WILL SOON PICKET

A Gala Evening

In Honor of Sumner Redstone

Hosted by Jon Stewart

Thursday, February 7, 2008

The Paley Center for Media will honor Sumner Redstone, executive chairman of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corporation, at its annual gala in New York.

The gala will be held on Thursday, February 7, 2008, at 6:30 pm, at the Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom in New York City. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Paley Center's work to lead the discussion about the creative and social relevance of television, radio, and emerging platforms in today's world.

Some individual tickets, priced at $2,000, are available.

Tables and ads for the Tribute Journal are also available. Please contact the Paley Center's Special Events Department at 212.621.6815 or specialevents@paleycenter.org for more information.

I'm outside the loop, of course, but I can't see how Jon Stewart can justify paying tribute to Redstone when so many of his fellow members in the WGA are out on the picket lines because of Redstone's greed as a member of the AMPTP cabal.

Can somebody out there splain to me what I'm missing.....?

BCnU!
Toby OB

THE HAT SQUAD: BILL IDELSON

Bill Idelson, who is best remembered here at Toobworld Central for playing Herman Glimscher on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', has passed away. He was 88 years old and had been hospitalized since June after breaking his hip.

Here is an excerpt from his obituary by Dennis McLellan in the L.A. Times:

Idelson appeared in episodes of dozens of television series, including "Dragnet," "Perry Mason," "The Twilight Zone," "My Favorite Martian," "The Odd Couple," "Happy Days" and "Will & Grace."

But he may be best remembered by TV fans for his role as Herman Glimscher, the mama's-boy boyfriend of Rose Marie's Sally Rogers character on several episodes of "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

At the time Idelson was appearing on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and other TV programs, he was also carving out a successful career as a television writer.

In addition to writing a couple of episodes of "The Dick Van Dyke Show," he wrote for other TV series, including "The Twilight Zone," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Get Smart," "The Odd Couple," "The Bob Newhart Show," "MASH" and "Happy Days." Idelson twice won the Writers Guild Award for best episodic comedy -- for an episode of "Get Smart" and for an episode of "The Andy Griffith Show."

Among his credits as a television producer are "The Bob Newhart Show," "Anna and the King," "The McLean Stevenson Show" and "Love, American Style."

For the latter show, he shared an Emmy nomination in 1971 for outstanding comedy series.

Writing and Producing Credits

Anna and the King - Writer
Anna and the King - Producer
Barefoot In The Park - Writer
Bewitched - Writer
Get Smart - Writer
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - Writer
Happy Days - Writer
Love, American Style - Writer
M*A*S*H - Writer
That Girl - Story
The Andy Griffith Show - Writer
The Bob Newhart Show - Writer
The Bob Newhart Show - Producer
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Writer
The Flintstones - Writer
The Hero - Writer
The Mothers-In-Law - Writer
The Odd Couple - Writer

Acting Appearances
Guest Starring Roles
Will & Grace - Ben - Mad Dogs and Average Men (2001)
Happy Days - Doctor - A Mind of His Own (1976)
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Herman Glimsher - Dear Sally Rogers (1966)
Gomer Pyle - Harold Kanobly - A Groom for Carter's Sister (1965)
My Favorite Martian - Mr. Brown - I'd Rather Fight Than Switch (1965)
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Bruce - Never Bathe on Saturday (1965)
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Herman Glimsher - Stacey Petrie (1) (1965)
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Herman Glimsher - Uncle George (1963)
The Jack Benny Program - - Riverboat Sketch (1963)
My Three Sons - Mr. Higgins - Didya Ever Have One of Those Days? '63
My Three Sons - Walter - Chip's World (1963)
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Herman Glimsher - My Husband Is a Check-Grabber (1963)
Checkmate - The Bellhop - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Game (1962)
My Three Sons - Pete - Unite or Sink (1961)
Thriller - - The Twisted Image (1960)
The Twilight Zone - Stagehand - A World of Difference (1960)
Hennesey - Marine - Hennesey and the Ancient Vehicle (1960)
Hennesey - Mac - Hennesey Joins the Marines (1960)
Leave It to Beaver - Newstand Worker - The Bus Ride (1959)

[Toobworld note: I think his role as Bruce the Bellhop on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' would be the same as the bellhop he played in the episode from 'Checkmate'. After that 'Checkmate' episode, Bruce moved back East to New York City and found employ at a swank hotel there. This way, he could be closer to his twin brother, Herman... and of course, to Mother.....]

