THE HAT SQUAD: REMEMBERING TONY MARTIN

Performer Tony Martin passed away in July. He had his own show on TV and made numerous appearances on variety programs, as well as in sitcoms and even in several dramatic series.

Here he is in an episode of 'The Jack Benny Show', as part of the biggest all-star band Toobworld has ever seen:

I'm not sure if that link will work once this post is launched.  If not, click here.

BCnU!

WESTVIEW: "DEATH VALLEY DAYS" - "THE LAST LETTER"

Here's a little Clint Eastwood for you.....

COMING AT THE END OF AUGUST!

For the usual 'Doctor Who' video on the weekend, there really was only one choice: the brand new trailer for the upcoming "Season 7" (of the show's new era):

My favorite bit? The Doctor riding my favorite kind of dinosaur, a triceratops! I'm ten years old again!

BCnU!

THE "CENTENNIAL" OPENING CREDITS

For those who love all-star casts, check out these opening credits for James Michener's 'Centennial'!

Although the biggest names were shown every week, there were plenty of guest stars in each episode. So this doesn't even include the guest actors from the other eleven episodes!

BCnU!

BLACK BART

Here's a scene from an episode of 'Community'. Pay attention to what elderly college student Leonard says....

"Where the white women at?" is of the many great lines from the Mel Brooks' classic comedy Western, "Blazing Saddles".

About a year or so after the movie came out, a pilot was produced and broadcast for a TV sitcom about the Black Bart character, and for some strange reason it was called... 'Black Bart'.

Within the TV Universe, that pilot became historical reality. The "Blazing Saddles" movie was then the cinematic recreation of the events in the life of that historical figure, Black Bart.

So in the real world, Cleavon Little came first as Black Bart in the movie, followed by Lou Gossett in the TV pilot. But in Toobworld, that's reversed.  Gossett's version was the "actual" cowboy, while Little was just a portrayal.......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: PASQUINEL

With the weekend editions of the "As Seen On TV" showcases, we usually deal with characters for whom we can also use video clips. When it came to 'Centennial', the first character I thought of who would definitely have a good clip was.....

PASQUINEL

CREATED BY:

James Michener

PORTRAYED BY:

Robert Conrad

AS SEEN IN:

'Centennial'

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:

Pasquinel (Robert Conrad), [is] a French Canadian fur trader who has gone out to the Rocky Mountains to trade for beaver pelts. Pasquinel and Lame Beaver end up confronting each other in the dead of night, with knives ready. But Pasquinel puts down his blade in an act of trust, and the two become good friends. Lame Beaver comes to see great courage and honor within this white man, and so trades pelts with him for French trinkets.

However, the beaver pelts that Pasquinel acquired from the Arapaho, as well as his remaining trade goods, are stolen. The theft occurs when Pasquinel is attacked and left for dead by members of the Pawnee tribe, even though he had promised their chief a gun if he were allowed to cross their lands safely. He is saved by Cheyenne warriors, and manages to track down the rogue Pawnee just as they are about to trade his pelts. The traders kill the Pawnee, but reveal themselves as nothing more than river pirates. The river pirates also steal the pelts and further wound Pasquinel.

Pasquinel manages to return to St. Louis, then part of the Spanish Empire, with an arrowhead in his spine. Without money, he is introduced by a surgeon to Herman Bockweiss (Raymond Burr), a Bavarian immigrant merchant and silversmith, and goes to him for backing. Pasquinel later marries Bockweiss's daughter Lise (Sally Kellerman), who is attracted to him even though he keeps leaving for long periods in order to trade furs in unknown territory.

While Pasquinel does love Lise, his main reason for marrying her is merely to gain the goodwill of her merchant father. His financing now secured, Pasquinel once again heads west and meets up with Alexander McKeag (Richard Chamberlain), a Scottish-born trapper captured by the Pawnee. He saves the Scot's life by giving the Pawnee chief the gun that Pasquinel had previously promised him. Pasquinel also gives the chief some of Bockweiss' silver, even though some of the chief's braves had previously tried to kill Pasquinel. The Pawnee chief accepts and guarantees Pasquinel and McKeag safe travel through his lands.

After McKeag's life is saved, the two become partners and lifelong friends.

Pasquinel was the major figure of the first two chapters in the mini-series, "Only The Rocks Live Forever" and "The Yellow Apron".

