SKED ALERT - "HIT AND MISS"

Here's a TV show I want to see, but I'm not going to order DirecTV (or is it Dish?) just to watch it. I'll wait for the DVDs.....

ECHOES: MOTHER BLIPVERT

Here's a TV crossover that would probably be overlooked by anybody who's not as trivia-O'Bsessed as I am......

I'm pretty sure it's the same woman in both, and since she's not named in either blipvert, so why not?

BCnU!

WINTERS - ART

Two great masters of comedy, just having fun with a box of props....

If this freeze-frames at the same point for everybody, wouldn't you think that was "The Great One" doing Reggie Van Gleason if you didn't know better?

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: HUGH "BULLDOG" DRUMMOND

 

 

 BULLDOG DRUMMOND

AS SEEN IN:

'Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Presents'

TV LOCATION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:

Bulldog Drummond is a British fictional character, created by "Sapper", a pseudonym of Herman Cyril McNeile (1888–1937), and the hero of a series of novels published from 1920 to 1954.

The Bulldog Drummond stories follow Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond, D.S.O., M.C., a wealthy former WWI officer of the fictional His Majesty's Royal Loamshire Regiment, who, after the First World War, spends his new-found leisure time as a private detective. He places an advertisement in the local newspaper-

"Demobilised Officer finding peace incredibly tedious would welcome diversion. Legitimate if possible; but crime of a humorous description, no objection. Excitement essential."

The character is partly based on McNeile's friend Gerard Fairlie, who carried on writing Drummond books after McNeile's death.

Drummond is a proto-James Bond figure and a version of the imperial adventurers depicted by the likes of John Buchan. In terms of the detective genre, the first Bulldog Drummond novel was published after the Sherlock Holmes stories, the Nayland Smith/Fu Manchu novels and Richard Hannay's first three adventures including "The Thirty-Nine Steps". The character first appeared in the novel "Bulldog Drummond" (1920), and this was followed by a lengthy series of books and adaptations for films, radio and television.

Philip José Farmer and J. T. Edson included Bulldog Drummond in Tarzan's extended family tree as the older brother of John 'Korak' Drummond-Clayton and the great-uncle of Dawn Drummond-Clayton.

Although the Wold Newton Family may incorporate Drummond into that shared universe, the Toobworld Dynamic can't add his appearances in novels, short stories, movies, radio plays, and comic books into the background for this one outing in television. Those all belong in their respective fictional universes, from BookWorld through the Cineverse, and beyond.

As for Korak and Dawn Drummond-Clayton, neither one has appeared on TV, so they don't have a presence in Earth Prime-Time. Tarzan himself, as envisioned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, has yet to appear in Toobworld. Right now we only have Ron Ely's televersion, who was most active during the 1960's. This could be the original Tarzan, after receiving that immortality serum from the books; or he could be a descendant following in the footsteps of his grandfather(?). But that would depend on an Edwardian era Tarzan finally reaching our TV screens. (It seems like every new incarnation of Tarzan MUST be situated in the modern day.)

A 30-minute episode of Douglas Fairbanks Jr Presents featured Bulldog Drummond in "The Ludlow Affair" (1957). Drummond (Robert Beatty) was little more than a detective in London, aided by Kelly (Michael Ripper). This episode is available on DVD.

But you can see it now for free here:

BCnU!

THE SONS OF DAVOS SEAWORTH

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I've pointed out in the past that there are major differences between George R.R. Martin's books in the "Song Of Ice And Fire" series and the 'Game Of Thrones' TV series on HBO - enough so that I'm even more comfortable with my claim that the events which transpire on the continent of Westeros take place on Earth's late twin, the planet Mondas.

So far we've seen the creation of a character, Ros, who combines all the minor unnamed whores into one (with Martin apparently planning to finally add Ros into the books), Asha Greyjoy now known as Yara Greyjoy (to avoid confusion with the previously seen character Osha), and Talisa the nurse - who may or may not be the same character as Jeyne from the books.

I have not (yet) read the books, and for once in my miserable TV-watching existence, I'm trying to avoid spoilers - that's how much I love this show. But because of my televisiological research, I did stumble upon the fates of certain characters - not that I'm about to ruin it for the rest of you! With this past episode "Blackwater", the penultimate one for the second season, I've never felt more compelled to check the internet for spoilers - but only for two characters, Davos Seaworth and squire Podrick Payne.

