"DANIEL DERONDA" REDUX

Earlier this week, 'Daniel Deronda' was our featured "ASOTV" showcase. Here's a video of the lad from the TV production:

AS SEEN ON TV: MAD MARCH

Since March Madness has just begun....

MAD MARCH

CREATED (INSPIRED, MORE LIKELY) BY:

Lewis Carroll

AS SEEN IN:

'Alice'

AS PLAYED BY:

Geoff Redknap (body)

Jason Schombring (voice)

TV DIMENSION:

Wonderland, updated

STATUS:

Deceased/Deactivated(?)

From the source:

"The March Hare will be much the most interesting, and perhaps as this is May it won't be raving mad -- at least not so mad as it was in March."

From Wikipedia:

Haigha, the March Hare is a character most famous for appearing in the tea party scene in Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

"Mad as a March hare" is a common British English phrase, both now and in Carroll's time, and appears in John Heywood's collection of proverbs published in 1546. It is reported in "The Annotated Alice" by Martin Gardner that this proverb is based on popular belief about hares' behavior at the beginning of the long breeding season, which lasts from February to September in Britain. Early in the season, unreceptive females often use their forelegs to repel overenthusiastic males. It used to be incorrectly believed that these bouts were between males fighting for breeding supremacy.

Like the character's friend, the Hatter, the March Hare feels compelled to always behave as though it is tea-time because the Hatter supposedly "murdered the time" whilst singing for the Queen of Hearts. Sir John Tenniel's illustration also shows him with straw on his head, a common way to depict madness in Victorian times. The March Hare later appears at the trial for the Knave of Hearts, and for a final time as "Haigha" (which Carroll tells us is pronounced to rhyme with "mayor"), the personal messenger to the White King in "Through the Looking-Glass".

 

In SyFy's TV Miniseries 'Alice', the March Hare is represented by the character Mad March. Mad March is a dead assassin re-animated by the Carpenter into a cyborg. Because Mad March’s head was missing, the Carpenter fitted him with a giant porcelain head of a rabbit. He speaks in a Brooklyn accent and sounds kind of robotic. According to the Hatter he has "a nose for blood" and is able to track targets by scent, following Alice and Hatter into Jaberwoki land and finding Alice with ease. After being tortured by Mad March, the Mad Hatter kills Mad March by punching his robotic head.

BCnU!

"THE REDJAC CHRONICLES" - NAUGHTY NAUGHTY KENNY

Last November I wrote a series of articles about Redjac and of all the TV characters it inhabited before it first showed up officially in 'Star Trek'. It was a lot of fun to do and I especially enjoyed doing the research. But as usual with my work ethic, it was far from complete.

I've got another candidate to be a host for Redjac and it fits easily into the Toobworld timeline. And it's all thanks to Robert Bloch, who first gave us Redjac and has long been fascinated by the legend of Jack the Ripper.

And what better place to find this version of Redjac than in an episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'?

 

Bloch wrote "The Big Kick", about a girl in the Beatnik scene as it was dying down in New York City, and about the "square" who was interested in her.

As it turned out, "Kenny" (if that was his real name) may have been a square, but he was hardly clean cut. ("Cut" being a key word.) He framed Judy Baker's boyfriend Mitch for a jewelry heist, which she thought was Kenny's attempt to get her for himself.

Only thing was, he wasn't interested in her sexually as she thought. Kenny had a different "kick" in mind for Judy.....

"See my pretty knife?"

 On the Toobworld timeline for Redjac, Kenny could be squeezed in between "The Creeper" (also from 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents') and Dr. John Carmody (from 'Thriller' and another Bloch tale - "Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper".)

BCnU!

PS:

There is no connection between Kenny and Trapper John McIntyre of 'M*A*S*H', even though both are played by Wayne Rogers. Unless of course we consider Trap to be Kenny's older brother and that "McIntyre" is Kenny's last name. Even though 'M*A*S*H' was broadcast later than this 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episode, it took place years earlier in the Toobworld timeline. So Trapper John couldn't be using "Kenny" as an alias, because he looked far older back in Korea. (And would look completely different once he aged some more, as seen in the series 'Trapper John'.)

A "GRIMM" OUTLOOK FOR AUDI

There's one last Super Bowl commercial I wanted to address, but I needed to do my research first on a TV show with which I had little knowledge. And those who know me understand I do as little research as possible, so I may be off on this theory....

First, here's the blipvert (and its prequel):

In general, I use these ads to make a connection to some TV show. But thanks to the idiot blood-sucker who showed up in the Audi with those sun-bright headlights, the vampires were wiped out before they could prove the connection I had in mind:

But that's a good thing, since now my suggestion can't be disproven....

Those vampires were partying outside the city limits of Portland, Oregon - a traditional celebration before battle.

And who were they going to battle? A pack of werewolves.

Everybody knows vampires and werewolves are natural enemies. It's an enmity that has been chronicled in movies like the "Twilight" and "Underground" franchises; but more importantly is the role it plays in the TV Universe - as seen in 'True Blood' and the two 'Being Human' incarnations being the chief examples.

And as this was just outside Portland, Oregon, there would have been a specific subset of werewolves they were after - the Blutbaden.

From Wikipedia:

Blutbaden (BLOOT-baad-in) are wolf-like wesen with a keen sense of smell and great strength. The Blutbaden are very violent when in packs and are provoked by the color red. Their sense of smell can be weakened by the herb wolfsbane and they are vulnerable to attacks to their lower back. Variants include the Wider Blutbad, a reformed Blutbad who abstains from the killing of humans through a regimen of diet, drugs, and exercise. They are the mythological basis for Big Bad Wolf. Blutbad literally means "bloodbath" in German.

Stuck in the middle of such a battle would have been the local "Grimm" - a wesen hunter named Nick Burkhardt and his CI, a blutbaden named Monroe.

So luckily it was all moot because of that Audi.

Eventually the remnants of those vampires' belongings - some clothes, the guitar, that Audi - would have been discovered in the woods, and may have been brought to the attention of Nick and his partner on the police force, Hank. Since this is a theory that would not be sanctioned by the powers that be suits at the network, then we have to assume Nick and his Wider Blutbad "sidekick" Monroe would have investigated what happened off-screen.

And should such a 2012 Audi with LED headlights be seen in any episode of 'Grimm' broadcast after the Super Bowl telecast, we could claim that it was the same one from the blipvert (probably found by a hiker. You can never trust those hikers, says the brother of an ALDHA enthusiast......)

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: STEERPIKE

We started out the work week with Gormenghast Castle, so I figured I may as well finish it with one of the castle's "residents".....

STEERPIKE

CREATED BY:

Mervyn Peake

AS SEEN IN:

'Gormenghast'

AS PLAYED BY:

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

(But probably off-world - Mondas)

STATUS:

Humanoid Alien

From Wikipedia:

Steerpike is a character in Mervyn Peake's novels "Titus Groan" and "Gormenghast".

In 2000 Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers portrayed Steerpike in the BBC miniseries 'Gormenghast'.

Steerpike might be called the antagonist of the "Gormenghast Series", but in truth he is more of an anti-hero; the first book for example is largely focused on him, only covering the first year of the titular hero Titus's life. Steerpike could also be considered an archetypal Machiavellian schemer: a highly intelligent, ruthless character willing to justify any and all means to reach his end.

From the source:
If ever he had harboured a conscience in his tough narrow breast he had by now dug out and flung away the awkward thing - flung it so far away that were he ever to need it again he could never find it. High-shouldered to a degree little short of malformation, slender and adroit of limb and frame, his eyes close-set and the colour of dried blood, he is climbing the spiral staircase of the soul of Gormenghast, bound for some pinnacle of the itching fancy - some wild, invulnerable eyrie best known to himself; where he can watch the world spread out below him, and shake exultantly his clotted wingsAnd his appearance, as described in Titus Groan:

Limb by limb, it appeared that he was sound enough, but the sum of these several members accrued to an unexpectedly twisted total. His face was pale like clay and save for his eyes, mask-like. These eyes were set very close together, and were small, dark red, and of startling concentrationSteerpike's red eyes and pallor, frequently referred to in the text, suggest that he is an albino. However this is never stated explicitly and he certainly does not suffer from the poor sight typical of the condition.

BCnU!

MELNICKS OF THE MULTIVERSE

I guess it's a bit of serendipiteevee that one of my co-workers (Anthony!) asked me last night if I ever link movies to the TV Universe. After all, in my enthusiasm for the movie "John Carter", I wanted to just abscond with the whole movie out of the Cineverse and keep it prisoner in Toobworld. But I got better....

Anyhoo, the reason he asked was because he had been watching the Rock Hudson-Doris Day rom-com "Lover Come Back". And Tony Randall's character, Pete Ramsey, kept saying that he had to see his doctor, Dr. Melnick.

"Wasn't there a Dr. Melnick in 'The Odd Couple'?" he asked me. "Couldn't you connect them somehow?"

Something like that is always tempting, of course, but there were too many O'Bstacles. In the movie, Dr. Melnick was played by Richard Deacon, most famous as Mel Cooley on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'. On the sitcom version of Neil Simon's play, it was Bill Quinn who portrayed Dr. Melnick. ("Felix, in the world of ulcers, you're what's known as a carrier!")

If there's somebody out there who has no problem with mixing movies and TV shows on a general basis, I suppose this argument could be made. The two Dr. Melnicks could have been related - perhaps as brothers. (There were only nine years separating Bill Quinn from Richard Deacon, and that same span should apply to the characters they played.)

What makes it especially tempting is the fact that both actors were bald - as if that genetic marker was a guar-auhn-tee for this theory of relateeveety.

But if I did want to find a way to link characters played by Quinn and Deacon together, I'd stick with their TV roles - like maybe Mr. Van Rensselaer, who used to frequent 'Archie Bunker's Place', was a cousin or uncle to Mel Cooley and his identical cousin Fred Rutherford.....?

By the way - here's a picture of my buddy Anthony with another pal, Scully... and a rather odd couple of guys they happened to meet.....

BCnU! 

DEJA VIEW: BUCKLAND HAUL

Poor old Ted Buckland.......

You'd have to feel sorry for the lawyer representing Sacred Heart Hospital... if you weren't too busy laughing at him.

In the 'Cougar Town' episode "A One-Story Town", Ted was passing through Gulfhaven with his a cappella homies, on their way to an audition with Disney. And while crashing at Jules' house (since they met last season in Hawaii), Ted suddenly had an attack of "deja view"......

It certainly dramatized a question that has plagued televisiologists over the decades - how come TV characters don't recognize when other characters look exactly like people they've met before?

Actors were always being re-used on TV shows, sometimes several times over in the same season. Back in the early days, the producers probably didn't pay much attention to such a detail. (The same with trivial details and script continuity.) At the time they had no conception of the future in DVDs and syndicated reruns.

But it could make you question the eyesight of 'The Rifleman' - how could Lucas McCain be so blind not to notice how so many visitors to North Fork looked like Dabbs Greer or Royal Dano or John Anderson?

And why didn't 'Columbo' ever notice that a good percentage of his murder suspects looked like Robert Culp, Jack Cassidy and Patrick McGoohan? And that's not even taking into account all those characters who looked like Vito Scotti or my buddy John Finnegan!

And yet they don't notice such things overall. So when a character like Ted Buckland comes along who can see the resemblances, it must be due to them having a touch of tele-cognizance - the knowledge, sometimes only a sub-conscious level, that the world they live in is being televised.........

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV - DANIEL DERONDA

DANIEL DERONDA

CREATED BY:

George Eliot

AS SEEN IN:

'Daniel Deronda'

AS PLAYED BY:

Hugh Dancy

TV DIMENSION:

Land of Remakes

STATUS:

Multiversal Recastaway

From Wikipedia:

"Daniel Deronda" is a novel by George Eliot, first published in 1876. It was the last novel she completed and the only one set in the contemporary Victorian society of her day. Its mixture of social satire and moral searching, along with a sympathetic rendering of Jewish proto-Zionist and Kaballistic ideas has made it a controversial final statement of one of the greatest of Victorian novelists.

The novel has been filmed three times, once as a silent feature and twice for television.

The ward of the wealthy Sir Hugo Mallinger and hero of the novel, Deronda has a tendency to help others at a cost to himself. At the start of the novel, he has failed to win a scholarship at Cambridge because of his focus on helping a friend, has been travelling abroad, and has just started studying law. He often wonders about his birth and whether or not he is a gentleman. As he moves more and more among the world-within-a-world of the Jews of the novel he begins to identify with their cause in direct proportion to the unfolding revelations of his ancestry. Eliot used the story of Moses as part of her inspiration for Deronda. As Moses was a Jew brought up as an Egyptian who ultimately led his people to the Promised Land, so Deronda is a Jew brought up as an Englishman who ends the novel with a plan to do the same. Deronda's name presumably indicates that his ancestors lived in the Spanish city of Ronda, prior to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.

From the source:

Deronda's first thought when his eyes fell on this scene of dull, gas- poisoned absorption, was that the gambling of Spanish shepherd-boys had seemed to him more enviable:--so far Rousseau might be justified in maintaining that art and science had done a poor service to mankind. But suddenly he felt the moment become dramatic. His attention was arrested by a young lady who, standing at an angle not far from him, was the last to whom his eyes traveled. She was bending and speaking English to a middle- aged lady seated at play beside her: but the next instant she returned to her play, and showed the full height of a graceful figure, with a face which might possibly be looked at without admiration, but could hardly be passed with indifference.
~
"Mr. Vandernoodt, you know everybody," said Gwendolen, not too eagerly, rather with a certain languor of utterance which she sometimes gave to her clear soprano. "Who is that near the door?"

"There are half a dozen near the door. Do you mean that old Adonis in the George the Fourth wig?"

"No, no; the dark-haired young man on the right with the dreadful expression."

"Dreadful, do you call it? I think he is an uncommonly fine fellow."

"But who is he?"

"He is lately come to our hotel with Sir Hugo Mallinger."

"Sir Hugo Mallinger?"

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"No." (Gwendolen colored slightly.) "He has a place near us, but he never comes to it. What did you say was the name of that gentleman near the door?"

"Deronda--Mr. Deronda."

"What a delightful name! Is he an Englishman?"

"Yes. He is reported to be rather closely related to the baronet. You are interested in him?"

"Yes. I think he is not like young men in general."

"And you don't admire young men in general?"

"Not in the least. I always know what they will say. I can't at all guess what this Mr. Deronda would say. What _does_ he say?"

"Nothing, chiefly. I sat with his party for a good hour last night on the terrace, and he never spoke--and was not smoking either. He looked bored."

"Another reason why I should like to know him. I am always bored."

"I should think he would be charmed to have an introduction. Shall I bring it about? Will you allow it, baroness?"

"Why not?--since he is related to Sir Hugo Mallinger. It is a new _role_ of yours, Gwendolen, to be always bored," continued Madame von Langen, when Mr. Vandernoodt had moved away. "Until now you have always seemed eager about something from morning till night."

"That is just because I am bored to death. If I am to leave off play I must break my arm or my collar-bone. I must make something happen; unless you will go into Switzerland and take me up the Matterhorn."

"Perhaps this Mr. Deronda's acquaintance will do instead of the Matterhorn."

"Perhaps."

BCnU!

A THOUGHT FROM FATHER BROWN

"Ah, yes, these modern infidels appeal to their reason; 

 but who can look at those millions of worlds 

 and not feel that there may well be wonderful universes above us 

 where reason is utterly unreasonable?" 

Father Brown

REMAINS TO BE SEEN: JOHN CARTER OF TOOBWORLD

In the past when Toobworld Central has claimed a movie in the "Cineverse" to be absorbed into the TV Universe, there was at least the basis for that claim. Most of the time, the movie in question had its genesis in Earth Prime-Time.

Let's utilize one of our usual examples, shall we? The 'Star Trek' franchise - movies 1 through 11 (and the first ten minutes of the JJ Abrams reboot) - all have the characters (and the actors who played them) from the various TV series - the original series, 'The Next Generation', and even a cameo by the Doctor from 'Voyager'.

Of course, once it created a new timeline, it belonged fully to the Cineverse.

Plus there's the 1966 "Batman", "Maverick", the "McHale's Navy" movies (like it or not)......

So at least they had strong roots in Toobworld.

Every year I've picked a character from some other fictional universe whom I think should be transferred into the TV Universe. In the past there was Silver John from the Manly Wade Wellman novels, Zatanna from DC Comics, last year's suggestion of Boiler Plate from the graphic novel, and the George MacDonald Fraser version of Harry Flashman. (His original source material - "Tom Brown's School Days" - has already been adapted for TV.) Of those, only Zatanna has since crossed over into the TV dimension of 'Smallville' (and 'The West Wing'.....)

This year, my candidate of a character to found in another medium's universe is John Carter of Mars, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is not only a nod to the movie which opened this past weekend, but to the original stories which will be celebrating their centennial this year. (After all, I'm using the ASOTV showcase all year to promote literary TV characters.)

The incredible look to the movie - especially the well-articulated Thark race - might be difficult to recreate on a TV budget. But then again, miracles were worked down under in New Zealand when it came to the demons, monsters, and demi-gods to be seen in 'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys' and 'Xena, Warrior Princess'.

And it wouldn't be like they'd need the entire Thark nation on the TV screen - perhaps just one emissary to serve as a "side-kick" to John Carter. (I would suggest Sola, the rebellious daughter of the Thark Jeddak.) Otherwise, the TV series would be centered around the Red Men as supporting players with the city of Helium as the base of operations.

As for recasting the leads of John Carter and Princess Dejah Thoris? The soap operas - what's left of them - are full of Kitsch-like (Kitschian? Kitschy?) young hunk-studs and and voluptuous loverlies like Lynn Collins ready to be launched into a prime-time series. (It's not like Kitsch and Collins would be willing to recreate their roles. I'm sure they've got other movie projects already lined up, even though the opening weekend for "John Carter" might put a damper on any more.....)

But now, here's the thing.....

I want to steal the entire movie outright, as is, and claim it for Toobworld!

I have no delusions that my wish-craft for a "John Carter" TV remake will ever be produced. (I would call it "Barsoom!") But I still think John Carter would be a great TV character - especially as it had that Wild West in Outer Space vibe going for it.

So until such time - if any! - comes along when there is a TV show about Edgar Rice Burroughs' second best-known character, I want to claim "John Carter" as part of Toobworld.

I think it would work. Nothing from the Old West and 1880's New York sequences contradict anything established in Earth Prime-Time previously. No historical figures or events even played a role in it - save for mention of Carter's past in the Confederate army during the Civil War. (And we'll get back to that.)

As for the depiction of Barsoom, that does conflict with the established Toobworld vision of the Red Planet. Because of 'My Favorite Martian' and the Roddy McDowell episode from 'The Twilight Zone' plus Barry Morse and Carroll O'Connor on 'Outer Limits', we know what the inhabitants are like.

As for the Martians from an episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', the three-armed Martian from 'The Twilight Zone', as well as the Ice Warriors and the "Waters Of Mars" microbe species from 'Doctor Who', they're just alien invaders who used Mars as their launching pad to attack Earth. (And the same goes for the Martians of "War Of The Worlds".)

But the movie gives us an out. When John Carter is magically transported to Mars via that Thirn amulet, he ended up on the Mars of an alternate universe, where it was known as "Barsoom". So he would begin in Earth Prime-Time during the Wild Wild West years, but then go to another TV dimension. (Much like what happened in the 'Heroes' and 'Stargate SG-1' series.)

It would be a stand-alone in the TV universe with nothing else to ground it like the 'Star Trek' franchise had. Not even just one character as with the "Maverick" movie. And since it takes place on another planet not even in the main TV universe, there's no threat of Zonking the future of Toobworld.

The closest I could come with a possible link to justify the "theft" was John Carter's background during the Civil War. And I will freely admit it's the most tenuous of links......

Carter fought at the Battle of Five Forks. That looked like certain victory for Johnny Reb until the last moment when the Union forces were able to turn the tide and claim the day.

It's the Toobworld theory that the reason the Union was able to win that battle was due to young soldier Wilton Parmenter who sneezed and abrupty ceased defeat and reversed it to victory.

Say, that would make a great theme song!

Hey, I said the connection would be flimsy.

So like I said, this is all just wish-craft on my part. But it doesn't hurt to dream......

UPDATE:

Since I wrote all of that on Tuesday morning, I've got it out of my system. "John Carter" will stay where it is, in the Cineverse. But it will remain the ideal by which I hope one day a TV series based on the Barsoom stories will be judged.

BCnU!