TVXOHOF BIRTHDAY SALUTE - EDWARD G. ROBINSON

When I was putting together the tribute induction into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame for Kirk Douglas on his 100th birthday back in 2016, I watched the 'Lucy Show' episode he did in which there were other cameos by Vince Edwards, Jimmy Durante, and Edward G, Robinson.  And I thought Mr. Robinson could also be eligible for membership in the TVXOHOF.  

From Wikipedia:

Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893 – January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-born American actor.  A popular star on stage and screen during Hollywood's Golden Age, he appeared in 40 Broadway plays and more than 100 films during a 50-year career. He is best remembered for his tough-guy roles as a gangster, such as his star-making film "Little Caesar" and "Key Largo".

During the 1930s and 1940s, he was an outspoken public critic of fascism and Nazism which was then growing in Europe. His activism included contributing over $250,000 to more than 850 organizations involved in war relief, along with cultural, educational, and religious groups. During the 1950s, he was called to testify at the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Red Scare, but was cleared of any Communist involvement.

Robinson's character portrayals have covered a wide range, with such roles as an insurance investigator in the film noir "Double Indemnity", Dathan (adversary of Moses) in "The Ten Commandments", and his final performance in the science-fiction story "Soylent Green".  Robinson received an Honorary Academy Award for his work in the film industry, which was posthumously awarded two months after his death in 1973. He is ranked #24 in the American Film Institute's list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic American cinema.

My personal favorites of his roles are that of Mr. Wilson in "The Stranger" and Barton Keyes in "Double Indemnity".  (I'd like to think Keyes would have made for a great partner on a case with Lt. Columbo.)

I looked through the IMDb and his fictional televersion just barely covers the membership requirements of three different appearances:

'The Lucy Show'
- "Lucy Goes to a Hollywood Premiere" (1966)

'Batman'
- "Batman's Satisfaction" (1967)

'Bracken's World'
- "Panic" (1969)

All three of them are cameos, but they establish his existence in the Television Universe.  And therefore he is qualified for membership in the Hall of Fame.

But I decided to hold off until the next momentous occasion in his timeline occurred, even though he's been gone since 1973.  So even though I'm writing this up in December of 2016, it won't run until Mr. Robinson's birthday in 2018, when he would have turned 125 years old!

Of these three cameos, his appearance in that 'Batman' window cameo is probably the most famous.  It certainly captured his love of Art and even imparts a small lesson for the kids on various artistic styles.  

The hardest to find is that for his cameo in the second episode of 'Bracken's World'.  He would later return to the series to play another character, but this first appearance would as himself.  Alls I know about his involvement was in this excerpt from an encyclopedia about Robinson:

(That's a picture of Edward G. Robinson meeting Eleanor Parker in the movie "A Hole In The Head".  Thelma Ritter is in the middle.)

I ran the full episode of 'The Lucy Show' with all of those cameos once before, but it doesn't hurt to share it again.....

I guess that's the best to hope for when you probably had very little time in getting so many stars for any rehearsal at all.  But especially with Robinson, Douglas, and Durante, wouldn't it have been great to get them an episode showcase of their own, each playing to the individual star's strengths?

In fact, I can think of other shows in which Mr. Robinson could have shown up as himself, both sitcoms and dramas:

• 'All In The Family'
• 'The Odd Couple'
• 'Bewitched'
• 'I Dream Of Jeannie'
• 'Car 54, Where Are You?'
• ''Make Room For Daddy'
• 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'
• 'Naked City'
• '77 Sunset Strip'
• 'Peter Gunn'
• 'Mr. Lucky'
• 'Johnny Staccato'
• 'The Trials Of O'Brien'

Oh well.....

So here's to you, "Little Caesar".  This honor, such as it is, comes way too late for you to have seen it, but then again....  I'm setting it up so far in advance, I may not live to see it either!

BCnU!