Saturday, January 7, 2012

DROPPIN' THE F-BOMB

As far as I'm concerned, "Fox News" is a term that should be considered an F-bomb......

RUMPELSTILTSCREENED
















RUMPELSTILTSKIN: THE ORIGINAL STORY


Here, now, the tale of:

RUMPELSTILTSKIN

(Collected by The Brothers Grimm)

By the side of a wood, in a country a long way off, ran a fine stream of water; and upon the stream there stood a mill. The miller's house was close by, and the miller, you must know, had a very beautiful daughter. She was, moreover, very shrewd and clever; and the miller was so proud of her, that he one day told the king of the land, who used to come and hunt in the wood, that his daughter could spin gold out of straw. Now this king was very fond of money; and when he heard the miller's boast his greediness was raised, and he sent for the girl to be brought before him. Then he led her to a chamber in his palace where there was a great heap of straw, and gave her a spinning-wheel, and said, 'All this must be spun into gold before morning, as you love your life.' It was in vain that the poor maiden said that it was only a silly boast of her father, for that she could do no such thing as spin straw into gold: the chamber door was locked, and she was left alone.

She sat down in one corner of the room, and began to bewail her hard fate; when on a sudden the door opened, and a droll-looking little man hobbled in, and said, 'Good morrow to you, my good lass; what are you weeping for?' 'Alas!' said she, 'I must spin this straw into gold, and I know not how.' 'What will you give me,' said the hobgoblin, 'to do it for you?' 'My necklace,' replied the maiden. He took her at her word, and sat himself down to the wheel, and whistled and sang:

'Round about, round about,
Lo and behold!
Reel away, reel away,
Straw into gold!'

And round about the wheel went merrily; the work was quickly done, and the straw was all spun into gold.

When the king came and saw this, he was greatly astonished and pleased; but his heart grew still more greedy of gain, and he shut up the poor miller's daughter again with a fresh task. Then she knew not what to do, and sat down once more to weep; but the dwarf soon opened the door, and said, 'What will you give me to do your task?' 'The ring on my finger,' said she. So her little friend took the ring, and began to work at the wheel again, and whistled and sang:

'Round about, round about,
Lo and behold!
Reel away, reel away,
Straw into gold!'

till, long before morning, all was done again.

The king was greatly delighted to see all this glittering treasure; but still he had not enough: so he took the miller's daughter to a yet larger heap, and said, 'All this must be spun tonight; and if it is, you shall be my queen.' As soon as she was alone that dwarf came in, and said, 'What will you give me to spin gold for you this third time?' 'I have nothing left,' said she.

'Then say you will give me,' said the little man, 'the first little child that you may have when you are queen.' 'That may never be,' thought the miller's daughter: and as she knew no other way to get her task done, she said she would do what he asked. Round went the wheel again to the old song, and the manikin once more spun the heap into gold. The king came in the morning, and, finding all he wanted, was forced to keep his word; so he married the miller's daughter, and she really became queen.

At the birth of her first little child she was very glad, and forgot the dwarf, and what she had said. But one day he came into her room, where she was sitting playing with her baby, and put her in mind of it. Then she grieved sorely at her misfortune, and said she would give him all the wealth of the kingdom if he would let her off, but in vain; till at last her tears softened him, and he said, 'I will give you three days' grace, and if during that time you tell me my name, you shall keep your child.'

Now the queen lay awake all night, thinking of all the odd names that she had ever heard; and she sent messengers all over the land to find out new ones. The next day the little man came, and she began with TIMOTHY, ICHABOD, BENJAMIN, JEREMIAH, and all the names she could remember; but to all and each of them he said, 'Madam, that is not my name.'

The second day she began with all the comical names she could hear of, BANDY-LEGS, HUNCHBACK, CROOK-SHANKS, and so on; but the little gentleman still said to every one of them, 'Madam, that is not my name.'

The third day one of the messengers came back, and said, 'I have travelled two days without hearing of any other names; but yesterday, as I was climbing a high hill, among the trees of the forest where the fox and the hare bid each other good night, I saw a little hut; and before the hut burnt a fire; and round about the fire a funny little dwarf was dancing upon one leg, and singing:

'"Merrily the feast I'll make.
Today I'll brew, tomorrow bake;
Merrily I'll dance and sing,
For next day will a stranger bring.
Little does my lady dream
Rumpelstiltskin is my name!"'


When the queen heard this she jumped for joy, and as soon as her little friend came she sat down upon her throne, and called all her court round to enjoy the fun; and the nurse stood by her side with the baby in her arms, as if it was quite ready to be given up. Then the little man began to chuckle at the thought of having the poor child, to take home with him to his hut in the woods; and he cried out, 'Now, lady, what is my name?' 'Is it JOHN?' asked she. 'No, madam!' 'Is it TOM?' 'No, madam!' 'Is it JEMMY?' 'It is not.' 'Can your name be RUMPELSTILTSKIN?' said the lady slyly.

'Some witch told you that!—some witch told you that!' cried the little man, and dashed his right foot in a rage so deep into the floor, that he was forced to lay hold of it with both hands to pull it out.

Then he made the best of his way off, while the nurse laughed and the baby crowed; and all the court jeered at him for having had so much trouble for nothing, and said, 'We wish you a very good morning, and a merry feast, Mr RUMPLESTILTSKIN!'

Maktoob!


AS SEEN ON TV: RUMPELSTILTSKIN

RUMPELSTILTSKIN

AS SEEN IN:
'Once Upon A Time'

AS PLAYED BY:
Robert Carlyle

TV DIMENSION:
TBD

STATUS:
Recastaway

SOURCE:
"Children's And Household Tales"

ADAPTED BY:
The Brothers Grimm

From Wikipedia:
Rumpelstiltskin is the eponymous character and antagonist of a fairy tale which originated in Germany (where he is known as Rumpelstilzchen). The tale was collected by the Brothers Grimm, who first published it in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales. It was subsequently revised in later editions.

Rumpelstiltskin is one of the characters in the TV show 'Once Upon a Time' from ABC, where he is the pawn-shop owner Mr. Gold in the town of Storybrooke, Maine, where fairy tales characters are trapped with no memory of their true selves. He is played by Robert Carlyle.

Flashbacks to the fairy tale realm that the characters came from regularly reveal that Rumpelstiltskin plays a role in the backstories of nearly every major fairy tale character, serving as a Faustian figure who constantly enacts costly deals with the characters that they think are to their advantage.

Examples of his actions include playing the role of Cinderlla's fairy godmother (whom he had killed, claiming that she was to enact a horrible price from Ella for her magic night. He later demands her firstborn child as repayment.), arranging for the secret adoption of Prince Charming and his twin brother by the king (the first brother was raised as a prince and died in combat. Unable to admit this to King Midas, the king traded the location of Cinderella's fairy godmother to arrange for the other twin to step into the prince's shoes.), tricking Jiminy Cricket into turning Gepeto's parents into dolls, and giving the evil queen the curse that sends everyone to the real world (at the price of forcing her to accede to any demand he makes of her if he says 'please' while the curse is in effect.). The series's pilot episode reveals that he is considered to be one of the most dangerous beings in the realm.

