holy Trinity Church there, and Marvell was educated at Hull Grammar School. A secondary school in the city is now named after him.

His most famous poems include To His Coy Mistress, The Garden, An Horatian Ode upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland, and the Country House Poem, "Upon Appleton House".

Oliver Cromwell died in 1658. He was succeeded as Lord Protector by his son Richard, but in 1660 the monarchy was restored to Charles II. Marvell eventually came to write several long and bitterly satirical verses against the corruption of the court. Although they circulated in manuscript form, and some found anonymous publication in print, they were too politically sensitive and thus dangerous to be published under his name until well after his death. He avoided punishment for his own cooperation with republicanism, while he helped convince the government of Charles II not to execute John Milton for his antimonarchical writings and revolutionary activities. The closeness of the relationship between the two former office mates is indicated by the fact that Marvell contributed an eloquent prefatory poem to the second edition of Milton's famous epic Paradise Lost. According to a biographer: "Skilled in the arts of self-preservation, he was not a toady."
(from Wikipedia)

BCnU!

FROM EUREKA TO OZ

The character of Dr. Tess Fontana was a great addition to the cast of 'Eureka' this past season. Unfortunately, her stay in town was short-lived as she headed off to Australia to do research.

Should she ever come back to the show, I doubt that this will ever be mentioned in the series: I think while she was in the land down under, Tess worked alongside the staff of the Royal Australian Observatory in the Outback. (Their adventures could be seen in the sitcom 'Supernova'.) And Tess may be coming back to Eureka soon, I'm guessing. Jamie Ray Newman, who played the character, left to star in 'Eastwick', the TV series version of Updike's "The Witches Of Eastwick". But that show has been cancelled, so.....

BCnU!

DATELINE: TOONIVERSE, 1961

Jerry Beck of Cartoon Brew (link to the left, me hearties!) was digging through the TV Guide collection of Stu Shostack and discovered a Tooniverse crossover gem:

This time I grabbed the July 1st 1961 issue, with the Flintstones cover, which contains a good article on the then-current trend towards prime time animation. It’s a pretty nice piece. The writer includes an intriguing list of forthcoming shows that were apparently never made: "Sir Loin and the Dragon", "Waco Wolf", "Muddled Masterpieces" and "The Late Late War".

Check out the story; Beck scanned in the pages of the article and for cartoon aficionados, it's a great time capsule of history.

In that picture reprinted above, we have Yogi Bear, Sylvester the Cat, Donald Duck, Vincent Van Gopher, Huckleberry Hound, Mickey Mouse, Dick Tracy, Flat-Top, Olive Oyl, Popeye, Quick Draw McGraw, Bugs Bunny, Pepe LePew, Augie Doggie and Augie Doggie's Daddy, Mr. Magoo, Pixie and Dixie, Tweety Bird, Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, Deputy Dawg, and Felix the Cat. (I was most pleased to see the inclusion of Deputy Dawg and Vincent Van Gopher.)

A classic look at "life" behind the scenes in the Tooniverse!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: WILLIAM PRYNNE

WILLIAM PRYNNE

AS SEEN IN:
"The Tragedy of John Milton (August 13, 1660)"
- 'You Are There'

AS PLAYED BY:
Philip Bourneuf

William Prynne (1600 – 24 October 1669) was an English lawyer, author, polemicist, and political figure. He was a prominent Puritan opponent of the church policy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. Although his views on church polity were presbyterian, he became known in the 1640s as an Erastian, arguing for overall state control of religious matters. A prolific writer, he published over 200 books and pamphlets.

He supported the Restoration, and was rewarded with public office. When the Convention parliament was summoned, Prynne sat for Bath. He was bitter against the regicides and the supporters of the previous government, trying to restrict the scope of the Act of Indemnity. He successfully moved to have Charles Fleetwood excepted, and urged the exclusion of Richard Cromwell and Judge Francis Thorpe. He proposed punitive and financial measures of broad scope, was zealous for the disbanding of the army, and was one of the commissioners appointed to pay it off. In the debates on religion he was one of the leaders of the presbyterians, spoke against the Thirty-nine Articles, denied the claims of the bishops, urged the validity of presbyterian ordination, and supported the bill for turning the king's ecclesiastical declaration into law.

