TVXOHOF, AUGUST BIRTHDAY SALUTE - TONY BENNETT AT 90

We've already inducted our August TV Western member into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame, and in keeping with the year's theme he is also a member of the League of Themselves - John Hart, who played the Lone Ranger in Toobworld's TV.  But we have another member of the League of Themselves we want to recognize today - the legendary singer Tony Bennett who is marking his 90th birthday.

I don't think he really needs any introduction even to the "Millennials", especially since he's performed with Lady Gaga (and can be seen doing so in TV commercials to boot - and those are part of his membership tally.)  But just in case....

From Wikipedia:

Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally by his stage name Tony Bennett, is an American singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. He is also a painter, having created works under the name Anthony Benedetto that are on permanent public display in several institutions. He is the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York.

Born and raised in Astoria to an Italian-American family, Bennett began singing at an early age. He fought in the final stages of World War II as a U.S. Army infantryman in the European Theater. Afterward, he developed his singing technique, signed with Columbia Records and had his first number-one popular song with "Because of You" in 1951. Several top hits such as "Rags to Riches" followed in the early 1950s. He then refined his approach to encompass jazz singing. He reached an artistic peak in the late 1950s with albums such as The Beat of My Heart and Basie Swings, Bennett Sings. In 1962, Bennett recorded his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". His career and his personal life experienced an extended downturn during the height of the rock music era.

Bennett staged a comeback in the late 1980s and 1990s, putting out gold record albums again and expanding his reach to the MTV Generation while keeping his musical style intact. He has won 19 Grammy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award, presented in 2001) and two Emmy Awards, and was named an NEA Jazz Master and a Kennedy Center Honoree. He has sold over 50 million records worldwide.

Over the last forty years, Tony Bennett has firmly established his televersion by appearing in the following TV series:

'30 ROCK'

"Mazel Tov, Dummies!"Tony sang at Liz Lemon's wedding:

'ENTOURAGE'

"Unlike A Virgin"

'COSBY'
"The First Gentleman"

While Ruth's away, Hilton frets she'll play---and not just in the casinos at a convention she's attending in Atlantic City. Tony Bennett has a cameo.

The picture is from an interview about the Newport Jazz Festival.  Mr. Bennett probably would like to remove this credit from his resume now.....

'CYBILL'
"Zing!"

'THE DORIS DAY SHOW'
"Tony Bennett Is Eating Here"

Doris admits that she is star-struck by the prospect of interviewing Tony Bennett. When she arrives for the interview, he places her so much at ease that she even literally forgets that she is supposed to be conducting an interview. But what Doris is feeling is nothing compared to Angie when she learns that Bennett, who is lamenting not being able to find a good simple home cooked Italian meal in San Francisco without going to busy restaurants where he has been mobbed by autograph hounds, is coming to the restaurant tonight on Doris' recommendation and with Doris as his guest. Doris makes Angie and Louie swear that they will not tell anyone about Bennett's visit to ensure that his dinner is as quiet and relaxed as he is hoping. But Angie's promise to Doris goes out the window, and with it perhaps Bennett's much wanted quiet dinner and the goodwill that Doris has built with him. 

'SESAME STREET'
Episode #29.64 (1998)
Slimey is on his way to the moon in the WASA spacecraft Wiggleprise. Although Oscar is very proud of his little worm, and keeps a scrapbook of his day to day achievements, he misses Slimey terribly. Still, he won't admit his feelings to Gina or Elmo. But when Slimey's sister Sloppy comes to visit, she and Oscar bond. 

I would not be surprised to find out that Mr. Bennett sang "Fly Me To The Moon" for the occasion.  But he did sing "Little Things"...

'SUDDENLY SUSAN'

"A Kiss Before Dying - On Stage"

'MUPPETS TONITE!'

"Tony Bennett"

'REMINGTON STEELE'

"Steele Trying"
Remington invents a case as a ruse to whisk Laura off to romantic San Francisco, but the trip turns treacherous when they witness a murder. 

A romantic trip to San Francisco?  How much do you want to bet he sang his signature song near the end of the episode?

