SKED ALERT - "DOCTOR WHO" : "THE CRIMSON HORROR"

To get you ready for "The Crimson Horror", tonight's episode of 'Doctor Who', here are a few videos you might find of interest.....

Ah, who am I kidding?  It's written by Gatiss!  It has Dame Diana Rigg in it!  If that's not enough to get you excited right there, these videos are just wasted on you!

(But didn't you like that reference to Tegan?)

Geronimo!

A VERY MILKY BLIPVERT

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

Don't you wonder how many idiot kids drank that stuff?

THE HAT SQUAD - CHRIS KELLY OF KRIS KROSS

From the Associated Press:

Chris Kelly, half of the 1990s kid rap duo Kris Kross who made one of the decade's most memorable songs with the frenetic "Jump," has died, according to authorities. He was 34.

Investigator Betty Honey of the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office said the 34-year-old Kelly was pronounced dead around 5 p.m. Wednesday at the south campus of the Atlanta Medical Center.

Honey said authorities are unsure of Kelly's cause of death and that an autopsy has yet to be performed.

Kelly, known as "Mac Daddy," and Chris Smith, known as "Daddy Mac," were introduced to the music world in 1992 by music producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri after he discovered the pair in an Atlanta mall. The duo wore their clothes backwards as a gimmick, but they won over fans with their raps.

Their first, and by far most successful song, was "Jump." The hit, off their multi-platinum 1992 debut album "Totally Krossed Out," featured the two trading versus and rapping the refrain, the song's title. The duo had surprising maturity in their rap delivery, though the song was written by Dupri. It would become a No. 1 smash in the United States and globally, and one of the most popular of that year.

Good night and may God bless.....

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - MICK JAGGER

MICK JAGGER

From Wikipedia:

Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor, best known as the lead vocalist and a founder member of the Rolling Stones.
Jagger's career has spanned over 50 years. His performance style has been said to have "opened up definitions of gendered masculinity and so laid the foundations for self-invention and sexual plasticity which are now an integral part of contemporary youth culture," and he has been described as "one of the most popular and influential frontmen in the history of rock & roll". His distinctive voice and performance, along with Keith Richards' guitar style, have been the trademark of The Rolling Stones throughout the career of the band. In 1989, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Rolling Stones.

Jagger gained much press notoriety for admitted drug use and romantic involvements, and was often portrayed as a counter-cultural figure. In the late 1960s Jagger began acting in films (starting with Performance and Ned Kelly), to mixed reception. In 1985, Jagger released his first solo album, She's the Boss, and was knighted in 2003. In early 2009, he joined the electric supergroup SuperHeavy.

AS SEEN IN:

'The Knights Of Prosperity'

"Pilot"
"Operation: Fighting Shape" - executive producer  

SYNOPSIS:

The show follows a group of misfits—the titular Knights—who attempt to rob various celebrities, the first being Mick Jagger. (Jagger was also credited as one of the executive producers.)

BCnU!

BORN TO RERUN - ARYA > SALLY

The Toobworld Dynamic supports the concept of reincarnation, even if I personally do not believe in it.  There have been too many instances depicted in TV series over the years which can't be dismissed.

Sometimes the reincarnation includes the scientific as well as the religious, with exact DNA sequence match-ups (meaning that the same actor played both roles.)  But most times, especially with the theoretical bonds, it's more something in the character which suggests the "born to rerun" claim.

Also, souls are universal; they are not bound to the world of Earth Prime-Time.  A character born on some other planet could be reincarnated on the main Toobworld.  (The Minbari believed this, that humans could be reborn as Minbari.  But there was a different splainin to their misguided belief.)

So it is with several souls of long-departed characters from the continent of Westeros on the planet Mondas.  Two of them I'm saving for the "Who's On First" marathon on New Year's Day 2014 - gotta feed the beast!  But I can reveal the other one now.....

Arya Stark was thrust against her wishes into growing up faster than she should have; becoming a strong-willed, rebellious young girl during a time of great revolution in the Seven Kingdoms.  (This all happened on Mondas long before the super computer known as Earth was completed by the Magratheans.)

