VIDEO WEEKEND: WHAT BROUGHT THE DUEL TO AN END IN AMERICA

'DEATH VALLEY DAYS'

"A GUN IS NOT A GENTLEMAN"

Yesterday I profiled Senator David Broderick.  This episode of 'Death Valley Days' confirms his existence in the main Toobworld

Happy trails to you!

AS SEEN ON TV: THE OZFATHER

Charlie: 

You were much nicer in the books.
Dorothy:Those books are the ravings of a sad, old man.
My father.

Charlie: 

Wait. Your dad was L. Frank Baum, the writer?
Dorothy:A Man of Letters. 

Another glorified librarian, you ask me.

'SUPERNATURAL'

From Wikipedia:

Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919), better known as L. Frank Baum, was an American author chiefly famous for his children's books, particularly "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and its sequels. He wrote a total of 14 novels in the Oz series, plus 41 other novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He made numerous attempts to bring his works to the stage and the nascent medium of film; the 1939 adaptation of the first Oz book would become a landmark of 20th century cinema. His works anticipated such century-later commonplaces as television, augmented reality, laptop computers ("The Master Key"), wireless telephones ("Tik-Tok of Oz"), women in high-risk and action-heavy occupations (Mary Louise in the Country), and the ubiquity of advertising on clothing ("Aunt Jane's Nieces at Work").

In July 1888, Baum and his wife moved to Aberdeen, Dakota Territory, where he opened a store called "Baum's Bazaar". His habit of giving out wares on credit led to the eventual bankrupting of the store, so Baum turned to editing the local newspaper The Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer where he wrote the column Our Landlady. Following the death of Sitting Bull at the hands of Indian agency police, Baum urged the wholesale extermination of all America's native peoples in a column that he wrote on December 20, 1890. On January 3, 1891 he returned to the subject in an editorial response to the Wounded Knee Massacre:

"The Pioneer has before declared that our only safety depends upon the total extirmination [sic] of the Indians. Having wronged them for centuries, we had better, in order to protect our civilization, follow it up by one more wrong and wipe these untamed and untamable creatures from the face of the earth."

A recent analysis of these editorials has challenged their literal interpretation, suggesting that the actual intent of Baum was to generate sympathy for the Indians via obnoxious argument, ostensibly promoting the contrary position.

Baum's description of Kansas in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is based on his experiences in drought-ridden South Dakota. During much of this time, Matilda Joslyn Gage was living in the Baum household. While Baum was in South Dakota, he sang in a quartet which included James Kyle, who became one of the first Populist (People's Party) Senators in the U.S.

• Conlan Carter portrayed Baum in "The Wizard of Aberdeen" (1970) episode of the syndicated television series 'Death Valley Days'.
• John Ritter portrayed Baum in the television movie "Dreamer of Oz" (1990).

Neither one of these contradicts the other.  Conlan Carter played the role first so he is the official televersion for the author.  But John Ritter's televersion is valid - however, he is the embodiment of Maud Baum's memories in her old age (triggered by her attendance at the premiere of "The Wizard Of Oz" movie in 1939.) 

The discrepancy in the life of L. Frank Baum in Toobworld occurs in a TV show episode in which he didn't even appear.....

From the Supernatural Wiki:
L. Frank Baum was a member of the Men of Letters, as well as the writer of The Wonderful World of Oz and its subsequent sequels. At some point, after Clive Dillon became trapped in Oz, Baum found the Key to Oz and traveled there to rescue Clive. He unknowingly brought along his daughter Dorothy who became trapped in Oz. After Dorothy returned to Earth, Baum wrote the Wizard of Oz books as clues to Dorothy about how to fight the Wicked Witch of the West.

While in 'Supernatural' the character of Dorothy was written as his daughter, in real life Baum had four sons and no daughters.

"Don't you get it? 

The books aren't silly. They're guidebooks filled with clues he left for you. 

Haggerty poured through each one, and his research led him to uncover the poppies.  So maybe there's something else from the books we can use.

Preferably something with a pointy end....."

We got some splainin to do!

And to do so, we have to turn to yet another TV show.....

From The Librarians Wiki:

Fictionals are a race of magical beings summoned from stories encountered in the second season of the Librarians.

