Saturday, June 18, 2005

THE VISA-GOTHS

My brother Bill pointed out a good example of Toobworld at work currently on the air.

It's the new commercial for Capitol One, in which a berserker bemoans the unemployment status for him and his bloodthirsty buddies. They used to have plenty of work, "charging" those who charged on credit cards with high rates.

But now that so many people are using Capitol One instead, these warriors now work as hot dog vendors, kiddie ride operators, airline stewardesses, and as linemen for the county.

As Bill noted, the series of blipverts is now evolving; Life moves onward even for mystical marauders in league with credit card companies.

Other commercial series told continuing stories - those Taster's Choice ads with Giles-# er, with Anthony Head, for example. The same could be said for the Maytag series, especially since the addition of the rookie repairman. (Not to mention the succession of actors as Ol' Lonely starting with the legendary Jesse White.)

I don't know where Capitol One can go from here with the theme; I just hope they don't go backwards to the old ways because the schtick had gone about as far as it could once they attacked the football stadium.

My suggestion would be to do what Maytag and Cheez-its did - cross over, of course of course! Find some company that could be the goal for the credit card user and see how these berserkers interact with the product after they um, "discover" they arne't needed after all.

Or get a few second-tier celebs playing themselves, like Donny Osmond is doing in a fun new Sprint PCS blipvert with that company's trenchcoated technomage.

Let's see those Visa-goths battle it out with somebody like Georgia Engel (Georgette on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'); somebody who would never stand a chance if not for their trusty Capitol One card.

I'd love to hear her say in that whispery voice, "What's In Your Wallet?"

BCnU......
Tele-Toby

Friday, June 17, 2005

NEW @ TOOBWORLD CENTRAL

My friends and family know me well. For my recent birthday, I got three books connected to the TV Universe:

"What Were They Thinking? (The top 100 dumbest events in Television history)"

"The Sopranos: A Family History"

"Make Love The Bruce Campbell Way" by Bruce Campbell

Another friend gave ma an action figure of Doctor Strange, in connection to how I found my current residence. But that's another story....

I also have a new boxed set - the complete series of 'The Job' which starred Denis Leary as a self-destructive cop on ABC a few years back.

BCnU......
Tele-Toby

THE CULT OF WESSONALITY

A website called Cult TV has conducted a poll to find out which is the most popular cult TV show.

And probably due to its return to the airwaves after being AWOL for fifteen years, 'Doctor Who' came out on top over 'Star Trek'.

Here's a tally of the Top Ten:

MOST POPULAR CULT TV SHOWS
1. Doctor Who
2. Star Trek
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel
4. Stargate SG-1 & Stargate Atlantis
5. Blake's Seven
6. Thunderbirds
7. The Avengers
8. The Prisoner
9. Babylon 5
10. The X Files


Source: Cult TV website

Personally, I can't believe 'The Prisoner' - my all-time favorite TV show! -- finished so far down the list. Makes me think the voters were all a bunch of "rotten cabbages", as Number Six would have deemed them.

Sorry if I'm sounding a bit unmutual this morning.....

BCnU......
Tele-Toby

"Any TV schedule without Buddy Ebsen sucks eggs."
George Utley
'Newhart'

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

ALTERNATE LANES

For me personally, Lane Smith has secured for himself a place in Toobworld with three roles which are definitely not part of Earth Prime-Time. And these roles may be all part of the same dimension which could have come into existence because of one of those roles.

Confused? You must be. I know I am. Allow me to splain.

His best-known role would be the alt. Perry White, managing editor of the Daily Planet ('Lois And Clark'). The newspaper could be set in the Metropolis of Earth Prime-Time Delayed, as Superman, Perry White, and the Daily Planet were all on the main Toobworld back in the 1950s.

Lane Smith's Perry White was a smooth and easy mix of Big City razor-sharp cunning and down-home folksy craftiness, the perfect blend for a leader in the 1990s.

I've eased one major headache by shipping historical recreations, especially those of the presidents, off to the many alternate dimensions so that I don't have to keep finding ways to reconcile all the different actors who played Abe Lincoln, for example. I mean, I can't keep calling on quantum leapers as to the reason why the features of the presidents keep changing with every new casting.

JFK, maybe. After all, who wouldn't want the chance to leap into his life for a day? So long as it wasn't November 22nd, 1963, of course. Almost nobody would want to live those last moments for him........

But Herbert Hoover? ('Backstairs At The White House', 'The Day The Bubble Burst')

So that headache may be gone, only now I have to reach for the splainin aspirin when it comes to deciding which historical recreation should be assigned to which dimension.

Lane Smith portrayed Richard M. Nixon in 'The Final Days', which in itself seems to preclude this mini-series president from consideration as the Tricky Dick of the Evil Mirror Universe. I would think that televersion of the 37th President got away with it all and stayed in office - at least until he was probably assassinated.

Since the line of presidential succession was drastically altered in 'The West Wing' universe (going back at least four presidents), it might have been possible that Lane Smith found a home for Milhouse in this Oval Office. But it will all depend on any mention of Nixon during the course of the series.

I'm thinking that Lane Smith's Nixon resided and presided in the 'Lois & Clark' dimension. Why? Because in the episode "Top Copy", Perry White mentioned that he used to be told that he looked like Nixon, which may have been why he never set foot in the White House.

So what if it was just an in-joke? If Perry White looked like Nixon, doesn't it stand to reason that this Toobworld's Nixon was also played by Lane Smith?

In a related vein, it was Lane Smith's guest appearance in an episode of 'The Twilight Zone' which might have precipitated the creation of this particular dimension.

In "Profiles In Silver", Lane Smith played Professor Joseph Fitzgerald from the year 2172. Fitzgerald had been working undercover in the year 1963, the same year in which his famous ancestor, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated.

Professor Fitzgerald altered history by saving Kennedy's life, but the new timeline was leading to the eradication of all life on Earth.

President Kennedy realized this and demanded that he be sent back to make right what once went wrong. Professor Fitzgerald however only partially agreed......

Remember when I said almost nobody would want to live those final moments of Kennedy's life for him? Professor Fitzgerald quantum leaped himself so that he took that fateful and fatal final ride through Dealey Plaza. And he sent President Kennedy back to the future so that by March 7, 2172, he was a lecturer at Harvard University.