Like many Puritans he was strongly opposed to stage plays and he included in his "Histriomastix" (1632) a denunciation of actresses which was widely felt to be an attack of Queen Henrietta Maria. This led to the most famous incidents in his life, but the timing was accidental. About 1624 Prynne had begun a book against stage-plays; on 31 May 1630 he obtained a license to print it, and about November 1632 it was published. "Histriomastix" is a volume of over a thousand pages, showing that plays were unlawful, incentives to immorality, and condemned by the scriptures, the fathers, modern Christian writers, and the wisest of the heathen philosophers. Fortuitously the queen and her ladies, in January 1633, took part in the performance of Walter Montagu's "The Shepherd's Paradise": this was an innovation at court. A passage reflecting on the character of female actors in general was construed as an aspersion on the queen; passages which attacked the spectators of plays and magistrates who failed to suppress them, pointed by references to Nero and other tyrants, were taken as attacks on the king, Charles I.

William Noy as attorney-general instituted proceedings against Prynne in the Star-chamber. After a year's imprisonment in the Tower of London, he was sentenced (17 February 1634) to be imprisoned during life, to be fined £5,000, to be expelled from Lincoln's Inn, to be deprived of his degree by the university of Oxford, and to lose both his ears in the pillory.

On 14 June 1637 Prynne was sentenced once more to a fine of £5,000, to imprisonment for life, and to lose the rest of his ears. At the proposal of Chief-justice John Finch he was also to be branded on the cheeks with the letters S. L., signifying 'seditious libeller'. Prynne was pilloried on 30 June in company with Henry Burton and John Bastwick, and Prynne was handled barbarously by the executioner. He made, as he returned to his prison, a couple of Latin verses explaining the 'S. L.' with which he was branded to mean 'stigmata laudis' (("sign of praise", or "sign of Laud").
(edited from Wikipedia)

This is why Prynne remained hooded during this particular episode of 'You Are There'......

BCnU

CAST-OFFS: THE SALAHIS

Let's talk about ass-holes.

Specifically, a couple of salamis named the Salahis - those spotlight-seeking ass-holes who crashed the first State Dinner of the Obama White House in hopes of securing themselves a place in reality television programming..... This is the type of story that could possibly get the TV treatment with a made-for-TV movie.

And I have suggestions for casting.....

Esai Morales and Janel Moloney as Mr. & Mrs. Salahi.

Both are far better choices than the real-life couple actually deserve.

I'll bet even money that 'Law & Order' has already begun work on a script for that "ripped from the headlines" quality about the story.

And hopefully the fictionalized versions of these ass-holes are the murder victims.

BCnU!

REMEMBERING WOODWARD

The BBC Online Gift Shop has a nice remembrance of Edward Woodward running in its pages:

For those of you who think the British Invasion of American TV started with Hugh Laurie and "House", we were reminded this week, sadly, that Laurie is just part of a long and glorious tradition. This Monday, Edward Woodward passed away. Woodward became an American TV icon in the 80s when he starred the CBS series "The Equalizer", which ran four seasons. But Woodward had already had a long and illustrious career in British TV. One of our great treats this past year has been watching his first television series, "Callan", which only became available on DVD this July. This series about a British Intelligence assassin living on the edge of society and sanity may be the most uncompromising television we've ever seen, and Woodward's work in the premiere season earned him a Best Actor BAFTA Award. And for his post-Equalizer career, check out "Hot Fuzz". Actor/writer Simon Pegg, who cast Woodward in the film, recently released a statement saying that "Hot Fuzz" rehearsals "were often gleefully tossed aside just to hear [Woodward] recount stories from his life and career. Edgar Wright and myself sought him out because we were fans of his work, by the time the cameras stopped rolling, we were devoted fans of the man."

I've since added 'Callan' to my Netflix queue, a show I've always been interested in seeing since it sounds like the kind of spy thriller I enjoy most - more 'Danger Man' than 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'.....