According to Jenkins there are two main types of Fictionals; those that can be summoned by powerful magic and those that come into being of their own accord. The second type are iconic characters whose stories are both well written and well known.

Though rare in the modern day Jenkins's believed there was most likely a small group of Fictionals living in the modern world; their magical existence sustained by the fame and acclaim of their stories. Also, and thankfully most of them don't cause to much trouble; the Library has also struggled to keep track of them. Flynn commented he had always heard about them but had never actually met one

Generally Fictionals do not adapt well to the world outside their stories; Jenkins explained that their minds are only as complex has what their creator wrote meaning they may not be able to understand little if anything outside their stories. Fictionals from older or well written stories tend to have a better time adapting.

Fictionals are bound by their stories, but also empowered by them.

Though sentient beings Fictionals are bound to the narrative of their stories meaning they can be trapped and defeated in the ways their stories dictate. For example Moriarty did not die when Eve stabbed him, because that was not the way his story said he would die. Despite this Prospero found a way to partially break with the narrative of his story such has when he managed to retrieve his spell book through magic. Fictionals can become extremely powerful if real life events matches their narrative. For example Prospero used the white king, pearl earrings, a storm,etc to break the magical seal on the box containing his spell book. Outside of defeating them in the way their story dictates a Ficitonal can be destroyed if the specific book they appeared from is destroyed.

It appears that certain fictionals have their own opinions of their creators with Prospero loathing Shakespeare for the ending of his story and "abandoning" him when the Bard passed away.

The televersion of L. Frank Baum so believed in his character of Dorothy that it brought her to life in Toobworld.  And as such, she perceived the author as her "father".  That means that Dorothy herself was something from the books which could be used to fight their enemies. 

BCnU!

O'BSERVATION: This post is the 10,800th entry for Inner Toob!

AS SEEN ON TV: SENATOR DAVID BRODERICK

It could be due to Carroll O'Connor's performance in an episode of 'Death Valley Days' as to why I find Senator Broderick such a fascinating character.  Broderick could have slipped totally into obscurity had it not been that his death may have spurred a change in a spurious tradition in the United States.

From Wikipedia:
David Colbreth Broderick (February 4, 1820 – September 16, 1859) was an attorney and politician, elected by the legislature as Democratic U.S. Senator from California. Born in Washington, DC, to Irish immigrant parents, he lived in New York until moving to California during the Gold Rush. He was a first cousin of politicians Andrew Kennedy of California and Case Broderick of Kansas.

Broderick was born in 1820 in Washington, D.C., on East Capitol Street just west of 3rd Street. He was the son of an Irish stonecutter and his wife. His father had come to the United States in order to work on the United States Capitol. In 1823 Broderick moved with his parents to New York City. There he attended public schools and was apprenticed to a stonecutter.

In 1849, Broderick joined the California Gold Rush. He moved to San Francisco, where he engaged in smelting and assaying gold. Broderick minted gold coins that contained less gold than their face value, keeping the difference. His $10 coins, for example, contained $8 in gold. He used the profits to finance his political aspirations.

Broderick was a member of the California State Senate from 1850 to 1852, serving as its president from 1851 to 1852. Broderick was acting Lieutenant Governor from January 9, 1851 to January 8, 1852, following incumbent John McDougall's succession to the governorship. From then on, Broderick effectively had political control of San Francisco, which under his "utterly vicious" rule soon became notorious for municipal corruption.[3] In the words of his biographer Jeremiah Lynch:

In San Francisco he became the dictator of the municipality. His political lessons and observations in New York were priceless. He introduced a modification of the same organization in San Francisco with which Tammany has controlled New York for lo! these many years. It was briefly this. At a forthcoming election a number of offices were to be filled; those of sheriff, district attorney, alderman, and places in the legislature. Several of these positions were very lucrative, notably that of the sheriff, tax-collector, and assessor. The incumbents received no specified salaries, but were entitled to all or a certain proportion of the fees. These fees occasionally exceeded $50,000 per annum. Broderick would say to the most popular or the most desirable aspirant: 'This office is worth $50,000 a year. Keep half and give me the other half, which I require to keep up our organization in the state. Without intelligent, systematic discipline, neither you nor I can win, and our opponents will conquer, unless I have money enough to pay the men whom I may find necessary. If you agree to that arrangement, I will have you nominated when the convention assembles, and then we will all pull together until after the election.’ Possibly this candidate dissented, but then someone else consented, and as the town was hugely Democratic, his selections were usually victorious.