Robert Conrad was not the first actor considered for the role of Pasquinel. Robert Blake and Charles Bronson were offered the chance to play the trapper, but they both turned it down. I'm thankful they did......

BCnU!

WESTVIEW: "THE LAWMAN" - "THE LONG GUN"

A STITCH IN PRIME-TIME

Every so often a TV character comes along who can link a lot of TV shows together, even if only theoretically, and sometimes with just one appearance. Two of the greatest - probably THE greatest! - were Archibald Beechcroft from the 'Twilight Zone' episode "Mind And The Matter", and the Gallifreyan Time Lord known as The Master, as seen in 'Doctor Who'. And with them, it wasn't theory, but definitive - both of them became every single person alive on Earth Prime-Time at one point in their lives. Everybody from Archie Bunker to Zelda Gilroy. As such, the Master and Mister Beechcroft could link thousands of TV shows from all over the world.

Another such character was the demon Mr. Sweet, from the "Once More, With Feeling" musical episode of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'. He was able to turn everybody's life into a musical number, often with tragic results. But Toobworld Central now uses him as the reason why various TV series were either musicals ('Hull High', 'Cop Rock') or had musical episodes.

Now a new character has come to my attention, although his contribution is still theoretical and, like Mr. Sweet, on a much smaller scale. When I say he's a new character who has come to my attention, I mean he's only "new" in that I'm finally seeing him in this light, as I first saw him when he showed up for a single episode of 'Cybill' back in the 1990's. And it was more like he came back to my notice because the actor who played him, the great character actor R.G. Armstrong, recently passed away......

When it came to the stuntmen who worked on the fictional movies and TV shows of Toobworld, Stitch Sullivan was truly a legend in Hollywood. Born in 1917 like the actor who portrayed him, Stitch was active in the business at least into the 1990's, having begun back in the 1930's. 

Stitch may have become fascinated with the movies by seeing silent movies as a young boy, like 1925's "A Veil Of The Desert" starring Viola Normandy and Valentine Rudolfo. (In the previous Toobworld timeline, the movie starred a certain Martian known then as Mark LaMartin... before he changed History.)

But the real reason why Stitch became a stuntman - in fact, why any man would risk the dangers of the profession - was simple: "world class Hollywood nookie." However, I'm not sure I want to make such a sweeping generalization because it might sully the reputation of the stuntman/actor who could have been Stitch Sullivan's mentor - Mark McCain, who got his start in 1906 by playing the first film incarnation of the Lone Ranger. (The "real-life" Lone Ranger - who looked like an actor named Clayton Moore - was played on Toobworld TV by Jon Hart.)

Jeff Robbins, the ex-husband of actress Cybill Sheridan, held Stitch Sullivan to be his mentor, and I would not be surprised if stuntmen and stuntwomen like Colt Seavers, Jake Rozzner, and Pat Devon - and even somebody who was a little of both like "Iron Man Carmichael"! - learned a trick or two from Stitch.

I think his career primarily focused on Westerns - getting shot off roofs, falling off out-of-control stagecoaches, getting trampled in stampedes. I'll bet the "Wilhelm Scream" within the reality of Toobworld was liberally applied to his characters over the years. (Outside of fictional movies and TV shows, the Wilhelm Scream is the exit cry of Redjac when it leaves a human host.)

To have become a legend among stuntmen, Stitch Sullivan may have participated in the filming of every fictional oater, be it for TV or the big screen, ever mentioned in TV shows.

Here is just a partial list of possibilities:

• "Ambush at Death Gulch"
• "The Cowgirl and Pistol Pete" (1955)
• "Duel in Dry Bones Gulch"
• "Standing Cow, Daughter of Sitting Bull" (1954)
• "Wrestlers of Yellow Gulch"
• "The Rebels of Santa Domingo" (1981)
• "They Called Him Stranger" (1955)
• "Mohawk Over The Moon" (a space Western)

But Stitch Sullivan could have been in other movies as well, perhaps in a few action flicks with 'Movie Stars' like Reese Hardin and Rance McGrew. He could even have been a stunt double for Quirt Manly, unlikely as that may sound......

I wouldn't be surprised if he also worked on the sci-fi horror monster movies that were popular during the 1950's, like "The Monster That Devoured Cleveland", which was the favorite flick of Maynard G. Krebs.