I won't give away anything on either one of them, except to say that I thought there had to be some overwhelming reason why Davos the Onion Pirate should be the favorite character for one of the show's producers.

But at any rate, in my search for some info on him, I learned that his family tree contributes another divergence between the Davos of BookWorld and the Davos of the Toobworld Dynamic.....

In the TV Universe, we met Davos' son Mathos, who was a fervent follower of Stannis Baratheon and his new religion centered around the Lord of Light. And he was so filled with enthusiasm for the cause that he remained blinded to the situation around him right to the very end.

But in the books, Davos is accompanied in the attack on King's Landing by his four eldest sons (out of seven) - not only Mathos, but also Dale, Allard, and Maric.

This is a situation that Toobworld Central can actually rectify so that both BookWorld and the TwD are aligned - at least on this point.

All four sons were with Davos in the TV Universe depiction of the fleet, but I believe Dale, Allard and Maric were assigned to other ships; only Mathos sailed with his father. And with the destruction of Stannis' fleet by wildfire in Blackwater Bay, those three siblings perished as well, bringing the TV series back in line with the books.

In the books, Mathos was the third oldest, after Dale and Allard, but for the purpose of this new scenario, he could be considered the eldest. That would be why he was at his father's side, old enough now to give his father advice and counsel.

But then again, it could be that his three older brothers weren't smart enough to serve in such a position to their father. Although I'm not so sure Dale, Allard, and Maric could be THIS bad:

It's not a problem that we never got to see Dale, Allard, and Maric; there's a precedent for accepting their existence without proof - the Khan-Chekov Encounter. (Sounds like an episode title for 'The Big Bang Theory'.)

Just in case we have visitors to Inner Toob who are unfamiliar with this oft-cited principle, in the second 'Star Trek' movie, "The Wrath Of Khan", Khan Noonian Singh said that he remembered Pavel Chekov from his time on the Enterprise. But we never saw them cross paths in the episode "Space Seed". In fact, actor Walter Koenig wasn't even in that episode.

But that doesn't mean it couldn't have happened off-camera. Maybe they stood side-by-side at some point at the urinals in the little space-boys' room.

So long, Allard, Dale, and Maric - we hardly knew ye.......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: FRANKIE ADDAMS

For the first day of June, a month known for weddings, I figured the ASOTV showcase should feature a literary TV character associated with one such event.....

FRANKIE ADDAMS

AS SEEN IN:

"The Member Of The Wedding"

CREATED BY:

Carson McCullers

PORTRAYED BY:

Anna Paquin

TV STATUS:

Recastaway

TV LOCATION:

Being the fourth incarnation in the TV Universe, perhaps the 'West Wing' dimension?

From Wikipedia:

"The Member of the Wedding" is a 1946 novel by Southern writer Carson McCullers.

The main action of the novel takes place over a few days in late August. It tells the story of 12-year-old tomboy Frankie Addams, who feels disconnected from the world—an "unjoined person". She dreams of going away with her brother and his bride-to-be on their honeymoon, following them to the Alaskan wilderness. She has no friends in the small Southern town in which she lives. Her mother died giving birth to Frankie and her father is a distant, uncomprehending figure. Her closest companions are the family's African American maid, Berenice Sadie Brown, and her six-year-old cousin, John Henry West.

[McCullers] had originally planned to write a story about a girl who was in love with her piano teacher. Then she had what she called "a divine spark". "Suddenly I said: Frankie is in love with her brother and the bride...The illumination focused the whole book."

The most famous version of the novel was the 1952 movie that kept most of the original cast from the 1950 Broadway play. In both of those, Julie Harris played Frankie.

Here are the other TV versions:

'The DuPont Show of the Month'
- "The Member of the Wedding" (1958) Played by Collin Wilcox Paxton

(This would be the official version for the main Toobworld.)

'ITV Play of the Week'
- "The Member of the Wedding" (1960) Played by Frances Cuka

(Brits for Southerners? Let's make it the Evil Mirror TV Dimension. Just joking, my British friends!)

"The Member of the Wedding" 

(1982) Played by Dana Hill

(Land of the Remakes)

"The Member of the Wedding" 

(1997) Played by Anna Paquin

(And that's how I came to choose the 'West Wing' TV dimension.....)

From the source:

It's hard to believe that about a decade later, Anna Paquin would be starring in a sex-filled, violent, gory TV show like 'True Blood', with Alfre Woodard joining in as a guest star.....

BCnU!

"BADGE 540", HERE ARE YOU!

