RINO

AS SEEN ON TV: ROGER HAVILLAND

ROGER HAVILLAND

CREATED BY:

Ed McBain (Evan Hunter)

PORTRAYED BY:

Gregory Walcott

AS SEEN IN:

'87th Precinct'

TV STATUS:
Recastaway

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

Havilland was the veteran of the team who had a lot of experience behind him.

BCnU!

PROGRAMMING NOTE

Guess what, Team Toobworld?  I'm going on vacation again!

I'll spare you the sight of that trippy can of mushroom soup this time out......

So the last few days of our salute to 'Centennial' and to TV Westerns in general will wind down to the end of the month.  I'll conclude the vacation with the spotlight on a 1999 TV movie based on a classic British novel which - like 'Centennial' - featured some farmers.  

But in between those two themes......

In the book "The Best Of Crime & Detective TV (The Critics' Choice)", it was bemoaned by author Max Allan Collins that today's audiences would not get a chance to see the 1961 police procedural '87th Precinct' because there weren't enough episodes for syndication.

That book was copywright 1988. Although the home video market was just getting underway, the real boom began with the arrival of DVD boxed sets. And as of August 7, this critically-praised series (based on the novels of Ed McBain) finally hit the street.

From Wikipedia:

'87th Precinct' is an American crime drama starring Robert Lansing, Gena Rowlands, and Ron Harper, which aired on NBC on Monday evenings during the 1961–1962 television season.

The program was based on a number of detective novels by Evan Hunter (under the pen name Ed McBain) that featured Lansing as Detective Steve Carella, who worked in the fictional city of Isola, patterned on Manhattan, New York City. Rowlands played Carella's deaf-mute wife, Teddy. Ron Harper played rookie detective Bert Kling. Other detective roles were portrayed by Gregory Walcott as seasoned veteran Roger Havilland and Norman Fell as the eccentric Meyer Meyer.

'87th Precinct' premiered on September 25, 1961, and concluded its first-run episodes on April 30, 1962. Repeats continued until September 10, 1962. It was a creation of Hubbell Robinson Productions.

The program faced stiff competition on CBS from 'The Danny Thomas Show' and its spin-off, 'The Andy Griffith Show'. At the time, ABC aired the second and last season of another detective program, 'Surfside 6', starring Troy Donahue and Van Williams.

Although Isola was the location in the books, I think Manhattan served as the setting in the series. I could be mistaken on this (as I am on so many things), but at the very least, plenty of online sites make the assumption that it did take place in Manhattan.

According to the fantastic TV blog Classic TV History, 'Kraft Mystery Theatre' produced two live adaptations of McBain novels about the 87th Precinct.  In the first, Michael Higgins played Detective Carella, to be followed a few weeks later by Robert Bray in the role.  (Martin Rudy played Meyer Meyer in both productions.)

Because it eventually went to series with Robert Lansing, Norman Fell, Ron Harper, and Gregory Walcott in the main roles, that will be considered the official version of '87th Precinct for Toobworld.  As for the other two, they are the rare prequels that are banished to alternate TV dimensions.  (And because of the recasting on at least Steve Carella, they go to separate alt-Toobworlds.)

From the review by Skees of Sitcoms Online:

It is worth noting that there is a bit of irony in the novel series written by Ed McBain, which by the way were still written all the way up through his death in 2005. By his own admission, he received his inspiration from 'Dragnet'. Over 20 years after the first 87th Precinct novel was published, elements of this novel series inspired another TV show on NBC... 'Hill Street Blues'. And reportedly, this didn't exactly thrill McBain, as he felt that his ideas had been stolen (although he didn't make a big deal over it, because by his own acknowledgment, he, too, had used ideas of others).

