Just a little bit o' fun before I turn in for my nap......
BCnU!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
THEORY OF RELATEEVETY: SKOWRIN TO SKOWRON
Jack Skowron is a best-selling author who wrote "Freefall To Ecstasy", which was bought by many but which hardly anyone ever finished reading. He was an old friend of Jim Rockford, whom he asked for help on his second novel (as seen in an episode of 'The Rockford Files'.) 
It could be that Jack can trace his ancestry back to Henry Skowron, Esq., (played by Royal Dano), a ne'er-do-well roaming the wild, wild west with his three sons - George, Herman, and Perlee. At some point in the 1870's, the Skowrins encountered Kwai Chiang Caine and an Irishman named Sean Mulhare, with the intent of robbing them. 
The Skowrins are like the dark side of the Cartwright clan, with Perlee (played by Merlin Olson) as their version of Hoss - perhaps with more brawn, but less brain. 
If Jack can trace his ancestry to any of Henry Skowrin's sons, it would be most likely to George. Tele-genetic echoes are strong in Toobworld and it could be that all of the men in the Skowrin line from George to Jack were of a smaller build but of a higher intelligence (at least higher than others in the Skowrin family tree.) 
As for the slight difference in the family name, some Skowrin up the line decided to change it; perhaps even Jack himself, thinking it looked better on paper as his nom de plume.SHOWS CITED:
'The Rockford Files' - "The Gang at Don's Drive In"
'Kung Fu' - "Nine Lives"
BCnU!
HOW MANY BEVANS IN A BEVY?
In March of 2003, the UCOS team was first assembled in the 'New Tricks' pilot. A year later, 'New Tricks' premiered as a series. As is usual with the launch of a TV show, there was some tinkering with the cast, but at least the core team of Amanda Redman, Alun Armstrong, James Bolam, and Dennis Waterman remained intact. It was the role of Deputy Assistant Commissioner Donald Bevan that was recast. In the pilot, DAC Bevan was played by Tim Woodward. For the first series (season to the Yanks), Nicholas Day had the role. After that, he was phased out, to be replaced by DAC Robert Strickland.
Here's how DAC Bevan is described in Wikipedia:
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Donald Bevan is the team's boss during the first series. He knows both Jack Halford and Gerry Standing, and strongly opposed Standing's inclusion in the team, mainly due to the history between them. (It is later revealed that Gerry punched Bevan in the face and broke his jaw).
I always wonder why the creators of a show are so married to a character's name at this juncture in a show's development. The audience has no attachment to the character yet, so if you're going to recast the role, why not just create a new name, a new character to fill the same purpose?
In the long view it just throws the audience out of the show's believability if they're watching the series on DVD. One episode you've got Tim Woodward in the role of Bevan, and the next it's Nicholas Day. And it's not like you can claim a quantum leap or some other sci-fi splainin for Bevan being a recastaway; the show is too realistic (considering). Woodward and Day aren't even the same height or build, so a more grounded splainin of plastic surgery won't fly.
There's only one way to go with this splainin: they were both Donald Bevan.
Here's how DAC Bevan is described in Wikipedia:
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Donald Bevan is the team's boss during the first series. He knows both Jack Halford and Gerry Standing, and strongly opposed Standing's inclusion in the team, mainly due to the history between them. (It is later revealed that Gerry punched Bevan in the face and broke his jaw).
I always wonder why the creators of a show are so married to a character's name at this juncture in a show's development. The audience has no attachment to the character yet, so if you're going to recast the role, why not just create a new name, a new character to fill the same purpose?
In the long view it just throws the audience out of the show's believability if they're watching the series on DVD. One episode you've got Tim Woodward in the role of Bevan, and the next it's Nicholas Day. And it's not like you can claim a quantum leap or some other sci-fi splainin for Bevan being a recastaway; the show is too realistic (considering). Woodward and Day aren't even the same height or build, so a more grounded splainin of plastic surgery won't fly.
There's only one way to go with this splainin: they were both Donald Bevan.
It's just one of those quirks in the world, either real or Toob, that there will always be people sharing the same name. I was born a Thomas O'Brien, and that's very common. In my hometown there were about six of them, one of them in my high school class. In fact, I'm Thomas O'Brien III, which is why they were calling me Toby (my initials sounded out) even before I was born - it would be less confusing than calling for Tom O'Brien and having more than one answer. Of course, if my grandfather replied, you better run screaming, as he passed away before my parents even met......