Among these low-budget films could be:

• "Attack Of The 50 Foot Anteater"
• "Cleaver"
• "Monsters From The Drain"
• "Zombie Mom"
• "Breast Monsters From Jupiter"
• "Housewives From Mars"

Stitch could have been in charge of the stuntmen needed for such action flicks as:

• "Chunnel"
• "Outbreak II: The Virus Takes Manhattan"
• "Black Ninja"
• "Die, Scum-Sucking Pig, Die!"
• "Danger Beach"
• "Destination Istanbul"
• "Head On"

And there had to be a few war movies, like:

• "The Road To Nuremberg"
• "A Few Came Back"......

In his later years, dangerous stunts would have been beyond his abilities - after all, when we saw him visiting Cybill Sheridan, he was in a wheelchair. But that would not have prevented him from still taking on small roles in other movies, some even family-oriented......

Perhaps in:

• "Sack Lunch"
• "The Wedding Bride"
• "Glimpses Of The Moon"
• "See You Next Wednesday"

And perhaps even in a sexy little indie called "Wild Women Of Malibu"......

I think his services would have come in handy during the production of at least a handful of Toobworld TV series over the decades:

• "The Range Rider"
• "Jed Clayton - US Marshall"
• "Mightyman From Mars"
• "Jetman"
• 'Undercover Woman'

As I said, these are all theoretical, unlike the cases with the Master and Mister Beechcroft. But that's all part of the fun with the Toobworld concept. And even though the actor who played Stitch Sullivan has joined the Choir Invisible, we could add more old movies and TV shows to his resume as they are created for new TV series.

The role of Stitch Sullivan was played by long-time character actor R.G. Armstrong in only one episode of 'Cybill' ("See Jeff Jump. Jump, Jeff, Jump!") And this serves as my tribute to the man, who died last week.

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

SHOWS CITED:

• 'Cybill'

and

• 'The A-Team'
• 'The Betty White Show'
• 'The Beverly Hillbillies'
• 'Big Brother Jake'
• 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'
• 'The Cara Williams Show'
• 'The Cavanaughs'
• 'Cop Rock'
• 'Doctor Who'
• 'Drake & Josh'
• 'Entourage'
• 'The Fall Guy'
• 'Friends'
• 'Four Seasons'
• "The Gambler: Luck Of The Draw"
• 'Gilligan's Island'
• 'Happy Days'
• 'He & She'
• 'The Hero'
• 'Hi-De-Hi!'
• 'How I Met Your Mother'
• 'Hull High'
• 'It Ain't Half Hot, Mum'
• 'King Of Queens'
• 'The Lone Ranger'
• 'The Lucy Show'
• 'Mad About You'
• 'The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis'
• 'Married... With Children'
• 'Movie Stars'
• 'My Favorite Martian'
• "Norbert Smith... A Life"
• 'The Rifleman'
• 'Seinfeld'
• 'The Sopranos'
• 'Star Trek'
• 'The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody'
• '30 Rock'
• "Thriller"
• 'The Twilight Zone'
• 'UFO'

BCnU!

A Toobworld Note: All of the pictures of R.G. Armstrong come from movies, not TV shows.  The roles he played on TV are frozen as those characters he played and should not be applied as "echoes" within the Toobworld reality.  But pictures from outside the TV Universe are fair game for this sort of fan fiction......

AS SEEN ON TV/HAT SQUAD: PHILIP WENDELL

In just under a month, three actors from the TV mini-series adaptation of James Michener's 'Centennial' passed away.  For the next three Fridays we'll be paying tribute to them by showcasing their 'Centennial' characters in the "ASOTV" spotlight.....

PHILIP WENDELL

CREATED BY:
James Michener

PORTRAYED BY:
Morgan Paull (as an adult)

AS SEEN IN:
'Centennial'

TV STATUS:
Recastaway
(Due to aging process)

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

From the IMDb:
Morgan Paull (born December 15, 1944) is an American actor probably most notable for playing Holden in the Ridley Scott film "Blade Runner". He made his acting debut in the 1970 film "Patton" playing Captain Richard N. Jenson.  He is also known for playing the scheming Philip Wendell in the 1978 American television miniseries 'Centennial'.