Many of the alternate dimensions we've come to explore via shows like 'Sliders' came into being because of time travel meddling in such shows as 'Quantum Leap', 'Early Edition', Red Dwarf', and this episode of 'The Twilight Zone'. Perhaps this one particular dimension was so influenced by Professor Fitzgerald's personal involvement, that he came to embody some major players in its politics and press like Dick Nixon and Perry White. Perhaps some other characters portrayed by Lane Smith also inhabited this dimension rather than the main Toobworld.

Or maybe I'm just talking through my hat.

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

TIP O' THE HAT SQUAD (LANE SMITH)

Character actor Lane Smith passed away the other day from Lou Gehrig's Disease. He was 69 years of age. I first noticed Mr. Smith with his portrayal of the new publisher in "Between The Lines", one of my all-time favorite movies. He also played a major role in my favorite episode of 'The Rockford Files': "The Battle Axe and The Exploding Cigars".

Thanks to the IMDb.com, here is a list containing most, if not all, of Lane Smith's TV credits:

TV SERIES AND MINI-SERIES
'Out of Order' (2003) (mini) TV Series .... Frank
'Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman' (1993) TV Series .... Perry White
'Good & Evil' (1991) TV Series .... Harlan Shell
'Good Sports' (1991) TV Series .... R.J. Rappaport
'Kay O'Brien' (1986) TV Series .... Doctor Robert Moffitt
'If Tomorrow Comes' (1986) (mini) TV Series .... Warden Brannigan
'V' (1984) TV Series .... Nathan Bates
'Chiefs' (1983) (mini) TV Series .... Hoss Spence

SEQUELS
'Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy' (1997) (TV) .... Senator Silverthorne

TV MOVIES
WW3 (2001) (TV)
Duplicates (1992) (TV) .... Mr. Fryman
False Arrest (1991) (TV) .... Martin Busey
Blind Vengeance (1990) (TV)
Challenger (1990) (TV) .... Larry Mulloy
Killer Instinct (1988) (TV) .... Dr. Butler
A Place to Call Home (1987) (TV) .... Sam
Dress Gray (1986) (TV) .... Col. King
Bridge Across Time (1985) (TV) .... Anson Whitfield
Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues (1985) (TV) .... Captain Max Rosenberg
Something About Amelia (1984) (TV) .... Officer Dealy
Special Bulletin (1983) (TV) .... Morton Sanders
Thou Shalt Not Kill (1982) (TV) .... Clarence Blake
Prime Suspect (1982) (TV) .... Tom Keating
The Member of the Wedding (1982) (TV) .... Mr. Addams
Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) (TV) .... Harless Hocker
Mark, I Love You (1980) (TV) .... Don Payer
The Georgia Peaches (1980) (TV) .... Randolph Dukane
A Rumor of War (1980) (TV) .... Sgt. Willliam Holgren
Gideon's Trumpet (1980) (TV) .... Fred Turner
City in Fear (1980) (TV) .... Brian
Disaster on the Coastliner (1979) (TV) .... John Carlson
The Solitary Man (1979) (TV) .... Jack Collins
Crash (1978) (TV)
The Displaced Person (1976) (TV)
Valley Forge (1975) (TV) .... Spad

TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"Judging Amy" playing "Mr. Radford" in episode: "People of the Lie" (episode # 4.10) 10 December 2002
"The Practice" playing "Judge H. Finkel" in episode: "The Candidate: Part 2" (episode # 6.2) 23 September 2001 and "The Candidate: Part 1" (episode # 6.1) 23 September 2001
"DAG" playing "Agent Baxter" in episode: "The Triangle Report" (episode # 1.9) 2001
"King of the Hill" playing "Hashaway" (voice) in episode: "Flush with Power" (episode # 4.22) 7 May 2000
"King of the Hill" playing "Charlie Fortner" (voice) in episode: "Meet the Propaniacs" (episode # 4.20) 16 April 2000
"King of the Hill" (voice) in episode: "Hanky Panky: Part 1" (episode # 4.13) 6 February 2000
"Bull" playing "Russell Dantly" in episode: "Amen" (episode # 2.9)
"Walker, Texas Ranger" playing "Reverend Thornton Powers" in episode: "Power Angels" (episode # 7.21) 15 May 1999
"The Outer Limits" playing "Dr. Malcolm Broussard" in episode: "Glyphic" (episode # 4.9) 20 March 1998
"Clueless" playing "Dan Hafner" in episode: "Romeo and Cher" (episode # 1.11) 13 December 1996
"Dweebs" in episode: "The Cyrano Show" (episode # 1.4) 13 October 1995
"Murphy Brown" playing "Danger Duke" (voice) in episode: "Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?" (episode # 7.2) 26 September 1994
"Murder, She Wrote" playing "Pol. Chief Underwood" in episode: "The Search for Peter Kerry" (episode # 5.11) 5 February 1989
"In the Heat of the Night" playing "Sonny Mims" in epi "Road Kill" (episode # 1.3) 15 March 1988
"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" playing "Robert Warren, Reporter" in episode: "Happy Birthday" (episode # 1.18) 23 March 1986
"The Twilight Zone" playing "Professor Joseph Fitzgerald" in episode: "Profile in Silver" (episode # 1.49) 7 March 1986 "Amazing Stories" playing "Dr. Caruso" in episode: "Dorothy and Ben" (episode # 1.18) 2 March 1986
"Hill Street Blues" playing "Mike" in episode: "El Capitan" (episode # 5.18) 21 February 1985
"Quincy" playing "Dr. Paul Flynn" in episode: "Science for Sale" (episode # 8.7) 24 November 1982
"Lou Grant" playing "Dr. Lawrence" in episode: "Unthinkable" (episode # 5.20) 3 May 1982
"Hart to Hart" playing "Roy Hamlin" in episode: "Hart, Line, and Sinker" (episode # 3.3) 27 October 1981
"Dallas" playing "Prosecutor" in episode: "Gone But Not Forgotten" (episode # 5.2) 16 October 1981
"The Rockford Files" playing "CIA Agent Donnegan" in episode: "The Battle-Ax and the Exploding Cigar" (episode # 5.14) 12 January 1979
"The Rockford Files" playing "Willet" in episode: "Claire" (episode # 1.18) 31 January 1975
"Kojak" playing "Clyde Regan" in episode: "Queen of the Gypsies" (episode # 2.18) 19 January 1975

CLASSICS ON THE TUBE
Inherit the Wind (1999) (TV) .... Reverend Jeremiah Brown

HISTORICAL TELEVERSIONS
"From the Earth to the Moon" (1998) (mini) TV Series .... Emmett Seaborn
The Final Days (1989) (TV) .... Richard Nixon
A Death in Canaan (1978) (TV) .... Bob Hartman

BCnU......
Tele-Toby

"LOST" IN THOUGHT

I've always believed that if handled properly, even the most banal of TV shows could serve as educational tools.
Take 'Mr. Ed', for instance. (Not that I consider that show banal; I like it a lot! It's just that it serves as a great example.)

