JANUARY SIX - REMEMBERING SHERLOCK HOLMES ON HIS BIRTHDAY (COMIC BOOK UNIVERSE)

For several years now, Toobworld Central has celebrated Sherlock Holmes on what many Sherlockians/Holmesians consider to be his birthday.  (Although there is some disagreement - click here.)  

And because I count myself among that original (and more respectable) group of January Sixers, the TVXOHOF continues that tradition today....

From the FB page, “The Crossover Universe” (April 25, 2025)
By Jess Nevins:

I'm more than a little surprised that nobody ever caught this one, from the Zatara story in ACTION COMICS #21 (on-sale date Dec 24, 1939).

(Holmes' name doesn't come up in the rest of the story, and nothing more is made of Zatara being in Holmes' old stomping grounds).

There have been many movie and TV appearances by Sherlock Holmes over the last century, and unless they are played by the same actor, each of those productions need to be shuttled off to separate fictional universes.

New pastiches of the Holmes Mythos appear weekly in story form, whether as short stories or novels, and for the most part they can be treated as existing in the same universe.  (There are a few tales too outlandish to be reconciled with the established canon.)  

As they all exist in the mind of the reader, it is their imagination which blends the portrayals together.  (And while Sir Arthur Conan Doyle defined the appearance of Holmes with words, it was Sidney Paget who first provided the artistic template upon which every fan builds their mental vision of the Great Detective.

The overall comic book universe is not my bailiwick; I’m a Toobworld Curator (mostly retired).  But it’s my contention that for the most part, any Sherlock Holmes story illustrated for comic books belongs in the same dimension as the others, no matter the different styles of artwork.  It’s the story which remains key; the artwork merely illustrated that story for the reader.

What I especially liked about this fleeting mention of Holmes in a story about Zatara is that it can be shared by so many Sherlock Holmes stories in comic books, no matter if their storyline is too contradictory to the greater output of stories.  Most of that is due primarily to Holmes only being mentioned, and the statement about him is probably considered to be an established fact by many fans.

So, what Jess Nevins has brought up is not only a damned good crossover (I will have to check my books by Win Scott Eckert and Sean Lee Levin to see if Zatara is considered part of the Wold Newton Universe.  I’ll get back to you before this is posted; I’m writing it in April of 2025), but it could be a nexus point for so many Sherlock Holmes stories in the Greater Metafictional Universe for all media, including Toobworld.

FANFIC, FIT TO A TEE

This was posted on the Classic Television Shows FB page back in January:

I happened to notice this anachronism on ‘Have Gun Will Travel’ this morning. The episode is “The Kid” (Seaon 5 Episode 15.)

Paladin is wearing a V-neck T-shirt, which did not exist in the 1870s and 1880s. During that time, men typically wore full undershirts made of wool or cotton, often with high, round necklines or buttons at the chest. The V-neck T-shirt as we know it today was not introduced until the mid-20th century, as a variation of the basic crewneck T-shirt.
[Alan DeCampli]

I think we know, as Whovians, the Time Lord responsible for this pollution of the timeline….

The Meddling Monk, of course.

I have no idea why he felt it was an important anachronism, however.

That is the stuff fanfic is for.

Care to give it a whirl? 

TVXOHOF, DECEMBER, 2025 - "A MIRACLE ON 34th STREET"

Welcome to the last month of inductions into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame!  And for December, there will be three new entries into the Hall - the monthly showcase and two for the Christmas Day Honors List.

Tis the season!

Basically, I’ve run out of the seasonal TV characters to bring into the TVXOHOF, including three different Santas - the Santa of Earth Prime-Time, the Santa of Evil Toobworld, and Santa Larry, one of Santa’s many impersonators.

In 2023, I decided to induct a Christmas movie, the one which many people (including my sister) think is the greatest Christmas movie ever.  (There are those who believe it’s even the greatest movie ever made.  I am not among that number.)

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

And then last year we brought - the original holiday TV special only! - in from the cold: 

"HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS"

So this year, I decided to take that path again, this time inducting MY favorite Christmas movie….

MIRACLE ON 34th STREET

From Wikipedia:
"Miracle on 34th Street" (initially released as "The Big Heart" in the United Kingdom) is a 1947 American Christmas comedy-drama film released by 20th Century-Fox, written and directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valentine Davies. It stars Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood, and Edmund Gwenn. The story takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas in New York City, and focuses on the effect of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa. The film has become a perennial Christmas favorite.

"Miracle on 34th Street" won three Academy Awards: Gwenn for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Valentine Davies for Best Writing, Original Story, and George Seaton for Best Writing, Screenplay. The film was nominated for Best Picture, losing to "Gentleman's Agreement". In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". The Academy Film Archive preserved "Miracle on 34th Street" in 2009.

Davies also wrote a short novelization of the tale, which was published by Harcourt Brace simultaneously with the film's release.

Last month, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was inducted into the TVXOHOF, and that event kicks off the plot in the movie.

“Miracle on 34th Street” was adapted three times for television, and each of those versions have their own TV dimension in which the plot actually took place and the 1947 movie doesn’t exist.

But for Earth Prime-Time, the main Toobworld, it remains fictional with only the 1947 movie, and the other adaptations never happened.  (They might exist as mentioned, as TV adaptations, [See the 'Wings' entry] but that would not be a Zonk; that’s how it is here on Earth Prime as well.)

So here are some mentions of the 1947 movie “Miracle on 34th Street” in various TV shows, confirming that there is a televersion in Toobworld.

All of the descriptions are from the IMDb.

LOU GRANT
CHRISTMAS (1977)
On Christmas Eve, Lou hopes to find an all-night theatre playing “Miracle on 34th Street”.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Miskel Spillman/Elvis Costello (1977)
Reviewed by Bill Murray on Weekend Update.  

From One SNL A Day project:
BIM is disappointed in "Miracle On 34th Street"’s ambiguous stance on Santa.
Bill got a noteworthy good reaction from the audience after he started his commentary. It’s nice to see how popular he’s become with the audience.
— Bill’s overall commentary was very up-and-down, being funny in some moments and dragging in other moments. It kinda hurts to admit that I’ve been kinda underwhelmed with his last few review commentaries in general.
— I did like the camera panning over to Jane’s deadpan WTF-type facial reaction when Bill’s commentary oddly ended with him sleeping on a pillow.

O’Bservation:
SNL is a member of the TVXOHOF with a curious pedigree.  The production of the show happens in the main Toobworld, but once a sketch is performed, it becomes part of Skitlandia.

HART TO HART
‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE MURDERED (1980)
The title is seen on a theater marquee.

A VERY BRADY CHRISTMAS (TV Movie 1988)

THE GOLDEN GIRLS
YOU GOTTA HAVE HOPE (1989)

HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM GRANDPA (1989)
Jonathan & Mark mention the movie by name

QUANTUM LEAP
IT’S A WONDERFUL LEAP - MAY 10, 1958 (1992)
Angela mentions that they are on 34th Street. Immediately afterwards, Sam says that it is a miracle that she survived after he ran her over with his taxi.

MELROSE PLACE
A MELROSE PLACE CHRISTMAS (1992)
Billy hires the tape of this for Allison.

WINGS
THE CUSTOMER’S USUALLY RIGHT (1992)
Helen asks Joe if they had this title at the video store. His response: "Not even the David Hartman version."

HOME AND AWAY
EPISODE #1.1603 (1994)
Roxy mentions it.

MURPHY BROWN
BROWN IN TOYLAND (1994)
Mentioned by Murphy.

TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL
JACOB’S LADDER (1996)
The judge says he won't turn his case into a scene from the movie.

MILLENNIUM
MIDNIGHT OF THE CENTURY (1997)
mentioned by Frank

MEN BEHAVING BADLY
GIFT OF JAMI (1997)
Brenda mentions the movie.

LAW & ORDER
CASTOFF (1998)
Serial killer Eddie Chandler recalls watching the movie as a child, (naming several movies which gave him an idealized viewpoint of NYC.)

JAG
ALL YE FAITHFUL (2002)
Title referenced

ER
ALL ABOUT CHRISTMAS EVE (2005)
Clemente says to one of the patients that now that his wife is dead he must watch Miracle on 34th Street alone.

BONES
THE SANTA IN THE SLUSH (2007)
Cam: "This isn't ‘Miracle on 34th Street’, people!"

LITTLE MOSQUE ON THE PRAIRIE
THE WEEK OF DYING DANGEROUSLY (2009)
Rayyan mentions the movie by name.

GOSSIP GIRL
LAST TANGO, THEN PARIS (2010)
Blair says if Dorota lets her go anywhere near 34th Street, there won't be a miracle but a massacre.

NCIS:LOS ANGELES
DISORDER (2010)
Mentioned by Kensi

Sam Hanna(?):
So what do we do now?
Kensi Blye:
Well, uh, we do what most families do on Christmas Eve.
G Callen(?):
Watch Uncle Bob get drunk and pee in the toaster?
Kensi Blye:
How about eat and watch TV?
Sam Hanna(?):
That's a great idea. The game just started.
Kensi Blye:
I was thinking more along the lines of 'Miracle on 34th Street'.
G Callen(?):
Really?
Deeks:
Actually, I wouldn't mind watching that.
G Callen(?):
Really?
Kensi:
Why don't you go get the food, Deeks?
Deeks:
Yeah. Why don't I go get the food? 'Cause that's what Deeks does is get...
Turkey sandwiches okay for everybody?

2 BROKE GIRLS
AND THE VERY CHRISTMAS THANKSGIVING (2011)
Caroline mentions "Miracle on 34th Street" being her favorite Christmas movie.

2 BROKE GIRLS
AND MARTHA STEWART HAVE A BALL: PART 1 (2012)
mentioned by Caroline

SWITCHED AT BIRTH
YULETIDE FORTUNE TELLERS (2014)
Daphne brings the DVD of the movie to watch it with Regina.

DOCTOR WHO
LAST CHRISTMAS (2014)
Mentioned on list

FRESH OFF THE BOAT
COUSIN EDDIE (2018)
Referenced by Jessica

Also....

FRESH OFF THE BOAT
MIRACLE ON DEAD STREET (2015)
Title reference

ZOE EVER AFTER
GAME FACE (2016)
Valenté says it's his favorite holiday movie.

BETTER CALL SAUL
COUSHATTA (2018)
Judge Benedict Munninger asks Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Ericsen if she was "prosecuting Santa Claus" in her case against Huell Babineaux after he is mailed thousands of hand written letters in defense of Huell's good natured character. In the film, the New York City Courthouse receives thousands of letters from children in the defense of Edmund Gwenn's character who claims to be the real Santa Claus.

THE RESIDENT
PEKING DUCK DAY (2019)
One of the movie choices that Conrad and Nic must choose from.

RATCHED
PILOT (2020)
The priests go to see this movie.
"'Miracle on 34th Street' is playing at the Westmont.
Will you be joining us, Father McMurtry?"

PICKET FENCES
PILOT (1992)
Joey Fero is watching the film on TV at home.

O'Bservation:
The IMDb is in error.  The scene displayed is of Jean Hersholt and Shirley Temple in "Heidi" from 1937, ten years earlier.  As Grandfather, Hersholt may have looked like Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle, but there's no mistaking Shirley Temple's voice for Natalie Wood's....

I sent in a correction; we'll see if anybody notices.

SAVING GRACE
HAVE A SEAT, EARL (2008)
Clips watched on television.

MODERN FAMILY
UNDECK THE HALLS (2009)
Jay and Manny watch the movie, only it's a joke copy with one of those scary pop-ups.

DOPESICK
BREAKTHROUGH PAIN (2021)
Playing on TV while Bridget and Paul make out on the couch.

TOON IN WITH ME
IT’S ALL ABOUT TRADITION (2023)
Title mentioned by Toony the Tuna; publicity still with Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn

ALTERNATE TOOBWORLDS

EVIL TOOBWORLD

CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA
CHAPTER ELEVEN: A MIDWINTER’S TALE (2018)
Mentioned by Hilda as one of Sabrina's favorite holiday movies.

WELDON’S TOOBWORLD

CASTLE
SECRET SANTA (2012)
After Beckett notes that the name on the dead Santa's ID card is Kris Kringle, Castle says, "Maybe he's the real Santa, like in ‘Miracle on 34th Street’."

THE TOONIVERSE

RICK AND MORTY

RICKTIONAL MORTPOON’S RICKMAS MORTCATION (2022)

Rick buys Jerry an extra-dimensional version of this movie which is 2 hours longer.
RICK:
Rick Santa-chez here with gifts from across the multiverse!
For Jerry, an extra-dimensional version of "Miracle on 34th Street."

JERRY:
Two hours longer!  They fixed my only problem with it!

BOB’S BURGERS
THE PLIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (2022)
The burger of the day is "The Pineapple on 34th Street Burger".

LIFE WITH LOUIE
FAMILY PORTRAIT (1997)
Characters watch this movie on television.

THE SIMPSONS
I WON’T BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (2014)
Watched on TV at Moe's Tavern.  The Judge is seen rendering his decision and Moe points out that few people knew that his ruling was overturned in the sequel.

O'Bservation:
With those last two entries, the animated characters in the Tooniverse see the actual live-action movie from Earth Prime.  It could be the same technology which created the interface so that Space Ghost could talk to real people from Earth.

This may become a holiday tradition.  I'll have to do the research to find out if Alistair Sims' version of "A Christmas Carol" was mentioned enough times in other TV shows to merit inclusion in the TVXOHOF.  I suppose I could deal with all the adaptations of Charles Dickens' classic story.  (Dickens himself is already in the Hall, as portrayed by Simon Callow.)

But I would like to showcase the best adaptation, if I do say so myself.

However it would be fun if "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" qualified with three separate mentions.

Or I could go with "Die Hard"....

Welcome to the Hall, "Miracle On 34th Street"!

TVXOHOF: JULY, 2025 - MATT SYKES

 
With this July entry into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame (which usually showcases detectives), we’re honoring the memory of Gary Graham, who passed away over a year ago.

January 22, 2024
Gary Graham, who starred as the human detective who partners with an extraterrestrial newcomer to solve crimes on the Fox sci-fi television franchise ‘Alien Nation’, has died. He was 73.

Graham died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Spokane, Washington, his wife of nearly 25 years, Becky Graham, told The Hollywood Reporter.

In the ‘Star Trek’ universe, Graham played the Ocampan community leader Tanis on ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ in 1995; recurred as Ambassador Soval, a Vulcan ambassador to Earth, on ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’, from 2001-05; and portrayed the first officer Ragnar in ‘Star Trek: Of Gods and Men’ (2007) and ‘Star Trek: Renegades’ from 2015-17.

Graham starred as the L.A. detective Matthew Sikes alongside Eric Pierpoint as George Francisco, an “immigrant” and newcomer from another planet, on ‘Alien Nation’, which aired for a season (1989-90) on Fox.

The pair then returned for the telefilms “Alien Nation: Dark Horizon” (1994), “Alien Nation: Body and Soul” (1995), “Alien Nation: Millennium” (1996), “Alien Nation: The Enemy Within” (1996) and “Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy” (1997).

The series was an offshoot of a 1988 “Alien Nation” movie that starred James Caan as Matthew and Mandy Patinkin as the newcomer.
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

MATT SYKES

From Wikipedia:
Detective Matthew Sikes is a Los Angeles police officer reluctantly working with "Newcomer" alien Sam "George" Francisco. Sikes also has an on again-off again flirtation with a female Newcomer, Cathy Frankel.

[O’Bservation – Using his full name was not a concern when dealing with George and other Tenctonese.  But when his given name of “Matthew” was shortened to “Matt”, it proved to be a source of amusement to the Tenctonese.  In their language, “Sykes’ translated to “cranium”, while “Matt” meant “fecal matter”.]

From the ‘Alien Nation’ wiki:
Matthew Sikes is a human police officer and partner of George Francisco. He is divorced and has a daughter.

Both he and George are close friends, even if he sometimes acts quite bemused about Tenctonese customs.

When Matthew and George met for the first time, he refused to be the Partner of a "Slag", since his former partner, Sgt. William Tuggles, was killed during a gunfight with a Tenctonese criminal. Later however, after he worked a while with George, he came to the conclusion that he was wrong about his prejudice towards Tenctonese and the two became very close friends.

He has an on-off relationship with Dr. Cathy Frankel, a newcomer bio-chemist which remains sketchy during the TV series. During the TV movies, their relationship blossoms and ends up with them taking 'sex' classes.

