I've often said that should I ever write my memoirs, the title would be
"Living On The Periphery". All my life, I've always been on the very
edge of anything significant in the world, never at the center of it. And
probably that's a good thing - keeps my name out of the police blotter that
way.
My best example? When the Iranian hostage crisis broke, I was working for
the Savak, the Shah's secret police - but as a cashier in a NYC restaurant that
they owned. Woop-ti-doo. (Although it was unnerving to one day read an article in "New York" magazine about how one of my bosses used to wire the genitals of prisoners and another of the bosses once raped a woman in the embassy while her husband was left cooling his heels downstairs in the lobby. After that, I would panic if I heard my name crop up in their conversations in Farsi.....)
I may not be the one in the headlines with important court cases, or
starring in TV sitcoms, or hobnobbing with the legends of the music biz, but I'm friends
with those people.
Like I said, I'm on the periphery.
This is probably my first example, at least the earliest documented
one*:
I'm sure most of you have seen that video at least once in the last week,
or at the very least a snippet of it during the news - that's the late Davy
Jones of Monkees fame as the Artful Dodger. He had been nominated for the Tony
Award for that role, but lost to David Burns of 'A Funny Thing Happened On The
Way To The Forum'.
Before the death of Davy Jones, the main reason this video was of notice
was because it was from the February 9, 1964 broadcast of 'The Ed Sullivan Show'
- the same night in which the Beatles made their debut on Ed's show.
And yes, there is a peripheral connection to me with that clip - the
moppet in that snippet playing Oliver is Ron Kroll. We used to go to
St. Joseph's School together in Meriden, Connecticut, until one day he was off
to the Great White Way to be a part of the "Oliver!" cast. And eventually, in
time for the Sullivan broadcast, he had been elevated to the title role.
Years later we were acting together on stage in the Platt High School
production of "The Odd Couple". I was Murray the Cop, Ron was either Vinnie or
Roy. One thing I remember from that production was the backlash before we
opened - a lot of people were upset that we weren't doing a musical. With a musical, there would have been more student participation. But the teacher who used to
direct those in the past had stepped down, and Antia Madzik, who took over,
wanted to start off with a play to get the basic experience first.
Here's a couple of pictures from the high school yearbook about that show.....
That's Ron, sitting at the piano next to Miss Madzik. As for the other picture? That's me with our Cecily and Gwendolyn Pidgeon sitting on me. It's not part of the play, but at that point in the photo shoot I wasn't concerned with veracity.....
So that's my connection to "Oliver!", Davy Jones, and the Beatles. Not
even worth playing the degrees of separation game with that one. But I'm still
friends with Ron, reconnected through Facebook, so that's what really
counts.
Oh, and by the way, this is my 7400th post for Inner Toob since I started blogging in 2004!
* When he was nine years old, the late Phil Hartman lived in my hometown. I would have been just a baby in the carriage at that point, but who's to say we didn't pass each other with our Mommies at some time in the supermarket?
Here's some wonderful, off-color bidness from Chuck McCann:
This definitely takes place in Skitlandia. Hey, would you really want this
alien visiting Earth Prime-Time? There's enough bleep stinking up the airwaves
as it is in the main Toobworld!
But as for Chuck McCann himself? Always welcome, and despite the situation
with this particular character, his bleep don't stink!
For this Saturday edition of the Video Weekend, we're featuring a Neil
Innes character in the "ASOTV" showcase for no other reason than we want to.
And because I found a good video in the Skitlandia version of the WNU.
Plus it's been one hundred years since the introduction of Tarzan to the
world. It's about time Inner Toob celebrated his existence in the
multiverse!
Okay, so I had three good reasons.....
TARZAN
aka
JOHN CLAYTON, EARL GREYSTOKE
CREATED BY:
Edgar Rice Burroughs
AS SEEN IN: 'The Innes Book Of Records'
AS PLAYED BY:
Neil Innes
TV DIMENSION:
Skitlandia
STATUS:
Recastaway
"Enchanted" by Mr. Sweet
From Wikipedia:
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the
African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization
only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Created
by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan first appeared in the novel "Tarzan of the Apes"
(magazine publication 1912, book publication 1914), and then in twenty-five
sequels, three authorized books by other authors, and innumerable works in other
media, authorized or not.