Sure, 'Mr. Ed' could be dismissed as just one of the many off-beat gimmicky sitcoms from the Sixties - like 'Bewitched', 'My Favorite Martian', 'The Flying Nun', and 'My Mother The Car'. In this case, it was the "adventures" of an architect with a talking horse.

If you just let the show wash over you during the half hour of it's broadcast, if you just accept that a horse is a horse (of course, of course), then that's all you'll get out of it.

But for the true televisiologist, that's not good enough. How come Mr. Ed was able to speak? We know why the Crabtrees' 1928 Porter could talk - it was the reincarnation of Dave Crabtree's mother. But we were never given such a splainin for Mr. Ed.

So in looking for a reason for Ed's ability to talk, I found a doozy - Ed was a Houyhnhnm from "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. Choosing the appropriate episodes to illustrate that segment of the book, a teacher could ignite an interest in Swift's brilliant satire and perhaps in classic literature as well. (The mini-series starring Ted Danson would also be a great way to close out the lessons on the book.)

Hopefully, as was the case for me, looking at TV shows in such a way will open the minds of the students to look at other TV shows - and at everything else in Life as well, - with a questioning mind. And hopefully, it will then lead them to investigate further, and thus expand the boundaries of their knowledge.

As they used to say on a game show back in the Fifties, "Knowledge is king. And the reward for that knowledge is king-sized."

As a more recent example, we have the 3-hour finale for 'Lost', in which the survivors finally found out what the "Black Rock" was: a pirate ship beached in the jungle miles inland. (The theories as to how it ended up there so far from the ocean could help spark an interest in science - tsunamis, tectonic plates, etc.)

But in this case, it's an interest in history. Some fan, some "Lostaway" out there, wasn't satisfied to wait for the answers to be spoon-fed to him at the maddeningly slow pace favored by the Creators of the show. So he (she?) went searching for a few answers of their own........

*The story of The Black Rock is complicated by the fact that, although slavery itself existed well into the 1880s, the African slave trade was done by the 1850s. And, of course, Alfred Nobel invented dynamite in 1867.*

Add to this some other information we received - since the ship was found in the South Pacific with drilling equipment inside, it may have been used to transport slaves from Africa to Australia to be exploited in the mining trade.

And before he got blowed up real good, Leslie Arzt gave us a quick history lesson on Ascani Sobrero, the man who invented nitro-glycerine and got his face half-blown off for his troubles.

Hey kids! Science is fun!

Here's what I learned about Sobrero from the Nobel.org website:

Italian chemist who discovered nitroglycerine. Ascanio Sobrero worked as an assistant to Professor J. T. Pelouze in Paris and then became professor of chemistry in Turino, Italy. His face was badly scarred as a result of an explosion in the 1840s.

He considered nitroglycerine to be far too dangerous to be of any practical use. Sobrero is quoted to have said "When I think of all the victims killed during nitroglycerine explosions, and the terrible havoc that has been wreaked, which in all probability will continue to occur in the future, I am almost ashamed to admit to be its discoverer."

He was mortified when the Nobel family started the commercial exploitation of nitroglycerine and with the success of dynamite he felt he had been subject to an injustice. Alfred Nobel openly cited Sobrero as the inventor of nitroglycerine.

See? I never would have learned that had it not been for my interest in a TV show.

Such questions do lead to other investigations and another riddle: if we follow that timeline, then the ship sailed sometime after 1867, since it contained crates full of dy-NO-mite. And yet that style of sailing vessel surely must have been outdated by then, by at least half a century. Right?

Another excuse to go exploring the Internet and the Encyclopedia Galactica. It's a never-ending story!

The PSA was right. Reading really is fun-damental!

But don't go experimenting with that nitro, kids! You'll end up looking like one of the Slitheen Family after being doused with vinegar! (Give my American readers access to the new 'Doctor Who' series, you BBC yahoos! Oooh-ooh! Another reference to "Gulliver"!)

Uh-oh. Too late. We're gonna need a new Timmy!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

I really do have to cut back on the medication while I'm writing these things........

Monday, June 13, 2005

CROSSOVER OF THE WEEK

'THE INSIDE' & 'ANGEL'

Toobworld consists of all genres of TV shows co-existing together in the same dimension. And if there are too many discrepancies, too many to splain, we can slide that particular show into an alternate dimension.

That's the beauty of Toobworld as opposed to other universes based on Man's artistic creations - everything, anything!, can be included.

But you tele-fanatics knew that.

This week's major crossover isn't much of a stretch to bridge genres. One was a supernatural horror series, the other a VERY dark violent crimes procedural.

The crossover is actually just a trifle, based on an in-joke shout-out to a former series on which show runner Tim Minear once worked.

The vampire 'Angel' took on, took down, and took over the satanic law firm of Wolfram & Hart. During the investigation into the case of a serial killer, a security guard was sporting a Wolfram Security Co. patch on his uniform.

I contend that in order to keep close watch over internal leaks, Wolfram & Hart must have established their own security agency to keep everything in company. They may have also done the same thing with their accounting affairs - W&H Auditing, perhaps?

At any rate, once the main company was dismantled due to Angel and his crew, the subsidiary of Wolfram Security must have hired themselves out to the City of Angels to work security in the L.A. subway system.

Yes, it's trivial. But the universe is built on the trivial. All of the great events through Time have hinged upon the smallest detail.

For want of a nail.....

And the Creator of the show wanted to make this connection happen, so who am I to deny him? ("Look for a very specific ‘Angel’ reference,” Minear suggested.)

Tim Minear hoped to make another connection to 'Angel' in the pilot episode of 'The Inside', but it got lost in the transition from first draft to the actual shooting script for the debut episode.

Minear wanted the old Hyperion Hotel, where Angel used to live, to serve as the abandoned base of operations for the serial killer being hunted by the FBI's violent crimes unit.

But instead, it was the "Park Place Hotel on MacArthur Park". I'll have to see some frame grabs of that hotel in the first episode of 'The Inside' to be sure, but it could be that if the location shots match up, then they're the same place
but known by different names to different people over the course of its architectural history.