And 'The Equalizer' came around before I got a VCR, so I never saw as many as I would have liked but I enjoyed every one that I did see.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: THOMAS ELLWOOD

THOMAS ELLWOOD

AS SEEN IN:
'You Are There'
"The Tragedy of John Milton (August 13, 1660"

AS PLAYED BY:
Michael Higgins

Thomas Ellwood (1639-1713) was an English religious writer.He was born in Oxfordshire, the son of a rural squire. Educated at Lord Williams's School, he later joined the Quakers and became a friend of William Penn and John Milton. However, he was persecuted for his faith and spent some time in prison. His best-known work, "Davideis" (1712), is a poem about the life of King David. His autobiography, "The History of the Life of Thomas Ellwood", published posthumously, is a valuable historical document.

He became a Quaker after visiting Isaac Penington and his family at Chalfont St. Peter in Buckinghamshire. He later lived with the family as a tutor to the children. He married Mary Ellis in 1669 and lived in Coleshill, Buckinghamshire for the rest of his life. His close friendship with William Penn, George Fox and many leading Quakers made him an influential figure in the Quaker movement. His autobiography has been published almost continually since 1714.
(from Wikipedia)

BCnU!

TVXOHOF, 12/2009-A: A IS FOR ANDY

At last! It's the final month in our celebration of the TV Crossover Hall of Fame's 10th anniversary! I don't think I could take the pressure of a weekly induction for much longer; it'll be nice to get back to a monthly schedule in January!

O'Bviously, December is traditionally the time we find a holiday theme for the latest member to join the Hall of Fame, and that will be true with each week's category: the League of Themselves, As Seen On TV, the Tooniverse, and Location Location Location.

First up, since we "inducted" Bob Hope back in the "Proto-Hall", before the TVXOHOF actually existed, it seemed like the only other viable candidate with strong ties to the holiday was:

ANDY WILLIAMS!

Take a look at all the shows he appeared in that tied in to Christmas:

"TV Land's Top Ten" - Holiday Moments (2005)

Happy Holidays: The Best of the Andy Williams Christmas Specials (2001)

The Daily Show Andy Williams Christmas Special (1997)

"Late Show with David Letterman"
- Episode dated 23 December 1993 (1993)

A Musical Christmas at Walt Disney World (1993)

Season's Greetings: An Evening with John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra (1988)

Andy Williams and the NBC Kids Search for Santa (1985)

Andy Williams' Early New England Christmas (1982)

The Bob Hope Christmas Special (1981)

Johnny Cash: Christmas in Scotland (1981)

Bob Hope's Overseas Christmas Tours: Around the World with the Troops - 1941-1972 (1980)

"The Mike Douglas Show"
- Episode dated 15 December 1978 (1978)

The Andy Williams Christmas Show (1974)

The Andy Williams Christmas Special (1973)

The Andy Williams Christmas Show (1971)

"The Bob Hope Show"
- Episode dated 18 December 1969 (1969) TV specials, like talk show appearances, usually aren't the fodder for true membership in the Hall of Fame. But Andy Williams made plenty of appearances as his fictionalized televersion in other shows:

"As the World Turns"
- Episode #1.13055 (2007)
- Episode #1.13054 (2007)
- Episode #1.13052 (2007)

"The Larry Sanders Show"
- As My Career Lay Dying (1998)

"The Muppet Show"
- Episode #4.22 (1980)

"America 2-Night"
- Celebrity Night (1978)

"The Joey Bishop Show"
- Andy Williams Visits Joey (1964)

"The Jack Benny Program"
- Andy Williams Show (1964)

And because of those episodes, we can claim that it was the televersion who hosted (or took part in) all of these shows:

Andy Williams Presents (1974)

"The Andy Williams Show" (1969-1971)

Movin' (1970)

"The Andy Williams Show" (1962-1969)

"The Andy Williams Show" (1959)

"The Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams" (1958)

"The Andy Williams and June Valli Show" (1957)

"Tonight!" (1953) (1954-1957)

Here's one last picture of Andy Williams in the holiday mode: Of course, the younger generation today will think that he was somehow connected to "The Chronicles Of Narnia".....

