NOT THE PEANUTS CHRISTMAS YOU EXPECTED

Along with the shopping for Christmas, the holiday parties are now underway as well.....

(That's Robert Downey, Jr. as the voice of Mr. Peanut.)

BCnU!

JACK BENNY CAUSES THE FIRST CHRISTMAS BLACK FRIDAY

I have to admit, this is a little grim for a sitcom, but the holidays aren't a happy occasion for everybody.......

Maybe I'll post the full episode as well at some point.....

Ho ho ho?

A TWICE-TOLD "DRAGNET" CHRISTMAS STORY

Starting this weekend, the Inner Toob Video Weekend will be filled with Christmas oriented goodies. Not all of them will bring you Christmas cheer (Beware of December 18th!), but they should provide the holiday diversions you need as the big day approaches.

First up, here's a charming blend of two episodes from 'Dragnet' which basically tell the same story, but in different eras of the show:

The repetition of a plotline isn't uncommon in Toobworld, but not so often within the same series as the original. It became a standard in 'Bewitched' once Samantha altered the facial appearance of her husband Darrin; and it was the first sign that homicide captain Amos Burke was suffering from Alzheimer's, when he couldn't remember during the 1990's that he once solved a murder with the exact same M.O. and and a similar suspect with the same motive back in the 1960's.

I don't think mental deterioration would be the cause here. I think Joe Friday, with the heavy caseload he had over the years, must have just forgotten the circumstances. But then again, he was once more dealing with Father Xavier Rojas, the parish priest from that last "case" fourteen years earlier.

Maybe it was now the elder Father Rojas who was beginning to show signs of dementia, and Friday was hoping not to embarrass him by reminding him of what happened in the previous case.

Ho ho ho......

AS SEEN ON TV: BABY HOFF

You think it's wrong? So what?

BCnU!

DOCTORING A THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY

Not too long ago, we lost a great character actor from Great Britain - Graham Crowden. Mr. Crowden was perhaps best known to American audiences as Tom Ballard in the Britcom 'Waiting For God'.

In 1970, he appeared in a 'Callan' episode entitled "A Village Called G". He had a featured role as an unlicensed doctor known only as "The Groper". He was slightly effeminate, and because of the interest he took in one of Callan's male associates, most likely homosexual. As to why he no longer had a medical license, it could have been that he performed abortions before it became legal in Great Britain in 1967. But I think it more likely that with a nickname like "The Groper", it's possible that he was caught sexually molesting patients. (I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess they were young males.)

So without a real name established, we could make any number of wild theories as to his identity. And with those, we could also indulge in a few theories of relateeveety.

But I'll keep it simple and suggest only one - that his last name was Rafferty.

And as such, he may have had a younger brother named Sid.

Sid Rafferty had been a medical officer in the United States army for 23 years before he went into private practice in Los Angeles.

Could it be pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that he was originally of British origin, but lost his accent once he was in the Army?

I could see Sid being the younger brother who idolized his older brother, unsuspecting of his compulsions; he even followed his brother into the medical profession.

But once he discovered his brother's... inclinations... the more conservative Sid decided to put distance between himself and his sibling by joining the United States army as a doctor. Then, once the truth about "The Groper" came out publicly, maybe that's what caused Dr. Sid Rafferty to resign his rank of colonel and leave the Army. (As a series, 'Rafferty' came out in 1977, so the timing between events isn't so distanced as to be impossible to connect.)

It's just a theory of relateeveety, remember. "The Groper" could just as easily be related to any other Patrick McGoohan TV characters, including John Drake/Number Six of 'Danger Man'/'Secret Agent'/'The Prisoner' and Nelson "Curtis" Brenner of 'The Prisoner' and 'Columbo'.

The theory of relateeveety between any characters played by Graham Crowden and Patrick McGoohan was suggested by my very good friend Michael, who believes they have a similarity in appearance. In the interest of full disclosure, I should point out that he offered me a bribe if I agreed.