We have an answer to the question of where the fake TV show "Badge 540" came from......... 

From Stephen Bowie, curator of the Classic TV History Blog:

Update, 5/29/12: Okay, let me put you guys out of your misery before you waste too much time on this. The image is from the Paul Wendkos film The Case Against Brooklyn (1958), a late, minor film noir about police corruption. One of the investigators (played by Brian Hutton, the director of Where Eagles Dare) is seen watching the fictitious TV series Badge 540. The movie doesn’t make much of it, as irony or any other kind of comparison between “real” cops and TV cops, and you only get a few glimpses of the “show,” which is probably why nobody seems to have mentioned Badge 540 anywhere on the whole internet.

But somebody could compile a really interesting piece about all of the fifties movies that include television as a subject, up to and including the creation of fake programs. There are a lot of them.

I'm glad that's settled, but I wish it had been from a 50's sitcom like 'Leave It To Beaver'!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: DAVE PAULICK

 DAVE PAULICK

AS SEEN IN:

"Vanished"

CREATED BY:

Fletcher Knebel

PORTRAYED BY:

William Shatner

TV LOCATION:

Earth Prime-Time/MOTW

From Wikipedia:

"Vanished" involved concerns over superpower nuclear proliferation during the Cold War. [The main plot is] about the political repercussions arising from the sudden, mysterious disappearance of the top aide to the President of the United States during a contentious re-election campaign.

Dave Paulick was a reporter hot on the story who gets a private meeting with the President and then he, too, disappears.....

From the source:

"Dave Paulick, the D.P. weekly news-letter man. He had been the first to call me, at 7 A.M, at home. Paulick should have been a sparring partner. He was brusque, sharp, cocky, unrelenting, a mountain of a man with bull shoulders and hands that belonged to a football tackle."

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: BILL COMPTON

BILL COMPTON

AS SEEN IN:

'True Blood'

CREATED BY:

Charlaine Harris

PORTRAYED BY:

Stephen Moyer

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:

William Erasmus "Bill" Compton is a fictional character from the The Southern Vampire Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse series by author Charlaine Harris. He is a vampire and is introduced in the first novel in the series, "Dead Until Dark", and has appeared in all of the novels since.

In the book series, Bill was born on April 9, 1840. He lived in Bon Temps, Louisiana, and fought for the South during the Civil War. He was a married farmer with three children (there is inconsistency in the storyline, with Bill telling Sookie that he had five living children with his wife in "Dead Until Dark"). On November 20, 1868, some years after the war, he was made a vampire by Lorena, with whom he had a long and stormy relationship. 

If I remember correctly from the TV series, he was on his way home from the war when he was attacked and turned by Lorena.

BCnU!

HELP TOBY-WAN; YOU'RE HIS ONLY HOPE.....

I need a little help from Team Toobworld on this one.....

Stephen Bowie of the Classic TV History blog published this picture earlier today:

He said that he watched it over the long weekend, and then he asked if anybody remembered it.

I think he's messing with me - er, with his readers. (Don't get too paranoid, Tobester.....) And I told him so in the comments. A quick, not very exhaustive Google search and a check of the IMDb listings didn't turn up anything. And a search through some of my pertinent TV books revealed nothing.

I'm convinced it's a fictional TV series - a show within a show, or from a movie. But which one?

My first guess was that it was from "L.A. Confidential". But Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) was a consultant for the TV series 'Badge Of Honor'.

Based on the look of the TV set (Who has actual dials anymore?), if this did come from another TV show, then it must be one that was from the 1950's or early 1960's. (Being in black&white is probably a factor as well.)

That he watched it "over the long weekend" suggests to me that Mr. Bowie was working his way through an entire series. And he has been looking through a lot of old cop shows recently.... Maybe this is from something like 'Naked City'?

Well, I'm at a loss. So I'm hoping somebody from Team Toobworld, or some other visitor to Inner Toob might have the answer.

And whenever the answer is posted in the Classic TV History Blog (Link to the left, my Scooby Gang!), I'll let you all know here......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: SIDNEY CARTON & CHARLES DARNAY

SIDNEY CARTON & CHARLES DARNAY

AS SEEN IN:

"A Tale Of Two Cities"

CREATED BY:

Charles Dickens

PORTRAYED BY:

Chris Sarandon

TV STATUS:

Recastaway

TV LOCATION:

Alternate Dimension TBD

From Wikipedia:

SIDNEY CARTON

Sydney Carton is introduced into the novel "A Tale of Two Cities" as a young, very sloppy but brilliant lawyer who bears an uncanny likeness to Charles Darnay, the prisoner he is defending. He uses his great skill to save Darnay from death, passing his case to his colleague Stryver, who takes all the glory for saving Darnay. It is then revealed that Carton has a deep hatred for Darnay, as he sees him as everything he should be but is not.

