TV ACADEMY HALL OF FAME NEWS

Here are the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences new inductees for the Academy’s Hall of Fame

Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray (producers of 'The Real World' - BOOO!)

Michael Eisner, former head of Disney

Don Francisco, host of the Hispanic game show 'Sabado Gigante'

Sherman Helmsley, star of 'The Jeffersons' and 'Amen'

Bill Klages, lighting designer

Chuck Lorre, creative power behind 'Dharma & Greg', 'Cybill', 'Roseanne', and 'Two And A Half Men'

The late Vivian Vance and William Frawley, without whom 'I Love Lucy' would have had no shock absorbers for Lucy's manic ways........

This will be the 21st annual induction ceremony and it will be held March 1st at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

It's really nice to see someone on the technical side like Mr. Klages be honored for his work like this. But I also noticed there isn't a single script-writer in the batch.......

BCnU!

OFFICE MEMO

So I watched the 'Leverage' episode "The Office Job" Monday morning once I got home from work and I think the original assessment will still work.

The documentary being produced within that episode would be the same company that has been airing the documentary series about the 'The Office' in Scranton that sells Dunder-Mifflin paper products.

The company being examined was the Good-Cheer greeting card company in Massachusetts, which was a small, formerly family-owned business that was the life-blood for that town's economy for so many decades. I was hoping the greeting card company was a subsidiary of Dunder-Mifflin - that in order to keep the interest in their series high after so many years in the cable hinterlands (where Michael Scott couldn't even find it in his local listings), the video-makers decided to branch out and look at some new people working for the company. 

Is that a Bigfoot stance?

But.. not a problem.

Good-Cheer was being bought out by the Hearfelt card company, which was a stand-in for Hallmark, obviously. I would have preferred a nameless corporate giant (or at least a company bigger than Good-Cheer) whose representatives never do show up, because I thought that factor didn't work at all. Even after all was right with their world, there was no way Heartfelt could have felt confident enough to buy the biz, even if the rep was as big a fan of football as the company's owner. Everything should have been wrapped up long before the Heartfelt reps made their appearance. (And of course, being a nameless company, we could have then figured it was Dunder-Mifflin coming to negotiate the take-over.)

But again... no problem-o.

Having the production company be the same as the one making 'The Office' (which must be its name because it has been name-checked in several other shows) is good enough for me to make an unofficial link.

And it would have been an attempt by that company to make a pilot episode for a new series, since I think within the Toobworld reality, the time is coming fast for their version of 'The Office' to end. So they hired a new director (a Werner Herzog wannabe), but used mostly the same format (only this time, the camera crew was more intrusive.)

However, they played it safe and didn't break any new ground with the topic of their documentary.  So I have a feeling that this is one pilot for a TV show within a TV show that won't get picked up next Fall......

I'm just glad the writers for this episode didn't take the easy way out and staff that office with caricatures for all the characters from 'The Office'. Although the owner of the company was a bit doltish, he wasn't insufferable like Michael Scott. And we certainly didn't need a Creed clone or a variation on the Kelly & Ryan relationship. And there can be only one Dwight... hopefully.

It would have played hob with the believability of both companies existing in the same TV dimension. (Although there was a black guy at his desk who may not have looked like Stanley, but certainly acted like him.)

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: GEORGE GODLEY

GEORGE GODLEY

AS SEEN IN:
"Jack The Ripper"

AS PLAYED BY:
Lewis Collins

From Wikipedia:
George Albert Godley (31 October 1857 – 20 July 1941) was a police officer of the Metropolitan Police who was involved in the hunt for Jack the Ripper in 1888.

Born at East Grinstead in Sussex in 1857, Godley initially worked as a sawyer. He then joined the Metropolitan Police on 26 February 1877, and was assigned warrant number 61230. At the time of the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888 Godley was a Sergeant in London's J Division (Bethnal Green). He transferred to H Division (Whitechapel) where he assisted Inspector Frederick Abberline in the hunt for the killer. The Times of 12 November 1888 reported:

"Since the murders in Berner Street, St. Georges, and Mitre Square, Aldgate, on September 30th, Detective Inspectors Reid, Moore and Nairn, and Sergeants Thick, Godley, M'Carthy and Pearce have been constantly engaged, under the direction of Inspector Abberline (Scotland Yard), in prosecuting inquiries, but, unfortunately, up to the present time without any practical result. As an instance of the magnitude of their labours, each officer has had, on average, during the last six weeks to make some 30 separate inquiries weekly, and these have had to be made in different portions of the metropolis and suburbs. Since the two above-mentioned murders no fewer than 1,400 letters relating to the tragedies have been received by the police, and although the greater portion of these gratuitous communications were found to be of a trivial and even ridiculous character, still each one was thoroughly investigated. On Saturday (10th November) many more letters were received, and these are now being inquired into."

When Godley arrested poisoner George Chapman in 1903 the then retired Inspector Abberline allegedly said "You have caught Jack the Ripper at last" or similar words.

Godley retired on 20 January 1908 by which time he was an Inspector in K Division. He died in July 1941 aged 84.

BCnU!