By the 1960s, Earth time, the planet Mondas was long gone from the solar system, but the soul of Arya Stark transmigrated to Earth where it was eventually reborn in 1955 - as Sally Draper.

Sally also was strong-willed and rebellious during a time of great revolution.  She was wise beyond her years and, like Arya, she had flawed parents who meant well but ultimately failed in being there for her when she needed them most.

That's my theory and I'm sticking with it.

SHOWS CITED:

• 'Game of Thrones'
• 'Mad Men'
• 'Babylon 5'
• 'Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy'
• 'Doctor Who'

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - MICHAEL CONNELLY

MICHAEL CONNELLY

From Wikipedia:

Michael Connelly (born July 21, 1956, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. His books, which have been translated into 36 languages, have garnered him many awards. Connelly was the President of the Mystery Writers of America from 2003 to 2004.

Connelly was one of the creators and executive producers of 'Level 9', a science fiction action TV series that aired for 13 episodes in the 2000-2001 season on the UPN television network. 

He occasionally makes guest appearances as himself in the ABC comedy/drama TV series 'Castle'. Along with Stephen J. Cannell, James Patterson, and Dennis Lehane, he is one of Castle's poker buddies.

Connelly's novel "The Lincoln Lawyer" was made into a film in 2011, with Matthew McConaughey playing defense lawyer Michael "Mickey" Haller. Following the commercial success of the film, the ABC network had commissioned a pilot for a TV series featuring Haller from the production studios Lions Gate & Lakeshore.

AS SEEN IN: 

'Castle'

"Deep In Death"

"A Game Of Death"

O'BSERVATION:

Connelly also portrayed his televersion in an episode of 'Millennium' ('Cronica negra, Literatura negra'), but he can't connect the two series as they take place in different TV dimensions.

BCnU!

GETTING LUCKY WITH ZOMBIES

When it comes to the TV Universe, my main concern is with Earth Prime-Time, the main Toobworld. That's where most of the TV shows are situated and thus the most opportunity for my theoretical crossovers like the Missing Links and the Theories of Relateeveety. Sometimes I'll post about a few of the other TV dimensions - Evil Toobworld, Skitlandia, the Tooniverse, the worlds of 'The West Wing' and 'Castle', and one day I hope to finally lay out my vision of how the alternate worlds of 'Once Upon A Time' are unified but are NOT BookWorld.

One TV dimension in which I don't have any interest is Zombie Toobworld. I mean, what's the point? Eventually every living person on that world will either be killed outright or turned into a Walker. How could there ever be a world-wide cure for the zuvembies, as Marvel Comics once had to call them?

So far there are only two main contributions to this world - 'The Walking Dead' and 'Dead Set'. 'In The Flesh' could be part of this world as well; I'm not sure and I don't plan on investigating it.

But I did find a piece to the puzzle for Zombie Toobworld that shows a little bit o' life during prime-time when the sheriff from 'The Walking Dead' was in his coma:

Think it unbelievable that the events of that lottery blipvert could happen in the same world as 'The Walking Dead'?

1] On Earth Prime-Time, 'Get Smart' happens in the same world as 'I Spy'.

2] You're already dealing with zombies. Don't talk to me about believability.

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - CURT GOWDY

CURT GOWDY

AS SEEN IN:

'Banacek'

"Let's Hear It For A Living Legend"

SYNOPSIS:

While Thomas Banacek was in Philadelphia, he watched a televised football game between the Boston Rebels and the Philadelphia Cougars.  Gowdy was calling the game when suddenly Boston player Hank Ives disappeared from under a pile-up tackle.

From Wikipedia:

Curtis Edward "Curt" Gowdy (July 31, 1919–February 20, 2006) was an American sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally-televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s.

In April 1951 at the age of 31, Gowdy began his tenure as the lead announcer for the Red Sox. For the next 15 years, he called the exploits of generally mediocre Red Sox teams on WHDH radio and on three Boston TV stations: WBZ-TV, WHDH-TV, and WNAC-TV (WBZ and WNAC split the Red Sox TV schedule from 1948 through 1955; WBZ alone carried the Red Sox from 1955 through 1957; and WHDH took over in 1958). 

