PETER FALK & JONATHAN WINTERS

Two of my all-time favorites, together again one last time......

#8700 - JAMES GARNER PAYS TRIBUTE TO JONATHAN WINTERS

My 8700th post!

SKED ALERT! "DOCTOR WHO" - "COLD WAR"

Tonight, the Ice Warriors return to 'Doctor Who'!

A fan's splainin about the Ice Warriors:


Here's a professional history of the aliens, with a look behind the scenes:


The Doctor's first meeting with the Ice Warriors:

And now the latest meeting:

As far as the Toobworld Dynamic is concerned, the Ice Warriors weren't native to Mars.  Maybe for the 2014 "Who's On First" tribute, I'll go into a more detailed splainin.....

BCnU!

HAT SQUAD VIDEOS: REMEMBERING MY HERO, JONATHAN WINTERS

HAT SQUAD/LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - JONATHAN WINTERS

To wake up yesterday to the news that Jonathan Winters had passed away....  I can't tell you how much of a cultural hero he was to me.  What I admired most was his fearless ability to work without a road map - he'd start an improv routine with no clue where he might end up.  Sometimes it didn't work; but most of the time, he was able to spin comedy gold from that vast unexplored country of his mind.

No one character could hold him bottled up for long and now he's free to become many with the Universe.......

JONATHAN WINTERS

TV DIMENSION:

The Tooniverse

AS SEEN ON TV:

'The Scooby Doo Movies'

"The Frickert Fracas"

SYNOPSIS:

After running stopping at a gas station, the gang discovers that Jonathan Winters needs a ride to Maude Frickert’s Farm. When they arrive at the farm, the gang and Mr. Winters find a large man chasing two men off of the farm. While trying to enter Maude's house, Mr. Winters and the gang get stopped by the large man who reveals that his name is Vernon Crow. Vernon thinks their trespassers. After Vernon says they won't get the secret formula, Mr. Winters tells Vernon that Mrs. Frickert is in the barn and she'll tell him who they are. Vernon walks up to the barn, and Mr. Winters does Mrs. Frickert's voice and makes Vernon let them in.

When they enter the house, the gang and Mr. Winters discover that the "secret formula" is a chicken feed that makes chickens [gigantic.]
- Scooby Doo wikia

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

BCnU!

"HAPPY ENDINGS" FOR "GAME OF THRONES"

'Happy Endings'
"The Incident"

Brad: Alex and Jane tried being honest with each other like 20 years ago. The fight lasted for weeks. The family calls it "the incident."

When Brad found out that Max had "screwed the pooch" and told both of the Kerkevitch sisters all the smack they had been talking about each other behind their backs, he knew a Serbian bleep-storm* would be unleashed.

Brad: People are going to get hurt.  Family members will be forced to take sides.  Innocent Brads yelled at and denied sex for weeks!  Winter is coming......

Now, "winter is coming" on its own is just a sentence and doesn't have to infer any connection to the George R.R. Martin opus fantasy epic "A Song of Ice And Fire", now being adapted for HBO as 'Game of Thrones'.  Thus, Zonk averted.

However, we know the books do exist in Toobworld, thanks first to 'Chuck' Bartowski as he read about the dire-wolves given to the Stark siblings.  Since then, the actual TV show - set in the dimension of Earth Prime-Time but on the planet Mondas before Toobworld was populated with humans - has been mentioned in the following TV series in the main Toobworld:

• 'Parks & Recreation'
• 'Community'
• 'Glee'
• 'Drop Dead Diva'
• 'Portlandia'
• 'The Secret Circle'
• 'The Thick Of It'
• '2 Broke Girls'
• 'The Office'

(It's also been mentioned on several shows set in the Tooniverse and in Skitlandia, as well as in the alternate dimension of 'Castle'.  And that means the "Derek Storm"/"Nikki Heat" author of the main Toobworld probably mentioned it as well.)