Maktoob!

Friday, January 6, 2012

REALI-TV CHECK: "STARSKY AND/& HUTCH"


TV.com is like a wiki in that anybody can contribute to it, so you can't be too sure if it's always factual.

While working on another post for next week, I found this:

'ER'
"A Saint In The City"

Goof:
David, the young boy who was thought to be abused, tells Weaver that he and his dad would watch Starsky & Hutch on Nick at Nite, when in actuality that particular show has never aired on Nick at Nite.

I'm not sure this can be called a goof. So many people often confuse what happens on their TV screens as being in the real world. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they know the characters are fictional, but they expect them to be living in the same world as they do and that it operates like the world they live in.

But it's not the same world; it's Toobworld. And there will be differences: Lucy and Ricky Ricardo's street address would be in the middle of the East River if it actually existed. ('I Love Lucy') There are deviations to the subway lines, going places where they were never meant to go. ('Clubhouse') And have you seen what a TV subway car interior looks like in shows not made in NYC? ('Seinfeld', 'The Odd Couple')

In this case, the Nick At Nite of Toobworld probably did show "Starsky & Hutch", but not 'Starsky And Hutch'. By that I mean the cable network showed the movie based on the lives of those two Los Angeles detectives (who also appeared as themselves in the Toobworld version of the film.  See above......)

And before you go checking the IMDb (another trustworthy source!), the Toobworld version of the movie opened years before it did in the real world.

BCnU!


AS SEEN ON TV: SHERLOCK HOLMES

Students of Sherlockiana have long held that January 6 marks the birthday of Sherlock Holmes. And that is why he is today's feature for the "As Seen On TV" showcase.
SHERLOCK HOLMES

AS SEEN IN:
"The Sherlock Holmes Collection"

AS PLAYED BY:
Jeremy Brett

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

STATUS:
Recastaway

SOURCE MATERIAL:
"The Blue Carbuncle" (picture)
&
"The Valley Of Fear" (text)

WRITTEN BY:
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

From The New York Times "City Room":
Another argument for January 6 was made by William S. Baring-Gould, who produced the first annotated Sherlock Holmes collection. He and others have argued that “The Valley Of Fear,” the final Sherlock Holmes novel, starts on Jan. 7.

Mr. Holmes seems to be a little cranky at the beginning of the story and snaps at Dr. John H. Watson. But why would he be in a bad mood? Because of a hangover. Why would he have a hangover? He must have been celebrating the night before. What could he have been celebrating? Certainly it was his birthday.

From "The Valley Of Fear":
"I am inclined to think--" said I.

"I should do so," Sherlock Holmes remarked impatiently.

I believe that I am one of the most long-suffering of mortals; but I'll admit that I was annoyed at the sardonic interruption.

"Really, Holmes," said I severely, "you are a little trying at times."

He leaned upon his hand, with his untasted breakfast before him, and he stared at the slip of paper which he had just drawn from its envelope. Then he took the envelope itself, held it up to the light, and very carefully studied both the exterior and the flap.

"We pay the price, Watson, for being too up-to-date!" he cried. "We are before our time, and suffer the usual penalties. Being the seventh of January, we have very properly laid in the new almanac."
So we know it's January Seventh; we see that he has not eaten his breakfast; and he has to hold his head up while in a snippy mood.

Yeah, I'd say he's hung over.....

The game is afoot!

Maktoob!


Thursday, January 5, 2012

SON OF "INTERNATIONAL CROSSING"


My British blogging buddy, Rob Buckley, has clued me in to news from one of his French blogging buddies, Thierry Attard.  Here are the links:

Back in 2008, I covered the first crossover between the U.K.'s 'The Bill' and the German crime show 'SOKO Liepzig' in the post "Inernational Crossing". And as it was today, that news tip was supplied by Medium Rob. Thanks, Buddy!

BCnU!

TVXOHOF NEWS: THE PENGUIN


In December of 2005, Batman's arch-foe The Penguin was inducted into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame, having met the minimum requirement of three separate appearances:

1]
'Batman' - the series

2]
'Batman' - the 1966 movie
(This film has been "officially" absorbed out of the Cineverse and into the TV Universe.)

3]
A cameo in 'The Monkees'

It could be that The Penguin may get inducted into the TVXOHOF again, because of his Toonverse doppelganger. Already the villain was seen in 'The New Adventures Of Batman' and in a guest appearance in "The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair", a Scooby-Doo "movie".

This past year, The Penguin showed up again - this time as one of Wayne's foes in a flashback on 'The Simpsons'.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: GOLLUM

Unlike two years ago, we didn't get around to celebrating J.R.R. Tolkien's birthday on the day, January 3rd. And here he would have been 120 years old, to boot.

So here's a belated tip of the hat with the ASOTV showcase:



GOLLUM
(aka Smeagol)

AS SEEN ON:
'Saturday Night Live'

AS PLAYED BY:
Chris Kattan

TV DIMENSION:
Skitlandia
(Gollum can also be found in the Tooniverse.)

SOURCE MATERIAL:
"The Hobbit"
&
"The Lord Of The Rings"

WRITTEN BY:
J.R.R. Tolkien
From Wikipedia:
Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's children's fantasy novel "The Hobbit", and became an important supporting character in its sequel, "The Lord of the Rings".

Gollum was a Stoor Hobbit of the River-folk, who lived near the Gladden Fields. Originally known as Sméagol, he was later named Gollum after his habit of making "a horrible swallowing noise in his throat". Gollum was once a hobbit who became corrupted by the One Ring. His life was extended far beyond its natural limits by the effects of possessing the Ring, which he frequently referred to as "my precious" and "my birthday present". After having it stolen by Bilbo Baggins, Gollum slavishly pursued it for the rest of his life.

During his centuries under the Ring's influence, Gollum came to love and hate the Ring, just as he loved and hated himself. Throughout the story, Gollum is seen communing with his ego, torn between his lust for the Ring and his desire to be free of it.

From "The Return Of The King":
For that moment a change, which lasted for some time, came over him. He spoke with less hissing and whining, and he spoke to his companions direct, not to his precious self. He would cringe and flinch, if they stepped near him or made any sudden movement, and he avoided the touch of their elven-cloaks; but he was friendly, and indeed pitifully anxious to please. He would cackle with laughter and caper if any jest was made, or even if Frodo spoke kindly to him, and weep if Frodo rebuked him.
From a letter dated December 12, 1963 Professor Tolkien is quoted: "Gollum should not be made a monster as he is by practically all other illustrators in disregard of the text."
Here is Tolkien's own idea of what Gollum should look like:
He should be a slimy little creature not larger than Bilbo: thin, with a large head for his size; large, protuberant eyes; a long, skinny neck; and thin, lank hair. His skin was white, and evidently he wore black garments. (He was never naked.) his hands were long and his feet were webby, with prehensile toes.