'SCTV NETWORK'

"The Great White North Palace"

Guy Caballero hires Tony Bennett to appear in Bob and Doug MacKenzie's TV special.

'KING'

This mini-series could be part of Earth Prime-Time or instead be found in one of the thousands of alternate TV dimensions, due to the recasting of several major historical figures.

'MR. ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD'

Episode #1446

In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Tony Bennett sings on MGR-TV and does a sketch of Lady Elaine. 

Other dimensions:

THE WEST WING DIMENSION

'BLUE BLOODS'
"Mercy"

From the CBS promo:
Tony Bennett and Carrie Underwood, pictured with Bridget Moynahan and Tom Selleck, will guest star on the Season Two Premiere of 'Blue Bloods'.

THE TOONIVERSE

'THE SIMPSONS'
"Dancin' Homer"

"Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade"
"Whiskey Business"

And in connecting to that dimension.....

'SPACE GHOST: COAST TO COAST'

"Joshua"

SKITLANDIA

On 'Saturday Night Live', Alec Baldwin has portrayed him several times.  He's seen here with Vice President Dick Cheney.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/tony-bennett/n12079

Meanwhile... in a whole 'nother universe....

THE CINEVERSE

"BRUCE ALMIGHTY"

"THE SCOUT"

And here are a few more pictures of Tony Bennett's life in Toobworld:

Both Kermit and Elmo are also members of the TVXOHOF.......

(Except for the 'Cosby' summary which is from TV Guide, all plot descriptions are from the IMDb.)

Happy birthday, Tony Bennett.  All the best to you on your 90th from all of me at Toobworld Central....

TELE-FOLKS DIRECTORY: A SALUTE TO THE SALOON GIRLS

Toobworld Central would like to salute a group of TV characters from the wild, wild West who are a major link between TV cowboys and the modern TV characters who resemble them.

"I'll take 'Whore Ads' for 100, Alex."

Sean Connery

'Saturday Night Live'

That's right - the Frontier Whores.

Of course, polite society and the antiquated system known as Standards And Practices under which most of our great TV Westerns flourished would have demanded that I should call them saloon girls.  But we know what they really were......

Mutliple roles played by the same actor account for many of the theories of relateeveety.  Some are identical cousins which is the classic norm.  There are the twin sons of different mothers, which isn't just a title for a rock 'n' roll album.  That accounts for most of the identical characters who share the same timeline.  But when it comes to mult-generational look-a-likes, especially when one of those involved is a cowboy, having a "saloon girl' in the family tree is a godsend for a televisiologist like me.  

Many of those early cowboy roles were played by actors who later went on to private eye action shows or sitcoms or just the frequent guest star circuit (James Garner, Will Hutchins, Pernell Roberts) so why not connect them in this way?  (It happened in reverse as well, but there could be other reasons for that.  A certain Weeping Angel, for example.)

The thing is, we might never have seen the character from the earlier timeline get married.  But there were always saloon girls in frontier towns who may have eventually become pregnant by some over-sexed sagebrush stud.

A lot of these saloon girls passed through the swinging doors of the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City.  Miss Kitty Russell ran the Long Branch until she sold it to Miss Hannah (one of those characters from the 1970s who were transported back in Time by that Weeping Angel.)

But there were saloon girls in plenty of other TV Westerns and every so often this month we'll showcase one of them who might have had a hand in expanding the roster of TV characters......

Happy trails to you!

TVXOHOF, AUGUST 2016 - WHO WAS THAT OTHER MASKED MAN?

As this is the year in which the Television Crossover Hall of Fame is focused on the League of Themselves, then the month of August - our longest-lasting tradition of theme showcases - should do the same with regards to the TV Western.  We've inducted John Wayne in the past, and he would have been perfect for this year, had we only saved him.  But I have another choice that should work just as well, if not on such an epic scale.....

JOHN HART

Sadly, too many of today's generation - maybe even one or two previous generations - won't know who John Hart was.  But he was an actor who was the Toobworld personification of James Fenimore Cooper's Natty "Hawkeye" Bumppo from the TV series adaptation of 'The Last of the Mohicans'.  He was also known as the second actor to play the Lone Ranger in that long-ago classic TV Western, 'The Lone Ranger'.