CHARLES DARNAY

Charles Darnay, or Charles St. Evrémonde, is a wealthy gentleman who spends time in both France and England during the time of the story. However, he resents how the lower classes are extorted and kept in extreme poverty by the upper class. Darney specifically goes against his uncle, Marquis St. Evrèmonde, who has no respect for the people in poverty.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

[Darnay] is put on trial for treason against the Kingdom of Great Britain, but he is acquitted on a point noticed by Sydney Carton. Carton also falls in love with Darnay's future wife Lucie during the trial.

Carton is called a "jackal" because it appears that, while Mr. Stryver very deftly presents each case, it is Carton's legal acumen that helps win them, though Stryver gets all the credit—a reference to how the jackals help the lions with the kill, while the lions take all the glory. It is also seen that Carton is an alcoholic who faces a great lack of self-confidence. He develops an unrequited love for Lucie Manette, which he tells her about. He says that he would do anything for her or for anybody that she loves.

When the revolutionaries are trying to find and kill the Marquis, Darnay realizes that his uncle has been murdered, making him the new Marquis.  Darnay returns to France, and is arrested for being an aristocrat (his original name is Charles Evrémonde).

At the end of the final book, Darnay is supposed to be executed, but Carton nobly chooses to take Darnay's place.

Before his execution by guillotine, Carton steps in and tricks Darnay into trading places with him, for Lucie and for the sake of their friendship. This is done with the help of John Barsad, an English spy working at one of the French prisons, after a conversation described as a "hand of cards". He experiences a conversion to Christianity afterwards, quoting John 11:25-26 to a young woman (known only as 'The Seamstress') who is executed before him:

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

Two for Tuesday!

BCnU!

PS:

For alls I know, I may have those two pictures reversed......

MEMORIAL DAY PROGRAMMING NOTE

I know I don't have to tell Team Toobworld this, but there are the occasional visitors to the Inner Toob blog who don't have the ample knowledge of televisiology that we all enjoy......

Out of my admiration for the late Harry Morgan, it would have been nice to make today's Memorial Day edition of the "As Seen On TV" showcase part of the salute to Colonel Sherman Potter. But he represents one of the major divergences from the original book of "M*A*S*H", as are Major Winchester and Captain BJ Hunnicutt.

Had I been able to use him, the Memorial Day piece would have focused on his career, while the ASOTV feature would have been about his character's life story and personality.

Enjoy the day. And always remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could enjoy the world of the Toob.....

POTTER'S PLATITUDES

As it is Memorial Day, and we paid tribute to Colonel Sherman T. (Tecumseh?) Potter today, I thought perhaps we should take a moment and reflect on what he had to say.....

MEMORIAL DAY: REMEMBERING COLONEL POTTER

When it came time to choose a departed member of the Toobworld military to honor on Memorial Day, my first thought went to Lt. Columbo, who served during the Korean Conflict and whose actor - Peter Falk - we lost last year. (It's my belief that Columbo also passed away.)  But a quick check of Inner Toob showed that we honored him for Veteran's Day in 2009. I think it would be better to find another candidate who deserves to be honored on this day.

And as with Peter Falk, we lost the actor who played our honoree last year......

COLONEL SHERMAN T. POTTER

Here's from the 'M*A*S*H' wiki:

Colonel Potter's first appearance on the series came in the second episode of Season Four, "Change of Command". Voiceover narration gives the date as September 19, 1952.

A Methodist, Sherman Potter was from Hannibal, Missouri, the childhood home of Mark Twain. (Two early episodes mention a home in Nebraska and in Ohio, however, and Potter implies in another episode that he's a Presbyterian.) His mother's name was Emma. Potter learned (among other things) Army foot care from a fellow Missourian in World War I — future President Harry S Truman although Truman was from Independence which is across the state; likewise they were also in different branches of the service-Potter was a cavalryman and Truman was a artilleryman. He also revealed early on that he was one-quarter Cherokee, when Frank Burns complained that Hawkeye "always gets the Cowboys, while I get stuck with the Indians!" (referring to friendly troops versus enemies, brought in for treatment). 

