"PAGE EIGHT" IN TOOBWORLD

Just about half an hour ago, I finished watching "Page Eight" on 'Masterpiece Contemporary'. It was an MI-5 thriller, an old school descendent of Le Carre by David Hare. It starred Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon, Rachel Weisz, Ralph Fiennes, Judy Davis, Alice Krige, Felicity Jones, and Sakia Reeves.

Until Fiennes actually entered the picture in the second hour, "Page Eight" could have existed in Earth Prime-Time. It certainly was a story that probably is based in truth, so that it could have taken place in the real world for that matter.

But Fiennes played the Prime Minister, Alec Beasley. And in Toobworld, the Prime Minister, like the President of the United States, should reflect who really is in office; because odds are that man (or woman) will likely be mentioned in some other fictional program. (I know I could look it up, but as of this moment, I really have no clue who holds the position. It doesn't seem to be that colorful or important a role since Tony Blair's day - at least from my blinkered, Ugly American P.O.V.)

As I watched the program (and I highly recommend it by the way, if for nothing else than to enjoy Nighy's style of acting and to luxuriate in the tones of Gambon's voice.), I kept my mind on the fact that it would most likely have to be jettisoned from Toobworld to some other TV dimension. So I looked for reasons why it could never be placed in the dimension of 'The West Wing', and I couldn't find any reason why not.

So I'm adding "Page Eight" to the list of shows that share the same TV dimension as 'The West Wing', which also includes 'Mr. Sterling', 'Smallville', and maybe 'Boss', 'Outlaw', and 'Castle' (depending on if they ever mention Obama....)

BCnU!

A FOUR-COLOR CROSSOVER

There was a Toobworld-Comic Book Universe crossover in an issue of DC Comics' "Power Girl":

In case you don't recognize them, the four guys are from 'The Big Bang Theory': Leonard Hofstadter, Raj Koothrapalli, and Sheldon Cooper, with Howard Wolowitz taking the lead in trying to pick up Karen Starr (aka Kara Zor-L, aka Power Girl).

In Toobworld itself, Power Girl has yet to appear, although coy references were made to her in such shows as 'Smallville' (another TV dimension, anyway) and 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'. As for 'The Big Bang Theory', she is definitely a comic book character. In the episode "The Desperation Emanation", a copy of Power Girl #14 can be seen on a shelf in the comic book store, behind Raj. (From Wikipedia)

Once again, as with the literary universe, I'm stuck thinking of a good name for the Comic Book Universe, but then somebody who actually delves into that field of study should probably have the right to coin the appropriate term - like Craig Shaw Gardner did with "Cineverse" for his take on a B-movie universe.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: PERCY COURTENAY

PERCY COURTENAY

AS SEEN IN:
"Miss Marie Lloyd: Queen Of The Music Hall"

AS PLAYED BY:
Richard Armitage

From the Hat Trick production company press pack:
Percy Charles Courtenay was born in Greenwich in 1862, son of a master mariner, Edwin, who died when Percy was still a child. There is little recorded information about him.

Percy met Marie when he went back-stage at the theatre where she was performing. "Back then the stage door johnnies were in contact with the doorman and they would frequently pay him money to watch the girls changing backstage. It’s weird to think that Percy, a complete stranger, could just turn up and say: ‘That girl I saw on stage - I’d really like to take her out for a drink’ and then he was given an introduction to her and that’s how their relationship formed.

"Percy’s pretty similar to Marie Lloyd; he’s from the same kind of class and background but when they first meet he’s reinvented himself. In reality he’s an inveterate gambler but he markets himself as someone who invests on the stock market! He’s moving in social circles that he perhaps doesn’t truly belong to, so there’s bit of a façade with him."

A friend of his, George Foster, described him as "a young blood and a racing man with plenty of money and an attractive personality." He was also said to have "the air of a gentleman". He described himself on official documents as a General Dealer or a Commission Agent, but in reality he was a race-course tout.

They married in 1887 when she was only 17 and already pregnant. At first the marriage was a happy one. “It’s actually very good and honest at the start, and once they get together he lets the mask slip a bit and they click and fire off each other. But it starts to go off kilter when she becomes more famous and wealthy and he lives off her success.” (Richard Armitage)

The Courtenays' house was frequently full of her family and friends, and Sundays were open house to her music hall friends. Percy complained that they hardly spent any time alone together. She gave him an allowance of three pounds a week, but he also ran up debts that he expected her to settle.

"For an Edwardian man it was in many ways the ultimate humiliation and as much as he was basking in it and loving it and spending her money, at the same time I think the press ridiculed him as a kept man and his frustration built up and he began to take out his anger on her," said Richard Armitage.

Flo Hastings, a young friend of Marie's who was also in the music halls, remembered Percy Courtenay at this time. He wasn't handsome, she said, but he was smartly dressed. "He was slim, not a big man. He was a racing man, used to hang around the race course - a punter.