BCnU, my Precious.......

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

TDVDS-50: THE TIME LORD AND THE PRIME-TIME WRITER


On New Year's Day, the focus of this blog was all 'Doctor Who' - 25 posts, one every hour, midnight to midnight. It was my 3rd annual "Who's On First" marathon and I hope you got the chance to give a look-see-view.


Back in October, I did a similar marathon, this time for 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' in celebration of its fiftieth anniversary. It was a lot of fun to do, but I don't think I could make it an annual affair. First off, it would kill me. Eventually the "Who's On First" marathon will probably kill me as well, but 'Doctor Who' is still going strong (heading to its own fiftieth anniversary next year!), with quite an archive of trivia from which I can spin my wild theories.

But I am going to write about 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' once a month until October, to keep the fiftieth anniversary celebration going throughout the year.

As I worked on setting up the "Who's On First" project, I remembered that I needed to get a topic ready for the January entry about Rob Petrie and Friends. And it made me wonder if I could find a link between 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' and 'Doctor Who'.

'Doctor Who' can almost re-invent itself with each episode because of its premise, and as such I've been able to find connections to many other TV shows for it.

But 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'?

As the super-computer Deep Though would muse: "Tricky......."

It's not like I couldn't find any connection to science fiction for the sitcom. Leaving aside the episodes "Uhny Uftz" and "It May Look Like A Walnut" which both had more rational splainins, I turned to sci-fi during the October marathon to splain away one of the three men who played Rob Petrie's father over the course of the series. (I made the claim that Sam Petrie as played by J. Pat O'Malley was actually "The Fugitive" he played in an episode of 'The Twilight Zone'.)

There haven't been too many 'Doctor Who' episodes about television - the First Doctor and his companions watched the Beatles at one point; the Tenth Doctor battled The Wire to prevent her from taking over the world through the telecast of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation; and the Eleventh Doctor used the broadcast of the 1969 Moon landing to stop the threat of the Silence.

I wanted to find some way to connect Buddy Sorrell (my favorite character from the show, and an "inspiration" in my way of life) to my favorite of the Doctors - Patrick Troughton as the Second Incarnation. Or maybe to the Seventh, who could suggest Buddy with a grimace.

But that would probably have meant fanfic and I skate too closely to that controversial format as it is.

While doing my laundry this morning, I found a bit o' trivia that should serve, that falls into the area of "Six Degrees Of Separation" but without Kevin Bacon. (And considering we're dealing with a Time Lord and a writer, without Sir Francis Bacon as well!)

I'm going to claim "The Masterpiece" as the link to 'Doctor Who'.
While at an auction to get some suggestions for a comedy bit for Alan Brady (perhaps playing a funny auctioneer), Rob and his co-writers Buddy and Sally accidentally - and successfully! - bid on a clown painting by an artist known only as "Artanis". The auctioneer was unfamiliar with the man's work, but he knew the frame was least worth about fifty bucks.

Once he got it home, Rob discovered that there was another painting and he uncovered that by using turpentine on the cover painting until he uncovered a facsimile of Grant Wood's masterpiece "American Gothic" - only this time the couple in the painting were smiling.

An art expert examined the piece and declared it a piece of rubbish painted by Nathaniel Goode, who kidded around too much with what basically were forgeries. The expert, Mr. Holdecker, also informs Rob that by uncovering the not-so-good Goode painting, he had ruined the real piece of art - that clown painting by Artanis was actually painted by Frank Sinatra! And as such, could have fetched Rob a pretty penny.

Here's what the TARDIS wiki has to say about Ol' Blue Eyes:

Frank Sinatra was an American singer and actor in the 20th century. The Doctor was on close personal terms with him, using a cabin owned by Sinatra to hold a party with Albert Einstein and Father Christmas. In 1952, the Eleventh Doctor and Sinatra were both present at a Hollywood party where they performed a duet. (DW: A Christmas Carol)
“Me and Father Christmas, Frank Sinatra’s hunting lodge, 1952.”

So there's the connection - the Doctor personally knew Frank Sinatra and even spent some time in 1952 at Sinatra's hunting lodge with Albert Einstein and Father Christmas. 
Meanwhile Rob Petrie owned - and ruined! - a painting by the crooner. (Over the course of his career, although not seen on screen, I'll bet Rob got to meet Sinatra - maybe he guest-starred once on 'The Alan Brady Show'?)

Yes, it is a tenuous connection. But it's better than what I previously came up with, also from the episode "The Masterpiece".......
Remember that "thing" Laura bought at the auction for thirty dollars? ("Eine Zackh" as the art expert called it.) I was going to claim that it was part of the TARDIS itself, probably from back when it had a different design while under the control of the Eighth Incarnation of the Doctor.....
We saw in the latest Christmas special that the Doctor had taken some parts of the TARDIS out to fix them, and the Third Incarnation took out the console to fix it during "The Inferno". Maybe the Eighth Doctor did the same, but this part failed to make it back in. Like the Doctor said in the episode "Day Of The Moon": "There's always a bit left over!"

But like I said, that's more of a stretch than Stretch Petrie........

BCnU!

A VERY big thanks go out to Tay Mueller for the incredible picture that graces the top of this page.  With my request on such short notice, she came through with a beauty.  And not only this one, but two more as well!  Bless you, Tay!

AS SEEN ON TV: GEORGE SMILEY

A new version of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" by John Le Carré is now playing in theaters with Gary Oldman doing a marvelous job as George Smiley. But when it comes to adaptations of the books which feature the greatest character ever created by Le Carré, nothing compares to the televersions....
GEORGE SMILEY

AS SEEN IN:
'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'
&
'Smiley's People'

AS PLAYED BY:
Sir Alec Guinness

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

SOURCE MATERIAL:
"Call For The Dead"

"A Murder Of Quality"

"The Spy Who Came In From The Cold"

"The Looking Glass War"

"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

"The Honourable Schoolboy"

"Smiley's People"

"The Secret Pilgrim"

WRITTEN BY:
John Le Carré

From Wikiepedia:
George Smiley is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is an intelligence officer working for MI6 (often referred to as "the Circus" in the novels and films), the British overseas intelligence agency. He is a central character in the novels "Call for the Dead"; "A Murder of Quality"; "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"; "The Honourable Schoolboy"; and "Smiley's People", and a minor character in a number of others, including le Carré's breakthrough novel "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold", "The Looking Glass War" and "The Secret Pilgrim".