From Wikipedia:
Hart... was eventually offered the opportunity to replace Clayton Moore on 'The Lone Ranger' television series. Based on the assumption that the masked character, rather than the actor, was the true star of 'The Lone Ranger', the program's producers fired Moore (presumably over salary differences) and replaced him with Hart, who was of a similar build and had a comparable background in Westerns. However, the public never truly accepted Hart as the Lone Ranger, and by 1954 the producers returned Moore to the role. According to Clayton Moore's autobiography "I Was That Masked Man", Moore never knew why he was replaced with John Hart, and also stated that he had not sought a pay increase. Interestingly, he acted in minor roles in two episodes of 'The Lone Ranger' before being asked to replace Clayton Moore for the entire third season. The episodes were "Rifles and Renegades" (#34) and "Sheriff at Gunstock" (#46).

So Clayton Moore was the first actor to portray Reid (first name never known), but as far as Toobworld is concerned, when we saw him on screen as the Lone Ranger, that WAS the Lone Ranger.  We were seeing the television timeline play out as is the case with most of the TV shows we watch.

But when we saw those 50-odd episodes in which John Hart was playing the Lone Ranger, what we were seeing was the TV show within the TV Universe which was about the Western hero and his Indian sidekick Tonto starring John Hart.

So that would be the first notch in his belt as a member of the League of Themselves.

An inductee into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame would need three different shows to qualify for membership, and talk shows, game shows, and news reports shouldn't count.  But luckily for John Hart we have two more entries which are also tied into the legend of the Lone Ranger.

Back in the 1950s, while he was still appearing in the TV series, John Hart made a personal appearance in Milwaukee at Fonzie's birthday party dressed as the Lone Ranger:

'HAPPY DAYS'

Howard and Chachi go above and beyond to try to win a dinner with the Lone Ranger for Fonzie's birthday, while the Fonz begins to wonder if he should start thinking about settling down with just one girl. -- IMDb Plot: "Hi Yo, Fonzie Away"

(Although this took place in the 1950s, it was not seen by the Trueniverse audience until February of 1982.)

Mr. Hart was then called upon again, about thirty years later, to inspire another young man......

 
GREATEST AMERICAN HERO

Ralph retires the suit after his super-heroics result in a near-tragedy. Bill desperately needs Ralph to help him crack a corrupt cop caper masterminded by a war buddy. Can the Lone Ranger remind Ralph of a hero's great responsibility? -- IMDb Plot: My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys

So even though the two episodes were only about a year apart, within the realm of Toobworld there was a thirty year span between them. 

Knowing that all of John Hart's episodes for 'The Lone Ranger' were TV shows with the dimension of Earth Prime-Time, that means the actors appearing in them in co-starring roles, especially Jay Silverheels, were actually appearing as themselves playing the characters.  One that comes to mind is DeForest Kelley, who would go on to immortality as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy.  He also played himself in a 1980s phone commercial so those two disparate productions could be considered as being linked according to this theory of mine.  (Which is to say, what is mine, is mine.)

Hiyo Sylvania, away!

TELE-QUOTES: I'VE SEEN YOUR TYPE BEFORE....

This quote from the 'Bonanza' episode "The Bloodline" made me think of the many TV Western actors who made so many guest role appearances in the oaters of the day.  Some of them, like Jack Elam, Morgan Woodward, and John Milford, appeared several times over in the same series!  (That's Milford below, in ten roles alone from 'The Rifleman'!)

"I've seen you in every mining camp, every tank town and honky tonk between here and Mexico.  Maybe not the same face or the same fancy duds, but the same cold eyes, the same way of walking and the same stink of killing on you."

- Dianne Johnson

She was saying it to a character played by Lee Van Cleef, who was also quite a familiar face in the early days of TV Westerns before he hit it big in the overseas movie market.  

And so we kick off our traditional month-long salute to the TV Western.  You may notice there's something of a theme that will show up periodically.  And we were still able to honor the year-long theme for the Television Crossover Hall of Fame - the League Of Themselves - with this month's inductee.

I hope you enjoy.

Happy trails to you!