Mr. Idelson is the second death of note this new year for Toobworld. James Costigan also passed away - he wrote "Love Among The Ruins", which starred Laurence Olivier and Katherine Hepburn.

I've always liked to think that Herman and Sally eventually married - but it would have had to happen after his mother finally passed away. He appeared as Herman in the reunion special for 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', but I can't remember if that came up....

Rest in peace, sir.

BCnU.....
Toby OB

TIDDLYWINKYDINKS: MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

Just in time to be too late for Christmas!

There have been three Television adaptations of "Miracle On 34th Street" over the years:

1955 - with Thomas Mitchell as Kris Kringle
1959 - with Ed Wynn as Kris Kringle
1973 - with Sebastian Cabot as Kris Kringle

Since it's customary (although not set in stone) that the "first broadcast" rule should determine which televersion gets into Earth Prime-Time, then it's the 1955 version that can be found in the main Toobworld.

The fact that Thomas Mitchell doesn't resemble Charles Durning, the "official" face of Santa Claus in the TV Universe, isn't one of great concern. Santa is a magical being and he appears as people expect him to look. (This splains away the two different Santas during the run of 'Bewitched'.)

The confrontation with the drunken Santa Claus at the Thanksgiving Day Parade has been cut, Doris takes a more active role in the Post Office's role in the proceedings, and the sequence of events at the very end have been flipped. The one major character to be lost entirely in the transition through the dimensional vortex is young Alfred, Santa's Helper at Macy's. Otherwise it's a very faithful adaptation of the original.

Joining Mr. Mitchell are MacDonald Carey as the lawyer Fred, Hans Conreid as the toy department manager, Ray Collins as the judge, and Teresa Wright in the Maureen O'Hara role. (Pictured below are MacDonald Carey and Thomas Mitchell, with Teresa Wright and Hans Conreid in the background.)
Ed Wynn's Kris Kringle would be then located to the dimension of Television Remakes with such shows as 'The New Lassie' and the new 'Battlestar Galactica'. (The televersion of 'Sherlock Holmes' which starred Ronald Howard is also here because the Jeremy Brett version was not only more detailed but stuck totally to the works of Conan Doyle.)

As for that 1973 TV movie, which until recently I thought was the only version on the Toob, it was a fairly classy production. So why not give it a home in the dimension where 'The West Wing' has taken up residence? Why shouldn't Jed Bartlet have a Santa Claus in his life as well?

BCnU!
Toby OB

NO TIME TOULOUSE!

While putting together that piece about TV's Smiler Grogan, I found a clip at YouTube for a movie made for 'Playhouse 90' called "No Time At All".

Check out this cast! The movie was about a plane that was operating with no systems during a storm and the effect it had on the people down below (based on a novel by Charles Einstein, who also co-wrote the script).

I'll have to check the Paley Center and see if they have it available for viewing.....

If you want to check out the incredible line-up of stars for this production, visit this YouTube link.

BCnU!
Toby OB

THE FLIP[PEN] SIDE OF SMILER GROGAN

One of the few shows my "MacDivver" is recording now because of the strike (although more will join it once the cable series like 'Psych' and 'Monk' come back) is 'Burke's Law' from the early 1960s. It's a great opportunity to indulge in some old-fashioned detective work and to see a variety of stars not often glimpsed off the Lido Deck.

This past week, the episode shown on American Life TV was "Who Killed Molly?" which starred Hoagy Carmichael, Nanette Fabray, Jayne Mansfield, and Arthur O'Connell. Also featured in the cast was Jay C. Flippen, as a crusty old-timer in the burglary division named Lt. "Smiler" Grogan.