But enough about me.......
In the real world, Donald Bevan is a writer who co-wrote the 1951 play "Stalag 17" and he wrote an episode of 'Producer's Showcase' in 1955. He was also a caricaturist for Sardi's Restaurant in New York City's theatre district. It seems a pretty thin resume to become somebody who inspires the naming of a baby, but as he exists in Toobworld (thanks to several shows in which he was interviewed), it's a pozz'bility. But not one we're committed to......
So let's just say it was one of those flukes in which both were given the name Donald Bevan at birth. And in one of those "Believe It Or Not" twists of Fate, both of them joined the Metropolitan Police in London and eventually rose to the rank of Deputy Assistant Commissioner.
Another thing they both had in common - at some point in their careers, they pissed off Gerry Standing to the extent where the detective punched them in the jaw and broke it.
At some point between March of 2003 and April of 2004, DAC Bevan (as played by Tim Woodward), no longer was in charge of overseeing UCOS. Instead that duty fell to a fellow DAC, the other Donald Bevan.
From that point on, we know Donald Bevan II's history in Toobworld until he was phased out after six episodes. But as for Donald Bevan I, it's time for this televisiologist to go out on a limb.....
It's pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that DAC Bevan got himself in some sort of trouble on the job which demanded disciplinary action. As a result he lost the position of Deputy Assistant Commissioner and was reduced to Detective Chief Inspector. For alls I know, he was happy with that, as being a DAC meant he was mostly chained to a desk with a sea of paperwork and public relations problems. As a DCI, Bevan could keep his hand in when it came to the reason why he became a copper in the first place - to solve crimes.
At the same time, Donald Bevan I may have wanted to sever all ties to whatever got him into trouble in the first place. And as he was probably fed up with being confused with the other DAC Donald Bevan for so long, he may have petitioned the courts to legally change his name.
And so by March of 2004, one year after creating the UCOS squad, former DAC Donald Bevan became DCI Sebastian Turner, who oversaw the operations of a homicide detective squad, as seen in 'Murder City'..........* 
This not only splains away the recastaway problem, but it also combines two Tim Woodward characters into one.
Tidy.
BCnU!
AS SEEN ON TV: THE PRINCE REGENT
"Alvenley, who's your fat friend?"
THE PRINCE REGENT
[FUTURE GEORGE IV]
AS SEEN IN:
"Beau Brummell: This Charming Man"
AS PLAYED BY:
Hugh Bonnevile
From Wikipedia:
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was the king of Hanover and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later. From 1811 until his accession, he served as Prince Regent during his father's relapse into insanity from an illness that is now suspected to have been porphyria.
George IV is remembered largely for his extravagant lifestyle that contributed to the fashions of the British Regency. By 1797 his weight had reached 17 stone 7 pounds (111 kg or 245 lb), and by 1824 his corset was made for a waist of 50 inches (127 cm).
He was a patron of new forms of leisure, style and taste. He commissioned John Nash to build the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and remodel Buckingham Palace, and Sir Jeffry Wyatville to rebuild Windsor Castle. He was largely instrumental in the foundation of the National Gallery, London and King's College London.
BCnU!
THE PRINCE REGENT[FUTURE GEORGE IV]
AS SEEN IN:
"Beau Brummell: This Charming Man"
AS PLAYED BY:
Hugh Bonnevile
From Wikipedia:
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was the king of Hanover and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later. From 1811 until his accession, he served as Prince Regent during his father's relapse into insanity from an illness that is now suspected to have been porphyria.
George IV is remembered largely for his extravagant lifestyle that contributed to the fashions of the British Regency. By 1797 his weight had reached 17 stone 7 pounds (111 kg or 245 lb), and by 1824 his corset was made for a waist of 50 inches (127 cm).
He was a patron of new forms of leisure, style and taste. He commissioned John Nash to build the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and remodel Buckingham Palace, and Sir Jeffry Wyatville to rebuild Windsor Castle. He was largely instrumental in the foundation of the National Gallery, London and King's College London.
[after his sartorial transformation, courtesy of Beau Brummell]
BCnU!
Friday, March 12, 2010
TRACKING REDJAC
Now that Toobworld Central has presented the theory that the use of the Wilhelm Scream on television is a signal that the evil entity known as Redjac is leaving a dying body, we can track its progress through Toobworld.