So Toobworld Central has no fear of accepting Brad's quote for what it is - a reference to the brainchild of Mr. Martin.  That would cause a massive Zonk if it weren't for the fact we already have a splainin in place.  And if a certain rumor about the show's fourth season hold true, we'll have a new and more interesting splainin to replace it.

BCnU!

*I'd much rather have used the original word for the alliteration, but I try to run a clean TV site here.....

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - DOROTHY HAMILL

 

DOROTHY HAMILL

 

From Wikipedia:

Dorothy Stuart Hamill (born July 26, 1956) is an American figure skater. She is the 1976 Olympic champion in ladies' singles and the 1976 World champion.
At the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, Hamill came in second in the figures and then won the short and long programs, taking the gold medal. Before her free program, supporters held a sign saying, "Which of the West? Dorothy!" The sign was asking which skater would defeat East Germany's Christine Errath for the gold medal. Hamill initially misunderstood their intention and was hurt by the witch reference, but then realized it was a sign of support and it helped alleviate her pre-competition nerves. The nine judges gave her unanimous first-place votes.

Hamill said that a competing skater and the skater's coach nearly hit her with a car during the 1976 Olympics. She does not believe the near-accident was intentional and has not publicly identified them. She was the last single skater to win the Olympics without a triple jump. Hamill also won the 1976 World Championships and then turned professional.

AS SEEN IN:

'Diff'rent Strokes'

"Family On Ice"

SYNOPSIS:

Kimberly is overjoyed when Olympic Gold Medalist Dorothy Hamill sees great promise in her as a competitive figure skater, but she's even more astounded when Drummond agrees to let her leave the New York "nest" to train full time with the award-winning skater -- in Los Angeles.

- TV.com

 

BCnU!

RETURN OF "THE SAINT"

Here's the video for the latest version of 'The Saint', Leslie Charteris' classic literary character:

Near the end of the video, Sir Roger Moore and Ian Ogilvie share a phone conversation in which they discuss Simon Templar. Ogilvie sounds determined to wipe out the entire family line, while Moore cautions him that the world will always need a saint.

In case you didn't know, both men played Templar in previous TV incarnations. Roger Moore will always be the perfect incarnation of 'The Saint' from back in the 1960s, while Ogilvie took on the role in the late 1970s.

The IMDb lists Ogilvie's character as "The Fixer", but surprisingly there's no mention of Moore. It's highly doubtful that The Fixer was also the second Templar, but the possibility remains that Moore is playing the patriarch of Clan Templar.

There's no problem if he's not, as so many TV characters resemble each other - that original Simon Templar looks just like Lord Bret Sinclair of 'The Persuaders!'.

But it still could be that the new Simon Templar, played by Adam Rayner, is the grandson of the original... and also the son of Ogilvie's version.  And that's why I plan on keeping this remake in Earth Prime-Time.  (I may be proven wrong later.....)

When the remake came out back in the late 70s, it was suggested that Ogilvie's Templar was the son of the original. This meant that at that same time on the networks there were two TV characters who could claim Roger Moore characters as "Daddy". The other one was Ben Maverick of 'Young Maverick' who was the son of Beau Maverick.

Hopefully this TV movie of 'The Saint' will be on American TV this year. Whether it goes to series, is unknown. But at least the character will have re-established himself in Earth Prime-Time.

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - BOBBY RYDELL

 

BOBBY RYDELL

 

From Wikipedia:

Bobby Rydell (born Robert Louis Ridarelli, 26 April 1942, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)[1] is an Americanprofessional singer, mainly of rock and roll music. In the early 1960s he was considered a "teen idol". According to Allmusic music journalist Kim Summers, Rydell, whose interest in show business began at the age of four years, "is one of the most sought-after nightclub and concert acts in the US. His performance in "Bye Bye Birdie" and his recordings "Wild One" and "Volare" made him a famous performer in the 1960s. Rydell used his talents as an impersonator and drummer mostly in pursuing a musical rather than an acting career.