Smiler Grogan is also the name of the character played by Jimmy Durante in "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". Grogan literally kicks off the action of the movie and casts a big W-shaped shadow over the events to follow.
That Smiler Grogan exists in the "Cineverse" (a term coined by Craig Shaw Gardner) and probably has no connection to the one played by Jay C. Flippen in the TV Universe. But I'd like to think there was a televersion of the events and characters from that movie to be found in Toobworld.

Lt. Grogan's first name is probably Bill and he only recently got a promotion to lieutenant just prior to "Who Killed Molly?" This is only a theory, but he appeared in two earlier episodes - "Who Killed Wade Walker?" and the pilot, "Who Killed Holly Howard?", as Bill, the desk sergeant. As Captain Burke doesn't seem too surprised that there should be two guys wandering around the Metro Division with the same face, I'm assuming Bill and Lt. Grogan are probably the same man.

And his eagerness to crack his Beverly Hills burglary case would indicate that he he still had an enthusiasm for the new venture, if not for the overall job in itself.

BCnU!
Toby OB

END OF DAYS

Here's a rundown of "season finales" for most of the scripted series, dramas and sitcoms (i.e., the good stuff), as the writers' strike takes its toll:

BY TITLE:

Boston Legal (ABC) Jan. 29

Breaking Bad (AMC) March 16

Brothers & Sisters (ABC) Jan. 27
Cashmere Mafia (ABC) Feb. 13

CSI (CBS) Jan. 10

CSI Miami (CBS) Jan. 14

ER (NBC) Jan. 17

Family Guy (Fox) Jan. 13

Friday Night Lights (NBC) Feb. 8

Gossip Girl (CW) Jan. 9

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) Jan. 10

In Treatment (HBO) March 25

Jericho (CBS) March 25

Kyle XY (ABC Family) March 17

L Word (Showtime) March 23

Las Vegas (NBC) Feb. 22

Law & Order: SVU (NBC) Jan. 22

Life Is Wild (CW) Jan. 20

Lost (ABC) March 20

Medium (NBC) March 3

Monk (USA) Feb. 22

Moonlight (CBS) Jan. 18

My Name Is Earl (NBC) Jan. 10

NCIS (CBS) Jan. 15

Nip/Tuck (FX) Feb. 19

Prison Break (Fox) Feb. 18

Psych (USA) Feb. 15

Quarterlife (NBC) March 24

Samantha Who? (ABC) Feb. 18

Scrubs (NBC) Feb. 14

Stargate Atlantis (SciFi) March 7

Terminator (Fox) March 3

30 Rock (NBC) Jan. 10

The Wire (HBO) March 9

Ugly Betty (NBC) Jan. 24

Without A Trace (CBS) Jan. 17

If a show is not listed, it's probably run its course already.

Of course, all of this could be resolved before these shows go dark, if only the AMPTP would do the right thing and accept the demands - and they're HARDLY demands! - of the WGA.A bit much to expect from weasels, though......

BCnU!
Toby OB

PERRY MUSINGS

Whether or not Brian Perry is still in office as a Senator in "Tele-Texas", we can probably be assured that he hasn't changed his ways, no matter who ended up having more influence over him in the long run - the Cadre at NASA, the Sentients of Earth, the Sentients of Mars, or the crew of the 'Odyssey 5'. He's probably still a womanizing, racist bully and creep.

We only got to see one season of 'Odyssey 5', but I'm sure Senator Perry was involved in more than just the Bright Sky Project. He probably had his corrupt, fat fingers in some pie that was connected to the case revolving around 'The 4400' in Seattle, even if it does seem out of his bailiwick.

And if so, he may have run into an illegitimate daughter while deaing with NTAC!
It's purely hypothetical, but I think NTAC Agent Diana Skouris of Seattle and Astronaut Angela Perry of Houston have a lot in common genetically, even more than just sharing a somewhat similar appearance. (I'm not talking identical cousins, here; just some similarities.) And I think it's all due to them both having Brian Perry as their father.

