LIKE FATHER, LIKE SPOOK

We haven't learned much about the private life of Harry Pearce, who's in charge of the 'Spooks' at 'MI-5', save that he's divorced and that he has a grown daughter from whom he's estranged.

But what if we look back along his family lineage? Who was his father?

I think it just may be pozz'ble that his biological father also worked in the British intelligence community. It could be that his father was named Villiers and he worked for Sir Charles Portland. His code name was PR-12. (That bit of information was supplied by 'The Prisoner' while in the body of the Colonel.) Just an idea....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: ARISTOPHANES

ARISTOPHANES

AS SEEN IN:
'You Are There' - "The Death Of Socrates, 399 B.C."

AS PLAYED BY:
EG Marshall

From Wikipedia:
Aristophanes (ca. 446 – ca. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a prolific and much acclaimed comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete. These, together with fragments of some of his other plays, provide the only real examples of a genre of comic drama known as Old Comedy, and they are in fact used to define the genre.

Also known as the Father of Comedy and the Prince of Ancient Comedy, Aristophanes has been said to recreate the life of ancient Athens more convincingly than any other author.

His powers of ridicule were feared and acknowledged by influential contemporaries - Plato singled out Aristophanes' play The Clouds as slander contributing to the trial and execution of Socrates although other satirical playwrights had caricatured the philosopher. It is not clear that they were instrumental in the trial and execution of Socrates, whose death probably resulted from public animosity towards the philosopher's disgraced associates (such as Alcibiades), exacerbated of course by his own intransigence during the trial.

"I'm a playwright; I'm not an executioner."
Aristophanes

BCnU!

NOT SEEN ON TV: A POTUS IMPOSTER

In that second "From Sea To Shining Sea" special from 1974, Robert Culp's character John Freeborn was trying to escape New England secessionists when he found an old man sitting in a field. Hoping that John would provide him with stimulating conversation ("I think intelligent conversation is the highest entertainment." he said), the old man invited him back to his house. And there John found out that the elderly couple who resided there were former President and First Lady John and Abigail Adams.

At least, that's the original intention of the special. But for Toobworld, this cannot be.

Burgess Meredith is one of my top ten favorite actors. And his characterization of Adams was fantastic. The only trouble was that he looked nothing like the second President of the United States - even with the episode taking place in 1814, which could have accounted for a difference in appearance.

The problem was that no special allowances were made with regard to his makeup. Meredith's naturally coarse thatch of white hair crowned his entire head, whereas the real Adams, even as a younger man, had a fast receding hairline and could be considered bald for the most part. If they didn't want to bother with make-up, they should have gone with John Houseman in the role; he would have come closer to the look as is. (This portrait of Adams by Gilbert Stuart puts me in mind of another actor, but I can't put my finger on it....)

But that would have robbed us of a spirited performance by Burgess Meredith.

Because of the character of John Freeborn, I'm reluctant to cast this into an alternate TV dimension. So I've come up with a splainin:

Burgess Meredith and Kate Wilkerson were not playing John and Abigail Adams. Oh, they were in the Adams' home, though - the letter from Thomas Jefferson which Abigail showed to John Freeborn was the real article.

I think they were actually the butler and the cook for the Adams family. But when their master and mistress were not at home, the two of them liked to pretend that they were the President and First Lady. And with the arrival of John Freeborn, they continued the charade. When John took his leave of them to make his way down to New Orleans, President Adams asked him to relay his regards to Andrew Jackson should he meet him. John did so and neither he nor Jackson ever knew that the message didn't come from the real John Adams.

The ad for "Land Of The Free" shown above is the only example I could find of Burgess Meredith as John Adams. But this picture to the left comes close to how he appeared in the special. And the hair is pretty much as was seen in the show.

BCnU!

DEEP SIX: PRODUCT UNBECOMING

This past week's episode of 'Modern Family' was a half-hour long plug for the new iPad, which came out Saturday. (I know that drove my blogging buddy Joe Bua crazy!)