The last time we knew where it was, Redjac was fleeing the body of a criminal as he fell out of a cable car in Canada. We picked it up next in South America:
O'Bviously there's a pattern here: Christopher Chance just happened to be near by when a Redjac-possessed man met his maker. It could be that Redjac is using Chance as a carrier, like Typhoid Mary, without 'The Human Target' even knowing about it.
Otherwise we'd have to find some other reason. And since the Wilhelm Scream has been used in every episode of 'Human Target' so far, we can't chalk it up to Coincidence.
Eventually Redjac has to make its way to Kiev, but until then we can track it - but only after it abandons its last victim.....
BCnU!
The last time we knew where it was, Redjac was fleeing the body of a criminal as he fell out of a cable car in Canada. We picked it up next in South America:
O'Bviously there's a pattern here: Christopher Chance just happened to be near by when a Redjac-possessed man met his maker. It could be that Redjac is using Chance as a carrier, like Typhoid Mary, without 'The Human Target' even knowing about it.
Otherwise we'd have to find some other reason. And since the Wilhelm Scream has been used in every episode of 'Human Target' so far, we can't chalk it up to Coincidence.
Eventually Redjac has to make its way to Kiev, but until then we can track it - but only after it abandons its last victim.....
BCnU!
BAYNES & BAINES: PART TWO
Last month I wrote about the family relationship of Inspector Baynes ('Sherlock Holmes') and Jeremy Baines ('Doctor Who'). I'd now like to bring another member of the family into the fold.
DOCTOR BAINES
of
"THE NINE TAILORS"
As with the other two men, Dr. Baines lived in the Norfolk area; he was the general practitioner serving the community of Fenchurch St. Paul.
As he was seen in Toobworld around 1938, (Lord Peter Wimsey mentioned that a jewel robbery at the heart of the mystery occurred twenty years before, in 1918.), and being in his later years, I propose that he could be the son of Inspector Baynes. And like young Master Jeremy, he decided to change his name upon getting his license to practice medicine.
As for his relationship to Jeremy, I think he's better suited to being his uncle rather than this father.
BCnU!
DOCTOR BAINESof
"THE NINE TAILORS"
As with the other two men, Dr. Baines lived in the Norfolk area; he was the general practitioner serving the community of Fenchurch St. Paul.
As he was seen in Toobworld around 1938, (Lord Peter Wimsey mentioned that a jewel robbery at the heart of the mystery occurred twenty years before, in 1918.), and being in his later years, I propose that he could be the son of Inspector Baynes. And like young Master Jeremy, he decided to change his name upon getting his license to practice medicine.
As for his relationship to Jeremy, I think he's better suited to being his uncle rather than this father.
BCnU!
THE BREAKFAST PSYCH
This really doesn't fall into the purview of Toobworld Central, but I still wanted to share this O'Bservation.....
As Shawn Spencer of 'Psych', James Roday has now appeared with three actors from "The Breakfast Club":
As Shawn Spencer of 'Psych', James Roday has now appeared with three actors from "The Breakfast Club":
Judd Nelson ("Death Is In The Air", with Burton Guster),
Ally Sheedy ("An Evening With Mr. Yang" & "Mr. Yin Presents"),
as well as with Anthony Michael Hall as John Smith of 'The Dead Zone' in a USA Network promo. (They're both seen here with Adrian 'Monk'.)
So that means Emilio Estevez and Molly Ringwald have to make appearances on 'Psych' in order to complete this trivia nugget. (And if Anthony Michael Hall could get an actual episode, that would be cool.....) 
It reminds me of 'St. Elsewhere' when the old gang from Steve Allen's version of the 'Tonight' show appeared as the parents of various doctors at St. Eligius: Louis Nye (as Dr. Axelrod's dad), Bill Dana (as Dr. Fiscus' dad), Tom Poston (as Dr. Morrison's dad), and Steve Allen himself, with his wife Jane Meadows (as Dr. Ehrlich's parents).
BCnU!
TELE-GENETICS: JUST FOLLOW THE NOSE
I'm often critical of tele-genetics employed in TV shows - the casting of parents or siblings or children of a main TV character. I don't know if the actors were involved were cast for their celebrity status in hopes of luring in viewers, but a lot times it certainly wasn't for any similarity in appearance.