TDVDS@50: MARK OF THE HECKLER

Back in November, I promised a new post about 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' on the first day of the month until next year's anniversary for the show. And here we are, into the second month and I've already broken that promise.

Better late than never, though, right? Hopefully.....

While Rob Petrie was in the Army, he reluctantly hosted a contest to win a date with Camp Crowder's "Bivouac Baby". The reason he did so reluctantly was because the Bivouac Baby happened to be his girl-friend, USO dancer Laura Meehan.

Among the soldiers in the audience, hoping for a chance to win was one guy who was identified in the credits as just "Heckler". He needled Rob about how the eventual winner was going to get the chance to take his girl-friend out on the town - well, to a Chinese restaurant, anyway.

And when Rob tried to invalidate the winner of the contest because he wasn't there in person to accept the "prize" - and then to take it for himself! - this heckler led the booing until the contest winner did show up.

It could be that Rob and the heckler met up again years later in 1966. By this time, he was working as a bartender in an Albany, New York, hotel. And Rob was hoping for the chance to watch a fashion show on the bar's TV since the one in his room was broken. However, the bartender had to follow union rules - once the bar's piano player began her set, the TV had to g off.

Because of the passage of time since Rob had been at Camp Crowder with the heckler, it didn't seem as though the two of them recognized each other.

As a hazard of the job, I guess, that bartender became an alcoholic. He quit the business and moved to Hollywood, California, in hopes of making a fresh start. There he got a job as a gopher at the TV studio where 'Inspector Lucerne' was filmed. And he became friends with the show's star, Ward Fowler. (By this point, we learned that the heckling bartender's name was Mark Davis.)

Fowler planned to murder Claire Daley, the producer of 'Inspector Lucerne', in order to end her blackmailing of him. It turns out that she knew he had been a deserter from the Army during the Korean Conflict and had gone to Canada where he became an actor. Fowler used Mark Davis as part of his alibi, first by drugging his drink. (Davis being an alcoholic was established in this episode. Fowler knew this and figured on Mark being too embarrassed about passing out to become suspicious.) He then reset Mark's watch and recorded a sports broadcast so that he could play it back for Mark when he woke up. That way, Mark would be convinced that it was playing in real time.

And so while Mark Davis was out cold, Fowler murdered Claire Daley.

Fowler's big mistake was resetting Mark's watch to the correct time once he fell asleep again. Mark always kept it five minutes fast so that he could be on time to do things in his job at the studio.

It may have been unjust, since it wasn't Mark's fault, but it could be that he was fired from the studio because of his "involvement" in the murder. If so, he could have set himself up with a shop (perhaps a pawn shop) near the beaches of Los Angeles County. There he met a lifeguard named Cody Madison in 1996, who wanted a gold medallion appraised which he had found on the ocean floor. Knowing it was worth far more, Mark offered Cody 3500 dollars for it, but Cody turned him down.

As always with my Toobworld theories, this is all just conjecture.....

SHOWS CITED:
'The Dick Van Dyke Show' - "No Rice At My Wedding"
'The Dick Van Dyke Show' - "Bad Reception In Albany"
'Columbo' - "Fade In To Murder"
'Baywatch' - "Go For The Gold"

BCnU!
 
PS:
If anybody has access to screen captures of Bert Remsen in that episode of 'Baywatch', I'd be most appreciative to get one.....

AS SEEN ON TV: LEES & MANSFIELD

For a return to "Two For Tuesday" in the ASOTV Gallery, here are two of the major players in the Jack the Ripper investigations......

ROBERT JAMES LEES

AS SEEN IN:
"Jack The Ripper"

AS PLAYED BY:
Ken Bones

From Wikipedia:
Robert James Lees (born 12 August 1849 in Hinckley, Leicestershire – died 11 January 1931 in Leicester) was a British spiritualist, medium, preacher, writer and healer of the late Victorian era and early twentieth century known today for claims that he knew the identity of Jack the Ripper, responsible for the Whitechapel murders of 1888.

At the time of the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888, Lees was living in the London area. His diary entries for 1888 reveal that on October 2, during a month when no Ripper murders took place, Lees went to both the City of London Police and Scotland Yard offering his assistance in catching Jack the Ripper. However, he was turned away as a madman on both occasions, though Scotland Yard offered to write to him.

One story, frequently quoted in books and films on the subject, is that Lees, using his psychic power, lead the Police to Jack the Ripper. This story first appeared in print on April 28, 1895, in The Chicago Herald. Another version of the same story was also published in The People on May 19, 1895.

The Chicago Herald article claimed that over a number of years Lees had been troubled by psychic visions of Jack the Ripper killing his victims. Each of these visions came true. Lees became disturbed by the visions and sought medical advice, going abroad as a result, where he no longer had the visions. Back in London, he and his wife Sarah were travelling on an omnibus when a man got on at Notting Hill. Lees turned and told his wife that the man was 'Jack the Ripper'. Even though his wife laughed at him, when the man got off the bus at Marble Arch Lees followed him. Finding a Police Constable on the way Lees told him of his suspicions, but the Constable also laughed at him.

