WIKI TIKI WEDNESDAY - THE LAST EMPEROR OF BRAZIL

'DEATH VALLEY DAYS'

"A KINGDOM FOR A HORSE"

DOM PEDRO II

portrayed by

GILBERT ROLAND

From the IMDb:

The Emperor of Brazil is traveling by train to San Francisco. As his private train stops to take on water, he gets off to stretch his legs and the train leaves without him. Stranded alone in the countryside, he comes upon a farm run by a widow living alone with her son and daughter. They do not believe he is truly an Emperor, so they lock him up until the sheriff comes to arrest him.

From Wikipedia:
Dom Pedro II (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimous", was the second and lastruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was the seventh child of Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil and Empress Dona Maria Leopoldina and thus a member of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza. His father's abrupt abdication and departure to Europe in 1831 left a five-year-old Pedro II as Emperor and led to a grim and lonely childhood and adolescence. Obliged to spend his time studying in preparation for rule, he knew only brief moments of happiness and encountered few friends of his age. His experiences with court intrigues and political disputes during this period greatly affected his later character; he grew into a man with a strong sense of duty and devotion toward his country and his people, yet increasingly resentful of his role as monarch.

Inheriting an Empire on the verge of disintegration, Pedro II turned Portuguese-speaking Brazil into an emerging power in the international arena. The nation grew to be distinguished from its Hispanic neighbors on account of its political stability, zealously guarded freedom of speech, respect for civil rights, vibrant economic growth and especially for its form of government: a functional, representative parliamentary monarchy. Brazil was also victorious in three international conflicts (the Platine War, the Uruguayan Warand the Paraguayan War) under his rule, as well as prevailing in several other international disputes and domestic tensions. Pedro II steadfastly pushed through the abolition of slavery despite opposition from powerful political and economic interests. A savant in his own right, the Emperor established a reputation as a vigorous sponsor of learning, culture and the sciences. He won the respect and admiration of scholars such as Charles Darwin, Victor Hugo and Friedrich Nietzsche, and was a friend to Richard Wagner, Louis Pasteur and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among others.

Although there was no desire for a change in the form of government among most Brazilians, the Emperor was overthrown in a sudden coup d'état that had almost no support outside a clique of military leaders who desired a form of republic headed by a dictator. Pedro II had become weary of emperorship and despaired over the monarchy's future prospects, despite its overwhelming popular support. He did not allow his ouster to be opposed and did not support any attempt to restore the monarchy. He spent the last two years of his life in exile in Europe, living alone on very little money.

The reign of Pedro II thus came to an unusual end—he was overthrown while highly regarded by the people and at the pinnacle of his popularity, and some of his accomplishments were soon brought to naught as Brazil slipped into a long period of weak governments, dictatorships, and constitutional and economic crises. The men who had exiled him soon began to see in him a model for the Brazilian republic. A few decades after his death, his reputation was restored and his remains were returned to Brazil with celebrations nationwide. Historians have regarded the Emperor in an extremely positive light and several have ranked him as the greatest Brazilian.

Gilbert Roland was probably the only portrayal of Dom Pedro II on American television.  But I want to make certain that the world in Toobworld is represented.  And as one might expect, the last Brazilian emperor was played quite a few times on Brazilian TV.  

Of those, I going to make the claim now as to who should be the official portrayal of Dom Pedro II in Earth Prime-Time......

"Bocage"
    - O Duelo (2006) 

Played by André Gomes (as Prince D. João)

Gomes played Dom Pedro II in that show for eight episodes.  ('Bocage' was a biographical look at the life of the Brazilian poet.)  Quantity has as much to do with qualifications for consideration as does quality, so Gomes gets the nod for being the last Emperor of Brazil in Toobworld.

But there is another reason I can't consider Roland's portrayal at all.  This was from the IMDb:

Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil, speaks Spanish and English with a Mexican accent to the young American children. Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish.

So Gilbert Roland's portrayal of Dom Pedro II will be relegated to another TV dimension.

BCnU!