During that time, Gowdy partnered with two future baseball broadcasting legends: Bob Murphy and Ned Martin. Chronic back pain caused Gowdy to miss the entire 1957 season. He also did nightly sports reports on WHDH radio when his schedule permitted.

He left WHDH after the 1965 season for NBC Sports, where for the next ten years he called the national baseball telecasts of the Saturday afternoon Game of the Week and Monday Night Baseball during the regular season (and the All-Star Game in July), and the post-season playoffs and World Series in October.

Gowdy was said to have a warm, slightly gravelly voice and an unforced, easy style that set him apart from his peers. (Author John Updike once described him as sounding "like everybody's brother-in-law".) Unlike many well-known sportscasters, Gowdy never developed catchphrases or signature calls, but merely described the action in a straightforward manner.

Gowdy had numerous network assignments, first for ABC-TV in 1960, where he covered the first five seasons of the American Football League with broadcast partner Paul Christman. Gowdy and Christman also teamed to call college football for ABC in the 1960 and 1961 seasons.

In the fall of 1965 he moved to NBC, with whom he would be employed for over a decade. Gowdy was the lead play-by-play announcer for the network for both the American Football League (AFC from 1970 on) and Major League Baseball, but Gowdy also covered a wide range of sports, earning him the nickname of the "broadcaster of everything."

Besides Paul Christman, who followed him to NBC in 1965, his other football broadcast partners were Kyle Rote, Al DeRogatis, Don Meredith, John Brodie, and Merlin Olsen. His broadcast partners for baseball included Pee Wee Reese, Tony Kubek, Sandy Koufax, and Joe Garagiola. He also had many different partners for basketball. Al DeRogatis was also Gowdy's partner for the college football games.

After the 1975 World Series, he was removed from NBC's baseball telecasts, after a controversy over comments [about] a call by an umpire, and when sponsor Chrysler insisted on having Joe Garagiola (who was their spokesman in many commercials) be the lead play-by-play voice. While Gowdy was on hand in the press box for Carlton Fisk's legendary home run in Game 6 of the 1975 Series, the actual calls went to two of Gowdy's Red Sox successors, Dick Stockton on TV and Ned Martin on radio. Gowdy was Martin's color man on that home run.

Gowdy continued as NBC's lead NFL announcer through the 1978 season, with his final broadcast being the memorable Super Bowl XIII between Pittsburgh and Dallas. With NBC now anxious to promote Dick Enberg to the lead NFL position, Gowdy moved over to CBS and called NFL games on CBS for two seasons with Hank Stram and also did baseball on radio. 

He also called regional college football for ABC in 1982 and 1983. In 1987, Gowdy was the radio voice of the New England Patriots. In 1976, when Gowdy otherwise still worked for NBC, he was loaned to ABC to work on their Summer Olympics coveragein Montreal. Gowdy called swimming with Donna de Varona and basketball with Bill Russell.

Over the course of a career that stretched into the 1980s, Gowdy covered pro football (both the AFL and NFL), Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball. He was involved in the broadcast of 13 World Series, 16 baseball All-Star Games, 9 Super Bowls, 14 Rose Bowls, 8 Olympic Games and 24 NCAA Final Fours. He also hosted the long-running outdoors show 'The American Sportsman' on ABC.

Gowdy called all the Olympic Games televised by ABC from 1964–84 with Roone Arledge's sports department at ABC.

In the mid-1970s Gowdy was host and producer of 'The Way It Was', for PBS, and in later years provided historic commentary for 'Inside the NFL', on HBO.

In the 1980s, Gowdy voiced a series of beer commercials for Genesee, an American product brewed by the Genesee Brewing Company in Rochester, New York. Essentially, these ads had an outdoor enthusiast theme, with Curt's tag line being "Genesee - the great outdoors in a glass".

BCnU!

TVXOHOF, 05/2013 - RHODA!