Skees also provided a breakdown of each episode available on the DVD set, comprising the entire first (and only) season of the series:

The set begins with "The Floater," where Carella is on the hunt for a sadistic man (played by Robert Culp) preying on lonely women. In "Lady in Waiting," a woman decides to wait for her husband's release from prison by bringing a gun into the precinct and threatening to use it. The detectives follow up on an anonymous note about a death threat in "Lady Killer." A disgruntled ex-cop keeps committing the perfect robberies in "The Modus Man." In "Line of Duty," Kling is forced to shoot (and kill) a suspect, and can't help but to feel badly about it. A pregnant wife keeps a man from cooperating with the police in "Occupation, Citizen." Beverly Garland and Jack Albertson guest star in "Killer's Payoff," where a blackmailer is murdered. Meyer arrests an old friend for a robbery in "The Guilt," but things get worse for the man when he escapes police custody. In "The Empty Hours," a woman (Pat Crowley) decides to pretend to be a deceased friend for financial gain, unaware that the friend is wanted by a killer. A young man is suspected of murdering a coed in "My Friend, My Enemy."

Leonard Nimoy guest stars in "The Very Hard Sell," where a used car salesman is found dead, slumped over a steering wheel. In "'Til Death," an about-to-be-married couple is getting some anonymous threats. A crook (played by Robert Vaughn) sets off false alarms everywhere to commit a more serious crime, hopefully unnoticed, in "The Heckler." In "Run, Rabbit, Run," a condemned gangster has much more planned beyond his death. The detectives investigate death threats toward a boxer in "Main Event." In "Man in a Jam," a man arrested for murder has some creative ways of trying to get out of trouble. A hand found in a dumpster leads to a murder investigation in "Give the Boys a Great Big Hand." Dawn Wells guest stars in "Out of Order," where telephone booths (what are those, again?) are the target of explosions. In "The Pigeon," a man (played by Peter Falk) is a smalltime criminal but wants to pretend to be bigger... making him the perfect fall guy for some serious criminals. Frank Sutton also guest stars. A 10-year-old may be helpful in solving a murder in "A Bullet for Katie."

A kidnapping doesn't go as planned in "King's Ransom." Both John Astin and Nancy Reagan (in one of her very last appearances as "just another actress" in a TV series) guest star. Meyer needs some rest while feeling ill in "Feel of the Trigger," but he just can't stop working hard. The detectives have a lot of clues to go through in the murder of a beautiful woman in "Killer's Choice." In "Square Cop," one officer is about to retire and the other one is a rookie being trained by the veteran... and one of them is shot by the others son during a burglary. Carella needs extra cash and takes a job as a night security guard at a bank in "Step Forward." A baseball star risks everything by hiding his fugitive brother from the cops in "Idol in the Dust." Havilland's new friend wants to kill a South American dignitary in "Ramon." In "New Man in the Precinct," there is a new guy at the 87th, and isn't quite used to being at such a rough and tumble precinct. Another detective ends up at the precinct after being demoted in "The Last Stop," and he isn't quite well-received after he drives everybody crazy. The series ends with "Girl in the Case," where Havilland becomes attracted to a stenographer who is being threatened.

As you can see from above, the detectives of the '87th Precinct' also found themselves in the four-color world of comic books, making them true multi-versals......

While I'm on vacation, I had a slot open up in the As Seen On TV feature at Inner Toob between the conclusion of our August feature on James Michener's 'Centennial' and a production based on the greatest Cold War allegory ever written. I figured a quick look at the detectives in the '87th Precinct' would "cleanse the palate", as it were, between the two courses........

I'll be back "live" after September 11........

BCnU!

O'BSERVATIONS: JAMES A. MICHENER - AMERICA'S J.R.R. TOLKIEN?

I know I'm probably not going to splain this properly, but I'll give it a try......

As I prepared for my month-long salute to James Michener's 'Centennial', I re-read certain sections of the novel, watched segments of it from the boxed set and from YouTube, and found other aficionados online with their own opinions on this sprawling epic about the expansion of the country, all presented in the microcosmic spotlight of Zendt's Farm.