After more murders Lees was able to convince the Police of the truth of his visions and lead them to a fashionable house in London which was home to a noted physician who had treated members of the Royal Family. On being found in incriminating circumstances, the doctor was put in a lunatic asylum under the name of Thomas Mason 124, and a mock funeral held. According to the Chicago Herald, the tale had been related by a Dr. Howard of London, who, when drunk, had told the story to a man who then told the newspaper.

Some Ripperologists disregard the story but in 1970, Dr. Thomas Stowell, a surgeon who worked with Theodore Dyke Acland, wrote in The Criminologist magazine that Acland's wife, daughter of Sir William Gull, told him of a visit to her parents' home in Mayfair of a police inspector and a man calling himself a medium. It corresponded with Lees' own account of his visit to the home of the famous physician and Dyke Acland went against medical tradition by signing Gull's death certificate - perhaps giving some support to Lees' claim that a mock burial was held for the famous physician.

This account was dramatized in the episode "Jack The Ripper" from the TV series 'The Veil'. Only Lees was called Walter Durst and Dr. Gull was known as Dr. Willowden.
 

RICHARD MANSFIELD

AS SEEN IN:
"Jack The Ripper"

AS PLAYED BY:
Armand Assante

From Wikipedia:
Richard Mansfield (24 May 1857 - 30 August 1907) was an English actor-manager best known for his performances in Shakespeare plays, Gilbert and Sullivan operas and for his portrayal of the dual title roles in "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde".

Mansfield was performing in the "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" in late summer – early autumn 1888 during the time that Jack the Ripper was murdering prostitutes in London. One frightened theatre-goer wrote to the police accusing Mansfield of the murders because he could not believe that any actor could make so convincing a stage transformation from a gentleman into a mad killer without being homicidal. Mansfield attempted to gain public favour and stem the criticism that he was receiving by offering a performance of "Prince Karl" for the benefit of the Suffragan Bishop of London's home and refuge fund.

WNU-TOOB: A SPLAININ IN BOHEMIA

When Cyber-Monday rolled around, I - being naturally self-centered - purchased only items for myself. Among these was the DVD box set of the complete "Sherlock Holmes" series starring Jeremy Brett, David Burke, and Edward Hardwicke. For this televisiologist, Brett's Holmes is the definitive version, the official portrayal for Earth Prime-Time, despite Ronald Howard, Peter Cushing, Douglas Wilmer, Stewart Granger and others having come before.

I've taken the collection to work, where I'm watching an episode each night during my lunch break. And if there's something relevant for Toobworld, I'll bring it up here.

I believe we have to take these stories by Dr. John Watson at face value as presented in the series, that we are seeing what actually transpired - even though the argument could be made that what we are seeing is the visualization of a book within Toobworld (as is the case with 'Burn Notice', 'Pushing Daisies', and 'Jack Of All Trades'.)

As such, Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein, who appears in perhaps the second most famous story in the Holmes canon "A Scandal In Bohemia", is the actual King of Bohemia. Some Sherlockian theorists have conjectured that he is the veiled, roman a clef version of Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales, and that the actress from New Jersey, Irene Adler, is in fact Lilly Langtry, the Jersey Lilly.

But for Toobworld, they are two distinct characters.

Also, Toobworld is inundated with fictional countries. Bohemia is a real place, but it was never a monarchy in the real world. In TV Land, it is. (And when will Ruritania finally get a live-action version in Earth Prime-Time?) There is mention of Clotilde Lothman von Saxe-Meningen, daughter of the King of Scandinavia. For us in the Trueniverse, "Scandinavia" refers to the general area covered by Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. But back in the 1880s, it must have been its own tiny kingdom in Toobworld, but probably one that was eventually absorbed by one of those aforementioned nations.

And perhaps in the construction of the Earth by the Magratheans, Slartibartfast was responsible for the crinkly bits along the shores of Scandinavia as well as for those of Norway......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: BERTIE'S DAUGHTERS

THE THREE DAUGHTERS OF KING EDWARD VII

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward The King'

AS PLAYED BY:
Louise - Vanessa Miles

Toria - Madeleine Cannon

Maud - Rosalyn Elvin

From Wikipedia:
PRINCESS LOUISE
The Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife (Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar; 20 February 1867 – 4 January 1931) was the third child and the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark. She was the younger sister of George V and the fifth daughter of a British monarch to be styled Princess Royal.

On Saturday 27 July 1889, Princess Louise married the 6th Earl Fife (11 October 1849 – 12 January 1912), at the Private Chapel in Buckingham Palace. He was eighteen years her senior, but her third cousin in descent from George III. Two days after the wedding, Queen Victoria created him Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The Duke and Duchess of Fife had three children.

The Princess Royal died in January 1931, at her home in Portman Square, London and was buried in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Her remains were later removed to the Private Chapel, Mar Lodge Mausoleum, Braemar, Aberdeenshire.

PRINCESS VICTORIA (TORIA)
The Princess Victoria (Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary; 6 July 1868 – 3 December 1935), also called "Toria", was a member of the British Royal Family, the fourth child and second daughter of Edward VII; the younger sister of George V.