In September or October 1973, the events of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" take place, with Smiley successfully managing to expose the long-term Soviet agent, or "mole", codenamed "Gerald". The investigation revealed that Gerald, who was actually a senior member of the anti-Control faction that had taken over the Service the previous year, had passed an enormous quantity of high-grade intelligence to the USSR. At the end of this case Smiley became interim Chief of the Service in late November 1974 to clean up the resultant mess, rebuilding the organization's headquarters staff by use of trusted old-timers like Guillam, Doc di Salis, and Connie Sachs.


In 1975 or 1976, after the conclusion of "Operation Dolphin", which was described at length in "The Honourable Schoolboy", Smiley retired again from the Service. In "Smiley's People" he was brought back in late 1977 to investigate the death of an elderly Estonian general, nationalist activist, and erstwhile MI6 agent. A convoluted trail led Smiley to discover a human weakness in his nemesis Karla, whom he persuaded to defect to the West in Berlin in December 1977. This triumph is the highlight of his career.


Smiley was absent in the three Le Carré novels of the 1980s. He re-surfaced for a final time in 1990 when he appeared in "The Secret Pilgrim" chairing the "Fishing Rights Committee," a body set up to explore possible areas of cooperation between British and Russian intelligence services. Though he does not actually appear in 1989's "The Russia House", that novel is connected to certain aspects of Smiley's timeline via Ned, who is also a major player in "The Secret Pilgrim".


Le Carré introduced Smiley at about the same time as Len Deighton's unnamed anti-hero (Harry Palmer in the movie versions). This was a time when the critics and the public were welcoming more realistic versions of espionage fiction, in contrast to the glamorous world of Ian Fleming's James Bond.

Smiley is sometimes considered the anti-Bond in the sense that Bond is an unrealistic figure and is more a portrayal of a male fantasy than a realistic government agent. George Smiley, on the other hand, is quiet, mild-mannered and middle-aged. He lives by his wits and, unlike Bond, is a master of bureaucratic maneuvering rather than gunplay. Also unlike Bond he is not a bed-hopper; in fact it is Smiley's wife Ann who is notorious for her affairs.


When "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" was published, the reviewer of the Spectator described Smiley as a "brilliant spy and totally inadequate man".

Smiley is depicted as an exceptionally skilled spymaster, gifted with a prodigious memory. A student of espionage with a profound insight into the weaknesses and fallibilities of humans, highly sagacious and incredibly perceptive, he is very conscious of the immoral, grisly and unethical aspects of his profession.


In March 2010, while giving a talk on his life and works at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, Le Carré responded to a question concerning what became of Smiley by telling the audience that although he would like to think of Smiley as a Sherlock Holmesian figure, never having really retired, he acknowledged that to his mind, the character would now be "very old and getting past - certainly in his nineties". This accords with the later chronology. Le Carré envisaged Smiley now to be "keeping bees somewhere", still alive but very much retired.


From "Call For The Dead":
They had brought him in during the war, the professional civil servant from an orthodox department, a man to handle paper and integrate the brilliance of his staff with the cumbersome machine of bureaucracy. It comforted the Great to deal with a man they knew, a man who could reduce any colour to grey, who knew his masters and could walk among them. And he did it so well. They liked his diffidence when he apologized for the company he kept, his insincerity when he defended the vagaries of his subordinates, his flexibility when formulating new commitments. Nor did he let go the advantages of a cloak and dagger man malgré lui, wearing the cloak for his masters and preserving the dagger for his servants. Ostensibly, his position was an odd one. He was not the nominal Head of Service, but the Ministers' Adviser on Intelligence, and Steed-Asprey had described him for all time as the Head Eunuch.

This was a new world for Smiley: the brilliantly lit ­corridors, the smart young men. He felt pedestrian and old-fashioned, homesick for the dilapidated terrace house in Knightsbridge where it had all begun. His appearance seemed to reflect this discomfort in a kind of physical recession which made him more hunched and frog-like than ever. He blinked more, and acquired the nickname of 'Mole'. But his débutante secretary adored him, and referred to him invariably as 'My darling teddy-bear'.

Smiley was now too old to go abroad. Maston had made that clear: 'Anyway, my dear fellow, as like as not you're blown after all the ferreting about in the war. Better stick at home, old man, and keep the home fires burning.'


Maktoob!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

PROGRAMMING NOTE: THE "ASOTV" SHOWCASE

Hopefully you've noticed that the "As Seen On TV" feature here at Inner Toob underwent a major shift on the first day of January. Instead of showing how famous people of the Trueniverse - historical figures, newsmakers, and celebrities - are depicted on television, the spotlight will now be on literary figures who have been adapted for the medium.

I've always held that television can be a teaching tool, and who knows? Maybe seeing these daily spotlights on the visitors from the realm of the printed word might at least intrigue a visitor to the blog enough to at least seek out the adaptation, if not read the original source material as well.

As an old PSA put it: "Reading is FUN-damental!"

These characters will be coming from novels, novellas, short stories, plays (as was Cyrano on the Second), and even graphic novels - at least for the week of Halloween. Most of them should be coming from classic works, for which the Project Gutenberg site will come in most handy for a selection from the original source to describe that particular character.

Otherwise, I'll have to depend on Wikipedia and other encyclopedic sources for the required information on characters whose source materials are still under copyright and thus not available online. (I lucked out with tomorrow's entry, thanks to an archived article at the website for the Guardian newspaper.)

Television is a great maw, taking in its inspiration from all sources.  Adaptations have been around since at least 1938, when a version of "Cyrano de Bergerac" was presented on British television. So there should be plenty of characters to last through the year and we'll even be able to re-instate the "Two For Tuesday" segment as well! (Today's focus on Miss Havisham kicks off that aspect.)

I hope you enjoy this revision for the new year and we'll see how it goes as the year progresses. I get the feeling that I may not have enough Western characters to last out the full month of August, or even the first week for that matter. (All that comes to mind right now is Owen Wister's "The Virginian"; and I suppose I could cheat a little with a book that Roy Huggins was forced to use when creating his most famous character - so that he couldn't claim the monetary rights of being the creator.)

At the very least it's like rotating crops - by switching over to this new format, hopefully that will give Toobworld Central time to find enough real people as seen on TV to run the feature on a daily basis next year. And if not?  Bleep! We can probably continue with this format for another 365 days!

Thanks for tuning in!

GEEKSCAPE WEIGHS IN ON "DOCTOR WHO"

Well, I've overdosed on writing about my favorite Time Lord after New Year's Day, so luckily there are others out there willing to pick up the non-Olympic torch and tip their fez to the Doctor.....
Geekscape's resident Whovian has chosen the best moments of 'Doctor Who' from 2011. But with a caveat - not all of them were on your TV screen....


BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: MISS HAVISHAM

MISS HAVISHAM

AS SEEN IN:
"Great Expectations"

AS PLAYED BY:
Joan Hickson

TV DIMENSION:
TBD

STATUS:
Recastaway

 
MISS HAVISHAM

AS PLAYED BY:
Gillian Anderson

TV DIMENSION:
Parallel Earth

STATUS:
Recastaway

SOURCE MATERIAL:
"Great Expectations"

WRITTEN BY:
Charles Dickens

From Wikipedia:
Miss Havisham is a significant character in the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations (1861). She is a wealthy spinster, who lives in her ruined mansion with her adopted daughter, Estella, whom she has sent to France, while she herself is described as looking like "the witch of the place."

Although she has often been portrayed in film versions as very elderly, Dickens's own notes indicate that she is only in her mid-fifties. However, it is also indicated that her long life away from the sunlight has in itself aged her, and she is said to look like a cross between a waxwork and a skeleton, with moving eyes.


From the source material:
I had heard of Miss Havisham up town,—everybody for miles round had heard of Miss Havisham up town,—as an immensely rich and grim lady who lived in a large and dismal house barricaded against robbers, and who led a life of seclusion.
~~~
In an arm-chair, with an elbow resting on the table and her head leaning on that hand, sat the strangest lady I have ever seen, or shall ever see.

She was dressed in rich materials,—satins, and lace, and silks,—all of white. Her shoes were white. And she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. Some bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the table. Dresses, less splendid than the dress she wore, and half-packed trunks, were scattered about. She had not quite finished dressing, for she had but one shoe on,—the other was on the table near her hand,—her veil was but half arranged, her watch and chain were not put on, and some lace for her bosom lay with those trinkets, and with her handkerchief, and gloves, and some flowers, and a Prayer-Book all confusedly heaped about the looking-glass.

It was not in the first few moments that I saw all these things, though I saw more of them in the first moments than might be supposed. But I saw that everything within my view which ought to be white, had been white long ago, and had lost its lustre and was faded and yellow. I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness left but the brightness of her sunken eyes. I saw that the dress had been put upon the rounded figure of a young woman, and that the figure upon which it now hung loose had shrunk to skin and bone. Once, I had been taken to see some ghastly waxwork at the Fair, representing I know not what impossible personage lying in state. Once, I had been taken to one of our old marsh churches to see a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress that had been dug out of a vault under the church pavement. Now, waxwork and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me. I should have cried out, if I could.

As far as Toobworld Central is concerned, Dickens didn't create the character; he chronicled her actual life in Toobworld. That's why they both exist in Earth Prime-Time.

Since Inner Toob is following that old PSA adage - "Reading Is Fundamental" and dedicating the "As Seen On TV" showcase to literary characters adapted for television, we'll have more than enough characters to reactivate the "Two For Tuesday" feature all through the year....

Maktoob!

Monday, January 2, 2012

THE HAT SQUAD: TOOBWORLD, 2011


These are the people who passed away in 2011 who made an impact on the TV Universe in some way. I may have missed quite a few, especially from outside the United States, so I apologize for those I've left out. (But if you don't find someone listed here, please let me know and I'll add them in.)

I couldn't have done this alone; it would never have been possible had it not been for the information I would glean from my blogmates Bill Crider and Ivan G. Schreve, and from the Boot Hill blog, which was instrumental in adding many of the foreign entries.
Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll kindly doff your caps....

ACTORS
Yvette Vickers ('Dragnet', 'Switch', 'The Rebel', died in 2010 - but body found at least a year later in April 2011)
Per Oscarsson (Swedish actor) Probably died New Year's Eve
Anne Francis ('Honey West')
Pete Postlethwaite ('Criminal Justice', 'The Sins')
Peter Hobbs ('Secret Storm', 'Lou Grant')
Patricia Smith ('The Bob Newhart Show', 'The Debbie Reynolds Show')
Jill Haworth ('Cabaret' original, many TV guest spots)
Josef Shiloach (Israeli TV actor, 'Carlos')
Aron Kinkaid ('Bachelor Father')
Margot Stevenson ('Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea', 'Hallmark Hall of Fame')
Peter Donaldson (Canadian actor, 'Avonlea', 'Emily of New Moon')
John Dye ('Touched By An Angel')
Susannah York ('Holby City'/'Casualty' (same character), 'Trainer', 'We'll Meet Again')
Paul Picerni ('The Untouchables')
Herb Mitchell (many TV roles)
Toshiyuki Hosokawa (Japanese TV actor)
Bruce Gordon ('The Untouchables')
Helene Palmer ('Coronation Street')
Patti Gilbert ('Batman', voiceover actress)
Jay Garner ('Buck Rogers In The 25th Century')
Tura Satana ('Burke's Law')
Jean Bartel ('The Gale Storm Show', 'Perry Mason', 'Focus on Women' & 'It's A Woman's World')
Jane Russell ('The Yellow Rose')
Michael Gough ('Doctor Who', 'Pride and Prejudice')
Lena Nyman ('Ture Sventon privatedetektiv', "I Am Curious Yellow")
Maria Schneider ('Maigret', 'Navarro', 'L'or noir de Lornac', and of course, "Last Tango In Paris")
Michael Tolan ('The Senator', 'The Doctors', 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show')
Peggy Rea ('The Waltons', 'Grace Under Pressure')
Marie Lillo ('Baretta', 'The White Shadow', 'Law & Order')
Betty Garrett ('Laverne & Shirley', 'All In The Family')