"My name is Rhoda Morgenstern. I was born in the Bronx, New York in December, 1941. I've always felt responsible for World War II. The first thing I remember liking that liked me back was food. I had a bad puberty; it lasted 17 years. I'm a high school graduate. I went to art school. My entrance exam was on a book of matches. I decided to move out of the house when I was 24; my mother still refers to this as the time I ran away from home. Eventually I ran to Minneapolis, where it's cold, and I figured I'd keep better. Now I'm back in Manhattan. New York, this is your last chance!"

OUR FIRST INTRODUCTION TO RHODA

Rhoda Morganstern has been eligible for membership in the TV Crossover Hall of Fame since 2000, with the TV reunion movie "Mary and Rhoda" debuted.  It wasn't very good, and that coming from a devoted fan of the characters.  Nevertheless it gave Rhoda that final qualification for entry.

91 episodes of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'

110 episodes of 'Rhoda'

The TV movie "Mary and Rhoda"

But she's been one of those many characters I kept putting off for inclusion, figuring I'd get around to it someday.  Meanwhile somebody else would come along that was more interesting to write about, somebody who would knock my socks off... if I was wearing any at the time.

And then came the news........

March 6 (Reuters) - Actress Valerie Harper best
known as wise-cracking neighbor Rhoda Morgenstern on
television's "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," has been diagnosed
with terminal brain cancer, People magazine reported on
Wednesday.

Doctors told Harper, 73, on Jan. 15 that she had as little
as three months left to live after a battery of tests revealed
she has leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, according to People. The
rare condition occurs when cancer cells spread into the
fluid-filled membrane surrounding the brain.

Soon after the news became public, Ms. Harper appeared on TV to discuss her situation.  Had it been just about anyone else, I would have typed "her dire situation."  But basically her message was:

"I don't think of dying. I think of being here now."

So that's what I want to do.  I want to celebrate Rhoda Morgenstern while Valerie Harper is still with us (not that she's going to see this.)  The character was too full of life, ready to burst through our TV screens, and doesn't deserve some maudlin tribute after she's gone.

So here's to Rhoda Morgenstern.  To be exact, here's to Rhoda Morgenstern Gerard Rousseau.  Rhoda is the May Queen for 2013 in the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - JOHN O'CREAGH

JOHN O'CREAGH

From Tobipedia:

John O'Creagh is an actor based in New York who has appeared in productions of "Anything Goes", "Pirates of Penzance", "The Fantasticks", "Equus", "King Lear", "Twelfth Night, and "Perfect Crime" in productions at the Paper Mill Playhouse, the Goodspeed Opera House, New York's Irish Rep, and at the Roundabout Theatre.  He toured around the world in "West Side Story" as Doc, and played Ben Franklin in countless productions of "1776",

For the Toobworld Dynamic he contributed citizens from episodes of 'Law & Order: SVU', 'John Adams', 'Kidnapped" and "A Knock At The Door".  (The one that doesn't count is from the American version of 'Life On Mars', who was a computer-generated dream figure.)

John also writes poems which he publishes on Facebook - his commentary on the socio-political trivia of the day.  In fact, Inner Toob published one this past Sunday.

AS SEEN IN:

'The Late Show with David Letterman'

(04/29/13 episode)

SYNOPSIS:

John O'Creagh suddenly ambled on stage as the down-east, down-home pitchman for Oyster Cove Seafood Syrup.  Made with oysters, clams, and mussels, the thick, grey syrup was supposedly good on pancakes and straight out of the bottle.......

TV DIMENSION:

Both Earth Prime-Time and Skitlandia

O'BSERVATION:

The late night talk shows straddle the dimensional fence when it comes to where they belong in the TV Universe.  On the one hand, these shows are referenced in other TV shows, so we know that - in this case - David Letterman is hosting 'The Late Show' on CBS in Toobworld.  But there are comedy sketches and fake commercials and news reports that would be equally at home in Skitlandia.

So here we have two different points of view for John's appearance on the show.  As a fake TV commercial, it belongs in Skitlandia where Oyster Cove Seafood Syrup would exist.