Although she had a number of suitors, the most famous of them was King Carlos I of Portugal, Princess Victoria never married and as such bore no children. Her mother, Alexandra, is believed to have actively discouraged her from marrying. Instead she remained a companion to her parents, particularly her mother, with whom she lived until Queen Alexandra's death in 1925. The Princess then set up her own home at Coppins, Iver, in Buckinghamshire.

Princess Victoria died at home in December 1935. Her funeral took place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, and she was buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore, Windsor Great Park. Her death greatly affected George V, who died one month later.

PRINCESS MAUD
Princess Maud of Wales (Maud Charlotte Mary Victoria; 26 November 1869 – 20 November 1938) was Queen of Norway as spouse of King Haakon VII. She was a member of the British Royal Family as the youngest daughter of Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark and granddaughter of Queen Victoria and also of Christian IX of Denmark. She was the younger sister of George V. Queen Maud was the first queen consort of Norway since 1380 who was not also queen consort of Denmark or Sweden.

Queen Maud never lost her love of Britain, but she quickly adapted to her new country and duties as a queen consort. She supported charitable causes, particularly those associated with children and animals, and gave encouragement to musicians and artists. She learned to ski and arranged for an English garden at Kongsseteren, the Royal lodge overlooking the nation's capital Oslo. Queen Maud's last public appearance in Britain was the coronation of her nephew, King George VI, in May 1937.

Maud died of heart failure in London on 20 November 1938, six days before her 69th birthday (and the thirteenth anniversary of her mother's death), three days after an operation. Her body was returned to Norway on board the HMS Royal Oak, the flagship of Second Battle Squadron of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. Queen Maud was buried in the royal mausoleum at the Akershus Castle in Oslo. At her death, Queen Maud was the last surviving child of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: KEN RUSSELL & SHELAGH DELANEY

I try to keep track of all the TV-related obituaries through the year (and I wouldn't be as close to complete as I could be were it not for the blogs "Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear", "Boot Hill", and "Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine".) And as I add names to the list, I often find strong links to others already on that year's roster. (Like the year both Len Weinrib and Jack Wild of 'H.R. Pufnstuf' passed away.)


Just recently a link was completed with the passing of visionary director Ken Russell, perhaps best known for movies like "The Who's Tommy", "Altered States", and "Lair Of The White Worm". Just a week before him, playwright Shelagh Delaney passed away - while still a teenager, she wrote her most famous play "A Taste Of Honey".

Together they collaborated on a short documentary for the TV series 'Monitor':

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

FAN-MADE "WHO"

Of course, no Inner Toob Video Weekend would be complete without some 'Doctor Who'......

Not a bad tip o' the hat.  I'd go so far as to say that either this is one of the Doctor's many reincarnations in his 500+ run, or it's from the original line of thirteen regenerations from the Valeyard's timeline.......

BCnU!

SKED ALERT! "LEVERAGE" - SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2011

For now, I'm only going to post the promotional blipvert for tonight's episode of 'Leverage', known as "The Office Job":

After I've had a chance to see it myself, I'll weigh in on its connections to the American version of 'The Office'.

At the very least, right now I'm prepared to say that both TV within TV series are produced by the same production company......

BCnU!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! (FROM "STEPTOE AND SON")

From now until Christmas Day, I'll be posting Christmas videos from one particular show each Sunday. And since this weekend has been putting the spotlight on 'Steptoe And Son', why not continue the trend with their Christmas special (which I believe was the final show in the series.)

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: HARRY H. CORBETT

HARRY H. CORBETT

AS SEEN IN:
"The Curse Of Steptoe"

AS PLAYED BY:
Jason Isaacs

From Wikipedia:
Harry H. Corbett (28 February 1925 – 21 March 1982) was an English actor.

Corbett was best known for his starring role in the popular and long-running BBC Television sitcom 'Steptoe and Son' in the 1960s and 70s. Early in his career he was dubbed "the English Marlon Brando" by some sections of the British press.

A chance meeting with writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, who had been successful with 'Hancock's Half Hour', changed Corbett's life.

And so in 1962, Corbett appeared in "The Offer", an episode of the BBC's anthology series of one-off comedy plays, 'Comedy Playhouse', written by Galton and Simpson. He played Harold Steptoe, a rag-and-bone man living with his irascible father Albert, played by Wilfrid Brambell, in a junkyard with only their horse for company.

The play was a success and a full series ran, with breaks, until 1974, when the Christmas special became the final episode. Although the popularity of 'Steptoe and Son' made Corbett a star, it ended his serious acting as he became irreversibly associated with Steptoe (even during his appearance as a lead character in "Carry On Screaming!") in the public eye. Before the series began Corbett had played Shakespeare's Richard II to great acclaim; however, when he played Hamlet in 1970 he felt both critics and audiences alike were not taking him seriously, because they could only see him as Harold Steptoe.