"I used to sleep with Marie while he was away in the West End with his racing friends. He was always out with other women. He'd ask her for fifty pounds and swear he'd make it up tomorrow, but she'd never see it again. She hated him. He was a dirty old thing. One night at the Standard [later the Victoria Palace] he came up to me and used filthy language just as I was going on. I flung a drink in his face and the barman nearly killed him - the dirty thing."

As the marriage began to break down, Percy turned violent. In January 1892, Punch reported that she had summonsed her husband for assault:

"MARIE, COME UP!"—When Miss MARIE LLOYD, who, unprofessionally, when at home, is known as Mrs. PERCY COURTENAY, which her Christian name is MATILDA, recently appeared at Bow-Street Police Court, having summoned her husband for an assault, the Magistrate, Mr. LUSHINGTON, ought to have called on the Complainant to sing "Whacky, Whacky, Whack!" which would have come in most appropriately. Let us hope that the pair will make it up, and, as the story-books say, "live happily ever afterwards."

Even more sordid details were given in The Times, which reported that Percy had come to Marie's dressing room, accused her of immorality and threatened to cut her throat with a sword that was hanging on the wall of the room. He then kicked her in the leg and the small of her back. He was bound over to keep the peace for six months.

By 1893, Marie and Percy were living apart. But Percy's violence towards her continued. One night in 1894, he came to the stage door of the Empire, Leicester Square, as Marie was leaving to go to another theatre. He threatened her with a hooked stick: "You are not going into that brougham tonight. I will gouge your eyes out and ruin you," he told her. She managed to get away from him, but later that night, he was waiting for her when she arrived at the pub in Wardour St that she had bought for her parents. "I am going to ----- well murder you tonight. I will shoot you stone dead and you will never go on stage any more." Again he was brought before the magistrates, and again he was bound over to keep the peace. Marie was sacked from the Empire, the manager afraid that Percy would make more trouble.

They were finally divorced in 1905, Percy having petitioned on the grounds of her adultery with Alec Hurley, who became her second husband.

Little is known of Percy Courtenay's life after his time as 'Mr Marie Lloyd'. It seems likely that he died in Hove in 1933, of an accidental drug overdose. He was 70 years old.

BCnU!

SKED ALERT! "BOARDWALK EMPIRE" - SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6

It's Sunday. And that means it's time for another episode from the second season of 'Boardwalk Empire'. The period crime drama can be seen on Sunday nights at 9 PM EST on HBO.

Here are a few clips:

Remember - you should have turned your clocks back an hour last night so we're now in Standard Time. (Although I'm sure HBO wouldn't mind if you tuned into their channel an hour earlier than usual......)

BCnU!

BOW WOWS @ OWS

EARTH PRIME-TIME, THE TOONIVERSE & "WORLDWORLD*"? SWEET

Another blipvert......

Here's a candidate for Best Inter-Dimensional Crossover of the Year at the next Toobits Awards.....

Thanks to Andrew Brook for bringing it to my attention.....

BCnU!

(* Still not sure about WordWorld for the Literary Universe, and not even sure if the Mr. Men franchise qualifies as literature......)

THE HAT SQUAD: ANDY ROONEY III

As a member of the League of Themselves, this had to be the lowest moment in the career of Andy Rooney's televersion....

Well, at least he's free of such nonsense now, f'real....

Good night and may God bless.......

THE HAT SQUAD: ANDY ROONEY II

David Letterman first met the late Andy Rooney back in 1982 when Dave was still with NBC.  Here's that first encounter:

When the news broke that Andy Rooney would be retiring from '60 Minutes', David Letterman presented the Top Ten List of reasons why he was stepping down.....

Unfortunately, it looks like Mr. Rooney will never get the chance to spend that time with his great-great-great-great-grandkids.....

Good night and may God bless......

THE HAT SQUAD: ANDY ROONEY I

When Andy Rooney retired from his berth at the end of each episode of '60 Minutes', I ran "As Seen On TV" showcases for him on three consecutive days:

ASOTV 1

ASOTV 2

ASOTV 3

So now, I'd like to present one of those original sketches from 'Saturday Night Live':

Joe Piscopo also portrayed Mr. Rooney in one of those SNL sketches, but this is from his HBO special in which he played Andy Rooney as a rapper:

 Good night and may God bless....

GOOD BLIPVERTS

Time for our commercial interruption......

Here in America, the spokespersons in the Polaroid blipverts were James Garner and Mariette Hartley.  Their spots proved to be so popular that many people assumed they were actually married to each other.  (If I'm not mistaken, Ms. Hartley wore a T-shirt while pregnant that bore the legend "NOT JAMES GARNER'S" with an arrow pointing downwards.

Well, over in Great Britain, the Polaroid spokesfolk were married to each other.

At least in Toobworld.....



Richard Briers and my favorite British actress Felicity Kendal never refer to each other by name - at best, she refers to him as "Darling".  So it could be that they are appearing as their characters from 'The Good Life' ('Good Neighbors' to us Yanks), Tom and Barbara Good.

Which means that Tom and Barbara were tele-cognizant serlinguists, aware of the fact that they were living in the TV Universe and able to communicate to the audience viewing at home in the Trueniverse (our home dimension of Earth Prime.) 