AS SEEN IN:

'The Joey Bishop Show'
"Bobby Rydell Plugs Ellie's Song"

 

SYNOPSIS:
Special Guest Star Bobby Rydell sings to ease the tense situation between the Barneses, and is trapped into promoting an amateurish song composed by Ellie.

 

BCnU!

PRIME-TIME MARCHES ON: JIM ROCKFORD IS NOW 85

James Garner turned 85 on April 7......

Check out this blog's look at one of his two most famous characters in Toobworld:

A great appreciation of a fantastic actor and character come together in perfection:

https://ranchokinkaid.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/in-praise-of-rockford/

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - EDITH HEAD

EDITH HEAD

AS SEEN IN:

'Columbo'

"Requiem For A Falling Star"

From Wikipedia:

Edith Head (October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) was an American costume designer who won eight Academy Awards, more than any other woman.

Head made a brief appearance in 'Columbo' - "Requiem for a Falling Star" (1973) acting as herself, the clothing designer for Anne Baxter's character. Her Oscars were displayed on a desk in the scene.

SYNOPSIS:

Nora Chandler wanted to know if there was anything Ms. Head could do for the Lieutenant's wardrobe, which I believe she acknowledged to be a challenge. She did have a few ties for Columbo to try......

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: REMEMBERING ANNETTE

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

THE HAT SQUAD: MARGARET THATCHER

Baroness Margaret Thatcher has passed away.  She was the only female prime minister of Great Britain and the only one of the 20th Century to have served three consecutive terms in the post.  She was such a commanding presence on the world stage that she will continue to have her life portrayed in the Toobworld Dynamic across many TV dimensions, in much the same way has Marilyn Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, and JFK will.

These are the TV portrayals I could find in the IMDb:

SKITLANDIA

"Mad" 
    - The Iron Giant Lady/Raising a New Hope (2012) TV episode, Played by Tara Strong
"The Comic Strip Presents..." 
    - The Hunt for Tony Blair (2011) TV episode, Played by Jennifer Saunders
    - Red Nose of Courage (1992) TV episode, Played by Jennifer Saunders
    - GLC: The Carnage Continues... (1990) TV episode, Played byJennifer Saunders (as Ice Maiden)

"The Alan Clark Diaries"
    - The Lady (2006) TV episode, Played by Louise Gold
    - Defence of the Realm (2004) TV episode, Played by Louise Gold
    - Foreign Parts (2004) TV episode, Played by Louise Gold

"Mike Yarwood in Persons"
    - Episode #3.4 (1979) TV episode, Played by Janet Brown
    - Episode #3.1 (1979) TV episode, Played by Janet Brown
    - Episode #2.1 (1978) TV episode, Played by Janet Brown
Decision 79 (1979) (TV) Played by Janet Brown

STEVE NALLON (a category all his own)

"Spitting Image"
    - Episode #19.7 (1996) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon
    - Episode #8.6 (1990) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon
    - Episode #8.5 (1990) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon
    - Episode #8.4 (1990) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon
    - Episode #8.3 (1990) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon
      (46 more)

"Pallas"
    - Pallas 2 (1992) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon

Cinderella: The Shoe Must Go On (1986) (TV) Played by Steve Nallon (as Maggie Thatcher)

Night of a Thousand Faces (2001) (TV) Played by Steve Nallon

"The New Statesman"
    - Who Shot Alan B'Stard? (1990) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon
    - Live from Westminster (1989) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon (as Mrs Thatcher)
    - Alan B'Stard Closes Down the BBC (1988) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon
    - Three Line Whipping (1987) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon(as Mrs. Thatcher)

Bullseye! (1990) Played by Kathleen Smith (as Mrs. Thatcher) /Steve Nallon (as Mrs. Thatcher)

"Ben Elton: The Man from Auntie"
    - Episode #1.1 (1990) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon

"KYTV"
    - Pilot: Siege-Side Special (1989) TV episode, Played by Steve Nallon

Live! From London (1988) (TV) Played by Steve Nallon (as Margret Thatcher)

THE TOONIVERSE

"American Dad!"
    - I Can't Stan You (2007) TV episode, Played by Miriam Margolyes (as Margaret Hilda Thatcher)

VARIOUS TV DIMENSIONS
Shades of Black: The Conrad Black Story (2006) (TV) Played byElizabeth Shepherd
Coup! (2006) (TV) Played by Caroline Blakiston
"The Line of Beauty"
    - To Whom Do You Beautifully Belong (2006) TV episode, Played by Kika Markham (as Mrs. Thatcher)
Pinochet's Last Stand (2006) (TV) Played by Anna Massey (as Baroness Thatcher)
Jeffrey Archer: The Truth (2002) (TV) Played by Greta Scacchi
The Falklands Play (2002) (TV) Played by Patricia Hodge (as Rt Hon Margaret Thatcher MP)
tvSSFBM EHKL (2001) (TV) Played by Sonia Farrugia
Deutschlandspiel (2000) (TV) Played by Nicole Heesters
Half the Picture (1996) (TV) Played by Sylvia Syms
Thatcher: The Final Days (1991) (TV) Played by Sylvia Syms
Dunrulin (1990) (TV) Played by Angela Thorne
The Investigation: Inside a Terrorist Bombing (1990) (TV) Played by Heather Chasen (as The Right Honourable Margaret Thatcher)
"About Face"
    - Send Her Victorious (1989) TV episode, Played by Maureen Lipman
"Palace Hill" (1988) TV series Played by Tessa Harrison (as Maggie Thatcher)
"3-2-1"
    - Episode #10.8 (1987) TV episode, Played by Jessica Martin
"Bullseye"
    - Episode #4.10 (1984) TV episode, Played by Faith Brown
"The Gillies Report" (1984) TV series Played by Max Gillies
"Are You Being Served?"
    - Monkey Business (1983) TV episode, Played by Jan Ravens (as Mrs. Thatcher)
Anyone for Denis? (1982) (TV) Played by Angela Thorne
"World in Action"
    - The State of the Nation (1981) TV episode, Played by Sarah Hogg
    - Mrs. Thatcher's Billion (1980) TV episode, Played by Sarah Hogg

Being British shows, I'm not familiar with them.  Some of these last batch could be from Skitlandia as well

If I had to choose one for the main TV Dimension of Earth Prime-Time?  I'm not sure.  Perhaps Sylvia Sims or Lindsey Duncan.....

BCnU......

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - BRITNEY SPEARS

 

BRITNEY SPEARS

 

AS SEEN IN:

'Glee'

"Britney/Brittany"

 

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

 

TV STATUS:

Dream Figure

 

From Wikipedia:

"Britney/Brittany" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 24th episode overall. Written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, it premiered on the Fox network on September 28, 2010, and pays tribute to Britney Spears. Glee club member Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris) experiences an anesthesia-induced hallucination in which she recreates iconic Spears moments, and comes to self-realization, and several club members follow suit.

Following the first season episode "The Power of Madonna", which served as an homage to Madonna, Murphy planned two tribute episodes for Glee's second season, of which "Britney/Brittany" is the first. He was approached by Spears about using her songs, and deemed her one of the most important female musicians of the decade, having inspired many of the show's young cast to pursue musical careers. Spears makes several cameos in the episode, appearing in the students' dream sequences.

 

BCnU!

ECHOES: REMEMBERING THE IRON LADY

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to affect,

but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective point of view

it is more like a big ball of wibbily wobbly timey wimey...stuff."

The Doctor

"Doctor Who"

 "This is no time to go wobbly."