Well Come to the Hall, Sir!
(LOL - I just got this image of Andy Williams as Number Six in 'The Prisoner'!)

BCnU!

I LOVE A PARADE

I spent Thanksgiving morning watching the Macy's Parade, flipping back and forth between the coverage by NBC and that of CBS. When it came to the musical numbers, NBC cornered that market. (Out of the selections which included 'Hair', 'Bye Bye Birdie', and 'Billy Elliot', it was "I'm A Believer" from 'Shrek' that worked best in that setting.) However, CBS did have nice presentations for their Broadway tunes in appropriate settings around the City: Battery Park with Lady Liberty in the background for 'Ragtime', a tenement-like rooftop for 'West Side Story', and 125th Street outside the 'Dreamgirls' theater.

But as far as covering the actual parade, I have to give it to CBS. On NBC, the balloons and the marchers seemed like an after-thought, only seen when leading out to the commercial breaks. Since NBC gave up the Times Square location to broadcast from outside Macy's (which actually does make sense), CBS set up camp at one of the theme restaurants (the Hard Rock?) with another camera at the Marriott Marquis. So they showed all the new balloons first, including the Pillsbury Doughboy, at least ten minutes before NBC. And they spent time on most of the floats, which I was not getting for the most part from the Peacock network.

As for the expected reports farther north along the parade route, it was a draw. Jamie Kennedy's spots were kind of stupid, to my mind, while Al Roker's interview/plugs were kind of sad. A couple of actors from 'Law & Order', 'Parks & Recreation', and 'Days Of Our Lives'. Jillian Michaels from 'The Biggest Loser' proved to be a real ass when she suggested people should throw away their leftovers. I don't know if a food bank would have taken them, but at least she might have suggested that people could look into that option instead of wasting food.

CBS had the quality interview/plugs though back at their booth, with mostly theater actors - Christine Lahti and Jimmy Smits as half of the new cast in "Gods Of Carnage" and Michael McKean of "Superior Donuts". As for their in-house promotions, they had Bruce Greenwood who plugged Sunday night's Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, "The Dog Who Saved Christmas".

My favorite moment in the parade coverage was due to the rivalry between both networks. Jimmy Fallon was on a float with the band for his 'Late Night' show, The Roots. But he never faced the CBS camera and Dave Price of CBS only referred to them as a rock band, never naming any of them.

All in all, a pleasant way to waste a few hours while my brother bawled buckets making his onion pies.....

BCnU

Traditionally, Santa's arrival caps off the parade, and this year he had a new float..... And now, I accept that it is Christmas season!

AS SEEN ON TV: SAINT ELIGIUS

SAINT ELIGIUS

AS SEEN IN:
'St. Elsewhere'

AS PLAYED BY:
Robert Evan Collins

December 1 is the feast day for St. Eligius, which is why he's being honored today in Inner Toob........
St Eligius is particularly honored in Flanders, in the province of Antwerp, and at Tournai, Kortrijk, Ghent, Bruges, and Douai. During the Middle Ages his relics were the object of special veneration, and were repeatedly divided and transferred to other resting-places, in 881, 1066, 1137, 1255, and 1306. A mass of legend has gathered round the life of Saint Eloi, who as the patron saint of goldsmiths is still very popular. He is the patron of goldsmiths, blacksmiths, and all workers in metal. He is generally represented as a bishop, a crosier in his right hand, holding a miniature church of chased gold on the open palm of his left hand. St. Eligius is also the patron saint of cattle and horses. (Dr. Wayne Fiscus, an intern at St. Eligius Hospital, would say that he was the patron saint of longshoremen and bowlers.)

Fiscus "met" St. Elligius in a coma dream after he was shot in the episode "After-Life"......

And to make this a "Two For Tuesday", here is the Boston hospital that was named after him..... My Iddiot friend and companero Brian Leonard secured for me these images of Saint Eligius and my VERY grateful thanks go out to him.....

BCnU!