Also this week, Toyota made its push to regain the public's acceptance by getting plugs for their vehicles into a couple of FOX TV shows. 'Human Target' at least did it right. No obvious dialogue about the virtues of the new Carolla; just a short scene of Christopher Chance enjoying the drive to the target area, with the music from the car's new sound system. Lots of imagery of how the car handled the back roads.

On 'Bones', however, the product placement couldn't be clunkier as Angela Montenegro talked about the Sienna.

Daisy: Why do you drive a minivan? Do you have kids that we don't know about?
Angela: I'm an artist, Daisy, and this Sienna has plenty of room. Plus I stink at parallel parking, and that back-up camera thing is like the invention of the century.

Ugh.

But it gave me an idea for a Deep Six list....

THE DEEP SIX
SIX MAJOR PRODUCT PLACEMENTS IN TV SERIES

1] 'MARTIN KANE'
Might as well go with a golden oldie first. The show ran commercial free, because the blipverts from the U.S. Tobacco Company were integrated right into the show. The cops brought fragile evidence into Happy's tobacco shop to discuss the case, rather than to the police station, just so everybody could see the many products offered by the company: Old Briar pipe tobacco, Dill's Best, Sano cigarettes, and Encore cigarettes.
2] 'FRIENDS' - "The One With The Apothecary Table"
When this aired in 2000, it seemed to signal the arrival of the product placement overdose - with whole episodes geared towards a particular product. In this case, it was the company Pottery Barn, as Phoebe was finally won over by the items available in the store. There was a lot of criticism at the time about it, but Peter Roth of Warner Bros. played down the criticism by stating that the deal struck with Pottery Barn "offset the high cost of production."
3] 'EUREKA' - "Here Come The Suns" (but the third season in total)
When Eva Thorne took command of the town of Eureka and Global Dynamics, she instituted the concept of being underwritten by outside companies. And so the devil's pact with Degree deodorant began. The anti-perspirant was seen over and over again when Sheriff Carter suffered a "Groundhog Day" crisis; Zane was experimenting with the stuff; "Degree" decals were seen all over equipment. But the worst was this episode where it was Degree that ended up saving the day!

TV Guide wasn't too happy either:
Jeer to Eureka, one of my favorite shows, for indulging in product placement. This season, the producers apparently came to an agreement with the makers of Degree deodorant to display their logo at every opportunity. Not only is it disappointing, but it is annoying, and distracting to deal with in an otherwise quality show.
4] 'THE OFFICE' - "Benihana Christmas"
Andy took Michael to Benihana, which Michael called an Asian Hooters, to help him forget his recent troubles. Dwight and Jim also came along at Michael's request, and Dwight tried to impress the chef with his knowledge of Japanese knives. It wasn't the first time Benihana showed up in a TV sitcom - 'Soap' and 'Friends' took place in the restaurant as well, although I think it was only implied that they were Benihana restaurants. (And since both of those shows took place in the general NYC area, it might be possible that it was the same one in both.)
5] 'BONES' - "The Gamer In The Grease"
This aired the night before the movie opened. Here's a description from zap2it.com: Fisher the Aggressively Melancholic Intern (FAMI for short) scores tickets to "Avatar," and invites Sweets and Hodgins. First, there's an ad for "Avatar" during the commercials. Back on the show, commence actual "Avatar" footage being shown, complete with reverent comments about the CGI, and phrases like "this is so much more than a movie." Yeah. And they basically keep talking about the amazing significance of "Avatar" throughout the episode, as they camp out in shifts to get good seats.

The in-joke was that Joel David Moore plays Colin Fisher, and he's also a supporting actor in "Avatar". By the time the line starts moving to get into the theater, Fisher stays behind in the tent he brought along to make out with some tattooed chick. It would have been interesting to see Fisher's reaction upon seeing an actor on the movie screen who looked exactly like him.
6] 'MODERN FAMILY' - "Game Changer"
Might as well conclude with the episode that sparked this Deep Six list. Phil's birthday coincided with the release of the iPad, and his wife Claire scrambled to find him one as a present after she failed to get in line in time to buy it that morning.