Margaret Thatcher

O'BSERVATIONS: KING'S LAND

I was going to state that few of the TV adaptations of Stephen King can bhe found in Earth Prime-Time, the Toobworld proper.

But since then I've looked over the list, and found that most of them can remain in the main Toobworld - such as:

• 'The Shining'
• 'Salem's Lot' (original version)
• 'Storm Of The Century'
• 'It'
• 'The Tommyknockers'
• the "Rekindled" version of "Firestarter"

The TV series 'Kingdom Hospital', 'Haven', and most of 'The Dead Zone' would be in the main Toobworld. ('The Dead Zone' switched over to an alternate TV dimension when the President of the United States was assassinated.) Some of the episodes from the anthology series 'Nightmares & Dreamscapes' might take place in Toobworld, but still others would have to be relegated to other worlds.

And of course, as Monty Python would put it, 'The Stand' is right out!

So I know nothing more about this new TV production, 'Under The Dome', other than the basic premise. But depending on how it concludes, at present I can see now reason why it can't be considered part of Earth Prime-Time. After all, the Toobworld Dynamic has been able to absorb the loss of a sizable chunk of a Los Angeles suburb (as seen in an episode of 'The Outer Limits') as well as alien invasions from - again - 'The Outer Limits', and 'The Twilight Zone', 'Doctor Who', and even 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'.

We'll just have to wait and view.....

 

 

 

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - FRANK GORSHIN

 

This past Friday was Frank Gorshin's birthday. He would have been 80 years old. Originally we planned to salute him on that day, but sadly, the death of Roger Ebert (two thumbs down!) forced us to change our plans.....

 

FRANK GORSHIN

AS SEEN IN:

'CSI'

"Grave Danger"

From Wikipedia:
Frank John Gorshin, Jr. (April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He was perhaps best known as an impressionist, with many guest appearances on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' and 'Tonight Starring Steve Allen'. His most famous acting role was as The Riddler in the 'Batman' live-action television series.

Gorshin's last television appearance was in "Grave Danger", an episode of the CBS series 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' which aired two days after his death; the episode, which was directed by Quentin Tarantino, was dedicated to his memory. While he was known for his impressions, his role on 'CSI' was as himself (seen below with Tony Curtis who was also appearing as himself.)

BCnU!

TOOBMUSIC: SPRINTING FOR ALL MY DAYS

 

It's time to pay the bills.......

This is the taste of "All My Days" by Alexi Murdoch as heard in the Sprint blipvert:

And here's the full song:

I haven't been this excited by a musical discovery in a TV commercial since Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" was used for the Cabrio ad.

BCnU!

JAY OF OUR LIVES

The characters who dwell in the soap opera town from 'Days Of Our Lives' usually can be trusted to be found in Earth Prime-Time. However, they do have doppelgangers in the Skitlandia dimension as well......

My thanks to my cuz-in-law Denise for telling me about this....

 

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - JIMMY & JAY

From ABC News:
Ending weeks of speculation, NBC confirmed today that after 22 years, Jay Leno will step down as the host of “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” next spring. Jimmy Fallon, now the star of “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” will take over shortly thereafter.

“Congratulations, Jimmy. I hope you’re as lucky as me and hold on to the job until you’re an old guy,” Leno, 62, said. “If you need me, I’ll be at the garage.”

Joked Fallon, 38: “I’m really excited to host a show that starts today instead of tomorrow.”

Another perk for Fallon? He won’t have to move cross-country, as production of 59-year-old “The Tonight Show” will move from Los Angeles to its original home at 30 Rock in New York City.

“Jimmy Fallon is a unique talent and this is his time,” NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke said. “I’m thrilled he will become the sixth host of ‘The Tonight Show.’”

 

JIMMY FALLON & JAY LENO

AS SEEN IN:

'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'
(April 1, 2013)



O'BSERVATION:

No matter how he really felt about this situation and especially how it was (mis)handled, no one could deny Leno is a trooper.

BCnU!