LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - HEEERE'S JOHNNY!

JOHNNY CARSON

AS SEEN IN:

'The Jack Benny Program'

["Jack Gives Johnny Carson Advice"]

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From the CTVA:

"Jack Gives Johnny Carson Advice" about maintaining a long show business career through versatility, but Johnny turns the tables on him by displaying his many talents including singing, dancing and drumming.

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - OSCAR LEVANT

OSCAR LEVANT

AS SEEN IN:

'The Jack Benny Program'

["Jack Goes To Doctor"]

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From the CTVA:

Synopsis:

Jack is unhappy and in a foul mood. Jack's guest is Oscar Levant, pianist, who does a number for the director, Don Weis. Jack insults Don Wilson and Oscar tries to figure out what is going on with Jack. Jack is urged to go see one of Oscar's doctor. Jack says no and tells about his first trip to New York to sign a contract. Jack & Mary had an obnoxious waiter (Frank Nelson) at a restaurant and Jack relates that Jack sees the same guy at other places and he always annoys Jack. 

Oscar talks Jack into seeing his doctor (Olan Soule). The doctor finishes with his patient (Frank Nelson) who goes berserk when he sees Jack and literally climbs the wall. Jack is so pleased with seeing the guy's reaction to him that it makes Jack feel wonderful and he feels that he has gotten even with the guy. Jack tells Oscar to take him home in his Jaguar ambulance. The show ends on stage with Jack thanking Oscar for being his guest.

From Wikipedia:

Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906 – August 14, 1972) was an American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor. He was as famous for his mordant character and witticisms, on the radio and in movies and television, as for his music.

From 1947 to 1949, Levant regularly appeared on NBC radio's Kraft Music Hall, starring Al Jolson. He not only accompanied Jolson on the piano and played classical and popular solos, but often joked and ad-libbed with Jolson and his guests. This includes comedy sketches. The pairing of the two entertainers was inspired. Their individual ties to George Gershwin --- Jolson introduced Gershwin's "Swanee" --- undoubtedly had much to do with their rapport. Both Levant and Jolson appeared as themselves in the Gershwin biopic "Rhapsody in Blue" (1945).

In the early 1950s, Levant was an occasional panelist on the NBC game show, 'Who Said That?', in which celebrities try to determine the speaker of quotations taken from recent news reports.

Between 1958 and 1960, Levant hosted a television talk show on KCOP-TV in Los Angeles, 'The Oscar Levant Show', which later became syndicated. It featured his piano playing along with monologues and interviews with top-name guests such as Fred Astaire and Linus Pauling. A full recording of only two shows is known to exist, one with Astaire, who paid to have a kinescope recording of the broadcast made, so that he could assess his performance. This is likely the only Astaire performance to have imperfections, as it was live, and Levant would repeatedly change the tempo of his accompaniment to Astaire's singing during the bridges between verses, which appeared to get him quite off balance at first. He did not dance, as the studio space was extremely small.

The show was highly controversial, eventually being taken from the air after a comment about Marilyn Monroe's conversion to Judaism: "Now that Marilyn Monroe is kosher, Arthur Miller can eat her". He later stated that he "hadn't meant it that way". Several months later, the show began to be broadcast in a slightly revised format—it was taped in order to provide a buffer for Levant's antics. This, however, failed to prevent Levant from making comments about Mae West's sex life that caused the show to be canceled for good. Levant was also a frequent guest on Jack Paar's talk show, prompting Paar in later years to sign off by saying, "Good night, Oscar Levant, wherever you are." On an appearance on The Tonight Show, from New York, Levant once quipped that his Jaguar ambulance was waiting outside for him.

The 1920s and 1930s wit Alexander Woollcott, a member of the Algonquin Round Table, once said of him: "There isn't anything the matter with Levant that a few miracles wouldn't cure."

Open about his neuroses and hypochondria, Levant, in later life became addicted to prescription drugs and was frequently committed to mental hospitals by his wife. Despite his afflictions, Levant was considered a genius by some, in many areas. (He himself wisecracked "There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.")