This is a brilliant show, but such product placement did it a disservice. The other plots proved to be funnier because they weren't so tainted with such schilling. But at least we did get one Toobworld-worthy nugget out of the episode - because Phil Dunphy's birthday was on the same day as the iPad's release, we now know that he was born on April 3rd.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: THE RISEN CHRIST

JESUS CHRIST

AS SEEN IN:
'The Book Of Daniel'

AS PLAYED BY:
Garret Dillahunt

From Wikipedia:
Set in the fictional town of Newbury in Westchester County, New York, the main character is the Reverend Daniel Webster (Aidan Quinn), an unconventional Episcopal priest who is addicted to narcotic painkillers while his wife Judith (Susanna Thompson) fights her dependence on mid-day martinis.

Struggling to be a good husband, father, and minister, Webster regularly sees and talks with a classic-looking, white-skinned, white-robed and bearded Jesus (Garret Dillahunt), who nonetheless is rather unconventional. Daniel's Jesus appears only to him and openly questions modern interpretations of church teachings, reminding Daniel of his own strengths and weaknesses.

I think the basic assumption by the audience was that Jesus was just a figment of Daniel's imagination, spurred on by the stress and addiction. But I think to automatically question the reality of His presence in Daniel's company goes against basic belief. Shouldn't he be capable of returning? He's done it before and everybody seems okay with that, because it was chronicled in the New Testament. But faith shouldn't be a static thing in which God's works no longer happen.

People have no problem it seems in accepting TV shows about God's messengers coming back to Earth to help people - 'Highway To Heaven' and 'Touched By An Angel' enjoyed healthy runs. So why couldn't He have come back Himself in the person of His Son to get involved?

And that's just not Toobworld - why not in the real world too? Lapsed Catholic I may be, But I still have my faith and I think it's possible. So I'm treating the appearance of Jesus Christ in 'The Book of Daniel' as a real televersion and not just a figment of Daniel's imagination.

Happy Easter, everyone!

BCnU.......

LOST LEMURIA?

Harlan Ellison has created a deep background for the alien race known as the Kyben, as seen in "Demon With A Glass Hand". But all we know of them is limited to just that episode of 'The Outer Limits'.

So, looking at it only from the TV point of view, without the graphic novels and short stories, I'd like to provide a little more for the Toobworld background.....

As established in "The Chase", an episode of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', the Preservers seeded many planets with the building blocks to create humanoid races throughout the universe. They didn't all look human, but they did share the same basic structure. This would include Vulcans/Romulans, Klingons, Cardassians, Minbari, perhaps the Centaurans, and Orkans.

And to this list we can include the Kyben of Kyba.

The Kyben may have developed along an evolutionary path with primate origins, as Darwin suggested in regards to the human race. But on Kyba, that path may have originated with a different species, perhaps something similar to our own lemurs. And since we never got to see any proof otherwise, it could be the Kyben still had some vestigial remnant of their own ancestors' striped tail.

Just a suggestion, Mr. Ellison. Please don't sue me......

BCnU!

LONG LIVE JOHN FREEBORN!

As I mentioned earlier, I went to the Paley Center for Media on Thursday to see the two "From Sea To Shining Sea" specials from 1974. These were supposed to be just the first two of a series of nine that would lead up to the Bicentennial, but no others were made. (Thumbnail review - great casts but not all that compelling, despite being written by Ernest Kinoy and directed by Buzz Kulik.)

The first one was "Give Me Liberty" and was set in 1774-75, ranging from the Virginia frontier back to the more settled area around Alexandria and then up to Philadelphia. The second one, "Land Of The Free" began on the shores of Massachusetts and ended down South on the road to New Orleans in 1814.