Broderick became rich from this system.

In 1856 Broderick was elected by the state legislature for a seat as US Senator from California. (Popular election of senators did not start until the 20th century.) Broderick began his term on March 4, 1857.

At that time, just prior to the start of the American Civil War, the Democratic Party of California was divided between pro-slavery and "Free Soil" factions. Broderick led the Free Soilers. One of his closest friends was David S. Terry, formerly the Chief Justice of the California State Supreme Court. He advocated extending slavery into California. Terry lost his re-election bid because of his pro-slavery platform, and he blamed Broderick for the loss.

Terry, considered even by his friends as caustic and aggressive,[6] made some inflammatory remarks at a party convention in Sacramento, which Broderick read. He took offense, and sent Terry an equally vitriolic reply, describing:

'Terry to be a "damned miserable wretch" who was as corrupt as President James Buchanan and William Gwin, California's other senator. "I have hitherto spoken of him as an honest man--as the only honest man on the bench of a miserable, corrupt Supreme Court--but now I find I was mistaken. I take it all back. He is just as bad as the others."'

Passions escalated; on September 13, 1859, former friends Terry and Broderick, both expert marksmen, met outside of San Francisco city limits at Lake Merced for a duel. The pistols chosen for the duel had hair triggers, and Broderick's discharged prior to the final "1-2-3" count, firing prematurely into the ground. Thus disarmed, he was forced to stand as Terry shot him in the right lung. Terry at first believed the shot to be only a flesh wound, but it proved to be fatal. Broderick died three days later, and was buried under a monument erected by the state in Lone Mountain Cemetery in San Francisco. In 1942 he was reinterred at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma.

BCnU!

WIKI TIKI WEDNESDAY: MARSHAL JOSEPH O. SHELBY

'BRONCO'

"SHADOW OF JESSE JAMES"

Aside from having Bronco Layne involved with Jesse James, Belle Starr, and Cole Younger and his brothers, this episode also played fast and loose with the timeline when it came to another historical figure.

JOSEPH SHELBY

From Wikipedia:
Joseph Orville "Jo" Shelby (December 12, 1830 – February 13, 1897) was a Confederate cavalry general noted for his actions in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War.

In June 1865, rather than surrender, Shelby and approximately 1,000 of his remaining troops rode south into Mexico. Reportedly, Shelby sank his battle flag in the Rio Grande near present-day Eagle Pass, Texas, on the way to Mexico rather than risk the flag falling into the hands of the Federals.

 Maximilian declined to accept the ex-Confederates into his armed forces, but he did grant them land for an American colony in Mexico near Veracruz. The grant was revoked two years later following the collapse of the empire and Maximilan's execution.

Shelby returned to Missouri in 1867 and resumed farming. In 1883, Shelby was a critical witness for fellow ex-Confederate Frank James at James' trial. Shelby was appointed the U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Missouri in 1893, and retained this position until his death.

However, in Toobworld (at least according to this episode), Shelby was made the Marshal at some point in the early 1870s because he was holding that position before the "Great Northfield, Minnesota, Raid".......

From Wikipedia:
1876 - September 7, Attempted robbery of the First National Bank by the James-Younger gang. Bank treasurer Joseph Lee Heywood was killed after refusing to open the bank safe.

On September 7, 1876, Northfield experienced one of its most important historical events, when The James-Younger Gang attempted a robbery on the First National Bank of Northfield.  Local citizens, recognizing what was happening, armed themselves and resisted the robbers and successfully thwarted the theft. The gang killed the bank's cashier, Joseph Lee Heywood and a Swedish immigrant, Nicholas Gustafson. A couple of members of the gang were killed in the street, while Cole, Bob and Jim Younger were cornered near Madelia, Minnesota. Jesse and Frank James escaped west into the Dakotas, while the remaining gang members were killed or taken into custody. Considering the James gang as related to postwar insurgency, the raid has sometimes been called the last major event of the American Civil War. One of Northfield's slogans is "Jesse James Slipped Here", based on the raid's failure.

