A TVXOHOF BIRTHDAY SALUTE - KARLOFF @ 130!

Rosemary Clooney: 

Oh, you startled me!

Boris Karloff: 

Oh, I'm so sorry.

Rosemary Clooney: 

Oh, it's just that I...

Boris Karloff: 

You don't have to explain to me, Rosemary. 

In the mornings when I look in the shaving mirror, 

I frighten myself.

Rosemary Clooney: 

You do?

Boris Karloff: 

Well, how would you react to the sight of a razor held to your throat by... 

Boris Karloff?

'THE ROSEMARY CLOONEY SHOW'

From Wikipedia:
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor who was primarily known for his roles in horror films.[2] He portrayed Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939), which resulted in his immense popularity. He also appeared as Imhotep in The Mummy (1932).

His best-known non-horror role is as the Grinch, as well as the narrator, in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). For his contribution to film and television, Boris Karloff was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

And for his 130^th birthday, we’re giving him another honor – membership in the Television Crossover Hall Of Fame!

Karloff made plenty of appearances as himself on television, but most of those were on many of the variey shows of the times.  And it could be argued that his Narrator of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” could be considered to be Karloff himself.  As for interacting with the fictional citizenry of Toobworld, Boris Karloff only had two credits:

The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna
- It's Murder My Dear
(1959) 

Route 66
- Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing 
(1962)

From the IMDb:
Tod and Buz are working as Guest Liaisons at a motel just outside of Chicago. Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and Peter Lorre meet there to discuss whether the old monster costumes they used in films will still scare a TV audience today. A group of Executive Secretaries meeting at the motel provide a handy "test group".
—dubchi

Tod and Buz have jobs as junior executives of convention liaison at the O'Hare Inn, adjacent to the airport of the same name. Buz believes he has the plum first assignment: head liaison to the Executive Secretaries of the Midwest convention, at which forty of the most beautiful young women of the region will be attending. However, Buz has eyes only for one, who he learns is young and not too bright Molly Cross. She recently quit her job and is sad about the situation. But it's not the job in and of itself about which she is sad... Meanwhile, Tod is stuck as liaison to the Society for the Preservation of the Gerenuks, their head, Mr. Retep, who looks a lot like Peter Lorre. When Messrs. Nol and Sirob, two of Retep's three colleagues arrive, Tod knows that they are indeed Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr. and Boris Karloff incognito, who he learns have come to discuss - more like debate - the different approaches for a new horror television show they are developing. Tod believes he can kill two birds with one stone - help the horror masters with testing out their concepts, while getting back at Buz for not letting him muscle in on half of the secretaries: test the horror masters' concepts on forty unsuspecting women.
—Huggo

I would have thought an appearance on ‘I Love Lucy’ would have been a natural.

But there are several references to Mr. Karloff which acknowledge his existence in Toobworld.

The Dick Van Dyke Show
- It May Look Like A Walnut
(1963)
When Laura declares there's a little bit of a monster in Rob, Rob feigns a Boris Karloff accent.

Barney Miller
- Discovery

(1975)

The A-Team
- Cowboy George 
(1986)
 

B.A. Baracus: 

Hannibal, you ain't no actor; 

you don't find actors dressing up like lizards.

Hannibal: 

That's a very narrow interpretation, B.A. 

Boris Karloff wouldn't like it.

      

The Father Dowling Mysteries
The Mummy’s Curse Mystery

(1991)

At the beginning of the episode, the Karloff movie “The Mummy” is seen.

Bones
- A Night at the Bones Museum
(2009)

Dr. Temperance 'Bones' Brennan: 

Oh, The Mummy. 1932.

Dr. Camille Saroyan: 

You don't know who Brittney Spears is, 

but you know this movie?

Dr. Temperance 'Bones' Brennan: 

It's the film that made me want to be an anthropologist. 

Although I prefer Chaney's mummy to Karloff's.

And if you want to, we can count all of the mentions of the original three “Frankenstein” movies with Karloff as the Creature.  After all, it has to be a given that Karloff was under that make-up.

We could also add in his serlinguistic appearances as a host for ‘Thriller’ and ‘The Veil’.

But at any rate, the televersion of Boris Karloff is well established in Toobworld.

So here’s to William Henry Pratt on his 130^th birthday! 

Welcome to the Hall!