Production was made stressful as Brambell was an alcoholic often ill-prepared for rehearsals, forgetting his lines or movements. A tour of a 'Steptoe and Son' stage show in Australia in the late 1970s proved a disaster. Brambell drank heavily, which sometimes affected his acting. However, the two re-united in 1981 for one final performance as 'Steptoe and Son' in a commercial for Kenco coffee.

There were two 'Steptoe and Son' films: "Steptoe and Son" (1972) and "Steptoe and Son Ride Again" (1973). He also had the leading role in two other television series, 'Mr. Aitch' in 1967 (written especially for him) and 'Grundy' in 1980.

After the 'Steptoe and Son' series officially finished, he played the character again on radio (in a newly written sketch in 1979) as well as two television commercials for Ajax Soap power and one for Kenco Coffee.

Corbett also released a string of 45rpm record releases, most of which were novelty songs based upon the rag and bone character, including "Harry You Love Her" and "Junk Shop". In 1973 he also recorded an album titled "Only Authorised Employees To Break Bottles" which was a 'showcase of accents', with songs from Corbett in a range of accents including Liverpool, Birmingham, and Mancunian. Including the album, he released over 30 songs.

Corbett was a Labour Party campaigner, had appeared in a party political broadcast, and was a guest of Harold Wilson. Harold Steptoe had been Labour Party secretary for Shepherd's Bush West in the sixth series episode, "Tea for Two". In 1969 Harry appeared as Harold Steptoe in a Labour Party Political Broadcast, where Bob Mellish had to defend Harold Steptoe's accusation that all parties are the same. This was not in any way affiliated with Galton and Simpson who wrote Steptoe.

As Prime Minister, Wilson wished to have Corbett awarded an OBE, but the middle initial "H" was lost in the process and the award went to the Sooty puppeteer, Harry Corbett, instead. Both were eventually included the same New Year's Honours list on 1 January 1976.

A heavy smoker, Corbett had his first heart attack in 1979. He appeared in pantomime at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, within two days of leaving hospital. He was then badly hurt in a car accident. He appeared shortly afterwards in the BBC detective series 'Shoestring', his facial injuries obvious.

Harry H Corbett died of a heart attack in March 1982 in Hastings, East Sussex. He was 57. He is buried in the churchyard at Penhurst, East Sussex.

Corbett married twice, first to the actress Sheila Steafel, and then to Maureen Blott, who bore him two children, one of whom, Susannah Corbett, is an actress, known for the role of Ellie Pascoe in the BBC's television adaptations of Reginald Hill's 'Dalziel and Pascoe' detective novels.

He is commemorated in the name of the Corbett Theatre at the East 15 Acting School at Loughton, which was founded by Margaret Bury and Jean Newlove, two members of Theatre Workshop, where Corbett worked.

BCnU......

SKED ALERT! "BOARDWALK EMPIRE" - SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3RD

There are only two more episodes to go for 'Boardwalk Empire'.....

Episode #23: “Under God's Power She Flourishes”
Debut: SUNDAY, DEC. 4 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Written by Howard Korder; Directed by Allen Coulter

With Margaret pondering the consequences of sin, Nucky prepares her for a worst-case scenario as Esther Randolph plays out her trump cards. Jimmy revisits his college days with Angela and Gillian; Mickey Doyle chafes at sharing his liquor profits; Eli refuses to cop a plea. Nelson’s past comes back to haunt him, tipping the scale in Nucky’s favor.

BCnU!

A BIT O' STEPTOE

Here's a segment from one of the 'Steptoe and Son' episodes, which was probably featured on its own at YouTube because the guest star was a young Joanna Lumley. (I was tempted to make the claim that this was Patsy Stone of 'AbFab' fame under her original name, but over the years we learned too much about Patsy's family and there is no way one can forget Eleanor Bron in the role of Patsy's mother to even make the claim that this woman could be her with plastic surgery.)

But that excerpt does give a good showcase for the talents of today's "ASOTV" showcase - Wilfred Brambell as Albert Steptoe.

BCnU!

"THE CURSE OF STEPTOE"

"The Curse of Steptoe", a BBC TV play about Wilfred Brambell and his co-star Harry H. Corbett, was broadcast on 19 March 2008 on digital BBC channel BBC Four, featuring Phil Davis as Brambell and Jason Isaacs as Corbett. The first broadcast gained the channel its highest audience figures to date, based on overnight returns. (Wikipedia)

The first part of this TV special is missing, but it doesn't feel like anything of great importance was in that segment. It was probably the opening credits and perhaps more about Wilfred Brambell.......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: WILFRED BRAMBELL

WILFRED BRAMBELL

AS SEEN IN:
"The Curse Of Steptoe"

AS PLAYED BY:
Phil Davis

From Wikipedia:
Henry Wilfrid Brambell (22 March 1912 – 18 January 1985) was an Irish film and television actor best known for his role in the British television series 'Steptoe and Son'. He also performed alongside The Beatles in their film "A Hard Day's Night", playing Paul McCartney's fictional grandfather.