So about twenty years in the man's life was collapsed in order to make the episode feel more urgent.

William Forrest played Marshal Shelby and unlike the Youngers, Belle Starr, and the James boys, it appears thta this was the only portrayal of Shelby in a TV series.  More than likely that was due to other TV Westerns following the established timeline so that Shelby really had no significant part in the history of the wild, wild West when it came to Earth Prime-Time.  (However, the exploits of Shelby and his Undefeated in Mexico would have made for an interesting episode for 'Death Valley Days' which is our theme for this August showcase.)

I have no problem in declaring this portrayal of Shelby as the official televersion for the main Toobworld - even though the timeline is bleeped to hell and even though the other historical figures in the episode have had plenty of other incarnations in other TV series.  The simple splainin is that they were all seen from the perspective of Bronco Layne.  

BCnU!

TWO FOR TUESDAY - WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST

WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST

'DEATH VALLEY DAYS'

"THE PAPER DYNASTY"

From Wikipedia:

William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher who built the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company Hearst Communications and whose flamboyant methods of yellow journalism influenced the nation's popular media by emphasizing sensationalism and human interest stories. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887 after being given control of The San Francisco Examiner by his wealthy father. Moving to New York City, he acquired The New York Journal and fought a bitter circulation war with Joseph Pulitzer's New York World that sold papers by giant headlines over lurid stories featuring crime, corruption, graphics, sex, and innuendo. Acquiring more newspapers, Hearst created a chain that numbered nearly 30 papers in major American cities at its peak. He later expanded to magazines, creating the largest newspaper and magazine business in the world.

He was twice elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives, and ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States in 1904, Mayor of New York City in 1905 and 1909 and for Governor of New York in 1906. Politically he espoused the Progressive Movement, speaking on behalf of the working class. He controlled the editorial positions and coverage of political news in all his papers and magazines and thereby exercised enormous political influence. He also called for war in 1898 against Spain—as did many other newspaper editors—but he did it in sensational fashion. After 1918, he called for an isolationist foreign policy to avoid any more entanglement in what he regarded as corrupt European affairs. He was at once a militant nationalist, a fierce anti-communist, and deeply suspicious of the League of Nations and of the British, French, Japanese, and Russians. He was a leading supporter of Franklin Roosevelt in 1932–34, but then broke with FDR and became his most prominent enemy on the right. His peak circulation reached 20 million readers a day in the mid-1930s, but he was a bad money manager and was so deeply in debt that most of his assets had to be liquidated in the late 1930s; he managed to keep his newspapers and magazines.

His life story was the main inspiration for Charles Foster Kane, the lead character in Orson Welles's film "Citizen Kane". His famous mansion, Hearst Castle, on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean near San Simeon, is now a State Historical Monument and a National Historic Landmark.

James Hampton played Hearst in the 1964 episode "The Paper Dynasty" of the syndicated western television series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews. In the story line, Hearst struggles to turn a profit despite increased circulation of The San Francisco Examiner. James Lanphier (1920–1969) plays Ambrose Bierce; Robert O. Cornthwaite, as Sam Chamberlain.

Other portrayals in the greater TV Universe:

• Hearst is played by Bill Ewing in the 1979 Episode "The Odyssey" of the television series 'Little House on the Prairie' where he is depicted as a friendly and talented young San Francisco journalist.
• In the 1997 television film "Rough Riders", Hearst is played by George Hamilton, and is depicted as travelling to Cuba with a small band of journalists to personally cover the Spanish–American War.
• Kevin Tighe played Hearst in the 1998 HBO movie "Winchell".
• James Cromwell portrayed Hearst in HBO's "RKO 281" from 1999. It was about the making of "Citizen Kane" with Liev Schreiber as Orson Welles.

In the past I've earmarked the three TV movies for their own separate TV dimensions because of other people involved - Orson Welles, Teddy Roosevelt, Walter Winchell.  But the episode of 'Little House On The Prairie' can stay in the main Toobworld for the same reason as I accept both this episode of 'Death Valley Days' and 'Deadwood' for George Hearst - the point of view splainin for recastaways.  Bill Ewing's portrayal is how we see William Randolph Hearst through the eyes and opinion of Charles Ingalls.