But that breakfast bilge wouldn't exist in Earth Prime-Time.  In Toobworld, 'Late Night' is an established TV show within a TV show in such programs as:

• 'ER'
• 'Dexter'
• 'Seinfeld'
• 'Frasier'
• 'Entourage'
• 'The Nanny'
• 'The Office'
• 'Love Monkey'
• 'Close To Home'
• 'How I Met Your Mother'

Not to mention TV shows set in alternate dimension, like 'The West Wing' and 'Studio 60'.  And it even exists in the Tooniverse.

So in that context, John O'Creagh appeared on TV sets across the TV America of the main Toobworld as he did a fake commercial sketch.  That means the main televersion of John O'Creagh appeared as himself doing a quick bit in the show within a show of 'Late Night' in Earth Prime-Time, while his Skitlandian televersion was doing an actual commercial for Oyster Bay Seafood Syrup.

Confused?  

Sorry about that, Chief......

BCnU!

LOCATION SHOT - BARAT > BARAGA > BARACQ

KING JONETTA of BARAT

Today's focus shifts overseas to the Middle East of Toobworld, to the kingdom now known as Baracq.  It was last seen around 1986, a war-torn yet oil-rich country that served as the backdrop to the petty family squabbles of the McCandless and Clegg families.

KING RASHID of BARAT
with General Shafari

But it was not always known as Baracq.  Until the early 1960s, it had always been the kingdom of Barat, situated in a strategic location between the powers of the East and the West.  In 1959 it was ruled by King Rashid who was assassinated by General Shafari.  

The assassination was covered up as an attack by an angry mob, but Shafari had plans to rule the country himself so that he might make a fortune by playing one super-power off of the other.  If Rashid's brother Jonetta carried through with his plan to ascend to the throne upon the death of his brother, then Shafari would kill him as well.  

KING JONETTA with GENERAL SHAFARI

But he never counted on the unseen assistance of Peter Brady, the invisible man, to protect "Johnny".

King Jonetta ruled wisely for several years, with the help of the tribal leaders.  But there must have been a falling out with his most trusted advisor, Sheik Hassan.  It looks like Hassan did away with Jonetta and perhaps even disposed of his sister if she was allowed to rule the country.  

TRIBAL LEADER HASSAN (LEFT)

with General Shafari and Colonel Fayid

Hassan then took the crown of Barat for himself, and decreed that the country should be renamed to reflect this great change.  From that point on it would be known as Baraga.

TRIBAL LEADER HASSAN with KING JONETTA

By 1972, King Hassan was an elderly man but one who still had an eye for the ladies.  He already had many wives but planned to take one more as his bride - movie star Diana Maitland.  (There was a hitch in the wedding plans when a three million dollar piracy plot "stole" away with the wedding coach, but an insurance investigator named Thomas Banacek saved the day.)

DIANA MAITLAND

Unfortunately, King Hassan was not able to keep up with the voracious sexual appetites of his new bride and he eventually succumbed to heart failure... but with a smile on his face.

Afterwards, the kingdom once again underwent political upheaval and the new ruler, King Hussein (son of Hassan?), changed the country's name once again... this time to Baracq.  

KING HUSSEIN

And as far as I know, it continues to be known by that name to this day, probably under the rule of King Ali (whom I believe is the son of Hussein).

KING ALI of BARACQ

Barat > Baraga > Baracq - what each of them means in the native tongue is unknown to this cunning linguist, but it looks as though they all have the same root word as their base: "Bara".

Should any other Middle Eastern countries appear with that prefix in some TV show, I think we can assume there was yet another regime change!

SHOWS CITED:

• 'H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man' - "Man In Power"
• 'Banacek' - "The Three Million Dollar Piracy"
• 'Capitol' (1986-1987)

BCnU!

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - SIR BEN KINGSLEY

"My naked breasts just did a scene
with Sir Ben Kingsley."
Jules Cobb
'Cougar Town'

This encounter with the Oscar-winning actor doesn't count as an actual "As Seen On TV" for Kingsley, but it does add to the life of his fictional televersion in the main Toobworld.  And he is a member of the League of Themselves because he did show up on screen a few years earlier......