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - BUDDY ADLER

BUDDY ADLER

AS SEEN IN:

'The Jack Benny Program'

["Jack's Life Story"]

Synopsis:

Twentieth Century Fox is planning to film Jack's life story, and he has become unbearably conceited. Buddy Adler informs Jack that he is not going to star in the picture [as himself], Van Johnson [will be playing Jack]; Jack is going to play his own father.

From Wikipedia:

E. Maurice "Buddy" Adler (June 22, 1909 – July 12, 1960) was an American film producer and a former production head for 20th Century Fox studios.

Born in New York City, New York, he married in 1940 actress Anita Louise Fremault (1915–1970) with whom he had two children.

In 1954, his production of "From Here to Eternity" won the Academy Award for Best Picture and in 1956, his "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" was nominated for best picture. Adler also produced the 1956 film "Bus Stop", starring Marilyn Monroe.

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - MICKEY ROONEY

MICKEY ROONEY

AS SEEN IN:

'The Jack Benny Program'

["Modern Prison Sketch"]

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From the CTVA:

Mickey Rooney is the special guest star. The show starts with Jack, Don and Freddy De Cordova eating at a lunch counter with an obnoxious waitress. Mickey Rooney shows up and convinces Jack to grab the lunch tab but Jack has to borrow money from Mickey. 

During the show later, Jack invites Mickey on stage with the pretense of paying back the $20 but its Jack's attempt to have Mickey as a guest, without paying Mickey, who doesn't let Jack get by with it. The main sketch has Jack and Mickey in a modern prison, set in 1985. Jack's version of the modern prison has plush living conditions with a cigarette girl, photographer, excellent food, television, etc. Its so nice in the prison, that Mickey doesn't want to leave and rants and raves and it takes two prison guards to throw Mickey out when his sentence comes to an end. Mickey is known as "Killer Looney" and Jack is known as "Benny the Louse" in the sketch.

BCnU!

SKED ALERT! A DIFFERENT KIND OF "SISTER, SISTER"

Okay, I know I said I wasn't going to post anything besides the preset showcases for the League of Themselves, but I have a Sked Alert:

My friend Shirley Jordan, whose two characters of the "Doctor" (no, not him!) and the "Nurse" were the Birthday Honors List inductees this past yarren, sent out this email to her friends:

Hi,

Inquiring minds wanted to know, so here's a reminder!

There'll be a Shirley sighting this Thursday on SCANDAL at 10pm on ABC.

I play a presidential debate moderator at the top of the show in a short flashback.

Seeya Later,

Shirley

PS

And if you watch Let's Make A Deal at 10AM the same day, you'll see my sister Jeanetta and her boyfriend Windsor dressed up as cameras! What are the chances of that????!!!!

AND.....

This is a Facebook notice from her sister, my friend Jeanetta Gonzalez:

TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS for Thursday this week:

#1. Watch "Let's Make a Deal" this Thursday, Jan. 17th, CBS, 9am PST (check local listings). Watch/DVR it! Look for me and Windsor!

#2. This is from my sister, Shirley Jordan's FB post:
Thursday - SCANDAL - Jan. 17th. ABC. 10PM. Yours truly (Shirley) as the Presidential debate moderator. Quite an exciting, inspiring day! Watch/DVR the episode!

Jeanetta is modest - she put them in reverse order. But since her show will be airing first on Thursday, I re-arranged it.

I'm thinking Shirley's appearance as the moderator could be a tie-in to her appearance on 'Commander-In-Chief' a few years back. In that, she played "Friend #1" at the President's birthday gala. No name given, no occupation listed, so why couldn't she be this debate moderator?

I know I've often said about shows from alternate TV dimensions - "Oh, this can go into the 'West Wing' dimension', or "This can go into the 'Commander-In-Chief' dimension." But I think this time I'm going to lock it in that 'Scandal' follows Geena Davis' series on that alt-Toobworld timeline. And all because of Shirley.