"STRANGER THINGS" & "THE X-FILES"

For someone who loves TV as much as I do, I'm the worst when it comes to bingeing.  I just can't do it; I get antsy.  (I think computers ruined me for the more passive activity of just watching the Toob.)

So I still have three episodes to go for 'Stranger Things' and the main reason I haven't watched them this weekend, my days off, is because I still have an incredible queue of shows to watch on my DVR.  

My FB friend and fellow explorer of the minutiae of the TV Universe, Caeric ArcLight, sent me the following link, knowing it was right up my alley.  But I only got one paragraph in before I had to bail, because it was written for those who have seen the whole season.  

"Spoilers, Sweeties!"

But if you've finished it off, feel free to check out how these two genre programs can share the same TV dimension.....

'STRANGER THINGS' & 'THE X-FILES' - SHARING THE SAME UNIVERSE

Thanks, Caeric!

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: HECTOR BABENCO

From Deadline.com:

Héctor Babenco, the Argentina-born Brazilian director whose films often examined deep political and class divisions and was best known for his Oscar-winning "Kiss of the Spider Woman", died Wednesday night [07/13/16] in Sao Paulo following a heart attack. He was 70.

From the IMDb:

Hector Babenco was born on February 7, 1946 in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina as Héctor Eduardo Babenco. He was a director and writer, known for "Carandiru" (2003), "Pixote" (1981) and "Kiss of the Spider Woman" (1985). He was married to Bárbara Paz, Raquel Arnaud and Xuxa Lopes. He died on July 13, 2016 in São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

He also directed "Ironweed" with Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.

Babenco is of note for Toobworld because one of his movies was absorbed into the TV Universe.  "Carandiru" could be found in Earth Prime-Time, at least one of the Borderlands, or perhaps in both.

"Carandiru" was based on a true story,,,,,

Again, from the IMDb:

Brazilian MD Drauzio Varella starts AIDS prevention in Brazil's largest prison, Carandiru, in São Paulo, where the population is nearly double its 4,000 maximum. Doc learns from experience and mainly stories the tragic stories of hideous crimes which landed scum there and passionate dramas adding otherwise decent people. Just when he believes [he can make] the prisoners happy with a soccer tournament, a silly clothing line argument kick-starts a politically opportune revolt repression.
- Written by KGF Vissers

Film based on real life experiences of Doctor Drauzio Varella inside dreadful State penitentiary Carandiru, in São Paulo, Brazil, while he was doing social work of AIDS' prevention. There he found hundreds of convicts living under degrading conditions. The situation came to a climax in 1992, when in order to smother a rebellion, [the] police force killed 111 men.
- Written by lukejoplin@infolink.com.br

Two years later, Babenco followed it up with a ten episode series 'Carandiru' in which Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos reprised his film role of the "Medico*".  In fact, at least sixteen actors returned to the series as the characters they played in the film:

Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos [seen above]...
Médico

Ivan de Almeida...
Nego Preto

Ailton Graça...
 Majestade 

Milton Gonçalves...

Chico

Gabriel Braga Nunes...
Sérgio 

Antônio Grassi...
Seu Warden Pires (as Antonio Grassi)

Aida Leiner...
Rosirene 

Maria Luísa Mendonça...
 Dalva 

Lázaro Ramos...
Ezequiel 

Robson Nunes...
Dada 

Caio Blat...
Deusdete 

André Ceccato...
Barba aka Beard

Vanessa Gerbelli...
Célia

Sabrina Greve...
Catarina

Floriano Peixoto...
Antonio Carlos 

Dionísio Neto...
Lula 

However, there was one recastaway in the series:

TV Universe

Aury Porto...
Mário Cachorro

Cineverse
Régis Santos...
Mário Cachorro (as Regis Santos)

I'm not sure if I should just cite Occam's Razor and say that minor detail is enough to keep both versions of "Carandiru" separated in their own fictional universes, or, at best, relegate the series and movie to a cinematic Borderland only.  I could always go "out there" and make a claim of quantum leaping, shape-shifters, or - ho-hum - plastic surgery.

LOL - at this point, I should probably point out that I have seen neither the movie nor the TV series of "Carandiru".