Perhaps Tim Minear was only doing these as a tip of the hat to a former series on which he worked. But if I had the opportunity to make a suggestion to him, I would recommend that he continue to include these little nods to other series. Perhaps to NBC's 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' or to 'Cold Case' on CBS. Maybe even an appearance by Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner from FOX's very own 'The X-Files'.

And if hte series survives into the Fall, then perhaps we could even see an off-beat crossover with some other FOX show - like 'House' or even 'The O.C.'!

Surely there must be somebody in that realm of plastic surgery poseurs who should get their face peeled off?

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

Sunday, June 12, 2005

ELCAR THE MAGNIFICENT

I picked out a few of the TV credits for Dana Elcar in order to comment further on them and their meaning for Toobworld....

'MacGyver' (1985) TV Series .... Pete Thornton (1986-1992)

When I got to meet James Doohan at the FX "apartment" after his participation in an on-air sci-fi auction, I was momentarily startled when I shook his hand. Doohan's hand is missing its middle finger and it threw off the dynamics of my own grip.

I'm fairly certain I didn't hide my surprise well at all.

Doohan lost the finger during the D-Day invasion and he would often quip later that he gave the finger to Hitler.

But if you only knew him from his role as Scotty on the TV series 'Star Trek', you would never have known that he was missing a digit. In fact, in one particular scene in which he had to lay his hand on a sensor device while pledging his oath in court, a "stunt hand" was called in to be used; one with all five piddies.

In later years, writers would have jumped at the chance to work the loss of that middle finger into the script for an episode. I bet there could have been a great Trekkian back-story to it.

Since then, other actors have had their injuries worked into the plotlines of various TV shows. James Stacy's loss of an arm and a leg in an accident years earlier were used as a plot point in a story arc on 'Wiseguy'. From the same show, Jim Byrnes also lost both legs after an accident, and his character of Dan "Lifeguard" Burroughs had to deal with the ramifications of the same situation.

And to make it a trifecta, Dr. Al Robbins of the Las Vegas 'CSI' unit is also missing a leg. Quite rightly, it hasn't played a major role in defining his character, but references to it come up regularly within the span of the series.

But so far as I can remember - and here I'm hoping there'll be others out there who can jog my poor memory, - Dana Elcar's character of Peter Thornton might be the first time a developing disability was written into a show's backstory to enable the actor to keep working in the role.

Let me know if I'm wrong, folks. I think it might make for an interesting follow-up......

"Baa Baa Black Sheep" (1976) TV Series .... Col. Thomas Lard (1976-1978)

I've always believed names have power and this is as good an example as any. You'd think the Colonel would have legally changed his name before the war; SOMEBODY in the family should have done so! The teasing he must have received as a child is the probable root for his personality as an adult. (And it must have rankled him no end to learn that just because he held rank over Pappy Boyington and the Black Sheep Squadron, nothing had changed from those schoolyard days.

"Baretta" (1975) TV Series .... Lt. Shiller (1975)

After one season, Inspector Schiller was replaced by Lt. Hal Brubaker. No reason was given ('Harry O' serves as a great example for the follow-ups to such cast changes.), but it's possible that Shiller's classic slow burn over Baretta's methods eventually led to either an ulcer or a heart attack.

"Dark Shadows" (1966) TV Series .... Sheriff George Patterson #1 (1966-1967)

From two different sources on the web:

"Sheriff George Patterson
Height: 6' 1"
Age: 37
Coloring: Brown eye, blonde hair, what's left of it
Long time Sheriff of Collinsport. Currently on a weight loss program instituted by Cyrus Longworth and the Collinsport City Council. George has plans on courting Mrs. Sarah Johnson when and if the time permits. His main concern now has been trying to solve the unsolved mysteries of the past."

and
"Competent and pragmatic, Sheriff George Patterson is the head lawman in Collinsport and inevitably his path crosses with the residents of the Collinwood estate and the increasingly bizarre occurrences that beset them. As the world of the supernatural intrudes into Collinwood, Sheriff Patterson finds himself increasingly at a loss to provide rational explanations and solutions for events around him..."


But eventually, Sheriff Patterson's appearance changed several times over. One of my favorite conceits for splainin cast changes has been to use quantum leapers as the culprits - that is, when we see a new actor in the role, it's because that new person is a visitor from the future occupying the space of the original. And the people in that character's life still see the original.

That's why there would have been no hue and cry after Sheriff Patterson "morphed" from Elcar to Vince O'Brien and Michael Cavanaugh and Dennis Patrick. The people of Collinsport only saw him as a pudgy bald guy.

Or it could have been the work of witches as was the case of an advertising executive who was 'Bewitched' in Westport. Hey, if the place has vampires......

Forget it, Jake. It's Collinsport.

"MacGyver" playing "Andy Colson" in episode: "MacGyver" (episode # 1.0) 29 September 1985

Maybe it happened during a commerical, but how come MacGyver never mentioned to Pete that he once dealt with a guy named Andy Colson who was the chief of operations at a secret lab... and who looked exactly like Pete!!!

"The Paper Chase" playing "James Hart's Father" (archive footage) in episode: "Hart Goes Home" (episode # 2.13) 6 May 1984

I found this entry interesting in that Elcar agreed to just do this as "archive footage", which I imagine means in this case, "home movies".

Was it because he loved the show? Was it as a favor to James Stephens? Perhaps they worked together in that playhouse Elcar was running until the early 1990s.

At any rate, it seems to have been prophetic casting, since Stephens has proven to be follicly challenged as the years march on.....

"Newhart" playing "Sam Ebersol" in episode: "The Visitors" (episode # 1.13) 17 January 1983

Since 'Newhart' later proved to be nothing more than one long extended dream by Dr. Bob Hartley of 'The Bob Newhart Show', what could be the significance of Sam Ebersol in that dream?

Was he actually a patient of Dr. Hartley's in the waking world? Maybe there's an anagram in the name? Damn, I wish I still had use of that anagram feature in my old Magnavox video-writer!

"Longstreet" in episode: "The Shape of Nightmares" (episode # 1.7) 28 October 1971

I just wonder if Dana Elcar's work on this episode came back to his memory as his own blindness developed?

"Mannix" playing "Tom Coleman/Al Beckworth/Darrell Andrews/Charles Vincent Addison" in episode: "The Search for Darrell Andrews" (episode # 3.22) 28 February 1970

Just looking at the character's "names" makes me think Elcar must have had a blast working on this episode. It seems like it made for a marvelous showcase for him as an actor.