(I suppose the argument could be made that Brendan Fehr and David Boreanaz look like brothers in this still from 'Bones'; but during an actual episode of the show, I just don't see it.)
But there's no arguing the case of Conway Jefferson and his son Frank, seen together only in the opening scene for the second TV adaptation of "The Body In The Library", a Miss Marple mystery:
CONWAY JEFFERSON
FRANK JEFFERSON
It's always the structure of the nose for me - whether in looking for tele-genetic similarities or in the depiction of historical figures (a major reason why I never fully bought Paul Giamatti as 'John Adams'.) And in the case of the Jefferson pere et fils, they both have that striking Galllic proboscis.
Of course, there's a good reason why - Conway Jefferson was played by Ian Richardson, and in an uncredited turn, his son Miles appeared as Jefferson's doomed son Frank.
BCnU!
(I suppose the argument could be made that Brendan Fehr and David Boreanaz look like brothers in this still from 'Bones'; but during an actual episode of the show, I just don't see it.)But there's no arguing the case of Conway Jefferson and his son Frank, seen together only in the opening scene for the second TV adaptation of "The Body In The Library", a Miss Marple mystery:
CONWAY JEFFERSON FRANK JEFFERSONIt's always the structure of the nose for me - whether in looking for tele-genetic similarities or in the depiction of historical figures (a major reason why I never fully bought Paul Giamatti as 'John Adams'.) And in the case of the Jefferson pere et fils, they both have that striking Galllic proboscis.
Of course, there's a good reason why - Conway Jefferson was played by Ian Richardson, and in an uncredited turn, his son Miles appeared as Jefferson's doomed son Frank.
BCnU!
AS SEEN ON TV: BEAU BRUMMELL
BEAU BRUMMELLAS SEEN IN:
"Beau Brummell: This Charming Man"
AS PLAYED BY:
James Purefoy
From Wikipedia:
Beau Brummell, born as George Bryan Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840 (aged 61)), was the arbiter of men's fashion in Regency England and a friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV. He established the mode of men wearing understated, but fitted, tailored clothes including dark suits and full-length trousers, adorned with an elaborately-knotted cravat.
Beau Brummell is credited with introducing and establishing as fashion the modern man's suit, worn with a tie. He claimed to take five hours to dress, and recommended that boots be polished with champagne. His style of dress was known as dandyism.BCnU!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
THE HAT SQUAD: MERLIN OLSEN
Merlin Olsen, former pro-football player and NBC football color commentator, has passed away at the age of 69. On 'CHiPs' and 'The Brian Keith Show', Olsen provided a televersion of himself in one episode each.He also created several characters for Toobworld, both in the present timeline and back in the Old West days circa the 1870s. The most famous of these would be 'Father Murphy' (aka frontiersman John Michael Murphy) and Jonathan Garvey of 'Little House On The Prairie'. Along with Perlee Skowrin, the character he played on 'Kung Fu', these men passed away about a century ago at least.
As for his present day characters, they include:
Aaron Miller, 'Aaron's Way'
Buddy Landau, 'Fathers And Sons'
Merlin Fergus, 'Petticoat Junction'
Todd Simms, "The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story"
All of whom could have easily survived to this point in Time, and conceivably will survive the passing of the actor who played them. (It's not like any of them were ever going to be recast in new productions.)
As for Webb McClain, the old friend of Buford Pusser in the TV version of 'Walking Tall', he died in the one episode in which he appeared. McClain had become a paid assassin and was hired to kill his old friend. But Shefiff Pusser was able to outgun him during a hunting trip; to preserve the memory of his old friend, Pusser made it look like McClain died in a hunting accident.
The only character I'm not sure about is Stan Webster, from the TV movie "A Fire In The Sky". There was a cryptic comment at the IMDb.com about how Merlin Olsen saved the day by hiding out in his sleeping bag. I have no idea what that means, but it sounded sarcastic and I have a feeling that Webster died in that sleeping bag.
Not that it matters in the grand scheme of Toobworld, as "A Fire In The Sky" belongs in that alternate TV dimension of prime-time disasters (and I don't mean 'The Jay Leno Show').
So with his work for NBC football and his appearances on 'CHiPs' and 'The Brian Keith Show', Merlin Olsen will one day be inducted as an honorary member of the TV Crossover Hall of Fame.
Good night and may God bless, gentle giant.
BCnU......
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