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: ANDY ROONEY IV

with "Steve Kroft"

AS SEEN IN:

'FOX NFL Sunday'

&

'FrankTV'

AS PLAYED BY:

Frank Caliendo

From The New York Times:

By RICHARD SEVERO and PETER KEEPNEWS

Andy Rooney, whose prickly wit was long a mainstay of CBS News and whose homespun commentary on “60 Minutes,” delivered every week from 1978 until 2011, made him a household name, died on Friday in New York City.

He was 92 and lived in Manhattan, though he kept a family vacation home in Rensselaerville, N.Y., and the first home he ever bought, in Rowayton, Conn.

CBS News said in a statement that Mr. Rooney died after complications following minor surgery.

In late September, CBS announced that Mr. Rooney would be making his last regular weekly appearance on “60 Minutes” on Oct. 2. After that, said Jeff Fager, the chairman of CBS News and the program’s executive producer, he would “always have the ability to speak his mind on ‘60 Minutes’ when the urge hits him.”

But a little more than three weeks after that appearance, CBS announced that Mr. Rooney had been hospitalized after developing “serious complications” from an unspecified operation.

For more, click here......

 

Good night and may God bless.....

MORE MAYOR MIKE

While doing research on this month's inductee into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame, I discovered that a former November member had appeared in an episode of 'All My Children'. So that bumps up Mayor Mike Bloomberg's Hall credits, but unfortunately I couldn't find a video of that appearance.

But I do have one of him with the cast of 'All My Children' while on 'The View', as well as his televersion showing up in one of the best episodes of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' from this past season....

The newest member of the Hall of Fame will be inducted on Monday.

BCnU!

CHUCKING SOME OUT-TAKES

Apropos of nothing except that it's damned funny, here's some blipvert silliness with Chuck McCann and Tony Randall.....

BCnU!

MUSICAL "WHO"

With each Video Weekend, I like to toss in some 'Doctor Who' content, so these two musical numbers fill the bill nicely.....

By the way, I get kind of choked up when that last video reaches this point.....

BCnU!

A HALLOWEEN CROSSOVER

There was a crossover on Halloween night, but I'm not sure how many people may have seen it in the tri-state area - what with Halloween festivities and the power being knocked out for thousands of homes by that freak October snowstorm.......

I don't know why, but TV wrestling is apparently pretty popular, so I'm sure the rest of the country more than made up the difference in ratings numbers.

BCnU!

My thanks to Ivan Ronald Schablotski and the rest of the gang in the TVCU Crossovers forum for this info.....

AS SEEN ON TV: OLIVER CROMWELL

OLIVER CROMWELL

AS SEEN IN:
'The Devil's Whore'

AS PLAYED BY:
Dominic West

From Wikipedia:
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 1599 – 3 September 1658) was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Cromwell was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in the English Civil War. After the execution of King Charles I in 1649, Cromwell dominated the short-lived Commonwealth of England, conquered Ireland and Scotland, and ruled as Lord Protector from 1653 until he died in 1658.

Cromwell was born into the ranks of the middle gentry, and remained relatively obscure for the first 40 years of his life. Along with his brother, Henry, he kept a small holding of chickens and sheep, selling eggs and wool to support himself. His lifestyle resembled that of a yeoman farmer until he received an inheritance from his uncle. After undergoing a religious conversion during the same decade, Cromwell made an independent style of puritanism an essential part of his life. As a ruler he executed an aggressive and effective foreign policy and did as much as any English leader to shape the future of the land he governed. But his Commonwealth collapsed after his death and the royal family was restored in 1660. An intensely religious man—a self-styled Puritan Moses—he fervently believed God was guiding his victories. He was never identified with any one sect or position, however, and strongly favoured religious tolerance for all the various Protestant groups.

He was elected Member of Parliament for Huntingdon in 1628 and for Cambridge in the Short (1640) and Long (1640–49) Parliaments. He entered the English Civil War on the side of the "Roundheads" or Parliamentarians and became a key military leader. Nicknamed "Old Ironsides", he was quickly promoted from leading a single cavalry troop to command of the entire army. In 1649 he was one of the signatories of Charles I's death warrant and was a member of the Rump Parliament (1649–1653), which selected him to take command of the English campaign in Ireland during 1649–50. He led a campaign against the Scottish army between 1650 and 1651. On 20 April 1653 he dismissed the Rump Parliament by force, setting up a short-lived nominated assembly known as the Barebones Parliament, before being made Lord Protector of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland on 16 December 1653. He was buried in Westminster Abbey. After the Royalists returned to power, they had his corpse dug up, hung in chains, and beheaded.

Cromwell has been one of the most controversial figures in the history of the British Isles—considered a regicidal dictator by some historians such as David Hume and Christopher Hill as quoted by David Sharp, he was considered a hero of liberty by others such as Thomas Carlyle and Samuel Rawson Gardiner. In a 2002 BBC poll in Britain, Cromwell was elected as one of the Top 10 Britons of all time. His measures against Catholics in Scotland and Ireland have been characterised as genocidal or near-genocidal. In Ireland his record is harshly criticised.

