TVXOHOF HAT SQUAD - SENATOR FRED DALTON THOMPSON & D.A. ARTHUR BRANCH

We've lost another member of the Television Crossover Hall Of Fame with the passing of Fred Dalton Thompson, the former Senator from Tennessee.  He was 73 and the cause was lymphoma.

Thompson was one of those actors with whom I disagreed politically but I was able to separate the actor from the characters he played.  And his roster of roles in movies and TV shows were always good.  For me, it started with his role as Knox Pooley on 'Wiseguy', even though I had seen him in the movie "No Way Out".  I don't remember him in that, but Knox Pooley jumped off the screen for me.

It was his role as NYC District Attorney Arthur Branch In the 'Law & Order' franchise for which he has been immortalized in the Television Crossover Hall Of Fame.  Because of the death of Jerry Orbach in 2004, I dedicated the entire year of inductions into the TVXOHOF for 2006 to the 'Law & Order' series.  And as November is always dedicated to politics and newsmakers, D.A. Branch got the nod that month.

And it was well deserved!

• 'Law & Order' - 121 episodes
• 'Conviction' - Pilot episode
• 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' - 16 episodes
• 'Law & Order: Trial By Jury' - 18 episodes
• 'Law & Order :Criminal Intent' - 1 episode

I think it's only right that we should consider D.A. Branch as having passed away as well.  But we'll have to see if it comes up with any mention in 'Law & Order: SVU' later in the season to see how to play it officially.....

Earlier when I said that I first started taking notice of Thompson with his role in 'Wiseguy', I should have specified that it was as an actor.  Because he had a major role in my first true immersion into reality programming as the lead counsel for the Republican senators on the Watergate committee hearings.  (Of course I was looking more at the work done by the Democrats, but also Senators Lowell Weicker - from my home state - and Howard Baker, who was Thompson's mentor.

Here are two reports on Thompson's role in the hearings.......

Good night and may God bless, Senator Thompson.