SIR BEN KINGSLEY

AS SEEN IN:

'The Sopranos'

"Luxury Lounge"

SYNOPSIS:

Christopher Moltisanti was in Hollywood with Carmine Lupertazzi, Jr. trying to get their movie idea made.  They contacted Sir Ben Kingsley in the hopes that he would star in the project, but he wasn't interested.  However, Christophuh didn't get the hint.

O'BSERVATION:

The mention of Jules' interaction with Kingsley in 'Cougar Town' means that if he should appear in one more TV series drama or sitcom as himself - or if another character mentions an interaction with him - then technically he's eligible for the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.

BCnU!

GAME OF THE NAME - GREY MATTER

From TV Guide:
'Warehouse 13' has cast "Cabaret" star Joel Greyin the role of a magician. The 81-year-old Oscar and Golden Globe winner will pop up in the Syfy series' May 20 episode as Monty the Magnificent, an aging performer who once headlined in Las Vegas, but in recent years has been relegated to those small smoky lounges off the casino floors.

But presto chango, Monty has just unveiled a new trick that could restore his fame. There's just one problem. His new levitation stunt results in his volunteers inexplicably shooting up into the sky the following day, never to be seen again. And Pete (Eddie McClintock) may end up being Monty's next rocket.

"Monty The Magnificent" is probably a stage name, and therefore it's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that we could find some other TV character played by Joel Grey in the past who could now be known by that moniker.  

Unfortunately, if we were expecting that the stage name was based on a character's real name, Joel Grey never played anybody else on TV by the name of Monty or Montgomery.  However, there were a couple of options in which his character had been in show business (or more correctly, wanting to go into show business because the roles go way back to when Grey was a very young man.)  These characters could easily have changed their name to Monty for the sake of the magic act.

The first candidate should be a write-off because the character was the bad guy in the episode:

3.27 [096] 77 Sunset Strip: OPEN AND CLOSE IN ONE
17Mar61
Directed by ??
cast:
Julie Adams ................... Norma Kellogg
Buddy Ebsen ................... Baxter Kellogg
Joel Grey ..................... Joey Kellogg
Carol Ohmart .................. Rochelle Adrian
Dawn Wells .................... Judy Rogers
Wallace Rooney ................ Wally Raye
Gayla Graves .................. Gypsy
Keith Richards ................ Allan Joyce
Comedian Baxter Kellogg, a slave to the occult, is anxious about
his missing good luck charm. He is particularly worried because
his new act includes a dangerous acrobatic maneuver on top of a
fifty foot platform so he hires Stu to find the missing charm.

Grey played the nephew who was jealous of his uncle's revived career and wanted it for himself.  He was caught in the end and charged with attempted murder.  Like I said, he should be eliminate from consideration, but who knows how long he stayed in prison?  Maybe - if he got Perry Mason as his lawyer, or Owen Marshall? - he never went to jail at all.  So Joey Kellogg remains as a candidate.

Here's our next candidate:

2.23 [58] Ann Sothern Show: BILLY
21Mar60 CBS orig. airdate (copyright date 18Feb60)
Guest Cast:
Joel Grey, Jack Albertson.
Katy helps a talented bellhop audition for a producer who is staying at the hotel.
Joel sings "This Is My Lucky Day" and duets with Ann Sothern on
"Everybody Loves A Lover." [JB]

Just because he started out trying to be a song and dance man, that doesn't mean Billy didn't eventually turn to magic as his ticket into the spotlight.  The character's full name was Billy Wilton.  Either as Billy or the more alliterative William Wilton, he was still stuck with the rather limp "Wilton" as his last name.  Not something that inspires the mystery needed for a magician's name, 

Now here is the character I'm leaning towards, mostly for the fact that Joel Grey played the role three weeks in a row on TV:

4.01 [96] December Bride: VALLEE'S PROTEGE
07Oct57 CBS Mon
Guest cast:
Rudy Vallee .......... Himself
Joel Grey ............ Jimmy
Harry Morgan ......... Pete
Synopsis:
Jimmy visits Aunt Lily and tells her he wants to be a movie star. [RF]

4.02 [97] December Bride: MEAN GRANDFATHER
14Oct57 CBS Mon
Guest cast:
Joel Grey ............ Jimmy
Gail Ganley .......... Betty
Frank Tweddell ....... Grandpa
Synopsis:
Jimmy tangles with his girlfriend's grandfather. [RF]

4.03 [98] December Bride: THE GOLF LESSON [verified -RL]
21Oct57 CBS Mon
Written by Lou Derman & Arthur Julian
Directed by Fred DeCordova
Guest cast:
Joel Grey ............ Jimmy (Lily's nephew)
Lester Matthews ...... Evans
Lee Millar
Ross Ford
Hal K. Dawson
Damian O'Flynn
Synopsis 1:
Lily and Jimmy pursue a producer on the golf course. [RF]
Synopsis 2;
Matt initially refuses to give golf lessons to Ruth, saying that the golf
course is no place for a woman - she'll only slow down the game, and ruin
his fun time with neighbor Pete Porter. He eventually gives in, and she
proves to be even worse a golfer than he [could have] imagined. [RL]

I'm assuming that this mini-showcase was meant as a back-door pilot for Joel Grey to get his own TV show based on the character of Jimmy.  (I'm also assuming that since Lily Ruskin was his aunt, that Jimmy's last name was Ruskin as well.)

Jimmy's ambition, as stated in his first appearance, was to become a movie star, but perhaps he adjusted his goals and parlayed his talent for doing magic tricks into a stage act that would carry him for more than half a century.  I don't know if he eventually married Betty or not, nor do I know if Monty the Magnificent will have his personal life featured on the show.  But 55 years would have been more than enough time for his character to have been married and divorced/widowed several times over and raise a family (should any other family members appear.)

There is one episode I'd definitely not giving any consideration:

1.03 [--] Surfside 6: THE CLOWN
17Oct60 ABC
Writer/Director NOT KNOWN
Guest Cast:
Vito Scotti ................... Silva
Ted de Corsia ................. Correro
Tina Carver ................... Elaine Alvarez
Joe De Santis ................. Silva
A nasty type named Carlos is annoying Cha-Cha, so Dave clobbers
him and takes him back to his boss, an exiled dictator named
Correro. When Correro is killed by a clown at a birthday party
for his son, [it is] Pepe, a clown [who was] entertaining at the party is arrested.
Dave finds another clown costume and learns the real killer is
Carlos, the dictator's henchman.

Joel Grey isn't even mentioned in this synopsis, but the IMDb lists him as playing "Willy" in the episode.  However, TV Rage claims that his character is named "Eddie".  TV Rage also says that the legendary Vito Scotti was Pepe the Clown, not "Silva" as listed above.  Whatever his name was, I'm thinking Joel Grey was one of the assistants to Correro the exiled dictator and not somebody with any inclinations to a lifetime in show business.  However, he may have been the fake clown at the party.......

We'll just have to wait and view this particular episode of 'Warehouse 13' to find out if any of these candidates could have become Monty the Magnificent.  "For alls I know," his real name may be revealed in the show and negate all of this speculation.  (Although I'm sure I could weasel my way around it!)

BCnU!

(The details of each episode are courtesy of a fantastic website called "Classic Television Archives".  You can find the link to the CTVA on the left.......)

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - ANITA BRYANT

 

ANITA BRYANT

From Wikipedia:

Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940) is an American singer, former Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and outspoken critic of homosexuality. She scored four Top 40 hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses", which reached #5. 

She later became known for her strong views against homosexuality and for her campaigning in 1977 to repeal a local ordinance in Dade County, Florida, that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, an involvement that significantly damaged her popularity and career in show business.