Which hopefully I'll one day collect.....

BCnU!

FRIDAY NIGHT BLIGHT: THIS WEEK'S TELEFLUVIA

Michael Ausiello reported this on Facebook:
VAMP DIARIES is casting a killer new bloodsucker. Character's name is Klaus. Described as in his late 20s to mid 30s (although he's really, like, 1000), he's devastatingly handsome, charming, intelligent, and quick-witted. He's also the only person who can out-Damon Damon. Strong series regular potential. At the very least recurring. Um, Jason Dohring anyone?!

Um... no. I mean, I like Dohring. I thought he was great in 'Veronica Mars' and in 'Moonlight'. I'll go along with him matching almost all of the description for this vampire named Klaus. But there's no way you can claim that he's "devastatingly handsome".

Besides, it's "been there, done that" I would think for Dohring and vampires. Toobworld Central would just have to make the claim that his character from 'Moonlight' is this same guy.
~
A quick note from fellow Iddiot Brian-El re: the passing of Leslie Nielsen:

"Just realized that Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, and Barbara Billingsley all died this year...hmmm..."
~
In researching the various real-life people from 'Dynasty' that were portrayed in that behind the scenes movie, I discovered that Inner Toob screwed up and ran basically the same "ASOTV" showcase about Joan Collins twice. Once this year and once last year. I hang my head in shame......
~
While in an IM session with my Little Buddy Sean over in Taiwan, we got to talking about 'Fringe'. And Sean said: "Can not wait for the next ep. - in bed with the wrong Olivia" I realized that he came up with a great lyric for a Country Western song!
~
Here's a comment I made about a recent episode of 'Human Target'. I was glad to see that somebody agreed with me!

Toby O'B
I thought the ending had a big flaw - Chicago was a "cleaner", and all of them had seen his face. If you were in that bunch, would you really drink from a bottle he supplied, no matter how tempting the booze inside? Otherwise, a fast-moving and always fun hour.....

RocketDigitalPro
I'm with Toby O'B in that I would never ever consume or even accept a "gift" from him.
~
I'm about four days ahead of schedule in my pre-programmed blog posts. Sadly, that's all due to the passing of Leslie Nielsen. Just posting videos for him took only minutes to set up my video weekend.
~
From an EW interview with Kevin Bacon about his Logitech commercial:

"So I started to talk with the director, this guy Ringan Ledwidge."

Ringan Ledwidge..... Like "Doonesbury" once said about Newt Gingrich - sounds like a creature from "Dune". Or "Star Wars". Or "The Lord Of The Rings". Or.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: KING WILLIAM IV

KING WILLIAM IV

AS SEEN IN:
"Victoria & Albert"

AS PLAYED BY:
Peter Ustinov

From Wikipedia:
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830. William, the third son of George III and younger brother and successor to George IV, was the last king and penultimate monarch of the House of Hanover.

He served in the Royal Navy in his youth and was, both during his reign and afterwards, nicknamed the "Sailor King". He served in North America and the Caribbean, but saw little actual fighting. Since his two older brothers died without leaving legitimate issue, he inherited the throne when he was 64 years old. His reign saw several reforms: the poor law was updated, child labour restricted, slavery abolished in nearly all the British Empire, and the Reform Act 1832 refashioned the British electoral system. Though William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, he was the last monarch to appoint a Prime Minister contrary to the will of Parliament. Through his brother, the Viceroy of Hanover, he granted that kingdom a short-lived liberal constitution.

At his death William had no surviving legitimate children, though he was survived by eight of the ten illegitimate children he had by the actress Dorothea Jordan, with whom he cohabited for 20 years. William was succeeded in the United Kingdom by his niece, Victoria, and in Hanover by his brother, Ernest Augustus.

BCnU!

THE FIRST LADY GAGA

BCnU!

WNU-TOOB: FANTOMAS IN ATLANTIC CITY

While Nucky Thompson was getting ready for a Halloween party in the season finale of 'Boardwalk Empire', his former lover (Margaret Schroeder) came to see him.

Appraising his white tie and tails and the eye mask that he wore, she told Nucky that he looked like "a dapper villain in a Sunday serial."

I think she was referring to one of the greatest villains in all of French fiction - Fantômas.

From Wikipedia:
Fantômas is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914).One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared in a total of 32 volumes written by the two collaborators, then a subsequent 11 volumes written by Allain alone after Souvestre's death. The character was also the basis of various film, television, and comic book adaptations. In the history of crime fiction, he represents a transition from Gothic novel villains of the 19th century to modern-day serial killers.

And because Margaret was referring to Sunday serials, and the first season of the series took place in 1920, I think she had a specific version of Fantômas in mind.

Again, from Wikipedia:
There was a 1920 20-episode American "Fantômas" serial directed by Edward Sedgwick starring Edward Roseman as Fantômas, which bore little resemblance to the French series. In it, Fantômas' nemesis is detective Fred Dixon played by John Willard. It was partially released in France (12 episodes only) under the title "Les Exploits de Diabolos" ("The Exploits of Diabolos").

We don't see every minute of a TV character's life during a show, so it's quite possible that Margaret entertained herself on a Sunday afternoon by going to the movies and seeing these chapters of "Fantômas".

Looking at the poster of what Fantômas looked like, it's easy to see why she made the comparison between the French villain and Nucky in his "costume".

Had this been the end of it, there would have been no Zonk involved as Fantômas would have been a character in books and the movies, two different universes unconnected to the TV Universe for the most part. It might have been something the Wold Newton scholars might have wanted to reconcile if they wanted 'Boardwalk Empire' absorbed into the WNU.

But Toobworld Central will have to do that as well, since eventually there was a televersion of the infamous murderer.....

One last entry from Wikipedia:
A 'Fantômas' series of four 90-minute episodes was produced in 1980 starring Helmut Berger as Fantômas, Jacques Dufilho as Juve and Gayle Hunnicutt as Lady Beltham. Episodes 1 and 4 were directed by Claude Chabrol; episodes 2 and 3 by Luis Buñuel's son, Juan Luis Buñuel. So we have to disable that Zonk since Fantômas and Margaret should share the same world, separated by decades and location.

This is easy to do, because of something mentioned earlier in the Wikipedia article - the "Fantômas" serial made in America in 1920 was said to have little similarity to the original stories and movies, which could be said to be about the real Fantômas. So the serial was a fictionalized version of the real villain's life. Therefore, no Zonk! BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: DANDY DON MEREDITH

DON MEREDITH

AS SEEN IN:
"Monday Night Mayhem"

AS PLAYED BY:
Brad Beyer

From The New York Times:

By DOUGLAS MARTIN and BILL CARTER
Don Meredith, a former star quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys who helped change the perception of professional football with the easy Texas charm and provocative wit he brought to its first prime-time telecasts on Monday nights, died on Sunday in Santa Fe, N.M.

He was 72.

Don Meredith was a Dallas Cowboys quarterback for nine years.

The cause was a brain hemorrhage, his lawyer, Lisa Fine Moses, said.

Turn out the lights, the party's over.....

BCnU.....

BOOKS ON THE TOOB: HARLAN KANE

'Saturday Night Live' introduced a stack-full of new books for the TV Universe - at least in Skitlandia. And they're all by the same man, Harlan Kane.

Here's his bibliography:

The Abacus Conundrum

The Medici Codex

The Perseus Enigma

The Genghis Rubicon

The Godiva Kaleidoscope

The Pokemon Directive

The Vespucci Containment

The Grimmelman Mosaic

The Harlequin Protocol

The Ichabod Formula

The Pinochet Sudoku

The Nostradamus Mechanism

The Marmaduke Betrayal

The Picasso Imbroglio

The Fuddrucker's Ultimatum

Mac For Dummies

I suppose the jumping off point for inspiration in the titles was "The DaVinci Code". But it was a tried and true formula for Robert Ludlum as well, author of "The Bourne Identity". The one time he deviated from that formula, the book didn't do very well - "The Road To Gandolfo".

I could have sworn the name "Harlan Kane" had been used before in a fictional sense; it just has that feel. But a quick Google search shows a college student at Northeastern by that name. I hope he wasn't too stoned when that sketch started. (College kids still get stoned while watching 'Saturday Night Live', don't they? Or am I just projecting my mid-70's sensibilities on this?)

BCnU!

PUTTING METROPOLIS ON THE MAP

One day, I'll meet fellow Wold Newton enthusiasts Robert Wronski, Jr. and Sean Lee Levin, a couple of my FB friends. I came close back in 2008 for a chance to meet WNU torch-bearer Win Scott Eckert when I was visiting Colorado, but I screwed that up. Someday.....

In the meantime, I'm thankful for when any one of them shares something of Wold Newton interest that can also be applied to Toobworld. And recently Robert posted this on Facebook:

In episode 6 of 'The Adventures of Superman', Clark and Jimmy are planning to go watch the Chicago White Sox. In the real world, there is a Metropolis in Illinois, which claims to be the home of Superman. I suppose the writers of this 1950's show believed that claim.

Robert's talking about the episode "Night Of Terror". As Jimmy enters Clark's office:

Clark Kent:
What's on your mind besides the Chicago White Sox?

Jimmy Olsen:
You guessed it!

And Clark agrees to make it a date to go see the game with Jimmy. But I'm not going to delve into that aspect of the conversation.....

Someone online wondered - Doesn't Metropolis have its own baseball team? There are the Metropolitan Monarchs, but that's not established in the main Toobworld, which is all that concerns us here at Toobworld Central. 'Lois & Clark' and 'Smallville' and 'Superboy' are all in different dimensions. The animated versions of Superman can be found in the Tooniverse. And the comic books have their own universe not connected to the TV Universe at all.

The only show that matters is 'The Adventures of Superman', the official version of the Superman mythos for the TV Universe.

So I agree with Robert. If it sounds that easy to go see the Chicago White Sox from Metropolis, and Jimmy is such a huge fan of the team (almost as if they're the hometown favorites), than the televersion of Metropolis must be in Illinois, not far from Chicago.

However, Wikipedia makes the claim that it could be in California based on the location shooting for the TV series and certain landmarks that are seen in various episodes:

The 1950s television series Adventures of Superman is silent on the subject of the city's location, but in general, and in a departure from most other media depictions, Metropolis could be equated to Los Angeles, California. However, nearly every exterior shot depicting Metropolis either contains landmarks readily identifiable as being in Los Angeles (such as the Los Angeles City Hall or the Griffith Observatory).

There's no Zonk in this at all. Those buildings only look like the City Hall and the Griffith Observatory. The copying of architectural structures is a common practice in Toobworld. (One of these days I'll have to do a piece on how many times the same mansion shows up in different episodes of 'Burke's Law'!)

So just because some Metropolis buildings look like L.A. buildings, that doesn't mean the show was set in California.

It just means that some architectural firm got around a bit. Not every architect stays close to home like Mike Brady or - even moreso! - Wilbur Post!

Thanks, Robert!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: THE BEATLES

THE BEATLES

AS SEEN IN:
"Lennon Naked"

AS PLAYED BY:
John - Christopher Eccleston
Paul - Andrew Scott
George - Jack Morgan
Ringo - Craig Cheetham

From Wikipedia:
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. From 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the group later worked in many genres ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. The nature of their enormous popularity, which first emerged as the "Beatlemania" fad, transformed as their songwriting grew in sophistication. The group came to be perceived as the embodiment of progressive ideals, seeing their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.

Moulded into a professional outfit by music store owner Brian Epstein after he offered to act as the group's manager, and with their musical potential enhanced by creativity of producer George Martin, The Beatles achieved mainstream success in the United Kingdom in late 1962 with their first single, "Love Me Do". Gaining international popularity over the course of the next year, they toured extensively until 1966, then retreated to the recording studio until their break-up in 1970. Each then found success in an independent musical career. Lennon was murdered outside his home in New York City in 1980, and Harrison died of cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain active.

During their studio years, The Beatles produced what critics consider some of their finest material including the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), widely regarded as a masterpiece. Four decades after their break-up, The Beatles' music continues to be popular. The Beatles have had more number one albums on the UK charts, and held down the top spot longer, than any other musical act. According to RIAA certifications, they have sold more albums in the United States than any other artist. In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the all-time top-selling Hot 100 artists to celebrate the US singles chart's fiftieth anniversary, with The Beatles at number one. They have been honoured with 7 Grammy Awards, and they have received 15 Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. The Beatles were collectively included in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century's 100 most influential people.

BCnU!

THE UN-BIRTHDAY SONG (ON LEAH & THOMAS' BIRTHDAY)

Today is the birthday for my sister (who's also my first god-daughter) and her son, my nephew Thomas.

But instead of posting something Toobworld oriented here just for them, I thought this would be a nice time to share the joy. So here's a TV/movie/literature mish-mosh mash-up for everybody else who's not celebrating a birthday today!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
LEAH & THOMAS!

BRUCE: ALT. MAN

The Olivia Dunham of the main Toobworld was finally returned from that alternate TV dimension "Over There" in the 'Fringe' episode "Entrada".

The big action sequence took place at the Newark train station known as Penn Station (which also exists in the Trueniverse). But "Over There", it's named "Springsteen Station".

O'Bviously it's named after Bruce Springsteen. But that's not a good thing - especially for The Boss.

They don't just go naming municipal buildings after anybody who strikes their fancy. They're named after Presidents, politicians, war heroes, cops and firemen who fall in the line of duty, and even scientists and inventors who make great advancements to enrich our lives.

They wouldn't go naming it after Bruuuuuce just because they liked "Born To Run".

And usually, the person being so honored with a building named after them is dead.

"Look on the bright side.
We'll all have high schools named after us."
Astronaut Andrea Baker
"Deep Impact"

So.

In order to get a train station named after him "Over There", Bruce Springsteen had to do something of major import for New Jersey, and somehow he then died - perhaps in connection to whatever he did. Maybe Alt-Springsteen took a page from the Schwarzenegger playbook and became governor of New Jersey. Maybe he proved so popular and effective in the position that he entertained notions of running for President.

And perhaps he was assassinated for such aspirations. It could be that The Boss was gunned down simply for being a great and inspirational singer whose music was changing the world on a scale not seen since John Lennon..... And someone couldn't allow that to happen.

But whatever happened, Springsteen must be dead "Over There".

It was my fellow Iddiot Brian Leonard's comment on Facebook that first got me thinking in this direction:

"Loved the Springsteen shoutout on Fringe tonight. Unfortunately, that probably means he's dead in the other universe. Maybe he got ambered while performing at Harvard..."

I kept it closer to home - What if he was sucked into that vortex which opened in the East River back in 1990? Alt-Broyles said that 165 people died that day. Maybe Bruce was one of them. Maybe he was performing on one of those "Blues Cruises" and the ship was pulled in. It would have been a death trap, just not a suicide rap......

(I don't know enough about that East River Vortex, but whenever I hear "vortex", I'm always thinking of it as a corridor to some other destination. 'Deep Space Nine', 'Sliders', the latest "Star Trek" movie..... Right now it's too vague and, even so, too complicated to make theories about it. It still may come into play during a future episode of 'Fringe'.)

When all is said and done with the "Over There" storylines and when 'Fringe' is no longer on the air (hopefully not for a few years yet!), there will be plenty of material about that alternate dimension to fuel the fan fiction.......

[Thanks to Brian Leonard for pointing this out....]

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: CONAN O'BRIEN

Since it's the birthday of my sister and my nephew today, why not feature another "family member" in the "As Seen On TV" showcase.....?

CONAN O'BRIEN

AS SEEN IN:
'Futurama'

AS PLAYED BY:
Himself

CONAN O'BRIEN

AS SEEN ON:
'The Conan O'Brien Show'

AS PLAYED BY:
Himself (technically)

Two for Tuesday!

BCnU!

MAKIN' BACON: BILL & IVAN

I don't know how you could miss it, but that was Kevin Bacon playing the Kevin Bacon fan in the Logitech/Google TV blipvert.

I'm not sure if it actually shows up in the commercial - or where - but apparently that fan's name is Ivan Cobenk. It's an anagram.

I was sorry to learn this, because I was all set to make the claim that he was a TV character from the past:

Bill Haverchuck of 'Freaks & Geeks'.

Bill was about fourteen or fifteen in 1980, which is when the show took place. (It aired in 1999.) So thirty years on, he'd be about 45. This guy looks a bit older, but that could have been due to hard living and tough times for Bill since we last saw him on our TV screens. And maybe we could also have pushed the claim that the wife he mentions could have been the former Vicky Appleby, the cheerleader who made out with Bill in the "Seven Minutes Of Heaven" closet.

But since we now know this geek's name is Ivan Cobenk, all is not lost. We can still make the claim that Bill and Ivan are cousins, related in some way at least, with Ivan being a few years older than Bill.....

Actually, it could also be that they are brothers. We never did learn who Bill Haverchuck's father really was, or even if his name actually was Haverchuck.

Could it be pozz'ble, just pozz'ble, that Bill Haverchuck's dad was Ivan Cobenk's dad as well?

BCnU!

As I sometimes do, I'm dedicating this post to a friend - Amy Lee O'Connell, a big supporter of 'Freaks and Geeks'........

BACON BITS

A commenter at YouTube found the following bits o' trivia connected to Kevin Bacon within this fan's collection:

Yes there is a Grabboid on the lawn but don't miss the truck which is also from Tremors. It is complete with hat on the hood and Grabboid tongue around the axle. In the opening shot the boombox from Footloose is on the counter. At 0:03 there is a model of the green tractor from Footloose. At 0:25 there is a Friday the 13th poster in the background. At 0:37 there is a model of the Apollo landing craft on the coffee table. BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: CATHERINE OXENBERG

CATHERINE OXENBERG

AS SEEN IN:
"Dynasty: The Making Of A Guilty Pleasure"

AS PLAYED BY:
Rachael Taylor

From Wikipedia:
Catherine Oxenberg (born September 22, 1961, New York City) is an American actress known for her performance as Amanda Carrington on the 1980s American prime time soap opera 'Dynasty'. The daughter of HRH Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia, Oxenberg is a descendant of the Serbian Karadordevic dynasty and a distant heir to the British throne.

Oxenberg made her acting debut in the 1982 made-for-television film "The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana", in which she played Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1984 Oxenberg joined the hit ABC prime time soap opera 'Dynasty' — then at its height of popularity— in the role of Amanda Carrington, the second daughter of Blake Carrington (John Forsythe) and Alexis Colby (Joan Collins). Oxenberg was the guest host on the NBC late-night sketch comedy series 'Saturday Night Live' on May 10, 1986. She left 'Dynasty' in 1986 and the role was recast.

Oxenberg starred as Princess Elysa in the 1987 television film "Roman Holiday". She also appeared in "The Lair of the White Worm" in 1988, and reprised the role of Diana, Princess of Wales in the TV film "Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After" in 1992. From 1993 to 1994 she starred in the short-lived series 'Acapulco H.E.A.T.'.

Oxenberg was portrayed by Rachael Taylor in the 2005 telemovie "Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure", a fictionalized retelling of the behind the scenes goings-on during the production of 'Dynasty'. In 2006, Oxenberg appeared in the TV special, "Dynasty Reunion: Catfights & Caviar", in which she reunited with her former 'Dynasty' castmates to reminisce about the series.