Neither portrayal gives a hint of the ruthless, perhaps even murderous, media magnate to come......

For more on Hearst, click here for the full Wikipedia story.

BCnU!

TWO FOR TUESDAY - GEORGE HEARST

GEORGE HEARST

'DEATH VALLEY DAYS'

"THE PAPER DYNASTY"

George Hearst (September 3, 1820 – February 28, 1891) was a wealthy American businessman and United States Senator, and the father of newspaperman William Randolph Hearst.

His son insisted on taking control of one of his father's holdings, the San Francisco Examiner, which became the foundation of the Hearst publishing empire. Hearst bought the newspaper as a sign of loyalty to his friends by accepting it as payment for a gambling debt owed to him. Hearst primarily used the Examiner to promote the interests of the Democratic Party, and to laud the party’s initiatives, especially when they were under public attack.

He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of California in 1882. Until this point, Hearst had a political relationship with Central Pacific Railroad. However, when the railroad’s leadership backed the other Democratic nominee, Hearst joined Christopher Augustine Buckley and Stephen M. White in developing the Anti-Monopoly Coalition.

He was appointed as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John F. Miller, and served from March 23, 1886 to August 4, 1886, when a successor was elected. In 1887 he was elected to the Senate as a Democrat and served from March 4, 1887 until his death. As senator, Hearst focused on reducing Central Pacific’s power in American commerce.

The actor Barry Kelley portrayed George Hearst in the 1964 episode "The Paper Dynasty" of the syndicated western television series 'Death Valley Days', hosted by Stanley Andrews. James Hampton played William Randolph Hearst and James Lanphier (1920-1969), Ambrose Bierce.

Gerald McRaney portrayed Hearst on the HBO television series 'Deadwood'. Hearst is depicted in season 3 as a ruthless and sociopathic robber baron.

It's my opinion that both portrayals of George Hearst can remain in Earth Prime-Time.  As played by Roy Roberts lookalike Kelley, Hearst was seen from the perspective of his son William.  He knew his old man for what he was, but still his view was softened by paternal affection.  On the other hand, the ruthless sociopath played by McRaney was closer to the mark for the historical televersion.

For the full Wikipedia story, click here.

Happy trails to you!

DEATH VALLEY DENIZENS - A REAL PRATT

'DEATH VALLEY DAYS'
"THE JOURNEY"

LT. RICHARD H. PRATT
Portrayed by
WAYNE ROGERS

LT. RICHARD H. PRATT

From Wikipedia:

Richard Henry Pratt (December 6, 1840 – March 15, 1924)[1] is best known as the founder and longtime superintendent of the influential Carlisle Indian Industrial School at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He is associated with the first recorded use of the word "racism", which he used in 1902 to criticize against racial segregation, as well as the phrase "kill the Indian... and save the man" in reference to the efforts to educate Native Americans.

Based on that, I'd say Pratt was somewhat misguided, in a way no better with the Borg and their attempts to assimilate other species.  But at least he was making an effort to help.  Those more informed than I will have to judge his works.

• Wayne Rogers portrayed Pratt in the 1965 episode "The Journey" of the syndicated western television series, 'Death Valley Days'.
• In the 2005 miniseries, 'Into the West', produced by Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks, Pratt is played by Keith Carradine. 

• His role at the Carlisle School is addressed in the 2008 documentary, "Our Spirits Don't Speak English".

We can toss off that last TV reference as just a documentary or as part of Docu-Toobworld.  As for 'Into The West', Pratt - along with all of the historical characters - would be seen through the points of view of Jacob Wheeler, his wife Thunder Heart Woman, and their combined families of white settlers and Native Americans.

So although the Wheelers saw Pratt as a Keith Carradine character, it was Wayne Rogers in the role who was the true embodiment of the man.

Happy Trails to you!

VIDEO WEEKEND: "THE JOURNEY"

Tomorrow Inner Toob will be running a post about Richard H. Pratt.  Here is the 'Death Valley Days' episode about him: