WHO'S PUZZLE BOOKS?

I still have at least two more posts to write up about Agatha Christie's episode of 'Doctor Who' for the daily Tiddlywinkydink, but it's also time to move on to the next episode to be shown in America. Although I saw it (and the second half) last week, "Silence In The Library" aired last night on the Sci-Fi Channel.

And there's one puzzle, stirred up outside of the episode, which I'm hoping someone can help me with.......
Several posters, at "Ain't It Cool News" and "TVSquad", mentioned several books to be found in the 'Doctor Who' episode "Silence In The Library" which served as references to past episodes of 'Doctor Who' or to the people who worked on the series.

Both lists were the same, so I'm thinking the TVSquad writer may have found it at AICN. (I apologize if I'm wrong.)

They claim these books were in the episode:

an operating manual for the TARDIS

"Origins Of The Universe" ("Destiny Of The Daleks")

"The French Revolution" ("An Unearthly Child")

"The Journal Of Impossible Things" ("Human Nature"/"The Family Of Blood")

"The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" (author Douglas Adams wrote for 'Doctor Who')

"Everest In The Easy Stages" ("The Creature From The Pit")

"Black Orchid" (a book seen in the same-titled Fifth Doctor serial)

However, I can't figure out where they would have appeared, or how the viewer saw them. I can only figure that they were in the set dressings, but no real attention was given them; that they were more for the cast members' benefit than the audience's. And if so, perhaps the commenters found out about their use from somebody leaking behind-the-scenes gossip. (Sometimes I think that's the only way some of the really trivial stuff from 'Lost' gets found. But then again, "Lostaways" are fanatics.)

Of course, as Dennis Miller used to say, I could be wrong.

If anybody knows out there, where can these titles be actually seen in the episode?

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: HERCULE, MISS JANE, AND DAME AGATHA

Occasionally during the 'Doctor Who' episode "The Unicorn & The Wasp", characters would invoke the eternal question, "WWPD?": "What would Poirot do?"

Yes, that's right. I'm STILL not done with this episode and its contributions to the Toobworld mythos!

Agatha Christie was complimented on her books about Hercule Poirot, and she referred to his signature phrase regarding his "little gray cells".
But no one, not even Mrs. Christie, actually stated that she created Hercule Poirot as a fictional character. Which is a good thing, because Hercule Poirot and Agatha Christie both exist in Toobworld!

Agatha Christie wrote stories about the little Belgian detective, but she was serving almost as his biographer in a way. She treated Poirot and his cases in much the same way as Truman Capote did with the killers of "In Cold Blood": she was writing factual stories about him.

Later, when Donna Noble accidentally suggested Miss Marple and her way of detection to Agatha Christie, the author thought it would make for a great story. But this doesn't mean that Mrs. Christie created Miss Jane Marple either. She would later find out that Miss Marple actually did exist, and so she decided to work out a contract arrangement between the two of them. Her books about the old lady of St. Mary's Mead would also turn out to be factual novels.
[We see pictured here two of the actresses who played Miss Marple on TV. Joan Hickson, on the left, is the Jane Marple of Earth Prime-Time. Geraldine McEwan on the right would live in the village of St. Mary's Mead as well, but in an alternate TV dimension, perhaps the one of TV series remakes.]

Agatha Christie then falls into the same Toobworld category as authors like Mark Twain, Jules Verne, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King (who appeared as a little boy in an episode of 'Quantum Leap'). That is, she shares the same universe as the characters she created. (And this would include Ariadne Oliver and Tommy and Tuppence as well.)
BCnU!
Toby OB

NEW @ TOOBWORLD CENTRAL

Based on a recommendation by my blogging buddy Ivan in "Thrilling Days Of Yesteryear" (find the link to the left), and since I've always been fascinated by the premise of the show, I picked up the two boxed sets for 'Checkmate'.

'CHECKMATE':
Best Of Season One
Best Of Season Two

The series starred Sebastian Cabot, Doug McClure, and Anthony George as the investigators at a San Francisco detective agency. Their original premise was to prevent crimes from even happening in the first place, but I think this was relaxed by the second season.

I've only seen one episode at the Paley Center, which starred James Whitmore, but I'm looking forward to seeing more....

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: ULTRONS AND GALLIFREYANS

The inhabitants of the planet Ultron could have been seeded by the Preservers with genetic stock from the planet Gallifrey. Like the Time Lords, they have unique powers, but physically they also have two hearts.

The Ultrons also have six toes on each foot and their knees are double-jointed. We don't know if the Time Lords are as well, but I don't think we've ever seen the feet of the Doctor closely, have we? (Maybe in "The Two Doctors" when the Sixth Doctor went fishing?)

And who knows if they're double-jointed at the knees?

Supposedly Ultrons have an extra male sex organ, something Jackie Tyler was quite curious about when she inquired after the state of the Doctor. And both races can regenerate, although I don't think it was actually mentioned as having happened to George Sunday aka Thermoman (although we did see the results once the role was recast).

SHOWS CITED:
'My Hero'
'Doctor Who'
'Star Trek'

BCnU!
Toby OB

THE HAT SQUAD: DAVID BRIERLEY

The Stage has announced that actor David Brierley has passed away. He was born in 1935 and appeared in 'Z Cars', 'Arthur Of The Britons', 'The Tripods', and 'Threads'. But it was his involvement in 'Doctor Who' that should guarantee him some level of immortality among viewing audience.

During the 17th season of 'Doctor Who', Brierley took over from John Leeson to be the voice of K-9, the tin dog companion of the Gallifreyan Time Lord, but who is now with Sarah Jane Smith, another former Companion to the Doctor.

This is a recastaway that needs a very simple splainin. David Brierley provided the K-9 voice in four stories:

"Creature from the Pit"

"Nightmare of Eden"

"The Horns on Nimon"

"Shada"

[Thanks to Michael for doing my legwork!]

But John Leeson has been the voice of K-9 before and since. The reasoning could probably be due to some tinkering on the mechanics that govern K-9's vocal chords. It would have been a process which we were not privy to as the audience, and when it was re-adjusted again, again we weren't given the chance to see it happen.

Brierley also provided the voice of K-9 for an episode of 'Blue Peter' in 1979, but that could be the dimension counterpart from Skitlandia.....

Rest in peace, Mr. Brierley......

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: BIG BEN

In an episode of 'The Dead Zone' entitled "Unreasonable Doubts", Blu Mankuma played a juror who was the last hold-out against a verdict of "Not Guilty". He introduced himself as Ben Cartwright "and not the one from the Ponderosa either".

This doesn't even merit as a Zonk, since the name of the TV show 'Bonanza' was never invoked. But then again, perhaps when watching the scene one might envision quotation marks around the word 'Ponderosa' - and that would invoke the short-lived prequel which aired back in 2001 and starred Daniel Hugh Kelley as a younger Ben Cartwright.

The legends of the Old West weren't gods; they began life as ordinary men whose circumstances gained them the notoriety that would make their names remembered for over a hundred years. And the same holds true in the history of Toobworld. Not only would real-life men like Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill, Cochise, and Emperor Norton be remembered in our times, but so would the fictional Westerners like Hannibal Heyes, Kid Curry, Marshall Dillon, James West, and Ben Cartwright.

So it could be that the parents of Ben Cartwright thought that the name of such a hero from the wild, wild west might have some power to imbue their child.

It could also be that the Ben Cartwright who moved his family to Penobscot County, Maine, from New York City in order to escape the crime was descended from that original Ben Cartwright!

In the TV movie "Bonanza: Under Attack", Richard Roundtree played Jacob Briscoe who was helping to protect the Ponderosa ranch for the next generation of Cartwrights. It could be that one of his never-mentioned children (Just because they weren't mentioned doesn't mean they didn't exist!) would one day marry one of those Cartwrights. Or perhaps it happened a few generations later. Eventually someone in that new family tree would have moved back east to New York City.

I'd love to explore the possibility that if we went far enough back in the Briscoe Family Tree, we'd find the missing link between Jacob and Lennie Briscoe of 'Law & Order'. But this will do for today.......

So no bonanza of Zonks today!

BCnU!
Toby OB

THE HAT SQUAD: CYD CHARISSE

Cyd Charisse was one of the last icons from the glory days of the movies, especially those of the movie musicals. She passed away the other day at the age of 86.

She was best known for the movies "Singin' In The Rain", "The Band Wagon", "Brigadoon", and "Silk Stockings", dancing with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. But she made her mark in Toobworld as well, in dramatic roles that for the most part never suggested her past as a dancer.
Here are the characters she created to inhabit the TV Universe:

TV MOVIES
Swimsuit (1989) (TV) .... Mrs. Allison
Sentimental Journey (1984) (TV)
[Ms. Charisse may have cameoed as herself in this inside-showbiz weeper....]

Portrait of an Escort (1980) (TV) .... Sheilah Croft

TV GUEST APPEARANCES

"Crazy Like a Fox"

- Hyde-And-Seek (1986)

"Murder, She Wrote" - Myrna Montclair LeRoy

- Widow, Weep for Me (1985)

"Glitter"

- In Tennis, Love Means Nothing (1984)

"The Fall Guy" .... Diana

- The Huntress (1984)

"Fantasy Island" .... Julie Mars /Queen Delphia

- The Butler's Affair/Roarke's Sacrifice (1983)

- The Island of Lost Women/The Flight of Great Yellow Bird (1978)

"The Love Boat" .... Eve Mills

- Super Mom/I'll See You Again/April's Return (1979)

"Hawaii Five-O" .... Alicia Warren

- Death Mask (1978)

"Medical Center" .... Valerie

- No Way Home (1975)

"Checkmate" .... Janine Caree

- Dance of Death (1961)

And that's the Inner Toob tip of the fedora to the legendary Cyd Charisse. Red Skelton as always said it best: "May God Bless......"