I also read 'Hawaii' in the past, and am currently mired in 'Chesapeake' (although I plan to pick it up again while on vacation.) And it suddenly occurred to me that Michener could be this country's equivalent to Britain's J.R.R. Tolkien.

The genres of their writing couldn't be more different, although I'm sure Tolkien would have argued that he was writing fictionalized history as well. He wanted to provide an historical mythology to the people of the British Isles and Michener found his niche in supplying a fictionalized history for the people of the United States - one which may not have contained the fantasty elements to be found in Middle Earth, but which did have touches of legend and tall tales, the American version of fantasy.

I just wish Michener could have found some way to link his historical novels together into a magnum opus, as Tolkien did with his Elvish lore. Maybe the Takemotos, who arrived in Centennial to work for Potato Brumbaugh, could have been related to Sakagawa Kamejiro, who traveled from Hiroshima to Hawaii to work in the sugar cane fields. (Like I said, I'm still plowing through 'Chesapeake' - I think I'm in a better frame of mind for it - but I'd like to find out that some ancillary relative of the main characters struck out West and ended up in Colorado.)

I just hope Michener never goes out of fashion, that his books will still be required reading in classrooms, as 'Hawaii' was for me back in high school. And especially that the teachers present these books in such a way so that the students find the spark of excitement within as they become involved with these characters. (Nyuk Tsin Kee checking her toes for leprosy, the final "showdown" between Sheriff Axel Dumire and Philip Wendell - these are fictional moments that will stay with me forever in much the same way those small moments shared by the Fellowship of the Ring do.)

Yeah..... I don't think I made my case. Anyhoo......

BCnU!

POND LIFE PART FIVE

WESTVIEW: "CENTENNIAL" - "THE SCREAM OF EAGLES"

I've been running an episode from classic TV Westerns every day this month, and it was about time we should feature one from our main theme for August - James A. Michener's 'Centennial'.

So I chose the last episode, "The Scream Of Eagles", because it encapsulates the entire saga with flashbacks and wraps it up nicely in the 1970's.  

Enjoy!

TELE-GENETICS: PAUL GARRETT'S FAMILY TREE

It's a little choppy, but here's the family tree for Paul Garret of 'Centennial', Colorado.  (For instance, James Lloyd and Charlotte Buckland should be connected; Prudence Wolf and Martin Zendt should be connected; and Red Wolf and Pale Star should be connected.)

With the TV series, a generation is skipped near the end.  Paul Garrett becomes Charlotte Buckland's grandson rather than great-grandson.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: PAUL GARRETT

For the last day of August, we're going out with a biggie.....

PAUL GARRETT

CREATED BY:

James Michener

PORTRAYED BY:

David Janssen

AS SEEN IN:

'Centennial'

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

BCnU!

DOWNTOWN ABBEY SEASON THREE PREVIEW

POND LIFE PART FOUR

WESTVIEW: "ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS" - "BANG! YOU'RE DEAD!"

CENTENNIAL TREK

An excellent 'Star Trek' wiki called "Memory Base Alpha" has pointed out the number of 'Star Trek'-related actors who appeared in the mini-series 'Centennial':

• Michael Ansara
• Henry Darrow
• Cliff DeYoung
• Robert DoQui
• Robert Easton
• Alex Henteloff
• Brian Keith
• Sally Kellerman
• Stephen McHattie
• Nick Ramus (who played today's "ASOTV" character)
• Clive Revill
• Eric Server
• James Sloyan
• Morgan Woodward
• Anthony Zerbe

I'm making no claim that there should be any kind of connection - many of these actors didn't even play humans in the 'Star Trek' franchise. It's just something I found interesting, but of no import to the study of televisiology......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: LOST EAGLE

LOST EAGLE

CREATED BY:

James Michener

PORTRAYED BY:

Nick Ramus

AS SEEN IN:

'Centennial'

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

BCnU!

POND LIFE PART THREE

THE LAST ROUND-UP

Just two more days and the month-long celebration of the TV Western (with the accent on James Michener's 'Centennial') will be over. And yet there were so many characters I never got around to featuring in the As Seen On TV showcase, including some pretty important figures.