The role of Philip Wendell was originally played by Richard Kelton, who died of carbon monoxide poisoning after one day of filming.

From The Rush Blog:"The Winds of Death" focused upon other subplots. It marked the deaths of three major characters - Hans Brumbaugh, Mervin Wendell and Jim Lloyd. Wendell died as a happy real estate tycoon, oblivious of the damage he has caused. His only disappointments seemed to be his continuing lack of knowledge of Mr. Sorenson's final resting place and the contempt his son Philip still harbors. 

My last problem with the episode proved to be a minor quibble. I noticed that the generation that featured Philip Wendell and Beeley Garrett seemed to conceive their offspring, while in their late 30s to 40s. Why? I can understand one of them having children so late in life, but all of the characters from this particular generation? Philip Wendell's son (Morgan) will not be introduced until the next episode. But he will prove to be around the same age as Beeley's son, Paul Garrett.

Morgan Paul did an excellent job in conveying the many facets of the adult Philip Wendell, who not only remained haunted by Axel Dumire's death, but also proved to be just as ruthless in business as his parents.

Philip Wendell is the kind of 'Centennial' character whom I would normally have saved for a "Two For Tuesday" showcase.  But Doug McKeon did such a fantastic job as Philip Wendell as a boy that he does deserve his own page.  And it would not have been fair to Morgan Paull if he had to share the spotlight when this is meant to be a Hat Squad tribute to one of his TV characters.

Good night and may God bless, Morgan Paull..........

WESTVIEW: 'NICHOLS' - "PILOT"

ARIZONA SWEET TV

With yesterday's post about the connection between 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' and the TV movie "Shootout In A One-Dog Town", I mentioned the location of Opportunity, Arizona. For some reason, the state of Arizona seems to be a well-spring of odd names for its towns when it comes to TV Westerns.

So here's a Super Six list about some of them.......

1] Nichols, Arizona - 'Nichols'

You can't beat having the name of the main character and the name of the location both be the title for the show!

2] Manhattan, Arizona - 'Manhattan, Az'

This was a short-lived quirky little show which recently came to mind with the news of Chad Everett's passing......

3] Sweetwater, Arizona - 'Bret Maverick'

Like 'Nichols', another one-year Western starring James Garner, featuring him in a return to his greatest TV role. (Sorry, 'Rockford'-philes.)

4] Carefree, Arizona - 'The New Dick Van Dyke Show'

KXIV was located in Phoenix, so Carefree must have been a suburb. The sitcom was set in Arizona because Van Dyke didn't feel like leaving his homestead at the time. By the second season, however, they uprooted the series back to Los Angeles with a whole new premise.

5] Sandspot, Arizona - 'Tales From The Darkside' - "Fear Of Floating"

As a cost-cutting measure, the entire episode took place inside an Army recruitment center.  By the way, the image has been reversed......

6] Happiness, Arizona - 'The Twilight Zone' - "Mr. Garrity And The Graves"

Previously known as Satan's Stage Stop, Dead Man's Junction, and Boot Hill Village, Arizona. And thanks to Mr. Garrity, it would probably need a new name again....

BCnU! 

AS SEEN ON TV: SAM PURCHAS

I plan to feature a new character from James Michener's "Centennial" each day during August in the ASOTV showcase. I started yesterday with Lame Beaver, one of the first characters we meet (at least in the Toobworld timeline), but I don't plan on continuing in chronological order; that would be boring to both of us. I'll jump around to whomever strikes my fancy that particular day. But at least for the first three Fridays of August, the accent will be on some Hat Squad tributes.....

SAM PURCHAS

CREATED BY:

James Michener

PORTRAYED BY:

Donald Pleasance

AS SEEN IN:

"Centennial"

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:

Making their way to St. Louis overland and by steamboat, Levi Zendt and Elly Zahm join a wagon train heading over the Oregon trail for the Pacific guided by the unsavory mountain man Sam Purchas.

After stopping at a frontier fort and meeting McKeag the Zendts continue into the Rocky Mountains. When the guide Sam Purchas tries to rape Elly they decide to turn back. They return to the fort defeated.

English writer Oliver Seccombe introduced the mountain man to Levi and Elly, and to Major Maxwell Mercy. Purchas forced the Zendts to trade in their team of gray horses, whom Levi loved, for oxen, which would endure the brutal conditions of the cross-country trek.