At any rate, that is Mr. Babenco's contribution to my televisiological studies.

Good night and may God bless Hector Babenco.....

* I'm not exactly sure if Vasconcelos was playing Dr. Varella since the real Dráuzio Varella (seen above) is listed as making an unredited appearance as "Himself".  (Yes, I know the IMDb is not always reliable.  I'm thinking he made an appearance but just as an extra, much like Chuck Yeager in "The Right Stuff" while Sam Shephard played Yeager.)

LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES: REMEMBERING SONNY TUFTS

From Wikipedia:

Bowen Charlton "Sonny" Tufts III (July 16, 1911 – June 4, 1970) was an American stage, film and television actor and opera singer.

After graduating from Yale in 1935, Tufts auditioned with the Metropolitan Opera in New York but eventually worked on the Broadway stage. He appeared in the stage show "Who's Who" and "Sing for Your Supper". Tufts then began singing in hotels and nightclubs. A Yale classmate of Tufts' later convinced him to move to Hollywood to begin a career as an actor. Upon arriving in Hollywood, Tufts' friend, hotel manager Jack Donnelly, accompanied Tufts to Paramount Pictures and introduced him to a casting director Joe Egli. Egli shot a screen test with Tufts who was then signed to Paramount. His first role was as Kansas, an affable Marine and love interest of Paulette Goddard in the 1943 World War II romantic drama "So Proudly We Hail!". The film was a critical and box office hit, largely due to the three female leads: Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard and Veronica Lake. Tufts' performance was praised by critics and the role served as a launching pad for Tufts' career. After the release of the film, Tufts received 1700 fan letters a week and was named "The Find of 1943." The following year, Tufts was cast opposite Olivia de Havilland in the comedy "Government Girl". That same year, he was voted the number one "Star of Tomorrow" by exhibitors.

Before filming of "So Proudly We Hail!" was complete, director Mark Sandrich commissioned "So Proudly"'s screenwriter Allan Scott to write a vehicle for Tufts and his co-star Paulette Goddard. That film, entitled "I Love a Soldier", was released in 1945. During World War II, Tufts' popularity continued to rise principally because, due to an old college football injury, he was one of the few male actors not serving overseas in the war. By the early 1950s, Tufts' popularity began to wane and his career began to decline. In 1953, Tufts was cast opposite Barbara Payton in the low budget comedy film Run for the Hills. Later that year, he co-starred in another low budget film, "Cat-Women of the Moon". Tufts' career briefly rebounded when he was cast in a small role in the comedy "The Seven Year Itch", starring Tom Ewell and Marilyn Monroe. In 1956, Tufts had a supporting role in drama "Come Next Spring" for Republic Pictures.

Tuft's career decline was compounded by his alcoholism and his off-screen antics. In February 1954, a 19-year-old dancer named Margarie Von accused Tufts of biting her on the right thigh while she was relaxing aboard a yacht docked off the coast of Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach. Von sued Tuft for $26,000 claiming the bite left a three inch scar. Von later settled for $600. In March 1954, a stripper named Barbara Gray Atkins sued Tufts for $25,000 in damages after she claimed he bit her left thigh while he and two friends were visiting her home. Atkins later dropped the lawsuit against Tufts.

After filming "The Parson and the Outlaw" in 1957, Tufts retreated to a ranch in Texas. He returned to acting in 1963 with a guest appearance on 'The Virginian'. His final onscreen role was in the 1968 television movie "Land's End".

His televersion on Earth Prime-Time is confirmed by his cameo as himself in an episode of 'My Mother The Car' ("And Leave The Drive-In To Us") and in Skitlandia through a series of appearances in episodes of 'Laugh-In'.  In Earth Prime-Time, he appeared in a 1965 movie "Surf Beach Drag Strip" in which he played the father of a character played by Bartelle Carmel, alongside actor Tommy Bland....

Tufts would have been 105 years old today......

BCnU!

VIDEO SUNDAY HAT SQUAD - REMEMBERING NOEL NEILL

When it was announced last week that Noel Neill had passed away, I'm sure many thought immediately of her work as the first live-action Lois Lane.  (She played the role in two 1940s movie serials, but she was the second Lois Lane on television.)  I confess that's what I did as well, and I wrote about her years as Lois Lane from a Toobworld vantage point just yesterday.

But the role of Lois Lane was not the only one she played on television.  For our Video Sunday showcase, I have four episodes from other TV shows in which she appeared as one of the guest stars.  

I don't think it can be conjectured that any of these roles could be Lois Lane starting over in Life with a new name.  (I might have been more inclined to do so if the shows were broadcast after the death of Superman/Clark Kent in 1964.)  And there are familial connections with the two Western roles that would rule out the possibility that she was forced into starting new lives back in Time, either through the auspices of a Time Traveller like the Doctor, or because of an attack by the Weeping Angel of the Wild Wild West.

So these four roles of Ms. Neill's can be enjoyed on their own without insulting her memory by forcing a connection to Lois Lane with any of them.

'Racket Squad'
"The Long Shot"

With this next offering, the episode was divided into three parts.  But each chapter should flow into the next.....

'Public Defender'
"Let Justice Be Done"

'Cisco Kid'
"Chain Lightning"

My apologies on this next one.  The person who shared it must have speeded up the soundtrack to give everybody chipmunk voices.  I suppose they did so in order to avoid detection by whoever holds the copyright.

'The Lone Ranger'
"The Letter Of The Law"

Good night and may God bless Noel Neill.....

THE HAT SQUAD: REMEMBERING THE GREATEST LOIS LANE

Posted in the website “Bleeding Cool Comics”:

From Larry Ward, posted to Facebook,

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of my very close friend, actress Noel Neill, the original “live action” Lois Lane from Superman. Noel passed away yesterday at her home in Tucson, Arizona after a long illness. She was 95.

First off, I’m glad to see that Mr. Ward made that distinction of Ms. Neill being the first “live action” Lois Lane. (Not that I would have been surprised – with him being her friend and all….)  It’s as if most writers either dismiss the talents of voice artists, or they must think the toons actually speak for themselves!

DC Comics via the CW television network are embracing the idea of a multiverse, especially with the acquisition of ‘Supergirl’ and the expansion of their film productions.  But they seem willing to accept that all of the previous incarnations of their many superheroes in film and TV actually existed as well in their own dimensions.  We might not be able to ever see Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, and Christopher Reeve cross over from their respective dimensions to interact with Tom Welling, Dean Cain, John Haynes Newton, Gerard Christopher, and Tyler Hoechlin (the Superman soon to arrive on ‘Supergirl’), but the possibility should at least be out there.  (You’ll notice I didn’t mention Henry Cavill, but I’m just paying lip service to the events of the latest movie in the franchise.)

In a way, the Toobworld Dynamic follows the same precept of the Multiverse.  But for the TV Universe, there are thousands of dimensions – as established in ‘Sliders’ – but all of them are within the TV Universe.  (However, certain movies have been absorbed into the TV Universe - including "Superman And The Mole Men", which introduced Phyllis Coates as the first Lois Lane of the TV Univere.)

All other manifestations of the fictional creative spark of Mankind: movies, books, audio dramas, etc, - they can be found in their own universes. So usually, the TV Universe will not concern itself with those comic book characters from the movies.

Usually....

Of all the characters from DC Comics, the one who would be the exception to the rule would be Lois Lane as personified by Noel Neill.  She began “life” in a dimension of the Cineverse, as seen in the 1947 serial starring Kirk Alyn as Clark Kent/Superman (with a second serial in which Supes battled Atom Man.)  But then in the second season of ‘The Adventures Of Superman’, she became the Lois Lane of Earth Prime-Time, replacing Phyllis Coates who played Lois in the “Mole Men” movie and in the first season.

THE ORIGINAL LOIS LANE OF EARTH PRIME-TIME

This is a recastaway discrepancy that I always meant to tackle, and although I had my ideas on how to handle it, it is to my shame that I never got around to it while Ms. Neill was alive.

Oh well.  Better late than never I suppose…..

As I just mentioned, Phyllis Coates was the Lois Lane born on Earth Prime-Time, the planet that was manufactured by the Magratheans.  Her DNA history was a mixture of evolved apes blended with aliens, like the Westerosi refugees from Mondas, the Golganfrincham telephone sanitizers, and donated “seedlings” provided by the Preservers.  (Sorry, Creationists – the Adam & Eve story takes place on the first Earth, Mondas.)  This explains why the TV Lois differed in appearance from the movie Lois; movie Lois didn’t have such a chromosomal back-story.  (I suppose a similar splainin would be needed for why the Superman of Serial Cineverse looked different from the Kryptonian of Earth Prime-Time and all of the other Supermen.)

My splainin for how the first Lois Lane of the Cineverse came to be the most famous Lois Lane of Toobworld, and what happened to the original TV Lois, is pure speculation.  And as a matter of fact, I have several theories as to what may have happened to Phyllis Coates' character.  (But this one is the best for getting Superman out of the TV dimension.)  It’s something that never was seen on our TV screens here in the Trueniverse, and frankly, most of this theory is just to make it a bit more interesting from a creative standpoint.  But I like it and it gave me the chance to throw the Doctor into it as well…..

For me, the major downside to ‘The Adventures of Superman’ (and I’ve written about this before) was the lack of villains to be found from the comic books.  Instead we got an endless array of dumb thugs, personified many times over by Ben Welden.  Where was Lex Luthor?  Brainiac?  And in this case, Mr. Mxyzptlk?

"Mister Mxyztplk" (as his name was originally spelled, originally pronounced mux-ITZ-pulk according to the title “Superman Family”) was introduced as an imp from the fifth dimension. Not being bound by our physical laws, he could do things that seemed to be magical. In his first appearance, Mxyztplk wreaked havoc across Metropolis by using his powers to pull all manner of pranks.

Species:
5th Dimensional Imp (Zrfffian)

Place of origin:
5th Dimension

Notable aliases:
Master Mxyzptlk, Ben DeRoy, countless others

Abilities:
Reality manipulation
Not bound by third dimensional laws
Can alter 3-D laws in a manner that resembles magic
Ability to break the 4th wall along with retconning abilities

Mxyzptlk has appeared in the ‘Superboy’ series and in ‘Lois & Clark’, played by Michael J. Pollard and Howie Mandel respectively.  (I do not count Mikhael Mxysptlk of ‘Smallville’, played by Trent Ford, as having anything in common with the character from the comic books other than the name.)  Had the Zrfffian appeared in 'The Adventures Of Superman', I believe Billy Barty would have been perfect in the role.  (I would have also chosen Billy Curtis, but he already appeared in the Toobworld-absorbed movie about the Mole Men and I think we may be returning to that.....)

No matter who played the Imp, he would have been the perfect “villain” to be the cause for the disappearance of the first Lois (Hereafter to be referred to as Lois-PC.)  Using his “magical” powers, Mxy could have caused Lois-PC to be banished from Earth.  Even worse, he could have banished her to some other Earth in another dimension.

In the time period in which he was active*, Superman was probably the only TV character on Earth who could break through the dimensional vortex and visit the countless alternate Toobworlds in the Multiverse.  (At least the only one who could be seen on our TV screens at the time so that would exclude the Doctor.)  Stashing Lois away in some other dimension would keep Superman busy so that Mxyzptlk could get into all sorts of mischief on Earth Prime-Time without being interrupted.

By flying super fast, Superman was able to pierce the veil between worlds and begin his desperate search for Lois-PC on as many of the myriad Toobworlds as he could.  But when it came to breaking through the walls between universes, that was a different matter and far beyond even his capabilities. 

That’s when he had to call in the help of an old friend of his – a Gallifreyan Time Lord known only as the Doctor.  His TARDIS could easily break through to the relative dimensions of other universes.

And that’s when the Superman of Earth Prime-Time met the Lois Lane of the Serial Cineverse.  (As it is with the TV Universe, there are many sub-dimensions – and thus, several different Supermen – in the Movie Universe.)  At the time he met Lois-NN, however, her life was in grave peril.  Perhaps it was caused by Lex Luthor, teamed up with the Spider Lady, seeking revenge after their defeats by that world’s Superman.  