In both, Robert Culp played the same character, John Freeborn.

Now, the time that passed between those two periods would approximately be about the same time span that Robert Culp himself went through from his days as a 'Columbo' murderer to the time leading up to his death just last week. And that passage of Time left its mark on him as it does on all men:
And yet, in these two TV specials, John Freeborn didn't age at all. In fact, when he should have been in his 70s, Freeborn was serving on board a British navy vessel; pressed into service after his own ship had been seized at sea.

When I pointed this out the other day, I made an off-hand suggestion that since John Freeborn was something of an "Eternal Man", as Trent was described in the opening narration for "Demon With A Glass Hand" on 'The Outer Limits', then perhaps Trent used one of those Kyben time-mirrors to go back even further in Time. (Off-hand, glass hand. Heh heh....)

But that was forgetting my own rule of thumb (more hand imagery!) about following Occam's Razor - always go for the simplest splainin.

I was too eager to combine Robert Culp characters to tighten up the TV Universe. Instead, I should have used John Freeborn as a way to connect the two historical specials to another TV series, which would have the same effect.

I should have seen John Freeborn for what he really was - an Immortal. Like MacLeod in 'Highlander'.
The name "John Freeborn" could be looked upon as an alias, to cover his real identity from centuries, even a millennium, earlier. It's true we don't see him with a sword, but that could have been hidden among his supplies on his pack animals. And he might have lost it when he was captured by the English in March of 1812. Eventually he would have gained a new one, but it was just something we never got to see happen.

Another scene, right at the very beginning of "Land Of The Free", could also be interpreted as proof that Freeborn was an Immortal. We see him being dragged ashore in the Massachusetts surf by young Jamie MacGillivray, a Connecticut schooled, 1/8th Creek Indian (played by Jeff Conaway). Jamie leaves him there on the beach and goes off to look for supplies.

It could be that Jamie was dragging Freeborn's body on shore, knowing his secret that he would come back to life in a few minutes despite drowning at sea. He looked near as dead lying there on the beach.

After that, we can then play the guessing game as to which of Culp's characters in the future could have been John Freeborn under an alias. So long as his TV Western characters survived the episode they were in, I think they're fair game. (They also shouldn't be the bad guys. Not that John Freeborn was the all-too-noble white-hat guy; he was a peddler just trying to mind his own business and to make sure he got paid his due. At one point, after he made it back to America in 1814, Freeborn was determined just to quit the young republic and go to the Indies.)

I wouldn't include Culp's first leading role, that of Hoby Gilman in 'Trackdown', among the other aliases for Freeborn. Toobworld Central has other ways to link that show to the main TV Universe - 'Wanted: Dead Or Alive', 'Zane Grey Theater', and 'I Spy'.

And besides, too many details about a character's past life can come up when he has an extended run on our TV screens. Better to use somebody who's in and out in just one hour.

Among the candidates to be John Freeborn under another name could be:

Ed Payson - 'Bonanza': "Broken Ballad"
Robert Culp as a former gunfighter trying to live down his past.

Baylor Crofoot - 'Wagon Train': "The Baylor Crofoot Story"
Schoolmaster Baylor Crofoot persistantly turns the other cheek when provoked by a blustering bully. But it seems that he holds these principles only to mask his cowardice.

Craig Kern - 'Rawhide': "Incident At The Top Of The World"
A howling prairie storm known as a "Norther" and a cattle drover with emotional problems, known only to Gil Favor, threaten to hamper the Sedalia-bound cattle drive in more ways than one.

At the very least, Kern and Crofoot could be the same character but not necessarily John Freeborn....

A little further up the Toobworld timeline, I'd like to add Lyle Pettijohn of 'Roots: The Next Generation' to the list of possible new identities for John Freeborn. The fact that he would have incorporated his old name into his new identity makes it especially appealing. As he wasn't the focus in the story (O'Bviously), I don't remember there being much personal background given to his character. (Also, he could have fathered Pvt. "Littlejohn", Dick Peabody's character on 'Combat!' The characters' timelines overlapped to the point that this would be unlikely for anybody else, but Freeborn was around a long time earlier to make it possible.)