Sherman Potter enlisted in the Army at fifteen, when he lied about his age to get into the cavalry and was a member of the "1st cavalry" {Presumedely this is either supposed to be the 1st US Cavalry Regiment which didn't go oversees in World War I or the 1st US Cavalry Division which wasn't formed until 1921!}. Potter's serious love of horses is noted in several different episodes -he claimed in one epsiode to be able to shoe his own horse (His exact age during the series is debatable.

When Potter first takes command September 19, 1952 he claimes to be 51 which would place his birthdate in 1900/or 1901. In the episode, "Pressure Points", Potter gives his age as 62. With the episode set in 1952, he would have been born in 1890, and been fifteen years old in 1905; likewise in a two part epsiode when Major burns is missing {Gone from the show} he claims to have smoked cigars for 47 years-since 1905/6 {age 15{?} In 7.2, he mentions having been in the army for thirty-five years; assuming the year is 1952, he would have joined in 1917, the year the United States entered the First World War. Assuming he did enlist at age fifteen, he was born in 1902. In another episode, he mentions joining the cavalry during the days of Theodore Roosevelt's "Rough Riders", which only existed during the Spanish-American War of 1898 which would have made him 69 in 1952 when the mandatory military reitrement age for officers is 60{!) . In 11.7 Potter rants that someone over sixty shouldn't go to Florida; both the previous and succeeding episodes reveal that the timeline is the June/July of 1953.

He married Mildred in 1916. A conversation with a wounded soldier in the episode "Point of View" reveals their wedding date as September 8. However, in the episode "Settling Debts", he states that his anniversary is Groundhog Day, February 2 (he picked that day so he wouldn't forget it). In 4.7 Potter writes to Mildred on their 27th wedding anniversary which with 1952-27 means he was married in 1925-had he married in 1916 it would have been their 36th wedding anniversary in 1952! In 7/10 Potter is angry at himself for forgetting to write Mildred on their 35th anniversary. 

After World War I, Sherman Potter entered medical school, serving his residency in St. Louis and beginning his practice in 1932. Potter's uncle, a veterinarian, had sparked his interest in medicine, and he'd known several general practitioners at home, but he wanted most of all to become a surgeon. Potter remained in the Army, having married Mildred while still serving in the Cavalry, and served in a number of administrative positions before his final tour of duty, in Korea. He and Mildred purchased a home in Missouri "because she wanted to be able to put a nail in any wall she chose" (since they often lived on Army bases), and raised a dentist son (who disappears later on, as he later mentions having only a daughter). He and Mildred were grandparents; in an early episode, their son had a daughter, Sherry Pershing Potter, but after their son got replaced with a daughter, they then instead had a toddler grandson, Cory Wilson. 

He also mentioned having an eight-year-old granddaughter.

Potter would later admit in an episode that he had been a prisoner of war in World War I, and that he had been tortured and beaten. Potter was in World War II but the series is not consistant with his service-in one spisode he claims to have gotten the Purple Heart medal when his still blew up in Guam-which would have been in the summer of 1944 in the Asia pacific Area; in another epsiode he claims to have been in the Battle of the Buldge-which was in the winter of 1944 in the European theater! 

During World War I, recalling that he held the rank of private at the time, he and members of his Army unit spent the night in a French château while under fire. They came across a cache of brandy, and proceeded to drink all but one bottle. They made a pledge (a tontine) that the last survivor of the group would get the bottle, and make a toast to his old friends. (Years later, Potter turned out to be the last survivor of the group, and drank the toast together with his new friends at the 4077th.)

Col. Potter's leadership qualities were easily matched by his superiority as a surgeon. He led mainly by example, always doing his best and encouraging others to do the same. He was at times willing to ignore the letter of regulations in order to abide by their spirit. Easy going by nature, Potter understood the hellish realities of life in a MASH unit, and the need for jokes, pranks and recreation to boost morale.

When he found out about Hawkeye and B.J..'s gin distillery, he offered advice on how to improve its yield, explaining that he had such a still while stationed on Guam during World War II; he even stated that he had received a Purple Heart as a result of that still exploding in his face.

The maverick doctors in turn respected Potter's authority, and were as a consequence more willing to obey his orders than they had those of Col. Blake and/or Major Burns. At the same time, however, Potter did not suffer fools gladly; he was sterner and more decisive than his predecessor, and readily put his foot down if he felt things were getting too carried away, as well as castigating staffers who slacked in their duties. At the same time, his Regular Army background gave him a knowledge of the system and its foibles (and a number of superior officers with whom he was on first-name basis) that allowed him to cut through Army red tape that Col. Blake could not. 