As for Jeanetta, this will go into her League of Themselves tally. Just about everybody today has a televersion, or at the least they have the potential to become TV characters based on themselves. And being seen in the audience of a game show has to be better than being suspected of being an extraterrestrial like my friend, singer Natalie Major. (Eventually I'll get around to posting that story... BUT DON'T TELL HER! LOL)

Jeanetta is a graphics designer and you can check out her incredible work here.

Um... Two for Thursday!

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - MISS BEVERLY HILLS

MISS BEVERLY HILLS

AS SEEN IN:

'The Jack Benny Program'

["Don Breaks Leg"]

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From the CTVA:

Don Wilson fakes a broken leg in order to get Jack to use his son, Harlow, as the announcer. Miss Beverly Hills makes an appearance by first singing opera and then switches to a striptease. (Miss Beverly Hills sings "Only One Man," and does strip.)

 

AS SEEN IN:

'Thriller'

["Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper"]

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From "A Thriller A Day":
JS: Let's face it, the entire group of actors playing the cops were awful. I did laugh when one made the bold proclamation, "We don't really know who we're looking for. He could even be a woman!" But again, I didn't think the episode was completely without redeeming qualities. I found the whole bit in the strip club amusing—Sir Guy couldn't get in there fast enough once he found out exactly what goes on inside.
PE: I think it was more than he was expecting, based on the way his cigarette went limp in the middle of Miss Beverly Hills routine.
JS: And once her number comes to an end, you get the sense that a fistfight might break out to see who gets to go backstage to make sure she's okay.

Two For Tuesday!

Sending this out to my nephew Ian.....

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - ISAAC STERN

ISAAC STERN

AS SEEN IN:

'The Jack Benny Program'

["The Isaac Stern Show"]

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From the CTVA:

Jack figures out that he's NOT a great violinist; Rochester and Mary plot to fool him into believing he is a great violinist with the help of Isaac Stern.

BCnU!

PROGRAMMING NOTE

As this week goes on, you'll notice I'm running a theme for the League of Themselves showcase. And when I run a theme, it usually means one thing - vacation!

This one is a "staycation". I'm staying here at Toobworld Central while it undergoes a massive overhaul with plastering and painting.

So don't expect anything more this week than the daily edition of the League of Themselves showcase. I'll have to unplug Miguelito II for a couple of days.....

BCnU you all in a week!

"DOCTOR WHO" - A 50TH ANNIVERSARY TRAILER

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - PROFESSOR HAWKING

Earlier this week, Professor Stephen Hawking turned 70 years old.....

STEPHEN HAWKING

AS SEEN IN:

From Earth Prime-Time:

'The Big Bang Theory'

["The Extract Obliteration"]

'Star Trek: The Next Generation'

["Descent: Part One"*]

*TV STATUS:

Holographic representation

From the Tooniverse:

'Futurama'

["Anthology Of Interest"]

["Reincarnation"]

["The Beast With A Billion Backs"]

'The Simpsons'

["They Saved Lisa's Brain"]

["Don't Fear The Roofer"]

["Stop Or My Dog Will Shoot"]

["Elementary School Musical"]

TV Dimensions:

Earth Prime-Time

&

The Tooniverse

From Wikipedia:

Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA (born 8 January 1942) is a British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. Among his significant scientific works have been a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularities theorems in the framework of general relativity, and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. Hawking was the first to set forth a cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. He is a vocal supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.

He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009.

Hawking has achieved success with works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general; his A Brief History of Time stayed on the British Sunday Times best-sellers list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Hawking has a motor neurone disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition that has progressed over the years. He is almost entirely paralysed and communicates through a speech generating device. He married twice and has three children.

Hawking has appeared as himself on episodes of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', 'The Simpsons', 'Futurama', and 'The Big Bang Theory'.

Hawking's early life and the onset of his illness was the subject of the 2004 BBC Four TV film "Hawking" in which he was portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch. In 2008, he was featured in the documentary series "Stephen Hawking, Master of the Universe", for Channel 4.

Happy birthday, Sir!

BCnU!