Bryant became one of the first persons to be publicly "pied" as a political act (in her case, on television), in Des Moines, in 1977. Bryant quipped "At least it's a fruit pie", making a pun on the derogatory term of "fruit" for a gay man. While covered in pie, she began to pray to God to forgive the activist "for his deviant lifestyle" before bursting into tears as the cameras kept rolling. Bryant's husband, after promising not to retaliate, later took another pie and threw it at the protesters who had pied his wife. 

By this time, gay activists had ensured the boycott on Florida orange juice had become more prominent and it was supported by many celebrities, including Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Paul Williams, John Waters, Carroll O'Connor,Mary Tyler Moore, Linda Lavin, and Jane Fonda. 

In 1978, Bryant and Bob Green told the story of their campaign in the book, At Any Cost. Even many years after her campaign, the gay community continued to regard her name as synonymous with bigotry and homophobia.

AS SEEN IN:

Infamous news story

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BLIPVERTS: FUSION POETRY

I guess we're not paying the bills with this one......

Of late I have been thinking 
The day is not too far
Some poor unthinking doofus
Will buy a brand new car
And drive it off a mountain
Quite certain it will fly
And as it rushes toward the ground
He’ll likely wonder why
He will be disappointed
He’ll certainly get mad
That’s not at all what happened
In the television ad.

- John O'Creagh

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TOOBMUSIC - "BONNIE AND CLYDE"

Today's ToobMusic selection was heard in last Sunday's episode of 'Mad Men' when Joan and her friend were at the Electric Circus nightclub.

Here are two video versions - the actual video and the "making of" video.......

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CARTOONISTS AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE

Public service announcement of the year, I'm thinking.....

HUCK, ITALIAN STYLE

I don't believe in alternate dimensions for the Tooniverse.  It is already such a fantastical place that it can easily fit in all manners of characters, art styles, etc.  And so there isn't a need for an alternate cartoon dimension if a character previously voiced in English is found to be speaking some other language.

Case in point: Huckleberry Hound

My splainin for the following cartoon is that this is some other toon-dog who looks like ol' Huck,but who lives in Italy.  It helps strengthen the argument that this cartoon was unique to the Italian audience......

My thanks to Mark Evanier for finding it and sharing it with the rest of the class......

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LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES - BETTY FORD

BETTY FORD

From Wikipedia:
Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren "Betty" Ford (April 8, 1918 – July 8, 2011), was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977 during the presidency of her husband Gerald Ford. As First Lady, she was active in social policy and created precedents as a politically active presidential wife.

Throughout her husband's term in office, she maintained high approval ratings despite opposition from some conservative Republicans who objected to her more moderate and liberal positions on social issues. Ford was noted for raising breast cancer awareness following her 1974 mastectomy and was a passionate supporter of, and activist for, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Pro-choice on abortion and a leader in the Women's Movement, she gained fame as one of the most candid first ladies in history, commenting on every hot-buttonissue of the time, including feminism, equal pay, the ERA, sex, drugs, abortion, and gun control. She also raised awareness of addiction when she announced her long-running battle with alcoholism in the 1970s.

Following her White House years, she continued to lobby for the ERA and remained active in the feminist movement. She was the founder, and served as the first chair of the board of directors, of the Betty Ford Centerfor substance abuse and addiction and is a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal (co-presentation with her husband, Gerald R. Ford, October 21, 1998) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (alone, presented 1991, byGeorge H. W. Bush).

AS SEEN IN:

'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'

"The Seminar"

SYNOPSIS:

See it for yourself......

O'BSERVATIONS:

1]  Bette Ford, with her husband President Gerald Ford, were inducted into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame in November of 2007.

2]  Rumor has it that Mrs. Ford was drunk on the set.  Two years later, her family staged an intervention for her.

3]  Lou Grant mentions the other guests at the little get-together he had in his hotel room and they all provide connections to other TV shows.

• John Glenn ('Frasier')
• Ethel Kennedy ('Cheers')
• President Gerald and First Lady Betty Ford ('Dynasty')
• Hubert Humphrey ('Dean Martin's Celebrity Roast')
• Eric Sevareid ('Taxi')

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