He convinced the English soldiers that the Irish had six-inch tails, which made it easier to slaughter them, once they were dehumanized.

I spit on his memory.

But, since this is Video Weekend, I do have some video to illustrate this showcase....

BCnU!

WOKE UP THIS MORNING, GOT MYSELF A ZONK

“What happened?” – Beckett

“That’s it, that’s when all the camera signals cut out at once.” – Lulu

“And what could explain the picture suddenly going out like that?” – Beckett

“I don’t know. This has never happened before.” – Lulu

“Well, there was that last episode of 'The 'Sopranos'.” – Castle

'Castle'

The same situation as mentioned in yesterday's post about 'Castle' and the TV doctors applies here - 'Castle' takes place in an alternate dimension for the time being so there's no problem with them having a TV show about a mob family that exists in the main TV dimension.

However, the day will hopefully come when 'Castle' can be absorbed back into Earth Prime-Time, so there should be a splainin ready should this snippet of dialogue survives the transition. (Like we'll actually see that happen.....)

'The Sopranos' was a TV series whose pop culture resonance had such magnitude (Pop! Pop!) that other TV shows were referring to it almost immediately. And because certain characters like Tony Soprano and his daughter Meadow were mentioned specifically, we can't pass off the 'Castle' mention as being about a reality series that centered around singers.

Here's a list of most of those shows in the main Toobworld which mentioned 'The Sopranos':

'Beverly Hills, 90210'

'The Ellen Show'

'Gilmore Girls'

'Huff'

'Peep Show'

'Curb Your Enthusiasm'

'The IT Crowd'

'Gilmore Girls'

'Weeds'

'The Knight Of Prosperity'

'Sons Of Anarchy'

'Hustle'

'Nip/Tuck'

'Carpoolers'

'As The World Turns'

'Entourage'

'10 Things I Hate About You'

'Party Down'

'State Of Georgia'

('Dead Set' and 'Smallville' take place in alternate TV dimensions - the 'West Wing' universe and the Zombie Universe, respectively* - and so their mentions of 'The Sopranos' can be eliminated from consideration along with mentions from the Tooniverse, in game shows and talk shows.)

So O'Bviously, the world at large is aware of Tony Soprano and his crew and his family. (Three of those Zonks were in British shows - 'Hustle', 'Peep Show', and 'The IT Crowd'.) And they know of his sessions with Dr. Melfi, despite doctor/patient privileges.

The TV producers somehow found out what happened to Adrianna as well, because her name got used as a verb in 'Sons Of Anarchy'. So in Toobworld, that must have happened at the end of the Trueniverse series' timeline - probably once the Feds looked into the evidence left behind by the comatose Silvio and the dead "Christuphuh".

Most of those mentions can be attributed to a TV show made about that New Jersey crime family in Toobworld that is probably slightly different in tone from that found in the Trueniverse. But it definitely was shown on HBO, mentioned by several of these other TV shows, like 'Nip/Tuck' and 'State Of Georgia'.

Actually, I'd prefer to think that it was a one-shot TV movie, or at best (because some of the dialogue feels like 'The Sopranos' was an ongoing venture), it was a mini-series.

But no matter what kind of TV production came about, it still means that the secret life of the Soprano crime "family" was busted after we were no longer able to see them on our own TV screens. The TV version within Toobword had to be based on public records after Tony Soprano and his crew were busted, or after he was finally killed by some mob rival.

Because of mentions made when Jamie Lynn Sigler appeared on 'Entourage' as herself, we know that she was hired to play Meadow. So that means any escape clause regarding "reality" shows have to be discounted. "Surprisingly", Meadow and Jamie Lynn look exactly alike!

And that TV series has already gone to DVD, because that topic was brought up in 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'.

'State of Georgia' was the only other show that mentioned the infamous finale to the series, which consisted of an abrupt blackout. (I was so caught off-guard by what happened that I jumped up and tried to re-adjust my cable box!) It was deliberate in the real world, but what if it was caused by a disruption in the signal from HBO over in Toobworld?

It's a sadly accepted fact that many of the TV shows that make up the foundation of Toobworld also have fictional versions in the TV Universe. Making references to other TV shows has become a crutch to TV script-writers to get an easy punchline rather than work up something original. So we have no choice but to accept that these shows Zonk the bleep out of 'The Sopranos'.

If and when 'Castle' gets reassigned to the main Toobworld, at least this particular Zonk has been disabled.

I'm sure you'll sleep better at night, knowing that.

BCnU!

* Those two series must be kept separate, despite my Little Buddy Sean's desire to see 'The West Wing' invaded by Zombies.

 

AS SEEN ON TV: GEORGIA TANN

GEORGIA TANN

AS SEEN IN:
"Stolen Babies"

AS PLAYED BY:
Mary Tyler Moore

From Wikipedia:
Georgia Tann, born Beulah George Tann (1891 - September 1950), operated the Tennessee Children's Home Society, an adoption agency in Memphis, Tennessee. Tann used the unlicensed home as a front for her black market baby adoption scheme from the 1920s until a state investigation closed the institution in 1950. Tann died of cancer before the investigation made its findings public.