Of course, Angela is the daughter he's acknowledged and raised. But Diana may not even know who her biological father is and so has no clue that she shares a common DNA link with Angela.

Somewhere out there in the world of fanfic, there could be a story floating about in which the two characters from two different shows interacted. (What would happen if a Synthetic took the promycin shot? What about one of the Odyssey 5?)

And if not, here's a little suggestion as to what Diana and Angela might have to talk about during a coffee break......

BCnU!
Toby OB

TIDDLYWINKYDINKS: PRIOR'S PLACE

The 'Cadfael' mysteries are set at an actual abbey in Shrewsbury, which was founded late in the 11th Century. In 1147, the bones of St. Winifred were brought there from Wales to be housed, and that event served as the inspiration for the very first "Cadfael" book by Ellis Peters, "A Morbid Taste For Bones".

So Brother Cadfael, although a fictional character himself, is working in very real settings - in much the same way as we can say the same for Columbo in Los Angeles or Adrian Monk in San Francisco.

And as such, he has come into contact in the series with historical personages. In fact, right from the very beginning he had the occasion to meet King Stephen (in "One Corpse Too Many").

However, today's nugget of information concerns two regular members of the cast who turn out to be actual characters from the pages of History - Abbot Herribert and Prior Robert, who served in those positions at the Abbey at the time when Cadfael would have been there in 1138.

I'm not sure the actual Prior Robert would have been too pleased with his televersion however. He seems like he could have been the spiritual template for Major Frank Burns of 'M*A*S*H' - a thick-headed, wrong-headed bureaucrat always at odds with Cadfael.

BCnU!
Toby OB

STRIKE-STRUCK

(from 'Late Night with David Letterman')

With the WGA strike basically bringing an end to the shows I'm currently taping, I've turned to Netflix to bring me up to speed on series I've missed in the past. I've finished the single season of 'Odyssey 5' and am currently in the midst of the 'Cadfael' mysteries.

Others I have lined up:

'The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard' - forgot to record the last two eps.
'QBVII' - I only saw it that first time it aired and want to check it out again.
'The Adventures of Robin Hood' - Richard Greene version

And I'll be adding three HBO series about which I was negligent:
'Deadwood'
'The Wire'
'Rome'

I still have at least two posts regarding 'Odyssey 5' which I need to write up. One is a theory of "relateeveety" about a supposed half sister for Angela Perry, and the other is an overview of what may have happened in the missing years leading up to the event they were supposed to prevent.

And with only two episodes seen so far of 'Cadfael', already I have several ideas:

Was the Meddling Monk still stranded in England by 1138?
Could a guest character from 'Cadfael' have been reincarnated into 'Torchwood'?
What caused Hugh Barengar to become a recastaway several times over?

Yes. I have 'Doctor Who' on the mind.

Plus I need to write up my 'Extras'-dimensional post regarding the two different versions of the 'Extras' Christmas special.

So those greedy weazels of the AMPTP may be keeping me from seeing my regularly scheduled programming (And I only blame them!), but they won't cause Toobworld Central to close up shop!

BCnU!
Toby OB

TIDDLYWINKYDINKS FROM "THE TIME TUNNEL"

General Heywood Kirk, who may have been an ancestor of Captain James T. Kirk, looked through the research into UFOs from the mid-1960s and cited magazine articles that dealt with the topic in the 'Time Tunnel' episode "Visitors From Beyond The Stars".

These turned out to be real magazine articles that can be found here in the real world.

1] Look Magazine (October 1966) - about a couple who had been brought on board a UFO.

This would be Barney and Betty Hill. Their story was even dramatized and made part of the TV Universe in "The UFO Incident" aka "Interrupted Journey".

2] Life Magazine (4/1/1966) - reports of sightings near Perth, Australia.

The cover of that issue of Life is reproduced here. As you can see, one of the cover stories is about the week of flying saucers

3] General Kirk also mentioned 60 people around Kensington, New Hampshire, who saw a UFO in September, 1965. The event led to the publication of a book called "Incident At Exeter".