Kenneth Mars ('He & She', 'Malcolm In The Middle', "The Producers", "Young Frankenstein")
T.P. McKenna ('The Sweeney', 'Doctor Who')
Len Lesser ('Seinfeld', 'Everybody Loves Raymond')
Margaret John ('Gavin & Stacy', 'Game Of Thrones')
James Elliott ('Number 96')
Alfred Burke ('The Public Eye')
Cayle Chernin ('Queer As Folk', 'Little Mosque On The Prairie')
Nick LaTour ('227', 'Baby, I'm Back')
Louie Ramsay ('The Ruth Rendell Mysteries')
Jeanette Bati (French actress)
Peter Alexander (Austrian actor, 'The Peter Alexander Show')
Jon Cedar ('Hogan's Heroes')
Michael Habeck (German voice actor, dubbed 'The Muppet Show', 'Sesame Street', 'The Flintstones')
White Eagle/Basil Heath ('The Totem Club' children show, 'Wagon Train')
Hellmut Lange (German actor)
Nicholas Courtney ('Doctor Who')
Hailah Stoddard ('The Secret Storm')
Elizabeth Taylor ('Here's Lucy', "Divorce His, Divorce Hers", 'General Hospital')
Helen Stenborg (“L.A. Law,” “Spenser: for Hire,” St. Elsewhere” and “Homicide: Life on the Street”)
James Pritchett (Emmy winner for role in 'The Doctors')
Skip O'Brien ('CSI')
Wayne Robson ('The Red Green Show')
Trevor Bannister ('Are You Being Served?', 'Last Of The Summer Wine')
Michael Sarrazin ('Frankenstein: The True Story')
Elisabeth Sladen ('Doctor Who', 'The Sarah Jane Adventures')
Angela Scoular ('You Rang, M'Lord?')
William Campbell ('Star Trek' - Koloth and Squire Trelane)
Jackie Cooper ('The People's Choice', 'Hennessey')
Marian Mercer ('Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman', 'It's A Living', 'The Jonathan Winters Show')
Sada Thompson ('Family')
Dana Wynter ('McMillan & Wife', 'Burke's Law')
Mary Murphy (lots of guest roles, best known though for 'The Wild One')
Edward Hardwicke (2nd Watson to Jeremy Brett's 'Sherlock Holmes')
Ross Hagen ('Daktari')
Barbara Stuart ('Great Gildersleeve', 'Pete & Gladys', 'Huff', Bunny on 'Gomer Pyle')
Bill Hunter (Australian actor, 3 Aussie Oscars, 'The Pacific', 'Prisoner', 'Stark', 'Spyforce')
Phyllis Avery ('Meet Mr. McNulty')
Jeff Conaway ('Taxi', 'Wizards & Warriors', 'Babylon 5')
Michael Waltman ('ER', 'NYPD Blue', 'Carnivale')
Miriam Karlin ('So Haunt Me', two versions of 'The Rag Trade')
Irene Gilbert ('Cannon', 'Barnaby Jones', director of Actor's Studio, LA)
Janet Brown (English impressionist)
Clarice Taylor ('The Cosby Show')
James Arness ('Gunsmoke')
Miriam Karlin ('Rag Trade' - Britcom)
Roy Skelton ( voice actor - 'Rainbow' and 'Doctor Who')
Jon Blake (New Zealand TV actor)
Grant Sullivan ('Pony Express')
Don Diamond ('Kit Carson', 'Zorro', 'F Troop')
Lightning Bear (actor, stunt coordinator)
Paul Massie ("Hawkeye the Pathfinder")
Art Balinger ('Dragnet')
Claudia Bryar (character actress, 'Father Knows Best', 'Wanted: Dead Or Alive', 'Dr. Kildare'))
Peter Falk ('Columbo', 'Trials of O'Brien')
Alice Playten ('The Lost Saucer', "Disco Beavers From Outer Space")
Margaret Tyzack ('The Forsyte Saga', 'I, Claudius', 'The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles')
Edith Fellows ('Pursuit Of Happiness', 'ER', 'St. Elsewhere', 'Cagney & Lacey')
Anthony Herrera ('As The World Turns', 'Y&R')
Nico Minardos (guest star roles in 'Maverick', 'The Flying Nun', 'The Mod Squad', 'Alias Smith And Jones', 'The Twilight Zone')
Shelby Grant ('Medical Center')
Patricia Merbreier ('Captain Noah and His Magic Ark')
Anna Massey ('Poirot - The Clocks', "The Pallisers," "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," "Oliver Twist" )
Gordon Tootoosis ('North of 60', 'Auf Wiedersein, Pet', 'Blackstone', 'Wapos Bay', 'First Nation')
Billy Beck ('Lou Grant', 'Falcon Crest')
Roberts Blossom (guest roles, but best known for 'Home Alone')
Paul Michael ('Dark Shadows', Marion Ross' partner)
Googie Withers ('Within These Walls')
GD Spradlin ('Houston: The Legend of Texas", "Robert Kennedy And His Times", Columbo)
Christopher Meyer ('Dukes Of Hazzard')
Peggy Craven Lloyd (also wife of Norman Lloyd)
Linda Christian ('Climax' - "Casino Royale")
Tom Aldredge ('The Sopranos', 'Boardwalk Empire')
Tresa Hughes ('Ryan's Hope', 'Ed')
Jane White ('The Edge Of Night', 'Search For Tomorrow')
Bubba Smith ('Half Nelson', 'Semi-Tough', 'Good Times', 'Open All Night', 'Blue Thunder')
John Wood ('Barnaby Rudge', 'A Tale Of Two Cities')
Eve Brent (Jane in some Tarzan movies, 'Scrubs', 'Community')
Cliff Robertson ('Washington: Behind Closed Doors', 'Falcon Crest', 'The Twilight Zone', 'Outer Limits', "The Man Without A Country", AT&T spokesman)
Norma Eberhardt ('Wild Bill Hickock', 'Hogan's Heroes', 'Dragnet')
Mary Fickett ('All My Children', first actress to win Daytime Drama Emmy)
Andy Whitfield, ('Spartacus')
Frances Bay ('Seinfeld', 'Twin Peaks')
Jorge Lavat (dubbed "The Addams Family," "The Untouchables", "The Time Tunnel" and "The Green Hornet" - Mexico)
Charles Napier ('The Critic', 'Star Trek')
Doris Belack ('Law & Order', 'One Life To Live')
Diane Cilento ('Rogue's Gallery', 'Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left')
Patricia Breslin ('The People's Choice', 'General Hospital', 'Peyton Place', 'The Twilight Zone')
Paul Kent (different roles in different TV productions of 'Helter Skelter', "Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan", many guest spots)
Betty Driver ('Coronation Street')
Sue Lloyd ('The Baron', 'His & Hers', 'Crossroads')
Jean Amadou ('Lucky Luke', 'Aubrac City', 'Bebete's Show' - French)
Dale Berry ('Walker, Texas Ranger')
Poul Glargaard ('Everybody Loves Debbie' - Swedish)
Kalus-Peter Thiele ('Archiv de Todos' - German)
Marilyn Nash (best known for Monsieur Verdoux)
Shirley Chambers ('My Mother The Car', movies' first dumb blonde)
Jerry Haynes (Mr. Peppermint - a kids show character in North Texas)
Mick Lea ('Deadwood')
Alejandro Parodi ('Penthouse' - Mexico)
Leonard Stone ('Camp Runamuck', 'L.A. Law', 'The Twilight Zone', best known for "Willy Wonka")
Sid Melton ('Make Room For Daddy', 'Green Acres', 'The Golden Girls')