Tann used pressure tactics, threats of legal action and other methods to take children from their birth parents—mostly poor single mothers—and sell them to wealthy patrons. Tann also arranged for the taking of children born to inmates at Tennessee mental institutions and those born to wards of the state through her connections.

Tann also arranged for what her victims (now adult) refer to as kidnapping. In some cases, single parents would drop their children off at nursery schools, only to be told that welfare agents had taken the children. In others, children would be temporarily placed with the society because a family was experiencing illness or unemployment, only to find out later that the Society had either adopted them out, or had no record of the children ever being placed. Tann was also documented as taking children born to unwed mothers at birth, claiming that the newborns required medical care. When the mothers asked about the children, Tann told them that the babies had died, when they were actually placed in foster homes or adopted.

Tann's crimes were accomplished with the aid of Memphis Family Court Judge Camille Kelley, who used her position of authority to sanction Tann's tactics and activities. Tann would identify children as being from homes which could not provide for their care, and Kelley would push the matter through her dockets. Kelley also severed custody of divorced mothers, placing the children with Tann, who then arranged for adoption of the children into "homes better able to provide for the children's care". However, many of the children were placed into homes where they were used as child labor on farms, or with abusive families.

When an adoptive parent discovered that the information on the child was incorrect, such as in cases of falsified medical histories, Tann often threatened the adoptive parents with possible legal action that would force a surrender of their children (ordered by Judge Kelley) by demonstrating that they were unfit parents.

Tann destroyed records of the children that were processed through the Society, and conducted minimal background checks on the adoptive homes. Many of the files of the children were fictionalized before being presented to the adoptive parents, which covered up the child's circumstances prior to being placed with the society. As a result, the Child Welfare League of America dropped the Society from its list of qualifying institutions in 1941.

The Georgia Tann/Tennessee Children's Home Society scandal resulted in adoption reform laws in Tennessee in 1951.

BCnU.....

DIAGNOSIS: ZONK

In the latest episode of 'Castle' ("Cops And Robbers"), the classic TV trope of the main character trapped in a bank heist found Richard Castle and his mother Martha Rodgers among the hostages. The four bank robbers, all mercenaries, were disguised in hospital scrubs and wearing surgical masks.

And their code names for each other were TV doctor names.

The black bank robber was "Dr. Huxtable". ('The Cosby Show')

The young guy was "Dr. Howser" ('Doogie Howser, M.D.')

The woman was "Dr. Quinn" ('Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman')

And their "ringleader" was "Trapper John" - a double whammy with that one! ('M*A*S*H' & 'Trapper John, M.D.')

Even though it's a Zonk, I have to admit it was a clever and humorous idea.

However, it's still a Zonk, yet not one I really had any concern over splainin away. That's because 'Castle' takes place in an alternate TV dimension, and will remain so until either the man holding the position of Mayor becomes the same man who holds the position in the real world and the main Toobworld, or the show is cancelled.

At that point, we can claim that the show was part of the universal reboot caused by Nick Cutter and his estranged wife in 'Primeval', bringing it back into line by removing all the Zonks which kept it out. (We did the same thing with 'Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea' which had a President McNeill during the time of Nixon and Ford. But now - even though we can't see the new and improved version, McNeill's presidency never existed and it would be the true presidents who would interact with the crew of the Seaview.)

Once 'Castle' can be considered part of the Earth Prime-Time dimension*, the code names of those bank robbers would have to be addressed.

One option would be that they gave themselves new code names in that new timeline - TV doctors from the fictional TV shows within the TV Universe.

A few examples:

Dr. Drake Ramoray - the character played by Joey Tribbiani on the Toobworld version of 'Days Of Our Lives' ('Friends')

Dr. Brad Fairmont - the character played by Dick Preston in the fake soap opera 'Those Who Care' ('The New Dick Van Dyke Show')

You could even throw in Dr. John A. Zoidberg from the animated series 'Futurama', since most citizens of Toobworld erroneously think that the Tooniverse is not real. Even Dr. Bob, seen in the running sketch "Veterinarian's Hospital" at the Muppet theater, could be a candidate......

As for the woman, a femme fatale would make an excellent 'Dr. Danger', from some "Trash TV" seen in 'Diagnosis Murder'.

But if the timeline does hold fast to the names they chose in that alternate dimension, most of them could be splained away:

"Dr. Quinn" - Michaela Quinn was an historical figure of the Wild, Wild West and it would be logical to assume that there were books, movies and even a TV show about her.

"Dr. Howser" - There doesn't have to be a TV show about Doogie! As a 12 year old wunderkind who was a licensed, practicing doctor, he would have made headlines back in his day. And he'd definitely be a candidate for the biographical TV-movie.

"Trapper John" - Dr. McIntyre's career during the Korean War could have become the basis for a best-selling memoir by Trap after his second series ended.

