BIG SCREEN TV - "HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER"

Every so often, Toobworld Central takes a look at the movies which are real here in Earth Prime and which have counterparts in Earth Prime-Time.  Sometimes there are Zonks which have to be splained away – like how can a movie in our world be a movie there in Toobworld and yet have a televersion counterpart with characters who could theoretically interact with TV characters from other shows.  Examples include “M*A*S*H”, “Nine To Five”, “The Exorcist”.  My favorite is “Casablanca”.  There are three televersions, one starring Paul Douglas in a Borderland, another in the main Toobworld with Charles McGraw, and in Toobworld2 with David Soul as Rick.  And yet the movie is quoted often and Mitchell of ‘Being Human’ acted in the movie (although he couldn’t be seen in the prints due to being a vampire.)

I chose “High Plains Drifter” because it was being shown as an establishing shot in an episode of ‘Columbo’.  There aren’t many TV shows which cite it and it’s almost Zonk-free.

"HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER"

August 22, 1973

A gun-fighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.

My buddy Michael Kelley and I went to see this movie in our last year of high school and just before we shipped out to college.  I really liked it, mainly for all of the great character actors and because Verna Bloom had quite the effect on this teenage lad.  Plus it had Billy Curtis – the Mayor of Munchkin City!

In November of last year, I saw it in that ‘Columbo’ episode and decided to use it during our TV Western showcase in August.

The A-Team:
When You Comin' Back, Range Rider?: Part 1 (1983)
 

Stryker:
"What are you gonna do about these guys we told you about, Bus?"

Bus Carter:

"Who, that bunch of masked yahoos riding around
like the high plains drifters or somebody?"

Veronica Mars:
The Rapes of Graff (2006)
A reference to "high plains drifters"

Hemlock Grove:
Hello, Handsome (2013) 

Letha Godfrey:
"You do know we're in high school and not a Clint Eastwood movie."

Peter Rumancek:
"You ever seen 'High Plains Drifter'?"

I saved the first two references for the last because they pose the possible Zonk.

First, the ‘Columbo’ reference:

Columbo:
Double Exposure
(1973)
The film is being shown at the Magnolia Theater when Dr. Kepple kills Roger White.

Big mistake for Roger to tell Kepple where he could be found at night!

The movie came out early in 1973 and the episode was first broadcast in December of that year.  It’s doubtful that any movie – unless it’s something like the first “Star Wars” or “Titanic” - would have such an extended run in the theatres.  So it’s pozz’ble, just pozz’ble, that either the Toobworld version of the movie opened later in the year or the episode took place far earlier than in December.  (There was nothing very seasonal about it, in effect making it timeless save for the technological advances since it was broadcast.)  But such an alteration to the Toobworld timeline could cause more problems than it would be worth, both within the world of ‘Columbo’ and for the dimension of Earth Prime-Time at large.  I think it best to declare that in Toobworld, “High Plains Drifter” opened during the summer.  (In a way, it had a summer release feel to it.)

Now here’s the reference that causes several Zonkish problems…..

Baretta: 

The Ninja
(1976)
The title appears on the Magnolia Theatre marquee.

It’s never specifically stated as to where ‘Baretta’ actually took place.  I’ve seen references online which state that it was in New York City; others saying that it was set in New Jersey like its predecessor ‘Toma’.  Whenever I looked in on an episode back in the day (It was never really of interest to me.), I always thought it was to be found in the seamier areas of Los Angeles.  (Probably the same place where Columbo visited that soup kitchen in “Negative Reaction”.)

But as you can see from the two marquee shots, they were both filmed at the same Magnolia Theater.

From the IMDb:
Magnolia Theater
4403 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, California

The people seen buying tickets are different in each shot, but even so, it’s likely these were excerpts from stock footage filmed at the same time.  So no matter where ‘Baretta’ takes place, the question remains: Why would a 1973 movie still be shown in that movie theater three years later?  And how come theaters on both coasts not only shared the same name but looked exactly the same.

I’m going to go for the easiest splainins.  The two Magnolia theaters were owned by the same corporation and the original owner of that chain insisted that all of his theaters should look always the same in order to cement the franchise in people’s minds.

Easy Peasy.