ALIEN NATION
TV Movie

A bigoted human policeman in the L.A. of the future and his alien partner learn to live with each other's differences while attempting to solve a drug conspiracy hidden in the subculture of Los Angeles' newest immigrant population: extraterrestrials.
Five years after their spaceship crashed on Earth, the Tenctonese "Newcomers" deal with prejudice and discrimination as they try to adjust to life in Los Angeles. Detective Matt Sikes and his Newcomer partner, George Francisco, investigate a series of odd occurrences, including the death of Sikes's former partner. Meanwhile, the Francisco family tries to deal with being the first Tenctonese in a formerly all-human neighborhood.

O’Bservation:
The “Future” is now in the Past in the Toobworld timeline.

ALIEN NATION
22 episodes

In the near future, a human cop and his alien partner fight crime and discrimination in Los Angeles.
A flying saucer crashed in the Mojave Desert and its inhabitants turned out to be alien slaves, bred to be super intelligent and strong, and controllable by their Overseers. These Tenctonese, or "Newcomers", have been assimilated (sort of) into the population of Los Angeles. One of them, George Francisco, is a police detective with a human partner, Matthew Sikes. George and Matt fight crime together, while learning to respect the other's culture, and question his own. They also fight prejudice, as personified by the Purists, and fear, in the form of the unseen Overseers, who seek to regain control over their slaves.

ALIEN NATION: DARK HORIZON
TV Movie

An Overseer named Ahpossno comes to Earth to take the slaves, and all humans, back to the mothership.

Follow-up movie to the TV series about 250,000 aliens, or "Newcomers" as they are known, who have settled alongside the humans in California. Most of the Newcomers were slaves, and the Overseers are now looking for them. They send Ahpossno to earth to locate the slaves to take them back to the ship.

Picking up where the "season finale" left off, Emily and Susan are on life support after being contaminated with a virus, which is found to be from a Purist group. The Purists have created a mass of it to spray over LA to kill all Newcomers. At the same time, an elite Overseer arrives to organize the return of the Tenctonese to slavery, and decides to take the human population as well.

ALIEN NATION: BODY AND SOUL
TV Movie
Sikes and Francisco are called in to a case when a mysterious young girl, who looks part Newcomer, part human, appears. Her huge, brutish counterpart tries to free her from the precinct, and their bizarre relationship turns out to be the result of a slaveship medical experiment. Meanwhile, Cathy and Matt are going to sex school, in preparation of becoming intimate, while Buck distresses his parents by his anti-human opinions.

ALIEN NATION: MILLENNIUM
TV Movie
It's December 1999 and as the end of the millennium approaches, people are attempting to find spiritual enlightenment. However, a few people want to skip all the work that entails. A holy Tenctonese relic in the hands of a heretic is giving them a shortcut but it's not quite as easily controlled as she says.

ALIEN NATION: THE ENEMY WITHIN
TV Movie
When Detectives Sikes and Francisco are presented with the mysterious death of an Eeno, Matt is stupefied to discover that George had rudely snubbed the case. He, like most Newcomers, reviles the outcast Eenos. As the case unfolds, George has to reassess his prejudices, and George's family help save the city from an alien threat originating in an Eeno waste disposal facility.

ALIEN NATION: THE UDARA LEGACY
TV Movie

Matt and George investigate a series of strange occurrences involving Newcomers, who are found to be programmed to carry out someone's dirty work. The method by which they are brainwashed dates back to the slave ship's resistance movement, the Udara, of which Susan was a part. Susan and George's lives are further disrupted when Buck enrolls in the police academy.

Eventually, George Francisco and his family will be inducted into the Hall as well.  And good news for Matt Sykes – Dr. Cathy Frankel will be joining as well.

It has always been Toobworld Central policy that TV movies are independent of TV series, even if they serve as the pilot or as reunion shows.  This makes it easier for a character to be inducted.  (This wasn’t made up for Graham’s benefit.  It was used for Lt. Columbo as well.)

SPLAININ TO DO:
It’s now been a quarter century since the Tenctonese have been seen in Toobworld.  A few of them might still remain here, but as for the others?

I believe they have left Earth.  I think the Gallifreyan Time Lord known as “The Doctor” took them to another planet, an uninhabited world which they could make their own.  (With the TARDIS being bigger on the inside, I would think the Old Girl could easily have taken them all in one trip.

Remembering Gary Graham as we welcome Detective Matt Sykes into the Hall.  

"Good night and may God bless."