Despite the distance that military duty imposed upon him, Col. Potter was, at heart, a family man. He kept in regular contact with his wife, children, and grandchildren, and told them all about the people he served with at the 4077th. For the most part, Potter and his wife, Mildred, had to maintain a long-distance relationship, although he was able to meet her for a couple weeks in Tokyo at one point. Potter kept a framed portrait of his wife on his desk, and every morning gave his wife a salute. In the Season 6 episode "Lil", Potter befriends Colonel Lillian Rayburn, a visiting dignitary, much to Radar's consternation. But when the friendship begins to get too warm he reminds himself of the "lady back home with [his] picture on [her] piano." In "Strange Bedfellows" from Season 11, Potter's son-in-law, Robert Wilson, pays a visit. But after learning of a one-night stand Robert had with a woman in Tokyo, Potter admitted to Robert he once had a brief extramarital affair himself. After handing the departing Robert a picture frame with a snapshot of him and his family, Potter said to Robert "promise me you'll stay in the picture".

Colonel Potter also showed that he was a man of integrity, who, after surviving two World Wars, had grown tired of fighting. More than once, when old Army buddies committed serious errors that resulted in men being unnecessarily hurt or killed, Potter reported them to headquarters, even though it broke his heart to turn on his old friends.

Potter is also a confessed lover of cowboy ballads, Zane Grey and the song Sentimental Journey by Doris Day, having listened to the song more than 28 times. He'd seen every Doris Day movie... alone. But, while Mildred didn't know, he said "Doris doesn't know either".

Potter became the administrator of a veteran's hospital in Missouri. Father Mulcahy, after losing his hearing from an explosion in the M*A*S*H series finale, was now the hospital's Catholic chaplain. Max and Soon-Lee Klinger, after experiencing discrimination in Toledo, moved to the area so that Max could take a job as Potter's assistant.

It can't be proven, but I think Sherman Potter passed away at some point around 1981.  That would be 28 years after the ceasefire in the Korean Conflict, and the same span of time as found in the period between the finale of 'M*A*S*H' and the passing of Harry Morgan.....

AS SEEN ON TV: SAM DAMON

We remember.....

SAM DAMON

AS SEEN IN:

'Once An Eagle'

CREATED BY:

Anton Myrer

PORTRAYED BY:

Sam Elliott

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia & CombatReform.org:

["Once An Eagle"] 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.

Sam Damon (Sam Elliott) is a good family man and praiseworthy warrior.

"Once an Eagle" is the story of Sam Damon, a Nebraska farm boy who wants to go to West Point but does not have the political connections necessary to gain an appointment. He enlists in the regular Army and serves in the 1916 Mexican border operation. Two years later, in France, he becomes an infantry squad leader and wins the Medal of Honor and a battlefield commission.

At World War I's end, Damon, a major, must revert to the rank of first lieutenant to remain in the post-war Army. As a company grade officer, he survives through the long, lean inter-war years, moving from post to dreary post in the American west and to overseas bases such as the Panama Canal Zone and the Philippines.

Throughout Damon's career, he is overshadowed by Courtney Massengale. Although Massengale does not have Damon's leadership skills or combat experience, he is seen as the epitome of the ambitious, poised and polished staff officer.

Damon, continually dogged by his "Mustang" origins, resolutely defends enlisted soldiers and their interests during an era when enlisted Soldiers were considered little more than unskilled laborers. Damon's critics, Massengale foremost among them, dismiss him as never having made the psychological shift from being a noncommissioned officer to being an officer.

When World War II begins, Damon is sent to the southwest Pacific, where his competence in combat eventually leads to division command. Near the war's end, Damon once again faces Massengale, now Damon's corps commander. Damon's division is decimated in a Japanese counterattack after Massengale prematurely commits the division's reserve elsewhere for no sound operational purpose other than that of receiving the glory of having captured intact a Japanese-held city. Damon survives the action but is faced with the moral conundrum of how - or even whether - to expose the powerful and politically connected Massengale. The story easily could have ended here. But, in a short, final section, Myrer extends the story by following Damon - and Massengale - into the early years of the Vietnam conflict.

Recalled in 1962 from retirement as a lieutenant general, Damon is sent on a fact-finding mission to Vietnam (called Khotiane in the book). Damon must once again confront Massengale, who is now a four-star general and the commander of the military advisory group. Damon discovers and attempts to derail an effort by Massengale to bring the United States into a full-scale war in Southeast Asia. However, before Damon can act, he is killed in a guerrilla grenade attack.

In creating the character of Sam Damon, Myrer provides the benchmark for what an American officer can and should be. Damon, though, is human and, therefore, far from perfect. What sets him apart is that he continually analyzes himself and tries to be the best officer he can be. On another level, Damon is a metaphor for the U.S. Army itself in the first seven decades of the 20th century. It came of age in World War I, achieved greatness in World War II, and withered in Vietnam.

BCnU.......

"MEN IN BLACK" RUN ON DUNKIN'

It's been ten years since the "Men In Black" have been on the theatre screens, and I'm surprised they never mounted a TV version about the exploits of Agents K and J. The Men in Black do exist in Toobworld, but never officially connected to the movies. (For example, we saw two agents in 'The X-Files', played by Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebek.)

But now the "Men In Black" have found a back-door entry out of the Cineverse and into the TV Universe.....

With a blipvert.

Here's a look at what you get from that Dunkin' Donuts tie-in app with "Men In Black 3".

Just another attempt for the government to control your minds through your cell phones. (I don't have one, BTW.)

Still, at least now I can claim the right to bring the three "Men In Black" movies into the Toobworld Dynamic. And I'll give this particular agent the code name of "DD" (for Dunkin' Donuts, natch!)

BCnU!

SKED ALERT! "NEWSROOM"

Aaron Sorkin is coming back to TV, this time on HBO!

'Newsroom' feels like it combines the best of the worlds of 'The West Wing' and 'SportsNight' with the freedom HBO provides for Sorkin to cut loose.

Here are a couple of clips to give you a taste of what's to come:

And that's the way it will be.....

LEE WAY

Yesterday we suggested the possibility that Lee Grant's Prosecuting Angel in the movie "Defending Your Life" had been the Defending Angel in the "Bontsche Shveig" chapter in "The World Of Sholom Aleichem" in 'The Play Of The Week'.

She probably became jaded after the way everything turned out for Bontsche and decided it would be easier working the other side of the Court in Heaven.

"Defending Your Life" would have made an excellent addition to the TV Universe. It's a small film that could easily have been produced for television rather than the big screen. And it could have been adapted for TV, with the focus shifted to those angels working in the office for the defense in all the cases that come in every day. Sort of a celestial version of 'The Office' or going even further back, 'Barney Miller' or 'Calucci's Department'.

And then we could have hinted that the original movie was being absorbed into the Toobworld Dynamic, out of the Cineverse. (Just so long as Lee Grant's character of "Ms. Foster" wasn't recast.)

Easier still would be just to say that her character in the "Bontsche Shveig" story is the Toobworld counterpart to her character in "Defending Your Life". It's just that her life ran along different paths in each world.

Here's a scene from the movie which gives her a nice showcase.....

BCnU!

PASSING THE TORCH

First off - big thanks to Rob Buckley of "The Medium Is Not Enough" (Link to the left, dear reptiles*) for sharing this at his site. I don't think I would have seen it otherwise. (At the very least, none of the FB Who groups I belong to have showcased it yet.)

So it was written by kids, although I think the script was polished up by somebody. Still, there's a Zonk in this, an alteration to the timeline - the 10th incarnation of the Doctor originally lit the torch.  But that must have been revised once the 11th incarnation of the Doctor rebooted the entire Universe with help from Amy Pond in "The Big Bang".

BCnU!

* Found it in "The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling" during my research today

THE HAT SQUAD: JOYCE REDMAN

From the Los Angeles Times:

Joyce Redman, a two-time Oscar-nominated Irish-born actress whose erotically charged dinner-eating scene opposite Albert Finney was a highlight of the bawdy 1963 British film comedy "Tom Jones," has died. She was 96.

Redman died [May 10] in Kent, England after a short battle with pneumonia, said her son, actor Crispin Redman.

A veteran of the London and Broadway stage, Redman received her first Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress for "Tom Jones," which starred Finney as the incorrigible 18th century English title character who has a series of amorous adventures.

One took place with Redman's bold and brazen Mrs. Waters.

It is because of her passing that Inner Toob is featuring the "ASOTV" version of Jenny Jones today....