"Get Smart" playing "Kruger" in episode: "And Baby Makes Four: Part 2" (episode # 5.8) 14 November 1969 and "And Baby Makes Four: Part 1" (episode # 5.7) 7 November 1969

For those of you out there who (like me) are probably anal enough to point this out, I don't think there's any problem with the idea of Elcar playing this role and yet not be recognized as "The Chief" once Maxwell Smart began working for PITT in the movie "The Nude Bomb". That's because the movie is not a continuation of the TV series nor a leak into the TV Universe as is the case with movies like 'Batman - 1966', or the 'Star Trek' franchise.

There are two distinct versions of Maxwell Smart - the main one from Toobworld and the one from the Cineverse. (There are others once you cross the creational vortex into the dimensions celebrating comic books and literature.) And as such the TV Maxwell Smart never even met The Chief of PITT, and so he would have had no reason to point out how much he looked like Kruger.

"The Trials of O'Brien" playing "Sam Styles" in episode: "How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?" (episode # 1.9) 13 November 1965

I just wondered if Mr. Elcar reminded Peter Falk of this collaboration between the two actors once they started filming "Any Old Port In The Storm" episode of 'Columbo'?

"The Nurses" playing "Dr. Fellowes" in episode: "An Unweeded Garden" (episode # 3.30) 11 May 1965
"The Nurses" playing "Dr. Zack Fuller" in episodes:
"The Prisoner: Part 1" (episode # 3.2) 29 September 1964
"The Intern Syndrome" (episode # 2.18) 23 January 1964
"To Spend, to Give, to Want" (episode # 2.12) 12 December 1963
"Two Black Candles" (episode # 1.9) 22 November 1962
"The Nurses" playing "Dr. Lovett" in episode: "Fly, Shadow" (episode # 1.3) 11 October 1962


Okay, so I can see how the producers might have brought back Elcar to play a recurring role on 'The Nurses' after liking his work in the episode "Fly, Shadow". And as for the change in character, there might have been extenuating circumstances that dictated such a decision.

But after working on another four episodes of the show as Dr. Zack Fuller, why bring him back by the end of the third season (only 28 episodes after last appearing as Dr. Fuller) as a new character, Dr. Fellowes?

I suspect the witness protection program. Or cloning.....

The Missiles of October (1974) (TV) .... Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara

It's hard to believe that there could be a role out there that might be shared by both Dana Elcar and Alec Baldwin.

Columbo: Any Old Port in a Storm (1973) (TV) .... Falcon

To me, getting the chance to be a guest star in any episode of 'Columbo' during the NBC years, even if you weren't slated to play the murderer or the victim, had to be considered a great honor and a treat for many actors.

And Mr. Elcar got the chance to perform not only in a scene with Peter Falk, but also with special guest star Donald Pleasance, in what many believe might be one of the best episodes ever for this sterling show.

The Nude Bomb (1980) .... Chief

As I stated earlier, "The Nude Bomb" is not connected in any way to 'Get Smart' the TV series so far as I'm concerned. So Dana Elcar's performance as the Chief has no ramifications on the TV Universe at all. He is not Kruger from 'Get Smart', nor is he Inspector Shiller from 'Baretta'.

But I give him credit for taking on the role despite whatever rejection he might have faced from fans who must have preferred their memories of Ed Platt in the role. (Not that Platt could have been approached to assay the role again - he had passed away about six years earlier.)

So the heading for this salute to the TV work of Dana Elcar is entitled "Elcar The Magnificent". It has that nice showmanship quality to it. And I don't think it's over-touting his contributions to the medium. As a character actor who was much in demand, Dana Elcar was magnificent.

And he will be missed. They just aren't making character actors like him anymore.....

BCnU,
Tele-Toby


TIP O' THE HAT SQUAD (DANA ELCAR)

The character actor doesn't ask for much; just the chance for a really juicy role to play, and as many of those as he can get. They know they're never going to get the fame, money, and recognition given to the stars whom they support with their acting. But I'm sure it would be nice for them if someone could do more than just remember their face and say, "Hey! It's that guy from .....!"

So it's a real shame when such a solid, dependable performer like Dana Elcar should pass away at the age of 77 (and after years of suffering from blindness due to glaucoma), and have the headline of his obituary in the New York Daily News read:

"DANA ECLAR".

The man deserved better. And with thanks to the IMDb, I'd like to point out many of the reasons why he was a big asset to the population of Toobworld.....

TV SERIES
"MacGyver" (1985) TV Series .... Pete Thornton (1986-1992)
"Centennial" (1978) (mini) TV Series .... Judge Hart
"Baa Baa Black Sheep" (1976) TV Series .... Col. Thomas Lard (1976-1978)
"Baretta" (1975) TV Series .... Lt. Shiller (1975)
"Dark Shadows" (1966) TV Series .... Sheriff George Patterson #1 (1966-1967)
"The Edge of Night" (1956) TV Series .... Clinton Wheeler (1964-1965)
"The Guiding Light" (1952) TV Series .... Dist. Atty. Andrew Murray (1962)
"A Time to Live" (1954) TV Series .... Dr. Clay

TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"ER" playing "Manny Kendovich" in episode: "Damage Is Done" (episode # 8.13) 31 January 2002
"The Magic School Bus" playing "Mr. Terese" (voice) in episode: "Going Batty" (episode # 2.4) 30 September 1995
"Law & Order" playing "Robert Cook" in episode: "Virus" (episode # 3.19) 21 April 1993
"Matlock" playing "Arthur Hughes" in episode: "The Court Martial: Part 2" (episode # 1.19) 24 February 1987 and "The Court Martial: Part 1" (episode # 1.18) 17 February 1987
"Trapper John, M.D." playing "Jared Vennemar" in episode: "Billboard Barney" (episode # 7.9) 29 December 1985
"MacGyver" playing "Andy Colson" in episode: "MacGyver" (episode # 1.0) 29 September 1985
"The A-Team" playing "Judge Mordente" in episode: "Judgement Day: Part 2" (episode # 4.2) 24 September 1985 and "Judgement Day: Part 1" (episode # 4.1) 24 September 1985
"Riptide" playing "Harry Silverman" in episode: "Arrivederci, Baby" (episode # 2.21) 7 May 1985
"Hill Street Blues" playing "Lt. Mel Taber" in episode: "Washington Deceased" (episode # 5.16) 7 February 1985
"Scarecrow and Mrs. King" playing "Mitch Larner" in episode: "Spiderweb" (episode # 2.13) 14 January 1985
"The A-Team" playing "George Olson" in episode: "Double Heat" (episode # 3.6) 23 October 1984
"The Fall Guy" playing "Dean Hackett" in episode: "Terror U." (episode # 4.5) 17 October 1984
"The Paper Chase" playing "James Hart's Father" (archive footage) in episode: "Hart Goes Home" (episode # 2.13) 6 May 1984
"Matt Houston" playing "Mayor Akers" in episode: "Death Match" (episode # 2.18) 24 February 1984
"Hardcastle and McCormick" playing "Frank Cardigan" in episode: "The Georgia Street Motors" (episode # 1.18) 5 February 1984
"Hart to Hart" playing "Admiral Springfield" in episode: "Pandora Has Wings" (episode # 5.4) 25 October 1983
"Knight Rider" playing "Strock" in episode: "Merchants of Death" (episode # 2.4) 16 October 1983
"Trapper John, M.D." playing "Howard Bowman" in episode: "Past Imperfect" (episode # 4.18) 20 February 1983
"Voyagers!" playing "Colonel Knox" in episode: "Sneak Attack" (episode # 1.14) 20 February 1983
"Newhart" playing "Sam Ebersol" in episode: "The Visitors" (episode # 1.13) 17 January 1983
"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" playing "Judge Carlson" in episode: "The Man in the White Hat" (episode # 1.2) 22 September 1982
"Herbie, the Love Bug" playing "Warden" in episode: "Calling Doctor Herbie" (episode # 1.5) 14 April 1982
"Falcon Crest" playing "Carl Reed" in episodes:
"Heir Apparent" (episode # 1.15) 19 March 1982
"The Candidate" (episode # 1.13) 26 February 1982
"The Tangled Vines" (episode # 1.3) 18 December 1981
"Benson" playing "Chapman" in episode: "Benson's Appointment" (episode # 3.1) 6 November 1981
"Flamingo Road" in episode: "The Arrangement" (episode # 2.1) 3 November 1981
"Galactica 1980" playing "Steadman" in episode: "Space Croppers" (episode # 1.9) 27 April 1980
"Eight Is Enough" playing "Ben" in episode: "Roll Over Bradford" (episode # 4.25) 1980
"B.J. and the Bear" playing "Spencer" in episode: "Silent Night, Unholy Night" (episode # 2.12) 15 December 1979
"One Day at a Time" playing "Captain" in episode: "A Little Larceny" (episode # 5.9) 2 December 1979
"The Incredible Hulk" playing "Sheriff Harris" in episode: "Escape From Los Santos" (episode # 2.11) 1 December 1978
"Police Story" playing "Lieutenant Garippo" in episode: "Trial Board" (episode # 4.12) 4 January 1977
"The Six Million Dollar Man" playing "Larry Stover" in episode: "Nightmare in the Sky" (episode # 4.2) 26 September 1976
"Cannon" playing "John Brinegar" in episode: "The Star" (episode # 5.14) 10 December 1975
"The Rockford Files" playing "Sheriff Mitchell" in episode: "The Great Blue Lake Land and Development Company" (episode # 2.6) 17 October 1975
"Petrocelli" playing "Daley" in episode: "Edge of Evil" (episode # 1.4) 2 October 1974
"The F.B.I." in episode: "Fatal Reunion" (episode # 9.7) 4 November 1973
"The Waltons" playing "George Porter" in episode: "The Prize" (episode # 2.7) 25 October 1973
"Kung Fu" playing "Noah Jones" in episode: "The Assassin" (episode # 2.2) 4 October 1973
"Hawkins" playing "Dr. Aronson" in episode: "Death and the Maiden" (episode # 1.1) 13 March 1973
"Kung Fu" playing "Pritikin" in episode: "Nine Lives" (episode # 1.7) 15 February 1973
"The Partridge Family" playing "Felcher" in episode: "Trial of Partridge One" (episode # 3.16) 19 January 1973
"Mannix" playing "Skip Seldon" in episode: "A Matter of Principle" (episode # 6.17) 14 January 1973
"Alias Smith and Jones" playing "Sam Haney" in episode: "Only Three to a Bed" (episode # 3.12) 13 January 1973
"Bonanza" playing "Mr. Merrick" in episode: "The Twenty-Sixth Grave" (episode # 14.7) 31 October 1972
"Marcus Welby, M.D." in episode: "Don and Denise" (episode # 4.8) 31 October 1972
"Cannon" playing "Mr. Ryan" in episode: "A Long Way Down" (episode # 2.7) 25 October 1972
"Marcus Welby, M.D." in episode: "We'll Walk Out of Here Together" (episode # 4.3) 26 September 1972
"The Sixth Sense" playing "Edward Winslow" in episode: "Witch, Witch, Burning Bright" (episode # 1.8) 11 March 1972
"Cannon" playing "Lieutenant" in episode: "Cain's Mark" (episode # 1.23) 7 March 1972
"The F.B.I." in episode: "Superstition Rock" (episode # 7.11) 28 November 1971
"Longstreet" in episode: "The Shape of Nightmares" (episode # 1.7) 28 October 1971
"Love, American Style" in episode: "Love and the Naked Stranger" (episode # 3.6d) 22 October 1971
"The Bold Ones: The Lawyers" playing "Gale" in episode: "The Invasion of Kevin Ireland" (episode # 3.1) 26 September 1971
"Alias Smith and Jones" playing "Benjamin T. Bowers" in episode: "Stagecoach Seven" (episode # 1.9) 11 March 1971
"Ironside" in episode: "Killing at the Track" (episode # 4.18) 4 February 1971
"Marcus Welby, M.D." in episode: "A Woman's Place" (episode # 2.17) 2 February 1971
"The F.B.I." playing "Ed Garth" in episode: "The Fatal Connection" (episode # 6.19) 31 January 1971
"The Bold Ones: The Senator" playing "Collie Ford" in episode: "Some Day, They'll Elect a President" (episode # 1.6) 17 January 1971
"Medical Center" playing "General Montague" in episode: "Man at Bay" (episode # 2.14) 16 December 1970
"Gunsmoke" playing "Pennigrath" in episode: "Snow Train: Part 2" (episode # 16.7) 26 October 1970 and "Snow Train: Part 1" (episode # 16.6) 19 October 1970
"Storefront Lawyers" in episode: "The Electric Kid" (episode # 1.4) 7 October 1970
"Mission: Impossible" playing "C.W. Cameron" in episode: "Flip Side" (episode # 5.2) 29 September 1970
"Hawaii Five-O" playing "Dr. Benjamin" in episode: "Three Dead Cows at Makapuu: Part 2" (episode # 2.24) 4 March 1970 and "Three Dead Cows at Makapuu: Part 1" (episode # 2.23) 25 February 1970
"Mannix" playing "Tom Coleman/Al Beckworth/Darrell Andrews/Charles Vincent Addison" in episode: "The Search for Darrell Andrews" (episode # 3.22) 28 February 1970
"Get Smart" playing "Kruger" in episode: "And Baby Makes Four: Part 2" (episode # 5.8) 14 November 1969 and "And Baby Makes Four: Part 1" (episode # 5.7) 7 November 1969
"The Bold Ones: The Lawyers" playing "District Attorney Shannon" in episode: "The Crowd Pleasers" (episode # 1.3) 2 November 1969
"The Virginian" playing "Bennett Poole" in episode: "The Power Seekers" (episode # 8.4) 8 October 1969
"Medical Center" playing "Mazur" in episode: "The Last 10 Yards" (episode # 1.1) 24 September 1969
"Bonanza" playing "Caleb Milton" in episode: "Speak No Evil" (episode # 10.28) 20 April 1969
"The F.B.I." playing "Howard Swift" in episode: "The Young Warriors" (episode # 4.24) 9 March 1969
"Mannix" playing "Sheriff Conrad Bucola" in episode: "Fear I to Fall" (episode # 2.12) 21 December 1968
"The Outsider" playing "Fred Oliver" in episode: "The Twenty Thousand Dollar Carrot" (episode # 1.8) 13 November 1968
"Judd for the Defense" playing "Champion" in episode: "Weep the Hunter Home" (episode # 2.7) 8 November 1968
"The Invaders" playing "Sheriff Halloway" in episode: "The Pursued" (episode # 3.9) 12 March 1968
"The F.B.I." playing "Howard Bergdahl" in episode: "The Messenger" (episode # 3.22) 10 March 1968
"Run for Your Life" playing "Dr. George Graham" in episode: "The Killing Scene" (episode # 3.19) 1 February 1968
"Hallmark Hall of Fame" playing "Captain Marvel" in episode: "Elizabeth the Queen" 31 January 1968
"Mannix" playing "Fred Restin" in episode: "Deadfall: Part 2" (episode # 1.18) 27 January 1968 and "Deadfall: Part 1" (episode # 1.17) 20 January 1968
"N.Y.P.D." playing "Phelan" in episode: "Shakedown" (episode # 1.1) 5 September 1967
"ABC Stage 67" playing "Lou Coolidge" in episode: "The Confession" (episode # 1.5) 19 October 1966
"The Trials of O'Brien" playing "Sam Styles" in episode: "How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?" (episode # 1.9) 13 November 1965
"The Defenders" playing "District Attorney" in episode: "Only a Child" (episode # 4.30) 13 May 1965
"The Nurses" playing "Dr. Fellowes" in episode: "An Unweeded Garden" (episode # 3.30) 11 May 1965
"The Defenders" in episode: "The Objector" (episode # 4.19) 11 February 1965
"The Nurses" playing "Dr. Zack Fuller" in episodes:
"The Prisoner: Part 1" (episode # 3.2) 29 September 1964
"The Intern Syndrome" (episode # 2.18) 23 January 1964
"To Spend, to Give, to Want" (episode # 2.12) 12 December 1963
"Two Black Candles" (episode # 1.9) 22 November 1962
"The Defenders" playing "Dr. Marvin Graham" in episode: "All the Silent Voices" (episode # 3.18) 1 February 1964
"Espionage" playing "Kevin" in episode: "The Whistling Shrimp" (episode # 1.8) 20 November 1963
"Hallmark Hall of Fame" playing "Jacob" in episode: "The Patriots" 15 November 1963
"The Defenders" in episode: "The Captive" (episode # 3.3) 12 October 1963
"Car 54, Where Are You?" in episode: "The Star Boarder" (episode # 2.21) 10 February 1963
"Naked City" playing "Al Boris" in episode: "Man Without a Skin" (episode # 4.20) 6 February 1963
"Car 54, Where Are You?" in episode: "Occupancy, August 1st" (episode # 2.6) 21 October 1962
"The Nurses" playing "Dr. Lovett" in episode: "Fly, Shadow" (episode # 1.3) 11 October 1962
"The DuPont Show of the Week" playing "Dennis Wilcox" in episode: "Big Deal in Laredo" (episode # 2.4) 7 October 1962
"Naked City" in episode: "Strike a Statue" (episode # 3.28) 16 May 1962
"'Way Out" in episode: "False Face" (episode # 1.7) 26 May 1961
"Play of the Week" in episode: "Burning Bright" (episode # 1.3) 26 October 1959