Here's a list of the major 'Centennial' characters whom I will cover at a later date:

• Levi Zendt
• Elly Zahm Zendt
• Morgan Wendell
• Hans "Potato" Brumbaugh
• Clay Basket
• Herman Bockweiss
• Lise Bockweiss
• Earl & Alice Grebe

Just over a week's worth of characters there! (And the Grebes should make for a good "Two for Tuesday".)

You may have noticed that I did not include Charlotte Buckland Seccombe Lloyd in that list, nor was she covered during the month. That's because the great lady of the Plains got quite the showcase on May 9, 2010. Sadly, the reason for that was because the actress who played her, Lynn Redgrave, passed away.

You can read that tribute here.

BCnU!

WESTVIEW: "BONANZA" - "THE AVENGER"

AS SEEN ON TV: GENERAL ASHER

In the Cathodic Church of Toobworld, today is Asher Wednesday.....

GENERAL LABAN ASHER

CREATED BY:

James Michener

PORTRAYED BY:

Pernell Roberts

AS SEEN IN:

'Centennial'

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

Here's a difference between the "Centennial" of BookWorld and the 'Centennial' of Toobworld - Pernell Roberts did not play General Asher as a one-armed man. In the long run this is a minor difference compared to the missing generation in Paul Garrett's family tree.

I don't have any reason to force a theory of relateeveety between General Asher and Adam Cartwright of 'Bonanza'. (However, Adam Cartwright is the mysterious stranger in the 'Alias Smith And Jones' episode "Exit From Wickenburg."

BCnU!

POND LIFE PART TWO

LE FEROCE, FEROCE OUEST

A lot of TV shows have been imported overseas throughout the last half a century, and judging by the amount of obituaries for foreign voice-over actors I've seen at the Boot Hill blog, it looks like many of those shows are dubbed with the native language rather than fitted with subtitles.

Even though those shows are, for the most part, contained within the main Toobworld (Earth Prime-Time) in their original English, these dubbed versions would be shipped off to alternate TV dimensions where that dubbed language held sway.

Here's a good example, fitting in with this month's theme:

So why would 'Hondo' and everybody else in that scene - in all the wild, wild West, most likely - be speaking French?

Perhaps in that TV dimension, the Louisiana Purchase never happened. Perhaps France held onto the territory and was able to reap the rich resources of the region to maintain their global domination.

It wouldn't hurt if Napoleon didn't lose at Waterloo as well.....

BCnU!

WESTVIEW: "PONDEROSA" - "PILOT"

AS SEEN ON TV: SPADE LARKIN & SOREN SORENSON

SPADE LARKIN & SOREN SORENSON

CREATED BY:

James Michener

PORTRAYED BY:

Spade Larkin - James Sloyan

Soren Sorenson - Sandy McPeak

AS SEEN IN:

'Centennial'

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:

SOREN SORENSON:

[The Wendells' blackmail] plan turns sour when they try it on a worldwise businessman, Soren Sorenson (Sandy McPeak). He recognizes their trick, too late, and threatens to expose them. Wendell attacks him. They struggle and Sorenson is killed by Maude Wendell.

From Felice's Log:

SPADE LARKIN:

And I also have to mention veteran character actor James Sloyan whose portrayal of the obsessive gold seeker Spade Larkin struck me as both mesmerizing and rather frightening.

[He was] an overeagerly man who had somehow learned about the gold nugget discovered by Lame Beaver, thanks to an article written about Lucinda during her stay in St. Louis.

The reason I teamed these two together, even though they never met and decades divided them, is because they were both victims of violence in the wild, wild West.

Spade Larkin was killed by Hans Brumbaugh when his gold fever got the better of him and he thought Hans was hiding the location of the gold strike from him. And as mentioned above, Soren Sorenson was struck down by Maude with the butt of a gun.