Tarzan is the son of a British Lord and Lady who
were marooned on the Atlantic coast of Africa by mutineers. When Tarzan was only
an infant, his mother died of natural causes and his father was killed by
Kerchak, leader of the ape tribe by whom Tarzan was adopted. Tarzan's tribe of
apes is known as the Mangani, Great Apes of a species unknown to science. Kala
is his ape mother. Burroughs added stories occurring during Tarzan's adolescence
in his sixth Tarzan book, "Jungle Tales of Tarzan".
Tarzan is his ape name; his
real English name is John Clayton, Earl Greystoke (the formal title is Viscount
Greystoke according to Burroughs in "Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle"; Earl of
Greystoke in later, non-canonical sources, notably the 1984 movie "Greystoke").
In fact, Burroughs's narrator in Tarzan of the Apes, describes both Clayton and
Greystoke as fictitious names – implying that, within the fictional world that
Tarzan inhabits, he may have a different real name.
Apeman king of jungle Apeman have no fear Apeman tell life
story Apeman bend your ear
aaaheeaaaheeaaah, Ungawa (yeah yeah!)
Apeman grow ape child Apeman soon teenager Apeman really wild
aaaheeaaaheeaaah, Ungawa (yeah yeah!)
Well I'm an apeman (yeah he's
an apeman!) Gotta-keep-in-shape man ('cause he's an apeman!)
aaaheeaaaheeaaah, Ungawa (yeah yeah!)
Apeman fall for ape girl
Apeman go on date Apeman go ape dancin' Apeman stay out late
aaaheeaaaheeaaah, Ungawa (yeah yeah!)
Well I'm an apeman (yeah he's
an apeman!) A gotta-keep-in-shape man ('cause he's an apeman!)
aaaheeaaaheeaaah, Ungawa (yeah yeah!)
Apeman go ape steady
Apeman take ape bride Apeman raise ape family Apeman will provide
aaaheeaaaheeaaah, Ungawa (yeah yeah!)
aaaheeaaaheeaaah, Ungawa
(yeah yeah!)
aaaheeaaaheeaaah, Ungawa (yeah yeah!)
That he sang his life story might indicate that he had been touched by the powers of Mr. Sweet the pan-dimensional musical demon from 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'. (Another example of why Mr. Sweet in in the TV Crossover Hall of Fame!)
As you can see, animated characters from the Tooniverse could cross over
not only into Earth Prime-Time but into Skitlandia as well.......
Once a month, since the big celebration last October for the 50th
anniversary of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', Inner Toob has been continuing the
salute with more posts about the greatest sitcom ever made (and my second
favorite TV show ever.)
Last month, we took a look at Hezekiah Petrie's family tree and the black
Petries who could be descended from him. This time we're examining another
branch of Uncle Hezekiah's immediate family......
At the reading of Hezekiah Petrie's will in 1965, Rob and Laura Petrie were
introduced to Alfred Rhinebeck, Uncle Hezekiah's half-brother.
Based on facts gleaned from the episode, we learned that Uncle Hezekiah was
born in 1863, probably in early November. But Alfred Rhinebeck had to be no
older than the actor who portrayed him. (One of my favorite TV character
actors, Herb Vigran.) This would place Alfred's birth in 1910.
So that means there was about a 47 year difference between the brothers.
Based on the picture we saw of Hezekiah Petrie's father, he appeared to be
no less than 45 years of age when Hezekiah was born. That would have made him
92 years old when he sired Alfred!
Although Papa Petrie might have had the stamina, like Strom Thurmond, it's
highly doubtful that Hezekiah's mother could have had another child 47 years
later.
But what if she died and the Senior Petrie remarried a much younger woman?
She would be the mother of Alfred and so that would make him and Hezekiah
half-brothers.
But Alfred also had the last name of Rhinebeck....
It would seem the elderly Petrie passed away, and the second Missus must
have eventually remarried to a man named Rhinebeck.
So Alfred's step-father must have then adopted the lad and gave him his
surname....
"Eloise" is the name of the protagonist in a series of children's books
written in the 1950s by Kay Thompson (1909-1998) and illustrated by Hilary
Knight (b. 1926). Thompson and Knight followed up "Eloise" (1955) with four
sequels.
Eloise is a six-year-old girl who lives in the "room on the
tippy-top floor" of the Plaza Hotel in New York City with her Nanny, her pug dog
Weenie, and her turtle Skipperdee.