It was this ability to play old men that led to his casting in his most famous role, as Albert Steptoe, the irascible father in 'Steptoe and Son' (his son Harold being played by Harry H. Corbett). Initially this was a pilot on the BBC's 'Comedy Playhouse' anthology strand: but its success led to a full series being commissioned, which lasted throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. A constant thread throughout the series was Albert being referred to by Harold as a "dirty old man", particularly, for example, when he was eating pickled onions whilst taking a bath, and retrieving dropped ones from the bathwater. There were also two feature film spin-offs, a stage show and an American re-make entitled 'Sanford and Son', based on the original British scripts.

The success of 'Steptoe and Son' made Brambell a high profile figure on British television, and earned him the major role of Paul McCartney's grandfather in the Beatles' first film, "A Hard Day's Night" in 1964. A running joke is made throughout the film of his character being "a very clean old man", in contrast to his being referred to as a "dirty old man" in 'Steptoe and Son'. In real life however, he was nothing like his Steptoe persona, being dapper and well-spoken. In 1965 Brambell told the BBC that he did not want to do another 'Steptoe and Son' series, and in September of that year he went to New York to appear in the Broadway musical "Kelly" at the Broadhurst Theatre; however, it closed after just one performance.

After the final season of 'Steptoe and Son' was made in 1974, Brambell had some guest roles in films and on television, but both he and Corbett found themselves heavily typecast as their famous characters. In an attempt to take advantage of this situation, they undertook a tour of Australia in 1977 with a 'Steptoe and Son' stage show. On one occasion, Brambell used bad language and was openly derogatory about New Zealand cathedrals in an interview. Despite this, Brambell did appear on the BBC's television news paying tribute to Corbett after the latter's death from a heart attack in 1982. The following year Brambell appeared in Terence Davies's film "Death and Transfiguration", playing a dying elderly man who finally comes to terms with his homosexuality.

In 2002, Channel 4 broadcast a documentary film, entitled "When Steptoe Met Son", about the off-screen life of Brambell and his relationship with Harry H. Corbett. The film claimed that the two men detested each other and were barely on speaking terms after the Australia tour, caused in part by Brambell's alcoholism, which led to the pair leaving the country on separate aeroplanes. This claim is disputed by the writers of 'Steptoe and Son', Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, who were unaware of any hatred or conflict. Harry H. Corbett's nephew from his second marriage also released a statement which claimed that the actors did not hate each other. "We can categorically say they did not fall out. They were together for nearly a year in Australia, went on several sightseeing trips together, and left the tour at the end on different planes because Harry was going on holiday with his family, not because he refused to get on the same plane. They continued to work together after the Australia tour on radio and adverts."

Brambell was also a closet homosexual at a time when it was almost impossible for public figures to be openly gay, not least because homosexual acts were illegal in the UK until 1967. In 1962 he was arrested in a toilet in Shepherd's Bush for persistently importuning and given a conditional discharge. Earlier in his life he had been married, from 1948 to 1955, to Mary "Molly" Josephine but the relationship ended after she gave birth to the child of their lodger in 1953.

Brambell died of cancer in Westminster, London, aged 72. He was cremated on 25 January 1985 at Streatham Park Cemetery, where his ashes were scattered.

BCnU........

(It was after watching the season - series? - finale of 'Whitechapel' that I realized how much I've come to enjoy the acting of Phil Davis, now one of my favorite current British actors. This showcase on his role as one of the more famous TV actors from Great Britain is my way of tipping my hat to Davis' work........)

THE HAT SQUAD: REMEMBERING ALAN SUES

In memory of Alan Sues, who has passed away at the age of 85, here are a couple of videos to celebrate his career on television.

First up, his appearance on 'The Twilight Zone':

But his career took a new turn once he joined the cast of 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In' where he created two indelible characters in "Skitlandia": Sportscaster Big Al and Uncle Al, the Kiddie's Pal.

Here's Uncle Al:

And here's a blooper clip from the show featuring Orson Welles:

Finally, here's his interpretation of Peter Pan:

I gotta say, I'd rather have seen him in the role than Cathy Rigby.....

Good night and may God bless.

BCnU......

THE JACK THE RIPPER INNER TOOB LINKS HUB

"There are many who believe that Jack the Ripper still walks the Earth,

still continues his diabolical activities.

That's a chilling thought.

Especially when it's accompanied by highly convincing proof that it may be true...."

Boris Karloff

'Thriller'

The Inner Toob look at the legend of Jack the Ripper - as seen on TV - is basically complete. As with any bloody crime scene, there will still be some mopping up......

Here, for your convenience, is a hub for all of the articles and videos that made up this project - one even dating back at least a year. That way you don't have to hunt all over the blog for the posts - if you're so inclined, that is. (But do feel free to look around - we cover a lot more about Toobworld than "Red Jack"!)

I'm still running a few posts, mostly for the "ASOTV" showcase, but as each one is published, I'll post the link here at the hub. (I also need to address that TV movie about the "ghost" of Jack the Ripper in Arizona and the latest twist on a side-story about the legend of "Spring-Heeled Jack".)

Just a note on "The Redjac Chronicles":

You probably didn't notice (Why should you? You're not as TV-obsessed as I am!), but each chapter, each episode if you will or even won't, was the title of an episode from different TV series - only one of which actually came from a show dealing with Jack the Ripper. (And that would be the one from 'Star Trek', "Wolf In The Fold".)

