SATURDAY SUPERHEROES - BURT & DICK

July 6, 2019

Today marks the 74th birthday of Burt Ward.  Everybody should know at the very least that he played Dick Grayson (AKA Robin the Boy Wonder) in the 1966 TV series ‘Batman’.  (And I admit, that is the very least about him that I know.)

But the standard rule from Toobworld Central that characters are the same age as the actors who play them – unless otherwise stated – has that codicil invoked in this case.  Dick Grayson is six years younger than Burt Ward.

As seen in the episode “Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin”, high school student Dick Grayson has his driver’s license which makes him at least sixteen.  As that takes place in 1967 when the episode is aired, I take it to mean that Dick was born in 1951.

I’m assuming that his birth day could also be the same as Burt Ward’s.  Those who do the trivia research upon which I depend don’t offer any other dates which might have come up in the TV series.

Just so you know how it stands in Toobworld, here are some suppositions we’ve made about his life not seen in the show:

• Dick Grayson became the Batman after Bruce Wayne retired. 
• He also is long since retired.  The job takes a lot out of a guy!
• The Boy Wonder joined the Television Crossover Hall Of Fame this past January in tandem with his mentor, the Caped Crusader.  Long overdue.
• In the genealogies to be found in various meta-fictional universes, Dick Grayson is somehow related to Amanda Grayson of the Future, mother of Spock.  I find this perfectly logical.  Indeed.
• He is also somehow related to the televersion of Mark Thompson Grayson.  (Mark is a friend of mine who has been “televersed” by at least one appearance on the news in which he was interviewed.)
• I've been focused a lot on the Hartford Circus Fire this week.  Dick Grayson was born on the seventh anniversary of that tragedy.  If his birth parents were the same for his televersion as they were for his original version in the comic books, they were the Flying Graysons, a trapeze act.  It could be that they had once been associated with the Hartford Circus, or they knew people who had been there that fateful day. 

(O’Bservation: Although featured in a few TV documentaries, the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944 has yet to be dramatized as a fictional event for Earth Prime-Time.)

Happy birthday to both Burt Ward and to Dick Grayson!

FRIDAY HALL OF FAMERS - CLINTON JUDD

We just inducted Jessica Jones into the TVXOHOF on Wednesday, and here we are with the first of July’s Friday Hall of Famers.  So if I’m giving the month of July over to law enforcement – at least for this year – we’re going to kick off the weekly inductions with a defense lawyer in a series which ended fifty years ago this coming September.

From Wikipedia:
‘Judd, for the Defense’ was an American legal drama originally broadcast on the ABC network on Friday nights from September 8, 1967, to September 19, 1969.  
The show stars Carl Betz, who in his new role, plays Clinton Judd, a flamboyant attorney based in Houston, who often took on controversial cases across the country. Playing his top assistant, Ben Caldwell, was Stephen Young.  

Throughout the course of the two-year run of the show, there were never enough viewers, although critics gave it positive reviews. Undoubtedly, the skittishness of viewers was a result of the program's dealing with then-taboo (though contemporary) subjects such as homosexuality, blacklisting, and draft evasion, with open-ended conclusions in many episodes.

The show's producer, Harold Gast, sought to break new ground with the program, using a number of new writers for scripts that veered away from previous television conventions. In addition, one personal experience involving credit card problems caused by computers became the basis for an episode titled "Epitaph on a Computer Card". In 1968, Gast and writer Leon Tokatyan won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for the episode "Tempest in a Texas Town".

In an attempt to boost the low ratings of the hour-long program, the episode which aired on January 31, 1969, combined the Judd cast with that of another ABC series, ‘Felony Squad’, starring Dennis Cole. The idea did not salvage either program, as both were soon cancelled.

Betz's portrayal of a lawyer was enough to provide him paid opportunities to speak before groups of attorneys, and also helped him win both Golden Globe and Emmy Awards after the show's final season. Additionally, screenwriter Robert Lewin won a Writer's Guild award for the episode "To Kill a Madman".

‘Felony Squad’
“The Law & Order Blues”

From the IMDb:
Sam and Jim arrive at an unusual crime scene-- an African national named Marcel Nburu has a fund-raising expert, Charlie Bannerman, hanging upside down from a tree. They initially arrest Nburu on an attempted murder charge, for.which noted defense attorney Clinton Judd arrives to defend him. Sam's position with regards to Nburu changes to one of sympathy after they investigate Bannerman and discover him to be a con artist who fleeced Nburu out of money entrusted to him by his country. Sam finds himself changing his position once again when they go to arrest Bannerman, but find him dead and Nburu standing over the body. A scuffle ensues where Sam causes Nburu to fall down a flight of stairs and become seriously injured (The episode concluded later that evening on ‘Judd for the Defense’). 
This was the final show of the series and part 1 of a two-part crossover episode. The conclusion aired on ‘Judd for the Defense’: “The Law and Order Blues: Part 2” (1969).  

‘Judd, For The Defense’
“The Law & Order Blues, Part 2”

From the IMDb:
This was part 2 of a two-part crossover episode. Part one aired on ‘The Felony Squad’: “The Law and Order Blues” (1969), which also served as that program's final episode.

For his third entry to qualify for membership, we’re declaring Clinton Judd to be a multi-dimensional. 

‘Pat Paulsen’s Half A Comedy Hour’
Episode 1.10

In this series from Skitandia, Betz played an unnamed prosecutor in a sketch.  I’m making the claim that in the sketch comedy dimension, Clinton Judd wasn’t a defense lawyer, but an unhinged district attorney.

Yeah, we play it fast and loose a bit with the Friday Hall of Famers.

Welcome to the Hall, Mr. Judd.

BCnU!


 

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

ENJOY INDEPENDENCE DAY

&

KEEP IN MIND

THOSE WHO MAKE IT POSSIBLE
FOR US TO CELEBRATE

TVXOHOF, JULY 2019 - JESSICA JONES

July is kind of an amorphous month for the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.  Many of the other months have themes – January/Classic TV, February/Black History, April/”The Fool”, May/the Ladies, August/Westerns, September/Behind The Scenes, October/Horror, November/Newsmakers, December/Multiverse lately….

But I was never sure what I could do with July.  Lately I’ve been toying with the idea of using that month for cops and private eyes.  And since our overall theme for this 20th anniversary year of the TVXOHOF has been superheroes, I’m lucky enough to have one who fits the bill… just barely.

JESSICA JONES!

It was a toss-up for me to go with either Luke Cage, the Hero for Hire, or Ms. Jones.  I decided that Luke Cage, having the heftier credits list, deserved a more fitting showcase than a Friday Hall of Famer.  So I’m fitting him up for February of 2021.

Let’s take a look first at who Jessica Jones is and where she came from….

From Wikipedia:
Jessica Campbell Jones is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos, and first appeared in Alias #1 (November 2001), as part of Marvel's Max, an imprint for more mature content.

Within the context of Marvel's shared universe, Jones is a former superhero who becomes the owner (and usually sole employee) of Alias Private Investigations. Bendis originally envisioned the series centered on Jessica Drew and only decided to create Jones once he noticed that the main character had a distinct voice and background that differentiated her from Drew.

Jones has since starred in three ongoing series: Alias, The Pulse and Jessica Jones. Alias ran for 28 issues before ending in 2004, while The Pulse ran for 14 issues from April 2004 to May 2006. Jessica Jones debuted in October 2016. She became a member of the New Avengers, alongside her husband, Luke Cage, during Marvel's 2010 Heroic Age campaign. She has used various aliases throughout her history, including Jewel, Knightress, and Power Woman.

Marvel's Jessica Jones, or simply Jessica Jones, is an American web television series created for Netflix by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise, and is the second in a series of shows that led to The Defenders crossover miniseries.

The series is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios and Tall Girls Productions, with Rosenberg serving as show-runner.   Krysten Ritter stars as Jessica Jones, a former superhero who opens her own detective agency.

A version of the series was originally developed by Rosenberg for ABC in 2010, but the network passed on it. By late 2013, Rosenberg was reworking the series for Netflix as A.K.A. Jessica Jones. Ritter was cast as Jones in December 2014. Jessica Jones is filmed in New York City, in areas that still look like old Hell's Kitchen.

All episodes of the first season premiered on November 20, 2015. They were released to critical acclaim, with critics noting Ritter's and Tennant's performances as well as the series' noir tone, approach to sexuality, and depiction of darker topics such as rape, assault and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In January 2016, Netflix renewed Jessica Jones for a second season; filming began in April 2017 and concluded in September 2017.

The second season was released on March 8, 2018, and a third season was ordered on April 12, 2018, which was released on June 14, 2019. On February 18, 2019, Netflix canceled the series, making the third season its last.

From the IMDb:
Following the tragic end of her brief superhero career, Jessica Jones tries to rebuild her life as a private investigator, dealing with cases involving people with remarkable abilities in New York City.

Played by Kristen Ritter, Jessica Jones appeared in the following series:

JESSICA JONES
29 episodes

THE DEFENDERS
8 episodes

You see my dilemma?  She’s only appeared in two series and to be a member of the TVXOHOF, a character or a member of the League of Themselves has to be in three different series.

As Prime-Time marches on and we’re kind of reaching a shortage of Hall-worthy candidates, we have relaxed the rules… a little.  If the character is mentioned elsewhere and in such a way that denotes they actually exist, than that gives credence to their existence in the TV Universe.

And we have three such references for Jessica Jones:

I was surprised that Jessica Jones didn’t show up in the 'Luke Cage' series, even just for a cameo, considering how… tight they were together for a time during her own show.  But unless her photograph showed up and I happened to be blinking, this is all we got:

Luke Cage:
The Main Ingredient (2018)

Daniel Rand:
Look, Luke… you're not alone. I've got your back. So does Misty. So does Jessica.

I find myself typing “Jessica Jones” as if it’s just not complete without both names.  I feel like Tracy Jordan always saying “Liz Lemon”.

Here was another reference….

Daredevil:
Kinbaku (2016)

Marci Stahl mentions that she has been hired on by Hogarth, Chao & Benowitz….

Marci Stahl:
Rumors among my new partners? Reyes has her sights on the mayor's office.
Matt Murdock (?)
This is my shocked face.
Marci Stahl:
And she aims to do so by building a platform on Frank Castle's conviction. She gets him, she sets precedent against these other vigilantes popping up. One in our office is already under serious scrutiny, lady by the name of Jessica Jones.

This last one is a little more oblique….

Iron Fist:
The Blessing of Many Fractures (2017)

Daniel Rand:
Where did you get this?
Joy Meachum:
I hired a private investigator a while ago to start digging.  She was worth every penny… when she was sober.

Sure, that could be just about any female private eye in Toobworld.  Maybe Honey West has seen the end of her better days.  But I think we're supposed to assume that this rarely sober P.I. is Jessica Jones.

Eventually she teamed up with Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage as the Defenders, so it’s all good.

All five Netflix shows have been cancelled now as mighty Disney, who owns Marvel, probably has plans to use them on their own streaming platform.  But with the same actors?  Doubtful.  

In the meantime, welcome to the Hall, Jessica Jones.
I did it again!

O'Bservation:
In case you didn't notice, this also serves as our Wiki Tiki Wednesday offering as well.

TVXOHOF UPDATE TUESDAY

One day former President Bill Clinton will be inducted into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.  And as himself, not as played by any one specific actor (like Ford Rainey as Abe Lincoln) nor as a multiversal as was the case for George Washington.

Except for one exceptional appearance on ‘The Arsenio Hall Show’ – which can legitimately be said to be a television appearance which determined History – any appearances on talk shows, news reports, interview programs like ’60 Minutes’ will be archived in his tally but do not count towards his eligibility for membership in the TVXOHOF.

All of Clinton’s appearances as his fictional televersion have been either archival footage as seen on somebody’s TV, or spliced into a scene – this happened three times on ‘JAG’ in which the POTUS and Harmon Rabb exchange salutes.

Here are those appearances

Doctor Who- Rosa (2018)

Star Trek: Enterprise- Storm Front, Part II (2004)

The X-Files- My Struggle III (2018)

NewsRadio- The Trainer (1996)

Star- Dreamers (2018)

Tanner on Tanner (2004)1

JAG- Shadow (1995)
- Scimitar (1995)
- Contemptuous Words (1999)

Also counted as tally qualifiers are all the times fictional TV characters refer to him in the course of an episode.  I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of that category, but according to the IMDb I have nearly 500 episodes to consider.

Here are just a few of them:

Lie to Me  
Do No Harm (2009)

NewsRadioThe Trainer (1996)
Pure Evil (1997)
Who’s The Boss, Part 2 (1998)

Derry GirlsThe President (2019)
One interesting reference to iill Clinton which confirms the existence of his televersion in the main Toobworld was the appearance by his brother Roger Clinton in 'The Nanny'.

I have a new one to add to that category of references from this past Sunday night – although the episode was originally aired in the UK back in February.  (Not that it matters – on the Toobworld timeline, the episode takes place after the first moon landing in 1969.)

‘Endeavour’
“Confection”

From the IMDb:
One of the characters refers to a Rhodes scholar called Clinton. This is a reference to US ex-President Clinton, who won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University.

The incredibly excellent website “Morse, Lewis, Endeavour” went into more detail:
Endeavour is talking to Ronnie Box about the death of Rufus Bura and how it may be linked to the other deaths. Endeavour says, “I spoke to a Rhodes scholar that Bura played rugby with, name of Clinton.” The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford. Clinto refers of course to Bill Clinton. Clinton won a Rhodes Scholarship to University College, Oxford, where he initially read for a B.Phil. [Bachelor of Philosophy]

I’m not sure when Bill Clinton will be inducted into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.  Since traditionally the select club of Presidents are inducted in November, as are other politicians and newsmakers, I do have a waiting list.

But any delay will certainly not be due to politics.  I like the guy; voted for him twice.  I’m just not looking forward to delving into all of those episodes for the referential quotes!
BCnU!

MONDAY MINUTIAE = UNSCENE IN WESTEROS

‘Game of Thrones’ has been over for more than a month now, and here I am still yammering on about it.

I haven’t read the books, and the TV show trundled on before the last two books have been published, but just from the truncated final season I know that the viewers were missing out on so much.  And as such it serves as a great example of the deep divide between Toobworld and BookWorld.

George R.R. Martin, the man who created this world in both metafictional universes, acknowledges that:

“If nothing else, the readers will learn what happened to Jeyne Poole, Lady Stoneheart, Penny and her pig, Skahaz Shavepate, Arianne Martell, Darkstar, Victarion Greyjoy, Ser Garlan the Gallant, Aegon VI, and a myriad of other characters both great and small that viewers of the show never had the chance to meet.  And yes, there will be unicorns… of a sort…Book or show, which will be the ‘real’ ending? It’s a silly question…How about this? I’ll write it. You read it. Then everyone can make up their own mind, and argue about it on the internet.”  

Even having not read the books, I don’t have to make up my mind.  For me they’re both valid because they are two different universes.

And who knows?  All of those characters probably do exist in the Earth Prime-Time version of the saga; we just didn’t get the chance to meet them.

BCnU!