Ms. Redman made her mark in Toobworld as well, supplying TV characters like Auntie Hamps in 'Clayhanger', Laura Marchant in 'The Rector's Wife', and Sophie Dupin de Francueil in 'Notorious Woman'. When it comes to literary characters as seen on TV, Joyce Redman's Becky Sharpe is the official portrayal for 'Vanity Fair'. (Someday I hope to find a picture of her in that role.)

But even with another Academy Award nomination for Olivier's adaptation of "Othello", it will be as Jenny Jones/Mrs. Waters in "Tom Jones" for which she will always be remembered. And that is because of this scene:

In the 1997 TV adaptation, the producers wisely chose to merely suggest this scene, letting it occur off-screen. After all, how could they possibly compete with the suggestive exuberance of Albert Finney and Joyce Redman?

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: JENNY JONES (MRS. WATERS)

JENNY JONES

aka

MRS. WATERS

AS SEEN IN:

'The History Of Tom Jones, A Foundling'

CREATED BY:

Henry Fielding

PORTRAYED BY:

Camille Coduri

AS DESCRIBED IN WIKIPEDIA:

Mrs. Jenny Jones-Waters (the Partridges' servant, a very intelligent woman who is used by Mrs Allworthy-Blifil to deflect suspicions on Tom Jones’ maternity from herself)

FROM THE SOURCE:

Now Mrs. Waters and our hero had no sooner sat down together than the former began to play this artillery upon the latter. But here, as we are about to attempt a description hitherto unassayed either in prose or verse, we think proper to invoke the assistance of certain aerial beings, who will, we doubt not, come kindly to our aid on this occasion.

“Say then, ye Graces! you that inhabit the heavenly mansions of Seraphina’s countenance; for you are truly divine, are always in her presence, and well know all the arts of charming; say, what were the weapons now used to captivate the heart of Mr. Jones.”

“First, from two lovely blue eyes, whose bright orbs flashed lightning at their discharge, flew forth two pointed ogles; but, happily for our hero, hit only a vast piece of beef which he was then conveying into his plate, and harmless spent their force. The fair warrior perceived their miscarriage, and immediately from her fair bosom drew forth a deadly sigh. A sigh which none could have heard unmoved, and which was sufficient at once to have swept off a dozen beaus; so soft, so sweet, so tender, that the insinuating air must have found its subtle way to the heart of our hero, had it not luckily been driven from his ears by the coarse bubbling of some bottled ale, which at that time he was pouring forth. Many other weapons did she assay; but the god of eating (if there be any such deity, for I do not confidently assert it) preserved his votary; or perhaps it may not be dignus vindice nodus, and the present security of Jones may be accounted for by natural means; for as love frequently preserves from the attacks of hunger, so may hunger possibly, in some cases, defend us against love.

“The fair one, enraged at her frequent disappointments, determined on a short cessation of arms. Which interval she employed in making ready every engine of amorous warfare for the renewing of the attack when dinner should be over.

“No sooner then was the cloth removed than she again began her operations. First, having planted her right eye sidewise against Mr. Jones, she shot from its corner a most penetrating glance; which, though great part of its force was spent before it reached our hero, did not vent itself absolutely without effect. This the fair one perceiving, hastily withdrew her eyes, and levelled them downwards, as if she was concerned for what she had done; though by this means she designed only to draw him from his guard, and indeed to open his eyes, through which she intended to surprise his heart. And now, gently lifting up those two bright orbs which had already begun to make an impression on poor Jones, she discharged a volley of small charms at once from her whole countenance in a smile. Not a smile of mirth, nor of joy; but a smile of affection, which most ladies have always ready at their command, and which serves them to show at once their good-humour, their pretty dimples, and their white teeth.

“This smile our hero received full in his eyes, and was immediately staggered with its force. He then began to see the designs of the enemy, and indeed to feel their success. A parley now was set on foot between the parties; during which the artful fair so slily and imperceptibly carried on her attack, that she had almost subdued the heart of our hero before she again repaired to acts of hostility. To confess the truth, I am afraid Mr. Jones maintained a kind of Dutch defence, and treacherously delivered up the garrison, without duly weighing his allegiance to the fair Sophia. In short, no sooner had the amorous parley ended and the lady had unmasked the royal battery, by carelessly letting her handkerchief drop from her neck, than the heart of Mr. Jones was entirely taken, and the fair conquerer enjoyed the usual fruits of her victory.”

Here the Graces think proper to end their description, and here we think proper to end the chapter.

BCnU!