TV-GPS: A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Back when Eli Wallach passed away, I presented my new TwD theory about the three televersions of Mr. Freeze in the classic 1966 'Batman' - each of them were from alternate TV dimensions.  Batman and Robin and the other regulars from that show still looked the same, but for Mr. Freeze?  Each of them were genetically different from each other, yet their origin story remained the same.

It was the same situation for the three main Miss Jane Marples.  And so we have three TV dimensions in which a Mr. Freeze and a Miss Marple share the same Toobworld.

Basically it boiled* down to this:

MISS MARPLE - Dame Joan Hickson
MR. FREEZE - George Sanders
(This is the main Toobworld, Earth Prime-Time)

MISS MARPLE - Geraldine McEwen
MR. FREEZE - Otto Preminger

MISS MARPLE - Julia McKenzie
MR. FREEZE - Eli Wallach

This theory doesn't have to be used for other recastaways in Batman's rogues gallery.  I have splainins that can be used for the other Catwomen and for John Astin's Riddler.  (Gomez!)

There were only three televersions of Mr. Freeze, but I think the TV series offered up a fourth Batman, still played by Adam West as in the other three dimensions.  

Recastaways weren't the only reason why the View Continuum forced us to watch an alternate 'Batman': the Dynamic Duo visited the city of Londinium instead of London as it was known in the Real World and in Earth Prime-Time.  And there were plenty of differences between these two English locations.

• Chuckingham Palace — The spectacular home of their beloved Queen. 
• Ireland Yard — Always referred to as Venerable Ireland Yard by those who respect the law, this is the headquarters of Londinium's police force.
• Tower of Londinium — A place where the famous Crown Jewels are kept behind bars and under the guard of two beefeaters.
• Barnaby Street — A famous area for shopping in Londinium's downtown. Unfortunately for some old duffers, it is now mostly overrun by the mod set.
• The Tower Bridge — One end is anchored in the Tower of Londinium, which houses the world's largest winch, needed to lift the bridge for naval traffic.

Toobworld follows the Trueniverse in this, using the original locations of Buckingham Palace, Scotland Yard, the Tower of London, Carnaby Street, and London Bridge.  (For more about Londinium in 'Batman', click here.)

There were three 'Batman' episodes which took place in Londinium:

• "The Londinium Larcenies"
• "The Foggiest Notion"
• "The Bloody Tower"

The main villains of this adventure were Lord Marmaduke Fogg and his sister Lady Penelope Peasoup.  (That must have been her married name and she was probably now a widow.)  And as was the case with many of the third-season episodes, the severe budget cuts were noticeable.  (Just look at the backgrounds in so many of the scenes - nothing realistic, mostly cheap high-school theatre backdrops in quality.)

For that alone I have no qualms about dispatching these episodes to the other dimension.  (Most likely it would be the alt-Toobworld which already had Geraldine McEwen's and Otto Preminger's contributions.  But I could entertain the theory that it would be a FOURTH version of 'Batman'.....)

I don't want to add this trilogy of episodes to any of the previous two alternate Toobworlds, mainly because of the inclusion of their own Miss Marple mysteries.  I'm sure that at some point London had to be mentioned in at least one of their episodes and I think a TV Earth has to have a London or a Londinium but not both.

Another TV show made mention of Londinium, but in this instance I believe it was just a poetic connotation to that long ago Roman post in ancient Brittania.

The current version of G.K. Chesterton's 'Father Brown' is in another TV dimension and I'm willing to place it in the same dimension as Geraldine McEwen's Miss Marple and Otto Preminger's Mr. Freeze.  In "The Upcott Fraternity", an episode from this season, the rector of the seminary said of Sid Carter, working undercover for Father Brown:  

"I see you've all met our newcomer Mr Cartwright, here upon my personal recommendation, free from the flesh pots of Londinium."

Just thought you'd like to know, Old Chum.....

BCnU!

* Sorry for the use of "boiled", Mr. Freeze.....