From C. Trent:

"Before portraying Sam Purchas in this episode, Donald Pleasence had portrayed a mountain man in the 1965 comedy, "THE HALLELUJAH TRAIL". In "CENTENNIAL", he ended up portraying a very unpleasant frontiersman, namely the venal Sam Purchas. Although Pleasence’s Purchas was not what I would call a complex character, I must admit that he was memorable and the British actor portrayed him with a great deal of relish."

The parents of Sam Purchas may have named him after Samuel Purchas: "Samuel Purchas (1577? – 1626), was an English cleric who published several volumes of reports by travelers to foreign countries."

BCnU!

WESTVIEW: "THE TWILIGHT ZONE - MR. GARRITY AND THE GRAVES"

"THE DVD SHOW @ 50": ANOTHER GUNSLINGER

"Frank Petry....

The one in the middle that did all the talking....

No alias - I guess he's proud of his name."

Zack Wells

"Shootout In A One Dog Town"

Throughout this year, Inner Toob has been running a post once a month about 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'. Back in October of last year, the show celebrated its fiftieth anniversary and Inner Toob did a full day of posts celebrating many Toobworldly aspects of the classic sitcom.

In the months since, several of the DVD Show posts have been linked to Rob Petrie's Great-Uncle Hezekiah. In February, Hezekiah's black descendants were showcased, and theer was a look at his half-brother Alfred Rhinebeck.

August is the month which Inner Toob devotes to TV Westerns, and it shouldn't be any different for "The DVD Show @ 50".......

I could have done something about "The Gunslinger", that dream Western which was the penultimate episode. But that would have been too easy. Instead, I found another relative for Hezekiah Petrie while I was on vacation. And... he was a gunslinger as well in a TV Western!

Frank Petry was an outlaw who met his end in Opportunity, Arizona, while trying to steal $200,00.00. It will be the contention of Toobworld Central that he was the younger brother of Hezekiah Petrie's father.

In this picture taken on November 19, 1863, when Hezekiah was just a baby, the senior Petrie looks to be at least fifty years of age. When Frank Petry made his play for that strongbox full of cash, the Sheriff of Opportunity talked about the Battle of Little Big Horn as though it had been some time in the past. Since that happened in 1876, we should place the attack on the bank in Opportunity about a decade later, in 1885. Thus, Frank Petry would be the younger brother as he was 44 at the time.

(It could also be that he was Petrie Senior's first-born, bad to the bone.)

Richard Egan, who played Frank Petry, was actually nine years older at the time. But for the character, a hard fifteen years in a Montana prison for his first murder (when he was twelve!) probably aged him.......

Looking at what I've already written, a big Zonk presents itself - the discrepancy between the spelling of the last names - "Petrie" and "Petry". Also in the pronunciation: "Peh-trie" vs. "Pee-try".

The spelling Zonk is easy to splain away. Frank Petry killed his first man when he was only 12 years old. It's likely he didn't continue with his schooling after that, and he probably didn't pay much attention before that... if he went to school at all. Spelling his last name as "Petry" was probably better than could have been expected from him.

Also, we never got that good a look at Frank's wanted poster, but it does seem like it was spelled "Petry". That just means there were others in the wild, wild West who couldn't spell properly.

And as often stated in the past here at the blog, end credits have no bearing on what happens within the reality of the programming. So even though his name is spelled "Petry" in the credits, that doesn't necessarily mean that's how it was spelled within the realm of Toobworld.

But if it was, at least we've provided a splainin......

Frank Petry appeared in a 1974 TV Movie Of The Week called "Shootout In A One-Dog Town" which was directed by Burt Kennedy. Along with Egan, the cast included Richard Crenna, Stephanie Powers, Jack Elam, Gene Nelson, Michael Ansara, Arthur O'Connell, Dub Taylor, and Michael Anderson, Jr.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: LAME BEAVER

LAME BEAVER

CREATED BY:

James Michener

PORTRAYED BY:

David Yanez - as a young boy

Ray Tracey - as a young man

Michael Ansara - Lame Beaver grown up

AS SEEN IN:

'Centennial'

TV STATUS:

Original Recastaways

[Due To Aging]

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From BookRags.com:

A warrior of the tribe known as Our People, later known as Cheyenne or Arapaho, Lame Beaver is a brave youngster who is granted permission to participate in a raid on a neighboring tribe with the hope of getting horses. Though he doesn't succeed in taking horses on that occasion, he does rescue an old man who would otherwise have been killed. He is chastised for his action because only a chief should have saved the old man from his suicidal mission, and it's then that Lame Beaver comes to believe that he should not be among those who seek a chief's position in the tribe.