And where was that Superman?  Since he was not seen again in Serial Cineverse after those two stories, it’s pozz’ble, just pozz’ble, that he was dead.  Movie serials weren’t quite dead yet however**, so I don’t think it was a world-wide catastrophe in which everybody of that world was in danger of imminent death.  It was only Lois-NN whose life may have been in danger… so much so that Superman and the Doctor had no choice but to evacuate her from her home-world.

Or perhaps there was some kind of crossover with a different movie serial.  It could be that she was subjected to experiments by the Martian Mota, from the "Flying Disc Man From Mars" production.  Or maybe her blood had been contaminated by a venom supplied by "The Black Widow", Princess Sombra.  In either scenario, something drastic had to be done - like removing her from the atmosphere of her home-world because it had become toxic to Lois-NN after she was subjected to the poisons coursing through her body.

Superman and the Doctor brought her back with them to the dimension of Earth Prime-Time where her life was no longer in danger.***  There she would have eventually accepted her fate and new world.  She would have had to adjust to the more noticeable changes between her two lives, most notably the change in appearance for her friends and family, especially Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and Clark Kent.  But at last she reconciled herself with that new life and even went back to work in the new configuration of her old job at the Daily Planet. 

Lois Lane with Jimmy Olsen of the Serial Cineverse [top]
&
Lois Lane now on Earth Prime-Time with TV's first Jimmy Olsen

But something about her rather traumatic experience put the bug in the mind of Lois-NN that there may have been a connection between Clark Kent and Superman; perhaps it was that comparison of the reporter and the Man of Steel of Earth Prime-Time to the memories she had of the “two” men from her Earth which made her realize that the differences were the same in both match-ups.  It was only his superhuman ability to quickly think on his feet that helped Clark to protect his secret identity as Superman.

It all became moot after the death of Superman in 1964.****  Overcome with grief at having lost the second Superman in her life, Lois-NN faded into anonymity, away from the prying eyes of the Toobworld populace.  She may have even adopted several aliases and new life-styles in her later years to avoid the public.  

Eventually, she may have been revisited by the Doctor, who offered her the chance to visit other worlds, other dimensions, even other variations within the Cineverse.  And while on those alternate Earths, she could have met their versions of Superman......

The incarnation of the Doctor who could have visited Lois-NN might have been the Eighth Doctor.  We know there are so many possible adventures he could have had, unseen by the audience viewing at home.  The Eighth Doctor would have been amenable to traveling with an old lady. I'm fairly certain that he did so with Dr. Grace Holloway, staying with the human woman he loved until mortality finally caught up to her and she passed away.)

And that concludes my look at the mystery of the Lois Lane Recastaways of Earth Prime-Time… from the perspective of Lois-NN.  As to what actually happened to Lois-PC, we shall examine that aspect at a later date… perhaps on the birthday of Phyllis Coates, the only cast member from the show who is still with us.

Up, Up, And Away!

O'BSERVATIONS:

* Superman first revealed himself to the public of Earth Prime-Time in September of 1952, when he saved a man falling from a blimp.  According to the leading Toobworld theory, his last known adventure was in 1964 at a Nevada A-bomb test site.  Superman rescued two criminals hiding out there, named Ray Luca and Paulie Taglia.  

** The last movie serial appears to have been the Western "Blazing The Overland Trail" from Columbia in 1956.

*** Just as there was a difference in the chromosome make-up of the humans from the Serial Cineverse as compared to that of the Toobworld humans, so too there could have been a chemical difference in the atmospheres of both worlds.  Whatever was afflicting Lois-NN in her original world, it was eradicated by the exposure to the atmospheric elements of Earth Prime-Time.

**** The Man of Steel was able to shield both Luca and Paulie from the radiation of a test detonation, but in the process his own body was riddled with Kryptonite radiation.  [This was created when a buried vein of Kryptonite was obliterated in the blast.]  In only a matter of days, Superman - and Clark Kent - were dead.  It would be Superman's "pal", Jimmy Olsen, who revealed the truth about Superman in a best-selling book (which would be the source of information behind all those TV Zonks in which TV characters know all about his secret identity.)

Good night and may God bless.  Noel Neill... Lois Lane....  You will both be missed......