I hope you had a chance to check each of them out while the series was being run. And if this is your first time finding out about the "Tele-Ripper" project, I hope you'll take the time to read - or view - all of the posts.

If it's possible with such a bloody, vicious, horrific topic.... Enjoy!

THE REDJAC CHRONICLES
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-chronicles-my-moment-of-un-truth.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-chronicles-wolf-in-fold.html
[with link to video]
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-chronicles-it-came-from-outer.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-chronicles-sebastian-against.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-chronicles-star-whores.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-chronicles-meet-whodunit.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-chronicles-doctor-danger.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-chronicles-novel-way-to-die.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-chronicles-dream-sentinel.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-chronicles-20th-century-here-we.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2010/02/redjac-and-wilhelm-scream.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-chronicles-johnny-red.html

THE "AS SEEN ON TV" GALLERIES
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/as-seen-on-tv-inspector-abberline.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/as-seen-on-tv-abberlines-addendum.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/as-seen-on-tv-mary-ann-nichols.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/as-seen-on-tv-annie-chapman.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/as-seen-on-tv-long-liz.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/as-seen-on-tv-mary-jane-kelly.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/as-seen-on-tv-dr-theodore-dyke-acland.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/12/as-seen-on-tv-dame-susan-gull.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/as-seen-on-tv-lord-salisbury.html

OF GENERAL INTEREST
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/chandlers-of-scotland-yard.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/redjac-clean-up-in-aisle-six.html

THE VIDEOS
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/softly-softly-looks-at-ripper.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/jack-ripper-whodunnit.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/secret-identity-of-jack-ripper.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/veil-jack-ripper.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/alfred-hitchcock-presents-creeper.html
http://toobworld.blogspot.com/2011/11/special-unit-2-beast.html

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: SIR CHARLES WARREN

SIR CHARLES WARREN

AS SEEN IN:
"Jack The Ripper"

AS PLAYED BY:
Hugh Fraser

From Wikipedia:
General Sir Charles Warren, GCMG, KCB, FRS (7 February 1840 – 21 January 1927) was an officer in the British Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists of Biblical Holy Land, and particularly of Temple Mount. Much of his military service was spent in the British South Africa, but in earlier life he was Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, the head of the London Metropolitan Police, from 1886 to 1888, during the period of the Jack the Ripper murders. His command in combat during the Second Boer War was criticised, but he achieved considerable success during his long life in his military and civil posts.

Warren's biggest difficulty was the Jack the Ripper case. He was probably unfairly blamed for the failure to track down the killer and faced press accusations that were frequently baseless. He was accused of failing to offer a reward for information, although in fact he supported the idea and it was blocked by the Home Office. He was accused of not putting enough police officers on the ground, whereas in fact Whitechapel was swamped with them. He was accused of being more interested in uniformed policing than detective work, which was true, but failed to take into consideration the fact that he allowed his experienced detective officers to conduct their own affairs and rarely interfered in their operations. He was accused of not using bloodhounds, and when he did eventually bring them in he was accused of being obsessed with them.

He responded to these criticisms by attacking his detractors in the pages of Murray's Magazine, supporting vigilante activity, which the police on the streets knew was a bad idea, and publicly complaining about his lack of control of CID, which brought an official Home Office reprimand for discussing his office publicly without permission. Warren had had enough and resigned...coincidentally right before the murder of Mary Jane Kelly on 9 November 1888. Every superintendent on the force visited him at home to express their regret.

Warren's resignation hindered the investigation. He had given an order that if another murder occurred, nobody was to enter the scene - a strange turn of phrase as the four previous victims had all been found in the open street - until he arrived to direct the investigation. Consequently, when the murder of Kelly was discovered by a rent collector who looked in through the window of her room in a Spitalfields lodging house, the police did not enter the room for some three hours because, unaware of his resignation, they were waiting for Warren to arrive. He returned to military duties.

He was appointed Knight Commander of the Bath (KCB) on 7 January 1888.

It's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that the televersion of Sir Charles Warren could be the biological father Captain Arthur Hastings, friend and investigative companion to Hercule Poirot......

BCnU!

HARRISON BERGERON - TWICE UPON A TIME

In the multiverse of Toobworld, many of the characters from TV shows set in Earth Prime-Time have duplicates in the other TV dimensions. You can find their counterparts of course in the Land of Remakes, but also in the Tooniverse (Fonzie and Jeannie the Genie, for example), Skitlandia (like Lenny and Squiggy and Eddie Munster - all from 'SNL'), Doofusland (low IQ versions of George W. Bush and Abe Lincoln being the most prominent), even the movie of the week dimension - where the presidential line of succession has been different from our own since at least the 1930s ("Of Thee I Sing").

Precedent was established in 'Journeyman' that timing is everything (at least when it comes to "conceptual sex", for want of a better term) in keeping the characters exactly the same from one dimension to another. But there are times when a character was conceived in which the wrong sperm reached the egg first, but still the parents gave the same name to that character as he or she would have had in the main Toobworld. They may not only have different careers in the alternate dimension, but different looks as well.