BCnU.....
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: BIBLE THUMPING

Ken Levine, the writer, producer, and director who's done fantastic work on such shows as 'Cheers', 'Frasier', and 'M*A*S*H', has begun a weekly Q&A column each Friday in his blog. (You'll find the link to the left!)

Here's the first question he received a few weeks back:

How much attention do you pay to continuity on a long running show or character? For example, I believe that once on CHEERS Frasier's mother appeared being played by the woman who played Tony Soprano's mother and I think she threatened to kill Diane. In some cases continuity errors between CHEERS and FRASIER were kind of smoothed over, but was this a priority or just something done to shut up nit picky fans?

And here was his reply:

The problem with long running shows is that there is often turnover in the writing staff. After a few seasons it’s not uncommon for creators/show runners to flee to Hawaii or be admitted to Bellevue. And with new writers on board sometimes things fall between the cracks. Often times a background fact about a character is buried deep within an episode. Names of relatives, number of children, those sort of things are apt to change. But in fairness, who remembers their wife’s name or number of kids they have?

When we wrote the episode of FRASIER where Sam Malone visits we took a few minutes to cover a few inconsistencies (like Frasier saying he was an only child and his father was dead) and update what was going on at Cheers.

Some shows keep “Bibles” – detailed records of each episode. These are great for ensuring continuity. Unless you don’t want continuity.

There are times when writers will purposely just ignore something from years past that gets in the way of what they want to do now. Here’s their justification: Hell, no one’ll remember.

Unfortunately, there are reruns, DVDs, websites, chat rooms, and uber nerds who live in their parents’ basement and do remember. Anyone recall that in the second episode of CHEERS we establish that Sam’s divorced and we meet his ex-wife? She and the marriage are never brought up again. This policy of just pretending something never existed is now very popular in politics.

Casting changes also stretch the limits of creative license. Suddenly a different guy is playing Darrin Stevens on BEWITCHED without any explanation. (In that case it would have been so easy to have Sam just say “Mother, what have you done?!”) Harry Morgan first appeared on MASH as an insane general. He was brought back as Colonel Potter. On LAW & ORDER I see the same guest actors playing different characters every season. (Just once I’d love to hear a witness swear in and state his profession as doctor/guy at the deli counter/longshoreman.)

Bottom line, whenever possible we try to keep our facts straight. But it’s not like LOST where every miniscule of information is a clue and has great import. Someone in the room comes up with a great joke about Frasier’s sister. It gets a big laugh. It goes in the script.

And we get home before midnight.

I guess you could say that this has always been a bone of contention for televisiologists - why can't they just stick to their shows' bible? But speaking as one of those uber-nerds - but one who does NOT live in his parents' basement (at least not since I was 22) - I actually support Mr. Levine in his stance on the subject.

After all, if I didn't have these tele-discrepancies, these Zonks, to splain away, I would have no need to work on Inner Toob. And then how would I spend my free time?

Up to no good, I can guarantee that!

As things stand now, this O'Bsession keeps me from competing with The Brain for world domination.....

BCnU!
Toby OB

MASTERTOOB SHOWCASE: MARIE MAZZIOTTI

Okay, this isn't about Toobworld; it's about the movies. But it involves a very good friend of mine, so I wanted to spread the good news, everybody! (Woops! Channeled Professor Farnsworth there.....)
Here's the word from Marie Mazziotti herself:

My cover version of David Bowie's "Modern Love" runs at the closing of the last scene through the end credits of "JCVD". It debuted at Cannes Film Festival in May, then opened in Paris on June 4th, coming to America on DVD soon. The beginning of success at last, a break through. Thanks to all, as always, for your support of coming to see me sing over the years. Off to the studio next week to record new music, stay tuned and thanks again to everyone.

BCnU!
Toby OB

TODAY'S TWD: SABRINA THE TEENAGE ZONK

At one point while talking with Harvey at the coffee house, 'Sabrina The Teenage Witch' says, "Turn the world on with my smile? Oh wait. That's Mary."

Of course we know that to be a lyric from the theme song for 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show', and that from our viewpoint, Sabrina is talking about Mary Richards.

But within the "reality" of Toobworld, it doesn't have to play out in the same way. Sabrina may have been referring to a girl named Mary that she and Harvey both know from school. As the audience viewing along at home, we're not always going to see every detail of these characters' lives - such as friends named Mary who can turn the world on with their smiles.

So, the Zonk is magically deleted!

BCnU!
Toby OB