Both bodies were hidden away and the killers were never found out.

Toobworld Central wonders if it's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that both men left families behind when they sought their fortunes out West. If so, certain TV characters could be descended from them, like Detective Danny Sorenson ('NYPD Blue'), Dr. Gabe Sorenson ('Sisters'), Grandpa Raymond Larkin ('Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'), and the rogue spy Bryce Larkin ('Chuck').

BCnU!

POND LIFE PART ONE

   

WESTVIEW: "LEGEND" - "LEGEND OF THE HERD"

AS SEEN ON TV: AMOS CALENDAR

AMOS CALENDAR

CREATED BY:

James Michener

PORTRAYED BY:

Jesse Vint

AS SEEN IN:

'Centennial'

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

Amos Calendar was hired by R.J. Poteet to be part of the first cattle drive to Centennial. He later went to work for Messmore Garrett, herding sheep.

From Felice's Log:

I was especially taken by... Amos Calendar's heartfelt speech about the bonds of brotherhood, as he convinces Jim to seek vengeance against the Pettis boys. Apparently, those bonds formed during the Skimmerhorn cattle drive had failed to disappear, despite the brutal range wars.

Speaking of Amos Calendar, I thought Jesse Vint gave one of the better performances in this episode in a scene in which he convinces Jim to seek revenge for Nate and Bufe's deaths.

BCnU!

About "Pond Life"

THE HAT SQUAD: THE MANY FACES OF WILLIAM WINDOM

When I heard that William Windom had passed away at the age of 88, and I began thinking of all the many roles he played in Toobworld, I didn't even remember his 'Star Trek' appearance until I saw it listed in the obituary. There were that many memorable characters that I would forget one of the most powerful, despite being such a "Trekker".

The following registry of Toobworld citizens is only a small portion of those he contributed, not only to Earth Prime-Time, but also to Skitlandia and the Tooniverse.

Unless otherwise stated in the storylines, I believe most of these characters passed away around the same time as Mr. Windom. Of course, the characters from the TV Westerns passed away at least a century ago, while Commander Matt Dekker isn't even born yet. (Although I don't have a picture for him, the role of Lew Brooney didn't even exist, as he was a a figment of Dr. Bob Hartley's dream which we know as the entire series of 'Newhart'.) 

The only characters who probably had true immortality might be Uncle Chuck from 'Sonic the Hedgehog' and the toy soldier from 'The Twilight Zone' - if it was kept in good condition after all these years.....

'THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER'

CONGRESSMAN GLENN MORLEY

'MY WORLD AND WELCOME TO IT'

JOHN MONROE

'PARENTHOOD'

'MURDER, SHE WROTE'

DR. SETH HAZLITT

'STAR TREK'

COMMODORE MATT DECKER

'COLUMBO'

BURT GORDON

EVERETT LOGAN

 'MURPHY BROWN'

ROSS BOWEN

'LOTTERY!'

ARTHUR

'FLAMINGO ROAD'

CHARLIE BANKS

'HAWKINS ON MURDER'

JOE HAMILTON

'BARNEY MILLER'

GEORGE WEBBER

'MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE'

STU GORMAN

'THAT GIRL'

JOSEPH NELSON

'THE INVADERS'

MICHAEL TRESSIDER

'THE DONNA REED SHOW'

JACK

'MEDICAL CENTER'

'NIGHT GALLERY'

RANDY LANE

"ASSAULT ON THE WAYNE"

CAPTAIN FRANK REARDON

"HECK'S ANGELS"

UNKNOWN FROM PBS

'THE TWILIGHT ZONE'

THE MAJOR

'ALIAS SMITH AND JONES'

JEREMIAH DALEY

'THE VIRGINIAN'

CARDINE

'THE WILD WILD WEST'

BEN VICTOR

"ROBERT YOUNG AND THE FAMILY"

FOUND IN SKITLANDIA

'SONIC THE HEDGEHOG'

UNCLE CHUCK

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