Making any definite claims to John Freeborn's other identities at this time would be useless without seeing many of his guest roles and TV movies again. But making the claim that he was an Immortal, and thus providing a link to 'Highlander', 'Highlander: The Raven', and a batch of follow-up TV movies, is good enough for now....

Robert Culp may have left us in the real world and taken many of his signature roles with him, but his characters of John Freeborn and Trent will live on for VERY long times in Toobworld.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: JUDY GARLAND

As we approach Easter, here's some background information on the movie I will always associate with the holiday from when I was growing up.....

JUDY GARLAND

AS SEEN IN:
"Life With Judy Garland: Me And My Shadows"

AS PLAYED BY:
Tammy Blanchard

From Wikipedia:
In 1938, at the age of 16, Garland was cast in the lead role of Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939), a film based on the children's book by L. Frank Baum. This role is what Garland is first and foremost remembered for. Many people look back at the role of Dorothy Gale as Judy's stepping stone to stardom. In this film, Garland sang the song for which she would forever be identified, "(Somewhere) Over the Rainbow". Although producers Arthur Freed and Mervyn LeRoy had wanted Garland from the start, studio chief Mayer tried first to borrow Shirley Temple from 20th Century Fox. Temple's services were denied and Garland was cast.

Garland was initially outfitted in a blonde wig for the part, but Freed and LeRoy decided against it shortly into filming. Her breasts were bound with tape and she was made to wear a special corset to flatten out her curves and make her appear younger; her blue gingham dress was also chosen for its blurring effect on her figure.

Shooting commenced on October 13, 1938, and was completed on March 16, 1939, with a final cost of more than $2 million. From the conclusion of filming, MGM kept Garland busy with promotional tours and the shooting of Babes in Arms. Garland and Mickey Rooney were sent on a cross-country promotional tour, culminating in the August 17 New York City premiere at the Capitol Theatre, which included a five-show-a-day appearance schedule for the two stars. The Wizard of Oz was a tremendous critical success, though its high budget and promotions costs of an estimated $4 million coupled with the lower revenue generated by children's tickets, meant that the film did not make a profit until it was rereleased in the 1940s.

At the 1940 Academy Awards ceremony, Garland received an Academy Juvenile Award for her performances in 1939, including The Wizard of Oz and Babes in Arms. Following this recognition, Garland became one of MGM's most bankable stars.

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: JOHN FORSYTHE

John Forsythe passed away Thursday night after a year-long battle with cancer.

Back in January, Inner Toob marked his 92nd birthday with an "As Seen On TV" showcase.......

I don't really have anything major in mind to honor Mr. Forsythe's contributions to the TV Universe, save for the obvious connections. But I'll give it some thought tonight at work.

But this much is certain: it will be inevitable that 2010 will see the departure of many giants in Toobworld, just as happened last year. Time marches on.

Good night and may God bless, Mr. Forsythe.

BCnU......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON

According to Google, today is the 205th birthday of Hans Christian Anderson. Click on the Google logo and you'll get several interpretations of the logo design, all of which are thematically linked to his works.

So today we're presenting an extra "As Seen On TV" showcase in order to celebrate the occasion.....

HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON

AS SEEN IN:
"Hans Christian Anderson: My Life As A Fairy Tale" AS PLAYED BY:
Kieran Bew
From Wikipedia:
Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale is a 2001 semi-biographical television miniseries that fictionalizes the young life of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was directed by Philip Saville and starred Kieran Bew as the title character. Various Hans Christian Andersen fairytales are included as short interludes of the story, and intertwined into the events of the young author's life.

Yeah, if I found out I was 205 years old, I'd make a face like that, too......

BCnU!