TUBULAR KNELLS - REMEMBERING NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL

On  Monday, April 15th, the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was destroyed in a massive fire.  At this time, it looks to have been accidental.  I would think something went wrong during the renovations and the fact that the building was wrapped in wooden scaffolding didn’t help.  Thankfully, no lives were lost.

I haven’t found many instances of the Cathedral of Notre Dame being cited in the TV shows – so far! – but it still ranks as one of the three most used shots to establish a TV show’s location in Paris (along with the Eiffel Tower and the Arc d’ Triomph.) 

Of course, in popular culture it is most often seen in adaptations of Victor Hugo’s novel “The Hunchback Of Notre Dame” which has been filmed since the days of silent movies, with even an animated Disney version

But as for Toobworld, or rather, the greater TV Universe, there have been several TV movies, all of which can be relegated to other TV dimensions in order to spread the wealth.  And with the TV version of the Tooniverse, there was an animated feature as well. (But the animation quality did not match that of Disney’s.)

Despite the difference in animation styles, two other references to the Cathedral are included in that same Tooniverse.  One would be the series ‘The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo’ and then there’s this spin-off from another animated TV series:

“THE RUGRATS IN PARIS: THE MOVIE”

From the IMDb:
The Rugrats travel to Paris, France, where Chuckie hopes to find a new mother and keep his father from marrying an evil business woman.  

Wishes come true in Rugrats in Paris The Movie, and love makes its way into the hearts of those young, old and overseas. Chuckie's dad, Chazz, starts dating again, and it's Chuckie's wish to find a new mom. When Stu Pickles is summoned to Reptarland, an amazing new amusement park in Paris, to work on his Reptar invention, Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, Phil, Lil, Dil, Didi and the whole gang tag along to the city of romance. But the Rugrats' big adventure turns out to be more than glamour, fashion and smelly cheese. Chuckie learns that when it comes to princesses and potential mommies, things are not always what they seem, and for Chazz, finding the right woman can be difficult in any language. As the Rugrats' travels take them from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame and everywhere in between, the world's favorite babies learn new lessons about courage, loyalty, trust and above all, true love.

One last entry for the Tooniverse.

The Bullwinkle Show  
The Three Moosketeers: Parts 5-6 (1961)

Rocky and Bullwinkle "Three Moosketeers" Part 5, Fractured Fairy Tales "Felicia and the Pot of Pinks", Peabody's Improbable History "Kit Carson", Rocky and Bullwinkle "Three Moosketeers" Part 6.
It’s listed in the IMDb, “Old Reliable”, as being a reference to the Cathedral, but I watched it on YouTube and heard no mention of Notre Dame.  (I’ll watch it again before I post this.)

And finally we come to the main Toobworld, Earth Prime-Time. 

There was a TV series about Quasimodo, back in 1966 which served as the Toobworld adaptation of the novel.  Unfortunately, all seven episodes appear to be lost.  Even so, it stands as the Quasimodo of Toobworld since it was first among actual series adaptations.

And if the Cathedral was seen in that series, it was the same televersion of the Cathedral as seen in other TV shows.

The Musketeers  
Sleight of Hand (2014)

From the IMDb:
Vadim is determined to make life as unbearable as possible for the authorities that have imprisoned him, after he manages to organize a full-scale riot.

The Musketeers were led to believe Vadim was plotting to kill the King and Queen....

Richelieu:

if I was planning to kill the king, how would I do it?

Treville:

Notre Dame. The royal family always shows themselves to the people after Easter mass. It’s tradition.

Richelieu:  Not anymore....

But he really intended to rob the palace while everybody was involved with the attack at Notre Dame.

It would stand to reason that the Cathedral would figure into any iteration of Dumas’ novel.  But this is the only one in which a reference is listed in the IMDb keywords.  I wonder if it was at least mentioned if not seen in the 1960s series of ‘The Three Musketeers’ which starred Jeremy Brett and Brian Blessed? 

Fantasy Island  
We're Not Worthy (1998)

From the IMDb:
A newlywed who had a whirlwind courtship with his bride wants to learn if she really loves him by reading her mind; an insecure professor wants to become beautiful.

Cindy was transformed into a beautiful woman while a man she met at the hotel was transformed into Quasimodo because he wanted the chance to ring the bells of Notre Dame.  (Mr. Roarke was able to create a vortex which allowed him to travel back in Time to the era of the Hugo novel.

From the TARDIS wiki:
[The Cathedral of Notre Dame] could be seen from the window of Reinette's Paris bedroom in 1727. (TV: The Girl in the Fireplace)

The Fourth Doctor and Romana II walked past the Notre Dame after the randomiser took them to Paris in 1979. (TV: City of Death)

The TARDIS Wiki also claim this:
Unlike most of the Earth, the Notre Dame Cathedral was left untouched during the Year That Never Was. When the time came to help the Tenth Doctor, a number of surviving humans gathered in front of the ancient building and chanted the word "Doctor", allowing him to rejuvenate himself. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)

However, I have seen other sources saying that it was the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Reims, not of Paris.

As for another appearance by the Cathedral….

“THE FACTS OF LIFE GOES TO PARIS”

From the IMDb:
The girls and Mrs. Garrett head to Paris. The girls are going to spend some time in the French counterpart of their school while Mrs. Garrett attends a cooking school. The girls were hoping to spend some time in Paris but find themselves stuck in the countryside with a strict guardian. When they discover that their last week of school will be spent in Paris, they plan to sneak away and discover the city on their own. Jo decides to go to Le Mans and meets a French boy, Blair encounters a local of her own, while Natalie and Tootie run into an author that Natalie admires. When they discover that he is struggling with writer's block, they decide to help him with his article. Meanwhile, Mrs. Garrett is struggling in trying to impress the French Chef in charge of the class. 

Research into TV shows that might have had establishing shots of the Cathedral would take awhile and I expect to eventually include them in the Hall of Fame Gallery as I find them.  But here are some TV series in which I might expect to find such images:

• ‘The Saint’
• ‘The Persuaders!’
• ‘Highlander’
• ‘Absolutely Fabulous’
• ‘Man From U.N.C.L.E.’
• ‘The Nanny’
• ‘Make Room For Daddy’

If you can think of any others in which I might search for screencaps or mentions in dialogue, let me know.

But for now, this is the beginning ot the celebration of the Cathedral by the TVXOHOF.

And here are two other references to this monument to Humankind:

In the first episode of Lord Kenneth Clarke’s series ‘Civilization’, Clarke said he knew the signs of Civilization when he saw it.  And then he turned to look behind him where the Cathedral looming large in the background.

‘Jeopardy!’
October 4, 2018

The category - ON THE ROOF.

($1000)

"Look up at this Paris cathedral and you’ll see the famous gargoyles, like the one shown here."

Now I’m worried about those gargoyles…..

This will be a growing list as I look into other options.  But we have enough to make the grade for now.

This is just my poor little attempt to remember the Cathedral of Notre Dame as it once was.

Welcome to the Hall, Our Lady of Paris.

BCnU!