Thompson's goddaughter, Liza Minnelli,
has been cited as a possible model for Eloise, as has the author
herself.
The television "Eloise" was an adaptation of the popular book by
Kay Thompson, which owed much to the delicate line illustrations of Hilary
Knight. The marketing of Eloise and the subsequent book sequels practically
always featured the illustrations of Knight, and numerous photographs were
published in the 1950s of [Eveyln] Rudie in the role.
In 1956, Rudie
became an overnight star with her performance in the title role of Eloise on
television's 'Playhouse 90'. It brought her critical acclaim, much press
coverage and an Emmy nomination at age six—the first time a child actress was so
honored.
Kay Thompson appeared in the TV special as herself. Toobworld has many televersions of authors who share Earth Prime-Time as their "creations" - Dickens, Twain, Christie, Conan Doyle, etc. - but this may be the first time the actual author is seen in Toobworld along with the characters she "created".
As always, the truth is that the late Ms. Thompson was writing a true-life account, as far as Toobworld is concerned.....
I received an e-mail from Vincent Audette, a member of Team Toobworld who's
come through in the past with info that served to better the Toobworld
Dynamic.......
I remembered your article from 2008 about the fictional Mammoth Studios
that linked 'The Lucy Show', 'The Monkees' and 'The Beverly Hillbillies'. Lately i've
been watching the 'It Takes A Thief' box set and the second season two parter
features Mammoth Studios and even tells us who owns the studio when it aired
during the 1968-69 TV season. Thought you'd like to know.
I do! Mammoth Studios was inducted into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame in 2009, so
this is a welcome addition to its tally.
Recently, the villain of "Rich Man, Poor Man" - the dastardly yet somehow
charismatic Falconetti - was featured as the "ASOTV" showcase character from
literature. And we pointed out one of Toobworld's big Zonks with his portrayal
- that even though his left eye was injured in the fight with Tom Jordache, he
was later seen wearing a patch over his right eye.
This is easy enough to splain away - Falconetti's left eye didn't suffer
permanent damage. But while he was in prison, he did lose his right eye in
another brawl.
"Once an Eagle" (1968) is a war novel by American author Anton Myrer. A #1
New York Times Bestseller, "Once an Eagle" has been a favorite of American
military men and women since its writing. The novel tells the story of Sam
Damon, career Army officer, from his initial enlistment to his rise to general
officer rank. Along the way, he encounters Courtney Massengale time and again,
an opportunistic, smooth talking Army officer devoid of the honor and integrity
that guide Sam Damon during his career. A television mini-series based on the
book was aired on NBC in 1976, with actor Sam Elliot portraying Sam Damon. The
book appears on the Commandant's required reading list for all First Lieutenants
in the United States Marine Corps, and frequently serves as a text for Cadets in
leadership classes at West Point.
'Once An Eagle' (1976) is a nine hour
American television mini-series directed by Richard Michaels and E.W.
Swackhamer. The picture was written by Peter S. Fischer and based on the 1968
Anton Myrer novel of the same name.
The first and last installments of
the seven-part series broadcasted two hours each, while the interim episodes
were 60 minutes.
The mini-series concerns the thirty year careers of two
military men, from the outbreak of World War I to the aftermath of World War
II.
Courtney Massengale (Antagonist. Conniver and malefactor, using
family political connections to move up the ranks)
Courtney Massengale (Cliff Potts) is... a womanizing, self-aggrandizing
conniver.
From once-an-eagle.com:
Courtney Massengale, is evil personified. His dedication is to the
advancement of his career, without regard to the devastation it wreaks on his
family and the blood shed by those affected by his command decisions.
Courtney Massengale, triumphs over Sam Damon by manipulating the political
system in Washington and making all the right career moves, even though he
disdains the rank-and-file and sends his soldiers into certain death in his
first command in World War II.
Courtney Massengale is the officer you
hope you don't work for,'' said Col. Jerry D. Morelock, a recently retired
history professor at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth,
Kan., where Army officers are trained for higher command.
The names of
Sam Damon and Courtney Massengale have entered the language of the United States
military as code words for the good officer who thinks first of the troops and
the other one who thinks only of personal gain.
When General Shelton
wants to exclude a candidate from a promotion, all he has to do is tell the
board of review: ''This is another Courtney Massengale.''
''It's a
household name and I've used it to say we shouldn't have an individual like that
in the ranks -- someone who is motivated for all the wrong reasons, someone you
don't want leading the troops,'' General Shelton said.
With yesterday's mega-tribute to the TV characters played by the late Davy
Jones, I found a few theoretical connections:
A THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY
Record producers Jerry Vicuna ('Sledge Hammer') and Albert Lynch ('ABC
After-School Special') could be brothers.
GAME OF THE NAME
Jockey Davey Sanders ("The Bluegrass Special") may have changed his name to
Frank Tyson ("A Horse In The House") and moved back to England.
LA TRIVIATA
Monkee Mike Nesmith "wrote" the song "I'm Gonna Buy Me A Dog", previously
recorded by a teen-age band - which included a look-a-like for Mike's band-mate
Davy. ('The Farmer's Daughter')
As I did all the research on that project, I found another theoretical
connection, one which didn't fit in with the overall Davy Jones theme.....
In the 'My Two Dads' episode "The Wedge", Michael tried to rouse Joey
because he thought he heard a prowler in the house. But Joey was in the midst
of a very erotic dream, in which he was fending off the amorous advances of some
woman named Veronica. ("No, Veronica! I have no more to give!")
So the question is: Who was Veronica?
Joey Harris was an artist with some small measure of success. With a
decent enough reputation in the art world, Joey may have moved easily through
the upper echelons of the entertainment world - not just the art scene, but the
music biz. the movie crowd and TV types.
And in the field of fashion as well.....
Veronica "Ronnie" Chase was another former A-Lister with her own lingerie
catalogue "empire". And she wrote self-help books as well. When we last saw her, she was struggling a bit to keep pace
with the industry, but at one time she had been on top of the world, Ma!
So I'm going to put forth (I know she did!) that at some point in the
trajectories of their careers, Joey and Veronica intersected. They probably
intersected a lot.....
Eventually, it had to end. But it looks like Joey never got over
her.....
(And Veronica probably never got over him either. Eventually she started
dating a man named Justin, who looks to have been Joey's identical
cousin.)
Near the end of the month, I'll be participating in another blog-A-thon,
this time celebrating Fredric March. My experience with the 'Dick Van Dyke
Show' bog-A-thon (I just like typing that!) hosted by "Thrilling Days Of
Yesteryear" (link to the left, March Hares!) was so enjoyable I was hoping I'd
stumble across another one which I could take a swing at.
Either I'm about to disappoint you, or reassure you, but I won't be going
overboard like I did for the 50th anniversary of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'.
Doing one marathon of posting a year is enough for me and I'll stick to 'Doctor
Who' on New Year's Day for that. No, I'll only have the one post for the
weekend of March 24 & 25 celebrating Fredric March in Toobworld. Mr. March
didn't do enough TV to offer me enough of a variety to choose from, but what
I've decided on is cherce. And I'll be using the daily "As Seen On TV" showcase
as the focus..
Hopefully I can get down to the Paley Center this week in hopes that they
have what I'm looking for.....
At the very least, my commitment to this project has spurred me to finally
order a printer/scanner combo for the Toobworld Central offices....
So here's some background on the March-In-March blog-A-thon: It will be
hosted by the blog "Sittin' On A Backyard Fence" and will run March 15 - 31.
Other bloggers will be showcased each day during the run on that site while the
free-for-all, in which my humble offering will be made, happens on the last full
weekend.
To learn more, to see what other blogs will be involved, and find out which of Mr.
March's movies will be showcased, click on the logo's caption above....
"Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe" is a
dramatic novel by George Eliot. Her third novel, it was first published in 1861.
An outwardly simple tale of a reclusive weaver, in its strong realism it
represents one of Eliot's most sophisticated treatments of her attitude to
religion.
Silas Marner – a weaver and miser who is cast out of
Lantern Yard by his treacherous friend William Dane, and accumulates a small
fortune only to have it stolen by Dunstan Cass. Despite these misfortunes, he
finds his faith and virtue restored by the arrival of young Eppie.
(protagonist)
Godfrey Cass – eldest son of the local squire, who is being
constantly blackmailed by his dissolute brother Dunstan over his secret marriage
to Molly. When Molly dies, he feels relief, but in time realizes he must account
for his deceit to those he has wronged. (deuteragonist)
Dunstan Cass –
Godfrey's greedy brother with a penchant for alcohol and manipulation, and the
real culprit in the theft of Silas's bag of gold.
Molly Farren – Godfrey's
first (and secret) wife, who has a child by him. She dies in the attempt to
reveal their relationship and ruin Godfrey, leaving the child, Eppie, to wander
into Silas' life.
Eppie – child of Molly and Godfrey, who is cared for by
Silas after the death of her mother. Mischievous in her early years, she grows
into a radiant young girl devoted to her adoptive father.
Nancy Cass (nee
Lammeter) – Godfrey Cass' second wife, a morally and socially respectable young
woman.
Aaron Winthrop – son of Dolly, who marries Eppie at the end of the
novel.
Dolly Winthrop – mother to Aaron; godmother to Eppie. Sympathetic to
Silas.
William Dane – William Dane is Silas’ former best friend, who looked
after and respected Silas in Lantern Yard. William ultimately betrays Silas by
framing him for theft and marrying Silas’ fiancée Sarah after Silas is exiled
from Lantern Yard.
Sarah – Silas' fiancée in Lantern Yard, who subsequently
marries his treacherous friend William Dane.
From the
source: To the peasants of old times, the world
outside their own direct experience was a region of vagueness and mystery: to
their untravelled thought a state of wandering was a conception as dim as the
winter life of the swallows that came back with the spring; and even a settler,
if he came from distant parts, hardly ever ceased to be viewed with a remnant of
distrust, which would have prevented any surprise if a long course of
inoffensive conduct on his part had ended in the commission of a crime;
especially if he had any reputation for knowledge, or showed any skill in
handicraft. All cleverness, whether in the rapid use of that difficult
instrument the tongue, or in some other art unfamiliar to villagers, was in
itself suspicious: honest folk, born and bred in a visible manner, were mostly
not overwise or clever--at least, not beyond such a matter as knowing the signs
of the weather; and the process by which rapidity and dexterity of any kind were
acquired was so wholly hidden, that they partook of the nature of conjuring. In
this way it came to pass that those scattered linen-weavers--emigrants from the
town into the country--were to the last regarded as aliens by their rustic
neighbours, and usually contracted the eccentric habits which belong to a state
of loneliness.
In the early years of this century, such a linen-weaver,
named Silas Marner, worked at his vocation in a stone cottage that stood among
the nutty hedgerows near the village of Raveloe, and not far from the edge of a
deserted stone-pit. The questionable sound of Silas's loom, so unlike the
natural cheerful trotting of the winnowing-machine, or the simpler rhythm of the
flail, had a half-fearful fascination for the Raveloe boys, who would often
leave off their nutting or birds'-nesting to peep in at the window of the stone
cottage, counterbalancing a certain awe at the mysterious action of the loom, by
a pleasant sense of scornful superiority, drawn from the mockery of its
alternating noises, along with the bent, tread-mill attitude of the weaver. But
sometimes it happened that Marner, pausing to adjust an irregularity in his
thread, became aware of the small scoundrels, and, though chary of his time, he
liked their intrusion so ill that he would descend from his loom, and, opening
the door, would fix on them a gaze that was always enough to make them take to
their legs in terror. For how was it possible to believe that those large brown
protuberant eyes in Silas Marner's pale face really saw nothing very distinctly
that was not close to them, and not rather that their dreadful stare could dart
cramp, or rickets, or a wry mouth at any boy who happened to be in the rear?
They had, perhaps, heard their fathers and mothers hint that Silas Marner could
cure folks' rheumatism if he had a mind, and add, still more darkly, that if you
could only speak the devil fair enough, he might save you the cost of the
doctor. Such strange lingering echoes of the old demon-worship might perhaps
even now be caught by the diligent listener among the grey-haired peasantry; for
the rude mind with difficulty associates the ideas of power and benignity. A
shadowy conception of power that by much persuasion can be induced to refrain
from inflicting harm, is the shape most easily taken by the sense of the
Invisible in the minds of men who have always been pressed close by primitive
wants, and to whom a life of hard toil has never been illuminated by any
enthusiastic religious faith.
As rich as this production is, it still must be relegated to an alternate
TV dimension. There had been a 1964 TV series based on the book starring David
Markham and that must take precedence for Earth Prime-Time.
Today is Ben Murphy's birthday; he turns 70 years old.
Murphy starred in series like 'Lottery!', 'Berrenger's', 'The Winds Of
War', 'The Name Of The Game', 'Gemini Man', and 'Dirty Dozen: The Series'. But
I think we all know with which series he'll forever be pardnered......
Say it with me, Team Toobworld:
"ALIAS SMITH AND JONES"
As I often mention here in the IT, it would be nice if TV characters had
nice long lives off-screen, even if the actors who portrayed them passed away.
But then again, if there's ever a threat of another actor coming along who might
play that same role, it would be better to consider the character dead as well.
That way our memory is of the original actor only, unsullied by any new
interpretation.
Ben Murphy's partner on 'AS&J' wasn't that lucky. After Pete Duel took
his own life during the run of that Western, he was replaced by the actor who
had been providing the opening narration for the series, Roger Davis. But it
just wasn't the same.
I tried to come up with a convoluted splainin about how the soul of
Hannibal Heyes had been transferred into the corpse of a gunslinger/gambler
known as "Smiler" (also played by Davis.) It ran for pages in my original
website, the Tubeworld Dynamic, and it involved characters played by Alan Hale
on 'The Wild Wild West' and 'Alias Smith And Jones' and of course I had to bring
my all-time favorite TV character, Dr. Miguelito Quixote Loveless, into the mix
as well.
But as much as I liked it, the essay stretched credulity to the breaking
point. So I ditched it in favor of the more reasonable splainin - there were
two versions of 'Alias Smith And Jones'. Both featured Ben Murphy as Kid Curry,
but the Hannibal Heyes played by Pete Duel could be found in Earth Prime-Time,
while the one with Roger Davis as outlaw under the alias of "Joshua Smith" could
be found in the TV dimension of remakes.
Kid Curry is long since dead in the Toobworld timeline, but when he died
depends on the good health of Mr. Murphy.
According to a book I have ("Alias Smith & Jones: The Story Of Two
Pretty Good Bad Guys" by Sandra K. Sagala and JoAnne M. Bagwell), the televised
story of Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes began in 1880. Which means that if we
consider Kid Curry to be the same age as the actor who played him - standard
custom here at Toobworld Central, unless told differently in the script - then
he was 29 years of age. So that means he was born in 1851.
Even though the chance is rare, there's always the possibility that Kid
Curry might one day show up again on TV. ('The Adventures Of Brisco County,
Jr.' would have been a perfect showcase for him!) So that means - to my way of
thinking, at any rate - that as long as Ben Murphy is alive and well, then so is
Kid Curry. (I mean, Thaddeus Jones.)
So the Kid would have turned 70 in 1921, one year into the run of
'Boardwalk Empire' and 'Downton Abbey' won't reach that point in time for at
least another season.
They're not really clones, although I suppose an argument could be made for some of them. This is just about those other characters played by Davy Jones on TV. Yes, Sleepy Jean, he did play more than a televersion of himself...... It's a standard conceit in Toobworld to think of TV characters surviving
beyond the lifespans of the actors who portrayed them. However, when dealing
with the fictional televersions of those actors, we have to consider them as
having died as well. And unless otherwise stated in some TV show, they died in
the same manner as the originals in the Trueniverse.
So it is with Davy Jones of the Monkees, who passed away last week at the
too young age of 66. But in Toobworld, Davy left behind quite a few
"tele-folks" among the citizenry of the TV dimension.
Let's take a look at the main ones of interest.....
PRINCE LUDLOW
"THE MONKEES"
Davy may be gone, but his identical "twin" from the musical sitcom should
still be around - unless he was murdered in some palace intrigue. Prince Ludlow
was 17 in the episode (He had to be married by the age of 18 in order to inherit
the kingdom.) so he was younger than Davy. He'd be about 62 years of age
today.
Next up, the triumvirate of aging rock stars. I think each of them is an
individual and not just operating under stage names in one or the other. But
they could all have a Monkees connection - perhaps they all started out in the
business as Davy Jones impersonators......
MALCOLM O'DELL
"MY TWO DADS"
Malcolm was a former glory rocker who was an old friend of Joey Harris.
When he first dropped by, he believed that Nicole's other dad, Michael, was a
bad influence on Joey. He came to visit the next year in hopes he might find an
idea for a new rock album. After bleeping off Nicole, he wrote a song for her as
an apology......
REGINALD FAIRFIELD
"BOY MEETS WORLD"
Reg, along with Gordy (whose full name may be Norman Gordon, further
research required) and Jedidiah Lawrence, showed up at a rave turned anniversary
party, where they performed "My Girl" and "Not Fade Away". Reg, a professional mooch, claimed that he
first met Alan and Amy Matthews during their college backpacking trip (not
realizing only Amy was enrolled in college.)
Plus - check out the TV crossover by the end!
JOHNNY JAMES
"LUSH LIFE"
Davy appeared in the last episode of the series, "The Not So Lush Rock
Star", which was never broadcast. The general description of the plotline is:
"For her new job, Margot must keep a struggling rock star out of trouble until
his comeback -- but George has other plans for him."
I'm assuming Davy's character of Johnnie James was the rock star.....
Then we've got the record executives......
ALBERT LYNCH
"ABC AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIAL" ("IT'S ONLY ROCK AND ROLL")
Lynch was a record company executive, a total sleazebag, who wanted the
lead singer of Hallie's Comets to sex it up in the presentation of their songs.
This led to a showdown with the town's arch-conservative sheriff.
JERRY VICUNA
"SLEDGE HAMMER"
Once again, Davy Jones played a sleazy record producer; this time he was a
suspect in the murders of a heavy metal rocker and his band. As it was such a
publicity-hungry business, I don't think it would be logical if Vicuna escaped
from jail and then took on the persona of Albert Lynch in that "ABC After-School
Special". However it could be that they were twins who had followed the same
dream - only Albert changed his last name to avoid any further connection to his
murderous brother.
It looks like he stayed in his comfort zone with his roles, even if some of
them were rotters. But then again, after producers weren't willing to give him
a shot at something completely different after 'The Monkees'.
Connected to another aspect of his real life, Davy also played a few
jockeys.....
"U.N. OWEN"
"TRAINER"
The name listed above is just my Agatha Christie way of saying I have no clue as to the
identity of Davy's character in the episode "No Way To Treat A Lady". (U.N. Owen = Unknown from "Ten Little Indians") This was
a BBC prime-time soap opera similar to 'Dallas' about the horse-racing set near
Lambourn Downs which lasted two seasons (series.) Since Davy had been a jockey
in his earlier years, he could have been playing a former jockey, a current
jockey, a jockey turned trainer, a racehorse owner, or even making an appearance
as himself.
FRANK TYSON
"A HORSE IN THE HOUSE"
Once again Davy played a slimy bastid, a jockey in league of a crooked
bookie. They're determined to ruin Otterby Stables, but a young girl named
Melanie Webb (and a horse named Orbit) are just as determined to stop them...
DAVEY SANDERS
"THE BLUEGRASS SPECIAL"
Once again, Davy played a jockey, and once again he wasn't a very nice
guy. As this was broadcast two years prior to "A Horse In The House", I have a
"Game Of The Name" theory - Davey was soon barred from racing in the States and
he returned to England. There he changed his name to Frank Tyson and continued
his slide into the Dark Side.
And here, back before he got typecast......
GREG CARTER
"BEN CASEY"
Davy and the loverly Yvonne Craig played a couple of kids who got married
too young and had descended into a boozy existence, with Mary Carter ending up
in the hospital because of a very bad beating. Glue-sniffing Greg ended up in
the hospital as well by the end. The name of the episode was "If You Play Your
Cards Right, You Too Can Be A Loser" - I tells ya, they don't make episode
titles like that anymore!
And even earlier, back home in Jolly Olde....
WILLIE THATCHER & FRANKIE SALE
'Z CARS'
Davy appeared in three episodes of the series, but I earlier made the claim
that his role as the nameless "Boy Footballer" was probably Davy as himself.
Willie Thatcher was in the very first episode of this classic old warhorse,
while Frankie showed up only fourteen episodes later. I get the feeling that
somebody in that precinct had been tomcatting around fourteen years earlier!
Not only did Davy get to work with Stratford Johns and Frank Windsor who played
future Crossover Hall of Famers Barlow and Watt, but also Jeremy Kemp and Brian
Blessed (both of them as constables).
COLIN LOMAX
"CORONATION STREET"
We can't really consider this as one of Davy's characters. He appeared in
maybe one or two episodes of this series, as the grandson of Ena Sharples. But
when Colin returned years later, he was now played by another actor - a victim
of age recasting. At least as a boy he looked like Davy Jones though.
ROLAND ?
"THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER"
Now, this is a very interesting link to 'The Monkees' and technically it
has nothing to do with Davy. In this episode, he plays a teenager named Roland
who forms a rock band with Congressman Morley's son and a couple of other kids.
Katy Holstrum agrees to be their manager and helps them to record a song called
"I'm Gonna Buy Me A Dog".....
You might think I would take the easy way out and
claim that within a year, Roland would change his name to Davy Jones and hook up
with the other members of the Monkees. But you'd be wrong, dear reader! The
televersion of Davy Jones has too much baggage - for instance, I think we have
to accept that TV's Davy Jones was also on Broadway in 'Oliver!' but then cast
his lot with Mickey, Mike, Peter.
And there are too many questions regarding
Roland. Did this episode take place in Washington, D.C.? If so, at least then
we'd have a few reasons why this English kid was going to school with Steve
Morley.
But we can still connect this series to 'The
Monkees'! According to one of their episodes, Mike Nesmith wrote "I'm Gonna Buy
Me A Dog" and they all thought he was on his way to a fantastic song-writing
career with yet another sleazy record executive. (This time played by Phil
Leeds.)
Mike met Davy, and joined up with him and Peter and Mickey to record
the song themselves, and never once did they suspect that there was another kid
out there who already recorded it and who looked like Davy's twin
brother!
"LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE"
Davy appeared in three of the shorts in this series - two in its original
run ("Love And The Model Apartment" and "Love And The Elopement") while the
third was in the 1986 remake (either "Love-A-Gram" or "Love And The
Apartment"). Even though that was a remake, it can still reside in Earth
Prime-Time because the show had no real continuing characters, being made up of
vignettes - small slices of life during prime time.
And finally, to add to Davy's appearances as his cartoon self in 'The
Scooby-Doo Movies' and 'Hey, Arnold!' (with the 'Spongebob Squarepants' role an
in-joke based on his name), Davy also played Nigel in an episode of 'Phineas and
Ferb'. My friends in the TV Crossover Universe forum on Facebook tell me that
this series could be a real hub in their view of the world. (Although it's a
separate dimension for the Toobworld Dynamic and therefore not of great import to the TwD.......)
And there you have it, the clones of Davy Jones - although I doubt genetic
splicing was ever involved.....
"He was about this tall and skinny With a smudge on his nose. And he wore a tall, silk hat." Professor Phipps 'Bewitched'
We have a little something different for the Two For Tuesday edition of the
"As Seen On TV" showcase - a literary character, seen on TV, but not actually
"real". And it's all in memory of Davy Jones....
JOHN "JACK" DAWKINS
aka
THE ARTFUL DODGER
CREATED BY*:
Charles Dickens
AS SEEN ON:
'The Ed Sullivan Show'
AS PLAYED BY:
Davy Jones
AS SEEN IN:
'Bewitched'
AS PLAYED BY:
Todd Baron
The performance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' occurred on February 9, 1964 -
the same broadcast to feature the Beatles' first appearance on the variety
show. No attempt at some extra-dimensional splainin on this one - no creation
of a Skitlandian off-shoot for the TV dimension known as Toobstage. This was
exactly as master serlinguist Ed Sullivan presented it - an excerpt from the
Broadway show that was playing at the time.
As for the Dodger's appearance in the 'Bewitched' episode "The Phrase Is
Familiar", he was as Professor Phipps described him:
"Isn't he wonderful, Samantha?
A page out of Dickens, come to life!"
Dodger falls into the same subset of the Tele-Folks Directory as fairy tale
character Jack O' The Beanstalk (also from 'Bewitched'), Elizabeth Bennett of
"Pride And Prejudice" (but as seen in 'Lost In Austen'), and many of the
Storybrooke citizens - also fairy tale characters - from 'Once Upon A Time'.
They are all characters to be found in books who are brought to life out of a
particular volume/edition of said books.
(They could all have actual counterparts in Earth Prime-Time, but these
would be from their life stories as chronicled by Dickens, Jane Austen, and the
Brothers Grimm [among others].)
Head feel like exploding any time soon?
* Because Dickens exists in Earth Prime-Time as well, he is considered more of a journalist/biographer who chronicled the lives of his characters instead of creating them.
BCnU!
PS:
Inner Toob will do another Two For Tuesday salute to the character of the
Artful Dodger, perhaps next week.......
"Why don't we just return him to the pages of literature?"