TV MOVIES
For Their Own Good (1993) (TV) (uncredited) .... Sally's father
There Were Times, Dear (1987) (TV) .... Don Mason
Murder in Three Acts (1986) (TV) .... Dr. Wallace Strange
Toughlove (1985) (TV) .... Max Wiley
Sweet Revenge (1984) (TV) .... Sen. Arthur Hagerty
Quarterback Princess (1983) (TV) .... Mr. Caine
I Want to Live (1983) (TV) .... Warden
Forbidden Love (1982) (TV) .... Burt Wagner
The Day the Bubble Burst (1982) (TV) .... Mr. Block
Help Wanted: Male (1982) (TV) .... Milhauser
Mark, I Love You (1980) (TV) .... Mr. Bassett
Death Penalty (1980) (TV) .... John Mulligan
Samurai (1979) (TV) .... Frank Boyd
Crisis in Mid-air (1979) (TV) .... Brad Mullins
Law of the Land (1976) (TV) .... Rev. Mr. Endicott
The Missiles of October (1974) (TV) .... Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara
Panic on the 5:22 (1974) (TV) .... Hal Rodgers
Senior Year (1974) (TV) .... Paul Reed
Heat Wave! (1974) (TV) .... Prescott
Columbo: Any Old Port in a Storm (1973) (TV) .... Falcon
Dying Room Only (1973) (TV) .... Sheriff
Fireball Forward (1972) (TV) .... Col. Talbot
The Bravos (1972) (TV) .... Capt. Detroville
The Death of Me Yet (1971) (TV) .... Hank Keller
The Whole World Is Watching (1969) (TV) .... Huston
Deadlock (1969/I) (TV) .... George Stack
Pendulum (1969) .... Det. J.J. 'Red' Thornton
The Sound of Anger (1968) (TV) .... Andrew Pearce
The Borgia Stick (1967) (TV) .... Craigmeyer
"The Sacco-Vanzetti Story" (1960) (mini) TV Series .... Newspaperman
Burning Bright (1959) (TV)