Though never a leader, Lame Beaver is accepted as one of the great warriors. When he hatches a plan to steal horses from another tribe, he is accompanied only by two close friends and they succeed beyond their wildest dreams.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV/HAT SQUAD: DEMELZA POLDARK

Starting tomorrow, the "ASOTV" Showcase featuring literary characters will be devoting the month of August to characters from "James Michener's Centennial". Sadly, three of those days will be Hat Squad tributes to a trio of actors from the production whom we lost in the last two months.

But for this last day of July, now that I'm back home at Toobworld Central and the Ludlum tributes are finished, here is a showcase which is also a Hat Squad tribute to a very beautiful actress.....

DEMELZA CARNE POLDARK

From Wikipedia:

Taken home from Redruth Fair by Ross, 13-year-old miner's daughter Demelza and her dog Garrick have an unpromising start. However, she soon develops into a charming, amusing, and lovely young woman, eventually winning the love and affection of Ross. Dark and earthy, she is the total opposite of the fragile Elizabeth, and the two women heartily dislike each other. 

Demelza has courage and is fiercely loyal to Ross. However, she is somewhat impulsive, which causes trouble for both her and Ross.

Demelza is never less than sure about her feelings for Ross, even when his actions test her loyalties to the limit. She develops feelings for another man later in the 7th novel, and this relationship almost destroys what she has with Ross. Verity and Andrew are brought together by Demelza after a long separation. Ross must pay dearly for that happy ending. [The theme of enduring love is a recurrent one throughout the novels.] 

CREATED BY:

Winston Graham

PORTRAYED BY:

Angharad Rees

AS SEEN IN:

'Poldark'

TV STATUS:

Original

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:

"The Poldark Novels" are a historical fictional sequence by Winston Graham.

The main character, Ross Poldark, a British Army officer, returns to his home in Cornwall from the American Revolutionary War only to find that his fiancée, Elizabeth Chynoweth, having believed him dead, is about to marry his cousin, Francis Poldark. Ross attempts to restore his own fortunes by reopening one of the family's tin mines. After several years he marries Demelza Carne, a servant girl, and is gradually reconciled to the loss of Elizabeth's love. By then, Elizabeth has become a widow and marries George Warleggan, Ross's arch-enemy.

There are a total of twelve novels. The first seven novels are set in the 18th century, until Christmas 1799. The remaining five are concerned with the early years of the 19th century and the lives of the children of the main characters of the previous novels.

Winston Graham wrote the first four Poldark books during the 1940s and 1950s. Following a long hiatus, he decided to resume the series, and "The Black Moon" was published in 1972. The first seven books formed the basis of the BBC television series 'Poldark' (1975–77).

'Poldark' is a BBC television series based on the novels written by Winston Graham which was first transmitted in the UK between 1975 and 1977.

The romantic saga follows Ross Poldark (Robin Ellis) as he loses his fiancée, the well-bred beauty, Elizabeth (Jill Townsend), to his cousin Francis (Clive Francis). Ross ends up marrying his servant, the unlikely-looking Demelza (Angharad Rees), but his passion for Elizabeth simmers on for years. Set in late 18th century Cornwall, the plot follows Ross Poldark's attempts to make his derelict tin mines a success. Life is hard, smuggling is rife and Ross Poldark finds himself taking the side of the underclass against the ruthless behavior of his enemies, the greedy Warleggan clan including George Warleggan (Ralph Bates).

Graham mentions in his autobiography, "Memoirs of a Private Man", that the character of Demelza, at least in part, was based on his wife, Jean, a Cornishwoman.

Graham states in "Poldark's Cornwall", that the first human child named Demelza (after his character) was the daughter of British writer Denys Val Baker.