Phyllis Love (Have Gun--Will Travel, Ben Casey, Bus Stop, The Twilight Zone, The Untouchables, The Outer Limits, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive, The F.B.I., and Ironside. In the Seventies she appeared on such shows as Bonanza and Harry-O)
Wyatt Knight (Promised a Miracle", "Those She Left Behind" and "Maniac Magee"/ Best known for the 3 Porky's films)
Margaret Field O'Mahoney (many guest roles, also Sally Field's mother)
Heavy D ('Boston Public', 'Roc', 'The Tracy Morgan Show', and 'Bones')
Georgina Cookson ('The Prisoner')
Susan Gordon ('My Three Sons', 'The Twilight Zone')

Denny Niles ('The Rebel')
Edson Stroll ('McHale’s Navy')
Sheila Burrell ('Cold Comfort Farm')
Christopher Mayer ('Dukes of Hazzard')
David Ngoombujarra ('Parallax', 'The Circuit')
Harold L. Norman, Sr. (“Bonanza,” “The Rifleman,” “Rawhide,” “Wagon Train,” “The High Chaparral” and “Lassie” roles)
Alan Fudge ('The Man From Atlantis', 'Eischied', '7th Heaven')
Dolores Duffy ('Strangers With Candy')
Richard Morant ('Tom Brown's School Days', 'Poldark')
Maureen Swanson, Lady Dudley (Rank films)
Alan Sues ('Laugh-In', 'The Twilight Zone')
Judy Lewis ('The Outlaws', 'Search For Tomorrow', 'General Hospital', secret daughter of Loretta Young and Clark Gable)
Bill McKinney ('Columbo', 'Ironside')
Harry Morgan ('MASH', 'Dragnet', 'Pete & Gladys', 'December Bride', 'Blacke's Magic', 'Kentucky Jones', 'Hec Ramsey')
Dan Frazer ('Kojak')
Robert Easton (character actor, dialect coach)
Kaye Stevens ('Family Affair', 'CHiPs' - associated with Rat Pack)
Cheetah (maybe, maybe not)

PERSONALITIES
David Nelson ('Ozzie & Harriet')
Margaret Whiting ('Those Whiting Girls')
Carolin "Sexy Cora" Berger (German reality TV star, died after 6th breast enla operation)
Jack LaLanne (TV fitness guru)
Barry Lee Hoba (Dr. Creep on Dayton, Ohio's 'Shock Theatre')
Charlie Callas (Comedian, 'Switch')
David Frye (impressionist)
Bob Cook (Visa's "Never Missed A Super Bowl Club")
Justin Tennison ('Deadliest Catch')
Ed Rothhaar (host, "I Remember Television')
Norma Zimmer (Lawrence Welk's "Champagne Lady")
Mike DeStefano (finished fourth in latest 'Last Comic Standing')
Mike Starr (Alice In Chains bassist, 'Celebrity Rehab')
DJ Megatron (BET personality)
Roger Abbott (The Royal Canadian Air Farce)
Bill Nimmo (announcer, 'Who Do You Trust')
Bill Skiles (Skiles and Henderson comedy team)
Phil Shepardson Massachusetts college professor who became a popular local TV celebrity first with a children’s show called The Wicky Wacky Cloud and then a quiz program, As Schools Match Wits—seen on stations WWLP and WGBY since 1961
Randy Savage (wrestler, many shows as himself)
Wally Boag (Disneyland comic)
Jeanne Bice (QVC - Quacker Factory sales rep)
Ryan Dunn ('Jackass')
Clarence Clemons (E Street Band, The Wire, MY Wife And Kids, Til Death, Diff'rent Strokes, Nash Bridges)
Elaine Stewart (sexy 50's actress who starred in game shows High Rollers and Gambit created by her husband Merrill Heatter)
Betty Ford ('Dynasty', 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show')
Milly DelRubio (last of the DelRubio triplets - Night Court, Married With Children, full House)
Eleanor Mondale (Poling) (TV commentator, some small TV roles)
Don Lapre, (TV Pitchman, suicide while in jail)
Larry Zarian (former Glendale, Ca. mayor who had his own cable show)
Sir Jimmy Savile ('Jim'll Fix It')
Smokin' Joe Frazier
George Ansbro (ABC announcer, 'One Life To Live' - for over 58 years)

NEWS & COMMENTATORS
Allen Sloane, (KABC weatherman)
Bob Young (ABC news)
Bill Monroe (Meet The Press moderator)
Jan Petrovich (CNN executive)
Joseph Dyer (KCBS executive and reporter)
David Broder (Pulitzer columnist for Washington Post, appeared on 'Meet The Press' more than anybody)
Daryl Hawks (Chicago NBC sports anchor)
Mark Haines (CNBC anchor)
Nick Charles (CNN sports anchor)
Rollin Post (KPIX, KQED and KRON broadcast journalist)
Robert Pierpoint (CBS News, MASH finale)
Andy Rooney ('60 Minutes')
Hal Bruno (Director of Election Coverage at ABC)
Christopher Hitchins (author, frequent guest on 'Charlie Rose', 'The Daily Show', 'Real Time')

WRITERS
Herman Groves (many TV Western credits)
Del Reisman (WGA West President, many writing credits)
Christopher Trumbo ('Ironside', 'Falcon Crest', 'Quincy M.E.' - son of Dalton Trumbo)
Nicholas Geiss ('Sesame Street')
Donald S. Sanford ('Laramie', 'Bonanza', 'Gunsmoke', 'Dr. Kildare')
Dwayne Mc (superhero scribe, comic books and cartoon series)
Lanford Wilson (playwright, sitcom based on his "Hot L Baltimore")
Arthur Marx ('Petticoat Junction', 'McHale's Navy', 'My Three Sons', son of Groucho)
Madelyn Pugh Davis, ('I Love Lucy')
Sol Saks (creator of 'Bewitched')
Sidney MIchaels ('Johnny Staccato', 'The Deputy')
Arthur Laurents ('Gypsy')
Bob Block ('Granddad', 'Rentaghost', British 'Family Affair')
John Sullivan ('Only Fools And Horses', 'Dear John')
Burt Styler ('The Carol Burnett Show', 'Gilligan's Island')
Robert White ('Search For Tomorrow', 'The Virginian', My Favorite Martian', 'He-Man')
Sam Denoff (partnered with Bill Persky on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' & 'That Girl')
Alfred Brenner (Studio One, The United States Steel Hour, Kraft Television Theatre, Justice, Appointment With Adventure, Armstrong Circle Theatre)
David Croft (writer-producer, Dad's Army, Are You Being Served?)
Hal Kanter ('Julia')
Edie Stephenson (created the Mikey campaign for Life cereal)
Joe Bodolai ('Saturday Night Live')

DIRECTORS
Peter Yates ('Secret Agent', "Koroshi", 'The Saint', best known for "Bullitt" & "Breaking Away")
Charles Jarrott ("Poor Little Rich Girl", "The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde")
Charles F. Haas (WB Westerns and detective shows, Mickey Mouse Club)
John MacKenzie (British director)
Jack Semmens (music video director, suicide)
Bill Foster ('Benson', 'Amen')
Paul Marius ('Prime Suspect', 'Maigret')
Sidney Lumet ('12 Angry Men', '100 Centre Street')
Bruce Ricker ('American Masters' and independent documentaries)