"Dr. Huxtable" - This might be more difficult to explain; nothing about Cliff really was that remarkable - just a decent family man with a simple practice in one of the NYC boroughs. However, after the series ended for us as the viewers, maybe he starred in his own public access TV show about family medicine which led to a broader national spotlight as is currently given to those real-life medicos seen in 'The Doctors'. Or he could have ended up as an on-air commentator at a TV show like 'F.Y.I.' (from 'Murphy Brown') in much the same way Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at CNN.

Even though it would also have been a Zonk, you know what I would have liked to see? One of the characters referred to as "Dr. Bombay"......

As I mentioned earlier, 'Castle' is still in an alternate dimension, so that was more effort expended on those Zonks than was currently needed.

BCnU!

* I like to think that 'Castle' is part of the 'West Wing' dimension. But I'm not sure if Obama was ever mentioned as being the POTUS during one of the episodes......

AS SEEN ON TV: LORD CHARLES BERESFORD

LORD CHARLES BERESFORD

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward The King'

AS PLAYED BY:
Gareth Thomas

From Wikipedia:
Charles William de la Poer Beresford, 1st Baron Beresford GCB GCVO (10 February 1846 – 6 September 1919), styled Lord Charles Beresford between 1859 and 1916, was a British Admiral and Member of Parliament.

Beresford was the second son of John Beresford, 4th Marquess of Waterford, thus despite his honorary title as second son was still eligible to enter the House of Commons. He combined the two careers of the navy and a member of parliament, making a reputation as a hero in battle and champion of the navy in the House of Commons. He was a well-known and popular figure who courted publicity, widely known to the British public as "Charlie B".

In 1874, Beresford was one of thirty-two aides chosen to accompany the Prince of Wales on a tour of India. Victoria objected, on the grounds of his bad reputation, but he remained at the Prince's insistence. The tour was a lively mixture of social engagements and animal hunts. The Prince insisted on dressing for dinner, even in the jungle, but allowed the concession of cutting off the tails of their evening coats, creating the dinner jacket. He was aide-de-camp to the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, from 1875 until 1876.

During his service under Edward VII, he became involved in an affair with Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick (i.e., Frances Brooke), with whom Edward VII was also involved romantically. The affair strained his friendship with Edward VII, even though Edward himself was married to Alexandra of Denmark.

BCnU!

THE ADAMS CHRONICLE

Spoilers ahead in this follow-up post to the Patricia Breslin tribute.....

Speaking of "Crooked Road", that episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' in which Patricia Breslin co-starred, she wasn't the only character who was using an alias.....

Richard Kiley played Harry Adams, the lead investigator in that case, but he wasn't married to Ms. Breslin's character. And his name wasn't "Harry Adams" either.....

Quite a scandal was engendered once the town of Robertsville was busted for their illegal schemes.  (The justice of the peace, the police department, and at least the local mechanic plotted to fill the town's coffers from outsiders driving through.)  The case made national headlines, which brought fame and attention to Kiley's character and plenty of job offers in law enforcement from all over the country. He was able to pick and choose his destiny and he eventually decided on accepting the offer to become the police commissioner in Los Angeles.

How the mighty eventually fall, because it's the contention of Toobworld Central that the true identity of "Mr. Adams" was that of Mark Halperin, one of the murderers investigated in a case that would be known as "A Friend In Deed".

Once out in Los Angeles, Halperin soaked in the social circuit where he eventually met and married a millionairess named Margaret. (Maiden name unknown) The love in that marriage soon faded yet neither one of them wanted a divorce. For Margaret, it was probably out of pride and concern for her standing among her friends. But for Mark, it was because he had become desirous of her money.

So when the opportunity presented itself, he murdered her and tried to make it look like a notorious burglar had committed the deed.

What he didn't count on was that the homicide detective running the investigation was a lieutenant by the name of 'Columbo'......

The same argument could be made for Richard Kiley as was made for Ms. Breslin - any one of his "present day" guest star roles that occurred between these two appearances could have been Mark Halperin, still working undercover and using an alias.

But after the 'Columbo'?  I think his dance card was full......

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: PATRICIA BRESLIN

Earlier this month, the actress Patricia Breslin passed away. I only knew of her from an episode of 'The Twilight Zone', but she starred in the series 'The People's Choice' as Amanda Peoples, the love interest for Sock Miller (Jackie Cooper). She also had long-running roles in 'Peyton Place' and 'General Hospital', plus a slew of guest-starring roles.

At the time of her death, I didn't have the proper hook to pay her credit with a Hat Squad tribute. (The days when I had the time to post the full TV output from a recently departed contributor to Toobworld are gone, I'm afraid.) I've only seen clips from 'The People's Choice' as it was a series before my time.

However, Monday was Halloween, and Antenna TV celebrated by hosting a marathon of episodes from 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'. One of those was "Crooked Road" and the stars were Richard Kiley, Walter Matthau, and Ms. Breslin.

It's my intention to link her two characters from 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' and 'The Twilight Zone' together to become the same individual. Upon first consideration, this may seem like it would be violating the rule of Occam's Razor (the simplest splainin is the best) when it would mean finding a reason why/how a woman could change her name, lose one husband, and gain another in the space of two years. But it's the twist ending to that "Crooked Road" episode that makes it pozz'ble, just pozz'ble.....

'ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS' - "CROOKED ROAD"
In October of 1958, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Adams were on the outskirts of Robertsville, a town in the deep South. This would be a fictional town in Toobworld. There is a Robertsville in Missouri, but that would then make it more a part of the Midwest....

Because of the machinations of Sheriff Chandler, the Adamses found themselves caught in a rigged speed trap which led to Mr. Adams being beaten and to his paying out a lot of money in court fees and repair charges.

After escaping their ordeal in Robertsville, it turned out that things couldn't have gone better for Mr. and Mrs. Harry Adams.

WARNING!

From this point on, there will be spoilers. Be so advised: if you're planning on one day watching this episode, you may want to return after you've done so.

So! On with the show, this is it!

It turns out that Mr. and Mrs. Adams were not from New York. They were not actually married. And "Adams" was not their true surname.

They were two agents from that state's transportation department who were working undercover to expose the level of corruption in Robertsville.

"Mrs. Adams" was actually named Pat, and she was enaged to be married to a young man named Don Carter.

Again, there be spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution. (Although I think it more likely the majority of my audience has seen this episode.)

'THE TWILIGHT ZONE' - "NICK OF TIME"
The Toobworld timeline jumps ahead two years - it's November of 1960 and Don and Pat Carter are in the town of Ridgeview, Ohio, during their honeymoon. This is not their intended destination in which to celebrate their nuptials, but it's just a temporary stopover while their car gets repaired after a blow-out.

But they almost end up never leaving Ridgeview because their booth at the local diner has one of those "Mystic Seer" fortune-telling machines. And it's ambivalent answers soon grip Don's superstitions to the point where he's racked with insecurities and afraid to ever leave until he gets the okay from the Devil's Head predictions.

It takes the full force of Pat's love to finally break Don free of the hold that Mystic Seer has on him and they finally leave the diner to begin their new life together. But after they leave we see that another couple in their later years never did break free of that fortune-teller's power over them as they once again try to get a definitive answer on their fate from the machine......

If someone had seen that 'Alfred Hitchcock' episode first and remembered Pat Breslin's role once they then saw the 'Twilight Zone', maybe they might have thought the opening of "Nick Of Time" was a continuation of her investigations in "Crooked Road". But Ridgeview is no Robertsville - it's a small town of decent people who aren't to blame when a simple novelty penny-waster plays hob with people's lives.

Once the Carters drove out of Ridgeview, their lives could have continued in a long span of wedded bliss.... Or they could have had a fatal car accident that killed them just fifty miles outside of town. Who's to say what happens in the Toobworld timeline once characters exit the view of the audience in Trueniverse?

Maybe Don eventually died, or he and Pat got a divorce. And then one of her other TV characters who appeared after that T-Zone episode was the representative of her new life. It would mean that her name of "Pat" must have just been a nickname. And that new last name? Maybe she reverted to her maiden name after the divorce. Or maybe she remarried after the death of Don Carter and this would be her new last name.

There would be so many candidates for this Patricia Breslin character to continue existence in Toobworld: guest star roles in shows like 'Perry Mason', 'The New Breed', 'Saints And Sinners', 'The Greatest Show On Earth'... even 'The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'.

Shows like 'Doctor Kildare', 'The Donna Reed Show' and another episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' would make for good candidates because the characters were only addressed by their first names - Marion, Millie, and Margo, respectively. (She must give off an "M"-name vibe.....)

If there had only been a TV show in which she appeared as just "Mrs. Somebody", we could fall back on the excuse that this was her new last name after remarrying and that her first name must till be "Pat".

It could even be a role she played that would fall between her other two roles on the Toobworld timeline. If it played out right, she could have been on another undercover assignment somewhere in the country before she married Don.

But I haven't seen any of these episodes - or did so in the distant past and I just don't remember the details. I'd rather see the episodes again rather than rely on episode guides, no matter how detailed, to see if any of Ms. Breslin's other roles had the right feel to continue the legacy of Pat Carter/Mrs. Adams.

I don't want to take any chances, no matter how much the Mystic Seer encourages me......

But in the meantime, there's this: two-thirds of her requirements completed for entry into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame. And there are so many TV characters, like Jose Chung* of 'Millennium' and 'The X-Files', who may never see their induction become reality.

It's not like winning an Emmy, true. But it would be nice if I could help contribute to her TV immortality in a very small way.

But in the meantime, there is her oeuvre of work that will keep her "alive" to the viewers who discover her long after her passing.

Good night and may God bless.

* An open plea to some enterprising TV producer out there: Please put a copy of Jose Chung's book "From Outer Space" in plain sight in an episode of your TV series so that we can finally get this great character played by Charles Nelson Reilly into the Hall!

AS SEEN ON TV: GENERAL OWEN WILLIAMS

GENERAL OWEN WILLIAMS

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward The King'

AS PLAYED BY:
Clive Morton

From Wikipedia:
Owen Lewis Cope Williams (13 July 1836 - 15 January 1913) was a British army officer and Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1885.