DEMELZA POLDARK

CREATED BY:

Winston Graham

PORTRAYED BY:

Mel Martin

AS SEEN IN:

"The Stranger From The Sea"

TV STATUS:

Recastaway

TV DIMENSION:

The Land Of Remakes

From Wikipedia:
In 1996 an adaptation of "The Stranger From the Sea" in a controversial production by HTV, used a completely new cast featuring John Bowe as Ross Poldark and Mel Martin as Demelza. Fans protested and over 50 members of the Poldark Appreciation Society picketed HTV's headquarters in Bristol wearing 18th century costumes. The pilot was not a success and no further episodes were made.

I never saw that version and I have no desire to see it. I've been immersed too long in the Toobworld concept to have much interest in remakes and alternate TV dimensions. But aside from that, Angharad Rees stole my heart in her portrayal of Demelza (not a hard thing to do for many actresses - except maybe for Maria Ouspenskaya) and I could see no other to play her.

BCnU......

AS SEEN ON TV: ED PACE (& SONS)

COLONEL EDMUND PACE

CREATED BY:

Robert Ludlum

PORTRAYED BY:

Larry Hagman

AS SEEN IN:

'The Rhinemann Exchange'

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:

Ed Pace [is] the man who recruited [David Spaulding] to the intelligence services.

I like my TV characters to have shades of gray to them; all good or all bad - boring!

Ed Pace was basically a decent man, considering the business he was in. And he protested using David Spaulding to be the agent who would oversee the exchange of the industrial diamonds for the gyroscopes made by the Germans. He especially didn't like that David would not be told the truth about the deal - Spaulding would go into the meetings thinking that the exchange would be for money, not the diamonds (which were needed for production in Germany's war efforts.)

Voicing that concern is probably what marked Ed Pace for assassination. After he was killed, it was mentioned that he did have a wife, but it is unknown if he had any children by her.

Toobworld Central, however, has a theory - Ed Pace had three sons, but none of them with Mrs. Pace.

Ed Pace liked to tom-cat around.......

Edmund Pace was born in 1897, making him 46 when we first met him. I don't know if he was married in his early thirties, say, in 1930, but I think he had affairs with three different women. And each of his mistresses gave birth to a son who would grow up to look like him.

ANTHONY NELSON - Actually, I think in this case we can argue that Anthony Nelson was Ed Pace's legitimate son, but from Pace's first marriage. This is what the first Mrs. Pace looked like by the 1960's:

Although as you can see by this next photo, she went on a strict diet regimen, got a face-lift and her hair dyed. The man sitting with her at the wedding of Anthony to Jeannie is her second husband.  Mr. Nelson adopted Tony and raised him as if he was his own son.

While Pace was married to Anthony's mother, they were in Canada when the contractions set in, so they had no choice but to hunker down in Fowler's Corners, Ontario, to await his birth.

At that time, the Paces lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and after her second marriage, Mrs. Nelson lived there until the end of her days.

Instead, Edmund Pace - a career soldier in the military as an intelligence officer - would have been sent wherever he was needed in the country, and even overseas. In fact, living in Bridgeport, Connecticut, might have been the perfect cover to keep him out of scrutiny.

Later, during the war, Colonel Pace could have used a visit back to Bridgeport to visit his son as a cover story when he first approached David Spaulding to become an operative.  And years later, Tony Nelson would follow in his birth father's footsteps by also joining the military.  His service in the Air Force would lead to him becoming an astronaut.

J.R. EWING - Pace's work would also have taken him to Dallas, and there he must have romanced Miss Ellie Ewing while her husband Jock was all too often away on business of his own. This would help to splain why J.R. doesn't look very much like his brother Bobby, who would be the natural son of Jock Ewing......

LUTHER CHARBONNET - And then there was that trip to New Orleans, probably during Mardi Gras,  which led to a drunken liaison with the mistress of the Charbonnet family. Nine months later, little Luther was born, who would grow up to be a powerful and very shady judge on the 'Orleans' circuit.

This idea that three characters who all looked suspiciously like an actor named Larry Hagman were half-brothers is not new for Toobworld Central. Only the first time it was presented, the guilty party was Jock Ewing from the Southfork ranch outside Dallas. But although Jock might have had reason to travel to New Orleans on business, what could have been the reason to go to Bridgeport, Connecticut?

Anyway, if there is to be such a strong resemblance between these three men for this theory of relateeveety, shouldn't their pappy also carry that basic tele-genetic code?

BCnU!