TV MOVIE PILOTS
Gemini Man (1976) (TV) .... Dr. Harold Schuyler
Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976) (TV) .... Col. Thomas A. Laird Baretta (1975) (TV) .... Insp. Shiller
Catch-22 (1973) (TV) .... Col. Cathcart
Hawkins on Murder (1973) (TV) .... Dr. Aaronson
Sarge (1971) (TV) .... Father Frank Dinsmore
San Francisco International (1970) (TV) .... George Woodruff
D.A.: Murder One (1969) (TV) .... Dr. Carl Enright

CLASSICS ON THE TUBE
Waiting for Godot (1977) (TV) .... Vladimir
"Hallmark Hall of Fame" playing "La Hire" in episode: "Saint Joan" 4 December 1967
Our Town (1959) (TV) .... Dr. Gibbs

MOVIE WITH CONNECTION TO THE TV UNIVERSE
The Nude Bomb (1980) .... Chief

I have some thoughts on a few of these entries, and I'll be posting those in a separate entry.....

BCnU....
Tele-Toby

TIP O' THE HAT SQUAD (ANNE BANCROFT)

It may be that for many of the younger generation, Anne Bancroft will be known mostly as the wife of Mel Brooks; her work in "The Graduate" and "The Miracle Worker" running a close second.

Indeed, it is as Mrs. Mel Brooks that she made her last appearance in Toobworld, on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'.

But here is a list of her other roles and appearances, courtesy of the IMDb.........

TV SERIES & MINI-SERIES
"Freddie and Max" (1990) TV Series .... Maxine (Max) Chandler
"Marco Polo" (1982) (mini) TV Series .... Signora Polo
"Jesus of Nazareth" (1977) (mini) TV Series .... Mary Magdalene

TV GUEST APPEARANCES
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" playing "Herself" in episode: "Opening Night" (episode # 4.10) 14 March 2004
"The Simpsons" playing "Dr. Zweig" (voice) in episode: "Fear of Flying" (episode # 6.11) 18 December 1994
"This Is Tom Jones" (episode # 3.1) 25 September 1970
"The Kraft Music Hall" 30 April 1969
"ABC Stage 67" playing "Virginia" in episode: "I'm Getting Married" (episode # 1.22) 16 March 1967
"Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre" playing "Faye Benet Garret" in episode: "Out on the Outskirts of Town" (episode # 2.6) 6 November 1964
"The Frank Sinatra Show" playing "Carol Welles" in episode: "A Time to Cry" 21 February 1958
"Zane Grey Theater" playing "Isabelle Rutledge" in episode: "Episode in Darkness" (episode # 2.7) 15 November 1957 "The Alcoa Hour" playing "Giselle" in episode: "Hostages to Fortune" (episode # 2.20) 7 July 1957
"Climax!" playing "Elena" in episode: "The Mad Bomber" (episode # 3.24) 18 April 1957
"Lux Video Theatre" in episode: "The Black Angel" (episode # 7.27) 28 March 1957
"Playhouse 90" playing "Julie Bickford" in episode: "Invitation to a Gunfighter" (episode # 1.23) 7 March 1957
"Playhouse 90" playing "Isobel Waring" in episode: "So Soon to Die" (episode # 1.16) 17 January 1957
"The Alcoa Hour" playing "Alegre" in episode: "Key Largo" (episode # 2.3) 14 October 1956
"Climax!" playing "Audrey" in episode: "Fear Is the Hunter" (episode # 2.38) 12 July 1956
"Lux Video Theatre" playing "Ann" in episode: "The Corrigan Case" (episode # 6.39) 21 June 1956
"Lux Video Theatre" playing "Kendal Browning" in episode: "Hired Wife" (episode # 6.22) 23 February 1956
"Lux Video Theatre" in episode: "Forever Female" (episode # 5.44) 23 June 1955
"Lux Video Theatre" in episode: "A Medal for Benny" (episode # 5.14) 25 November 1954
"Kraft Television Theatre" in episode: "To Live in Peace" (episode # 7.16) 16 December 1953
"Omnibus" in episode: "The Capital of the World" (episode # 2.10) 6 December 1953
"Lights Out" (as Anne Marno) in episode: "The Deal" (episode # 4.9) 22 October 1951
"Danger" (as Anne Marno) in episode: "Murderer's Face" (episode # 1.47) 14 August 1951
"The Adventures of Ellery Queen" (as Anne Marno) in episode: "The Chinese Mummer Mystery" (episode # 1.33) 7 June 1951
"Danger" (as Anne Marno) in episode: "The Killer Scarf" (episode # 1.32) 1 May 1951
"Suspense" (as Anne Marno) in episode: "Night Break" (episode # 3.24) 6 February 1951

TV MOVIES
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003) (TV) .... Contessa
Haven (2001) (TV) .... Mama Gruber
Deep in My Heart (1999) (TV) .... Gerry Eileen Cummins
Homecoming (1996/I) (TV) .... Abigail Tillerman
The Mother (1994) (TV) .... Mrs. Fanning
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994) (TV) .... Lucy Marsden (age 99-100)
Mrs. Cage (1992) (TV) .... Lillian Cage
Broadway Bound (1992) (TV) .... Kate Jerome

TV SPECIALS
An Audience with Mel Brooks (1983) (TV) .... Herself
"Disneyland" playing "Herself" in episode: "Mickey's 50" 19 November 1978
Annie and the Hoods (1974) (TV) .... Herself
Annie, the Women in the Life of a Man (1970) (TV)

TV TALK SHOW AND GAME SHOW APPEARANCES
"Exhale with Candice Bergen" playing "Herself" 16 November 2001
"The Rosie O'Donnell Show" playing "Herself" 5 May 2000
"Palmera, La" playing "Herself" (uncredited) 19 August 1991
"What's My Line?" playing "Mystery Guest" 15 November 1964
"What's My Line?" playing "Mystery Guest" 7 April 1963
"Password" playing "Herself" in episode: "Anne Bancroft vs. Robert Goulet" (episode # 1.44) 10 July 1962
"What's My Line?" playing "Mystery Guest" 1 July 1962
"The Jack Paar Show" playing "Herself" 27 October 1960

BCnU,
Tele-Toby