That's why the Josiah Bartlet of Earth Prime-Time was a doctor once seen at St. Eligius Hospital and looked like the gentleman on the left, while the Josiah Bartlet of Earth Prime-Time/West Wing became the President of the United States and looked like the fellow on the right......

It's the kind of thing we've come to expect in the Land of Remakes, and especially in Earth Prime-Time/BET (a name in progress) where all the previously established characters are now black. ('The Odd Couple', 'Barefoot in the Park', even the "Honeymooners" feature film......)

Back in the early 1970's, Stony Stephenson was a jingle writer who got blasted into the Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum, in which he experienced a multitude of parallel dimensions all at the same time. In one of these alternate TV Landscapes, it was mandatory for everyone to be no better than anybody else - this meant everyone had to be saddled with handicaps to keep them on an equal footing with the majority.

But one man rebelled against that dictum - genius and superior athlete Harrison Bergeron, who commandeered air time on TV to show how beautiful it was to be yourself at your very best. At least until Handicapper General Diana Moon Glampers put a stop to his rebellion....

In that parallel TV dimension, it was also the 1970's as it was in Stony's original world, evident by the type of broadcasting equipment used in the studio.

Back here in the main Toobworld, Earth Prime-Time, Harrison Bergeron led a far different life because there were no equality laws like those found in that alternate dimension. Maybe it was a more dissolute life on the seamy side, but at least he got the chance to continue living.

And as we can see by these comparison pictures, there wasn't too much of a radical difference when it got down to the chromosomal level....

Of course, it could be that "Harrison Bergeron" was just another alias; we already know he went by the name of Donald Stark when he was running the sperm bank. And if so, this is no more than a guy who liked to read Vonnegut......

But I'll stick with my original idea.

SHOWS CITED:
'Bored To Death'
"Between Time And Timbuktu"
'Journeyman'
'St. Elsewhere'
'The West Wing'
'The Odd Couple'
'Barefoot In The Park'
"The Honeymooners"
'Happy Days'
'Fonzie And The Happy Days Gang'
'I Dream Of Jeannie'
'Jeannie'
'Laverne & Shirley'
'The Munsters'
'Saturday Night Live'
'That's My Bush!'
'The Secret Files Of Desmond Pfeiffer'
"Of Thee I Sing"

 BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: DAME SUSAN GULL

DAME SUSAN GULL

AS SEEN IN:
"Jack The Ripper"

AS PLAYED BY:
Ann Castle

From Wikipedia:
On 18 May 1848, Dr. Gull married Susan Ann Lacy, daughter of Colonel J. Dacre Lacy, of Carlisle. Shortly afterwards he left his rooms at Guy’s and moved to 8 Finsbury Square.

They had three children. Caroline Cameron Gull was born in 1851 at Guy’s Hospital and died in 1929; she married Theodore Dyke Acland MD (Oxon.) FRCP, the son of Sir Henry Acland, 1st Baronet MD FRS. They had two children, a daughter (Aimee Sarah Agnes Dyke Acland) who died in infancy in 1889, and a son, Theodore Acland (1890–1960), who became headmaster of Norwich School.

Cameron Gull was born about 1858 in Buckhold, Pangbourne, Berkshire and died in infancy.

William Cameron Gull was born on 6 Jan 1860 in Finsbury, Middlesex and died in 1922. He was educated at Eton College, inherited his father’s title as 2nd Baronet of Brook Street, and later served as the Liberal Unionist Member of Parliament for Barnstaple from July 1895 to September 1900.

Sir William Gull's will, with a codicil, was dated 27 November 1888. The value of the estate was £344,022 19s. 7d - an enormous sum at that time.

The following persons were appointed as executors: his wife, Dame Susan Anne Gull, his son, Sir William Cameron Gull, of Gloucester Street, Portman Square (the new baronet), Mr. Edmund Hobhouse, and Mr. Walter Barry Lindley.

Under the terms of the will, £500 was bequeathed to each of the acting executors. A jewelled snuffbox presented to Sir William Gull by the Empress Eugénie, widow of Emperor Napoleon III of France became an entailed heirloom, along with his presentation plate.

Lady Gull was bequeathed the remainder of his plate, his pictures, furniture, and household effects and the sum of £3,000, along with the use for the remainder of her life of the house at 74 Brook Street. She also received a life annuity of £3,000, commencing 12 months after Sir William's death.

From Comic Vine:
Susan Ann Lacy was born c. 1820, the daughter of Colonel J. Dacre Lacy. She married Dr William Gull on May 18th, 1848. Together they moved to 8 Finsbury Square. They had three children together, two of whom survived to adulthood. Their first child, Caroline Cameron Gull, was born in 1851. The second, Cameron Gull, was born in 1858, and died in infancy. The third, William Cameron Gull, was born in 1860. When her husband was given the title of 1st Baronet of Brook Street in 1872, she was given the title of Dame.

When her husband died in 1890 she was bequeathed a great deal of money, as well as the house that they had shared. She died four years later in 1894. She was 74 years of age.

BCnU!