BCnU!

ONE LAST TRIBUTE

Here's one last tribute to Leslie Nielsen. Not to any of his characters, but to the man himself. That sense of humor he was finally allowed to show us onscreen was always there in his own personality....

In his tribute to Leslie Nielsen, Tom Shales closed with this: "He had a good time giving a good time. Life may not get better than that." And I think this video proved that point....

As Red Skelton would have said, Good night and may God bless, Mr. Nielsen.
BCnU.....

LESLIE NIELSEN GOES DUTCH

LESLIE & BETTY TRIP THE LIGHT FANTASTIC

From "Chance Of A Lifetime", a 1991 TV movie.....

I hope Dorothy doesn't catch them.....

BCnU!

LESLIE NIELSEN - THE MUSIC VIDEO

Even though Inner Toob celebrates the Toobworld Dynamic and the world of TV, most of the clips in this music video are from his movies.

But I found the song catchy and the clip sequence worked well with it......

BCnU!

LESLIE NIELSEN IN "THE BOLD ONES"

Remembering Leslie Nielsen......

His best known TV character went on to movie super-stardom - Lt. Frank Drebin of 'Police Squad' and the "Naked Gun" franchise.

But before his appearance in "Airplane!", Nielsen was primarily known for his stolid supporting roles in many TV shows as lawyers, detectives, businessmen - some of them decent men, others were villains.

One of his regular TV roles was as Deputy Police Chief Sam Danforth in 'The Protectors', one of the series that alternated under the umbrella title of 'The Bold Ones'. Danforth shows a few touches of comedy in this scene from 'The Protectors', but he is nowhere close in comparison to Frank Drebin......

BCnU!

VIDEO WEEKEND HEADS "DUE SOUTH"

Leslie Nielsen was Canadian, born of a Welsh mother and a Danish father who was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I doubt that was a factor when he played a senior Mountie Officer in an episode of 'Due South' however, since Ingvard Nielsen used to beat his wife and children severely. I doubt he'd do the role to honor his father.....

Here's a couple of scenes from that 'Due South' episode which suggests that Lt. Frank Drebin may have had family ties north of the border.....

[Thanks to fellow "Iddiot" Richard Gordon for pointing out that first clip.....]

BCnU!

THE "POLICE SQUAD" PILOT (IN COLOR)

Leslie Nielsen will always be remembered for his comic turns in "Airplane!" and as Lt. Frank Drebin in the quickly cancelled 'Police Squad' TV series and the more successful "Naked Gun" movies, the film franchise following that TV show. That combination veered his career into comedy immortality.

To see how whacked this man could be, who was better known a solid succession of somewhat dull supporting roles before 1980, here's the first episode of 'Police Squad'.......

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

Tele-trivia tidbit: the episode's guest star, Lorne Greene, was Canadian like Nielsen and in fact was Nielsen's acting coach back in the Great White North.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: SOPHIE TUCKER

This will be the only post this weekend which is not connected to Leslie Nielsen. But since tonight marks the season finale of 'Boardwalk Empire', I just had to turn the spotlight on one last historical figure who showed up in the series.

Besides, I think her saucy delivery would fit in well with Leslie Nielsen's sense of humor.....

SOPHIE TUCKER

AS SEEN IN:
'Boardwalk Empire'

AS PLAYED BY:
Kathy Brier

From Wikipedia:
Sophie Tucker (13 January 1886 – 9 February 1966) was a Russian/Ukrainian-born American singer and actress. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risque songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first two-thirds of the 20th century. She was widely known by the nickname "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas."

In 1921, Tucker hired pianist and songwriter Ted Shapiro as her accompanist and musical director, a position he would keep throughout her career. Besides writing a number of songs for Tucker, Shapiro became part of her stage act, playing piano on stage while she sang, and exchanging banter and wisecracks with her in between numbers. Tucker remained a popular singer through the 1920s, and hired stars such as Mamie Smith and Ethel Waters to give her lessons.

BCnU!