David Pressman (3 time Emmy winner for 'One Life To Live', 'The Defenders', 'NYPD')
Charles S. Dubin ('MASH', 1965's "Cinderella", Emmy for 'Mathnet', "Kojak," "Lou Grant," "Hawaii Five-O," "Matlock," "Father Dowling Mysteries," "Cannon," "Ironside," "The Virginian" and "The Defenders.")
Joe Aceti (TV sports, including Olympics, World Series, and "The Thrilla In Manila")
Allan A. Buckhantz ('Matinee Theatre', 'The Dakotas', "Hans Brinker")
Tom Donovan ('Another World', 'Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing')
Robert Collins ('Police Woman')
Ken Russell ('Omnibus', 'Monitor', "Treasure Island", "Alice In Russialand")
Larry Rickles (Emmy winning director for documentary about his dad, Don)

PRODUCERS
Stephanie Staffin Kowal ('Centennial', "Harvest Home")
Frank Chirkinian (Father of Televised Golf)
John Cossette (Grammys producer)
Al Morgan ('Today')
Roger Gimbel ('The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman', 'The Amazing Howard Hughes')
Jeff Gralnick (Executive producer for the evening news at ABC, CBS, and revamped NBC's Nightly News in the 1990's)
Joseph Wershba ('See It Now', '60 Minutes')
Bob Banner ('The Carol Burnett Show')
Kara Kennedy (documentaries)
Irving Elman (Matt Lincoln," "Slattery's People" and "The High Chaparral," )
Patricia Marie Finnegan ("Lincoln", 'She-Wolf Of London')

COMPOSERS
John Barry ('The Persuaders!', James Bond movies)
John Strauss ('Car 54, Where Are You?')
Andrew Gold ("Thank You For Being My Friend", "Mad About You")
Fred Steiner ('Perry Mason', 'Have Gun Will Travel', 'Hogan's Heroes')
Pete Rugolo ('The Fugitive', 'Run For Your Life')

HYPHENATES
Don Kirshner (TV host - 'The Midnight Special', music producer)
Charles Sellier, Jr. (Producer, writer, director - 'Grizzly Adams')
Walter Seltzer (press agent, producer)
Anne Diamond (actress, writer - 'Dragnet', 'Tombstone Territory')
Edward Stephenson (producer, art director - Emmys for 'Soap', 'The Andy Williams Show', "An Evening with Fred Astaire")
Peter Stelzer (actor - 'Scarecrow & Mrs. King' & producer - "Miss Evers' Boys")
Leonard Stern (producer-writer, 'Get Smart', 'He & She', 'I'm Dickens, He's Fenster')
Paul Alter (Game show producer-director, "Family Feud," "I've Got a Secret," "The Price Is Right," "To Tell the Truth" and "What's My Line?" He won Daytime Emmy Awards for directing in 1982 for "Family Feud" and in 1996 for "The Price Is Right." He also was a producer for "Tattletales" and "Beat the Clock.")
Robert Foster (writer-producer-story editor, 'Knight Rider', 'Bold Ones- The Lawyers')
Preston Wood (director - 'We The People' & 'Holiday Hotel', story editor - The Wild Wild West. He wrote episodes of Bonanza, Mr. Novak, Slattery’s People, The Virginian, The Addams Family, The Patty Duke Show, Rawhide, Destry, Gunsmoke, Matt Lincoln, Little House on the Prairie, Quincy M.E., Kaz, and Jessica Novak. writer - 'Adam-12' & 'Emergency')
Frank Alesia (actor - 'Laverne & Shirley', 'The Odd Couple', writer - 'Laverne & Shirley', director - 'Captain Kangaroo')
Richard Dorso (writer - The Rough Riders, producers - 'The Doris Day Show')
Sherwood Schwartz - (writer-producer, created 'Gilligan's Island' & 'The Brady Bunch')
Lee Vines (actor-announcer - 'What's My Line?' 'Password All-Stars', Hallmark Hall of Fame')

Wilbur E. Mosier (assistant director - 'The Man From UNCLE', 'Peter Gunn', 'Dr. Kildare', unit manager - 'Ironside')
Bob Trendler (WGN choral director and Mr. Bob the bandleader on 'Bozo')
James Brown (producer-director)
Earl Kress (writer-actor-producer-puppeteer)
Walter Doniger (director. 'Peyton Place', screenwriter)
Patrice O'Neal (actor-comedian)

OTHERS
Theoni Aldredge (costume designer - 'Great Performances', "Barnum!", 'Live From Lincoln Center')
Stanley Frazen (film editor - 'The Lone Ranger', 'Get Smart', many others)
Justice (Disney animator - 'The Mickey Mouse Club' opening)
Nicola Rizzo (costume designer - 'L.A. Law',
Edward McDonald (set decorator - "Mrs. Sundance", 'Barney Miller', 'Night Court', 'The Drew Carey Show')
Nancy Carr (publicity executive for CBS, FOX, Hallmark)
Rudy Robbins (stuntman, 'Gunsmoke', 'Daniel Boone')
Donald Peterman (cinematographer on "Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home")
Shiela Jackson (costume designer for 'Upstairs, Downstairs')
Gerald Perry Finnerman (director of photography for 'Star Trek' & 'Moonlighting')
Hubert Schlafly (invented the Teleprompter)
Burt Reinhardt (former CNN president)
Gabriel Aron Ben-Meir (MTV music coordinator)
Snooki Young (Jazz trumpeter on the 'Tonight' show)
Kim Swados (art director, 'Studio One')
Ralph Schoenfeld (editor 'Centennial')
Steve Rutt (video animation innovator)
Jim Rodnunsky (CableCam developer)
Ed Flesh (designed the Wheel of Fortune)
Corny Cole (production designer, "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol")
Leonard Harris (TV critic for WCBS)
Donald L. Taffner (who brought British TV shows such as 'Benny Hill' to the U.S.),
Lyman Hallowell (editor, 'The Defenders', 'NYPD', Brenner, The Nurses, For the People, and Coronet Blue)
Steve Jobs (the Edison and Ford of the new millennium, revolutionized the compter biz and had a profound effect on TV)
Arthur Nielsen (the ratings company innovator)
Joel DiBartolo (bassist on the 'Tonight' show)
Allan Jefferys (WABC drama critic)
Andrew Laszlo (cinematographer who started out as a camera operator on 'Bilko')
Ray Aghayan (TV costumes for Diana Ross, Judy Garland Barbra Streisand, Doris Day; lifetime partner of Bob Mackie)
Sue Mengers (talent agent)
Dale Hall (cinematographer - 'Bones', 'Burn Notice')
Daniel Burke (president of Capital Cities/ABC)
Lou Maletta (created the Gay Cable Network)
Mark Hall (animator, 'Danger Mouse', 'The Wind In The Willows')
Zdenek Miler (animator, Krtek the Mole cartoons)
Stanley Robertson (pioneering black executive at NBC)
Marion Dougherty (casting director 'Naked City', ''Route 66')

Good night and may God bless......