Williams was the son of Thomas Peers Williams MP for Great Marlow, and his wife Emily Bacon, daughter of Anthony Bacon of Benham Park in Berkshire. He was educated at Eton College and joined the Royal Horse Guards in 1854. He became lieutenant in 1856, captain in 1858, Major and Lieutenant Colonle in 1866 and Colonel in 1871. He was a J.P. for Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Anglesey Carnarvonshire and Flintshire.

At the 1880 general election Williams was elected Member of Parliament for Great Marlow. He held the seat until 1885, when it was abolished.

Williams lived at Temple House at Bisham in Berkshire, not far from Marlow. He became a major-general on half-pay in 1882 and retired as Lieutenant General in 1887. He died at the age of 76.

BCnU!

TDVDS@50: A LOOK AT MRS. GLIMSHER

On 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', Sally Rogers often mentioned the mother of her boyfriend, Herman Glimsher. But the woman only appeared once, in the episode "Uncle George".

She was a domineering woman who cowed her son into submission and often came between him and Sally - she'd even go on dates with them! (And to make matters worse, she'd sit between them.)

Mrs. Glimsher's husband died many years before, something which he must have seen in his final moments as truly a "blessed release". And so Mrs. Glimsher must have needed a job to make enough money to raise her Mama's Boy.

A woman so overwhelmingly strong-willed would easily be hired for a supervisory position in the workforce.

And I think we got the chance to see Mrs. Glimsher in action.......

BCnU!

MORE "DVD SHOW" GOODNESS

On October 3rd, Ivan Shreve of "Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear" hosted a blogathon in celebration of the 50th anniversary of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'. I did my part, and probably overdid that, by posting every hour - with about 29 posts published by the time I was done.

And even then, I still had so many ideas for other posts of a Toobworld nature about the show.

So I decided that an event of such magnitude ("Pop Pop!") - after all, 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' is the platinum standard by which all other TV sitcoms must be judged - should not be limited to just one day, or even a week. Therefore, I'm going to be coming back to the topic on the first day of the month throughout the year until the 51st anniversary comes around.

To kick things off, there will be a post today about a woman who was spoken of many times in the series, but only appeared once - Mrs. Glimsher, mother of Sally's boyfriend Herman. But first up, here's a quick trivia question:

'The Dick Van Dyke Show' has two somewhat tenuous connections to Andy Warhol. One was "outside the box" - one of those six degrees of separation situations on the production side. The other was within the "reality" of the show - one of Andy Warhol's works of art actually appeared in an episode.  (I'm thinking Team Toobworld will figure out the answer to the first one easily enough.....)

Can you tell me what these two connections were?

I'm going to let that trivia question just hang out there in the Ethernet for the year until an answer comes up. Hopefully I'll remember to answer it myself (if nobody else does first) when October 3, 2012 rolls around.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: PONSONBY, BRIT

FREDERICK PONSONBY

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward The King'

AS PLAYED BY:
Dennis Lill

From Wikipedia:
Frederick Edward Grey Ponsonby, 1st Baron Sysonby GCB GCVO PC (16 September 1867 – 20 October 1935), was a British soldier and courtier.

Ponsonby was the second son of General Sir Henry Ponsonby and his wife the Hon. Mary Elizabeth (née Bulteel). A member of a junior branch of the Ponsonby family, he was the grandson of General Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby and the great-grandson of Frederick Ponsonby, 3rd Earl of Bessborough. Arthur Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede, was his younger brother. Ponsonby was a Major and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel in the Grenadier Guards and served in the Second Boer War and in the First World War.

He also held several court positions, notably as Equerry-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria from 1894 to 1901, as Assistant Keeper of the Privy Purse and Assistant Private Secretary to Queen Victoria from 1897 to 1901 and to Edward VII from 1901 to 1910; as Keeper of the Privy Purse for George V from 1914 to 1935, and as Lieutenant-Governor of Windsor Castle from 1928 to 1935. Already a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) and a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO), he was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the 1921 New Year Honours. In 1935 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Sysonby, of Wonersh in the County of Surrey.

Lord Sysonby married Victoria Lily, daughter of Colonel Edmund Hegan Kennard, on 17 May 1899. They had three children:

Victor Alexander Henry Desmond Ponsonby (19 June 1900–24 November 1900)

Hon. Loelia Mary Ponsonby (1902–1993), married 1st, as his third wife, the 2nd Duke of Westminster, and 2nd, as his second wife, the explorer Sir Martin Lindsay of Dowhill, 1st Bt., M.P.

Hon. Edward Gaspard Ponsonby (1903–1956)

Lord Sysonby died in October 1935, aged 68, only four months after his elevation to the peerage. He was succeeded in the barony by his surviving son Edward. Lady Sysonby died in 1955.

His autobiography "Recollections of Three Reigns" is full, frank and entertaining. Nancy Mitford wrote to Evelyn Waugh that there was "a shriek on every page".

BCnU!