THE HAT SQUAD: EARL SCRUGGS

Earl Scruggs has passed away at the age of 88. His prowess with the banjo was legendary and inspired several generations of pickers including Steve Martin and maybe even George Segal. 

With Lester Flatt, the theme song for 'The Beverly Hillbillies' brought new fans to the instrument and the original composition "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" became a world-wide hit when it was used in "Bonnie & Clyde".

Flatt and Scruggs appeared as themselves in several episodes of 'The Beverly Hillbillies' and he teamed up with Martin for an appearance on 'Late Show with David Letterman'.

Here are a few remembrances of his contributions to the soundtrack of Toobworld:

Good night and may God bless....

BCnU!

D.C. FONTANA TALKS ABOUT "BY ANY OTHER NAME"

That scene also made me confront truths about me that needed addressing.  I'd like to think I took something away from it that made me a better person later.  I always say TV is a teaching tool.

And Mom always says no playing ball in the house.......

BCnU!

WARREN STEVES IN "STAR TREK"

And here we have Warren Stevens in the other role for which he's best known in Toobworld.  (My opinion only.  But this is the one which put him on the map for me.....)

BCnU!

WARREN STEVENS IN "THE TWILIGHT ZONE"

Continuing our Hat Squad tribute to Warren Stevens, here is one of the two roles for which I think he's best known in Toobworld:

BCnU......

THE HAT SQUAD: WARREN STEVENS

Actor Warren Stevens has passed away. He was of a handful of actors I tended to group together as being cold, efficient, ruthless - Peter Mark Richman, H.M. Wynant being two of the others.

For the first year of 'Bracken's World', Stevens provided the voice of the studio owner, John Bracken. By the second year, he was replaced by Leslie Nielsen when the producers wanted to bring the character out into the open. But that doesn't negate his contribution to the series. 

Bracken must have had throat surgery which altered his voice. Since he was never seen, we have to accept that even though we were listening to Warren Stevens, it was Leslie Nielsen who was talking over those intercoms.

He also co-starred with Philip Carey in 'Tales Of The Bengal Lancers', but it was his many guest starring roles for which Warren Stevens should be remembered in Toobworld. (For the Cineverse? Definitely for "Forbidden Planet".)

Many of the characters he added to the Tele-Folks Directory could be found in the following shows:

"ER"

"The Twilight Zone"

"Falcon Crest"

"Mr. Wizard's World"

"Quincy M.E."

"The New Adventures of Wonder Woman"

"Police Story"

"Mobile One"

"M*A*S*H"

"Petrocelli"

"Marcus Welby, M.D."

"Get Christie Love!"

"Police Woman"

"Griff" (1 episode)

"O'Hara, U.S. Treasury"

"Cannon"

"Adam-12"

"Mod Squad"

"The Name of the Game"

"Bracken's World" (26 episodes )

"Mannix"

"Land of the Giants"

"Star Trek"

"Ironside"

"Mission: Impossible"

"The Time Tunnel"

"The Big Valley"

"The Man from U.N.C.L.E."

"I Spy"

"Honey West"

"Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea"

"Bonanza"

"The Outer Limits"

"Combat!"

This is just a sampling of the roles he contributed to Toobworld. For a complete list, click here.

Good night and may God bless, Warren Stevens.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: JOHN RIDD

JOHN RIDD

CREATED BY:

Richard Doddridge Blackmore

PORTRAYED BY:

Clive Owen

AS SEEN IN:

"Lorna Doone: A Romance Of Exmoor"

TV DIMENSION:

Alternate TV Dimension

(The 1963 televersion is the one for Earth Prime-Time.)

STATUS:

Multiversal Recastaway

From Wikipedia:

Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor is a novel by Richard Doddridge Blackmore. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly around the East Lyn Valley area of Exmoor.

The narrator, John Ridd, says he was born on 29 November 1661; in Chapter 24, he mentions Queen Anne as the current monarch, so the time of narration is 1702–1714 making him 40–52 years old. Although he celebrates New Year's Day on 1 January, at that time in England the year in terms of A.D. "begins" Annunciation Style on 25 March, so 14 February 1676 would still be 1675 according to the old reckoning.

John (in West Country dialect, pronounced "Jan") Ridd is the son of a respectable farmer who was murdered in cold blood by one of the notorious Doone clan, a once noble family, now outlaws, in the isolated Doone Valley. Battling his desire for revenge, John also grows into a respectable farmer and takes good care of his mother and two sisters. He falls hopelessly in love with Lorna, a girl he meets by accident, who turns out to be not only (apparently) the granddaughter of Sir Ensor Doone (lord of the Doones), but destined to marry (against her will) the impetuous, menacing, and now jealous heir of the Doone Valley, Carver Doone. Carver will let nothing get in the way of his marriage to Lorna, which he plans to force upon her once Sir Ensor dies and he comes into his inheritance.

From the Source:

"What is your name?" she said, as if she had every right to ask me; "and how did you come here, and what are these wet things in this great bag?" [58]

My name is John Ridd. What is your name?"

"Lorna Doone," she answered, in a low voice, as if afraid of it, and hanging her head so that I could see only her forehead and eyelashes; "if you please, my name is Lorna Doone; and I thought you must have known it."

Then I stood up and touched her hand, and tried to make her look at me; but she only turned away the more. Young and harmless as she was, her name alone made guilt of her. Nevertheless I could not help looking at her tenderly, and the more when her blushes turned into tears, and her tears to long, low sobs.

"Don't cry," I said, "whatever you do. I am sure you have never done any harm. I will give you all my fish Lorna, and catch some more for mother; only don't be angry with me."

She flung her little soft arms up in the passion of her tears, and looked at me so piteously, that what did I do but kiss her. It seemed to be a very odd thing, when I came to think of it, because I hated kissing so, as all honest boys must do. But she touched my heart with a sudden delight, like a cowslip-blossom (although there were none to be seen yet), and the sweetest flowers of spring.

She gave me no encouragement, as my mother in her place would have done; nay, she even wiped her lips (which methought was rather rude of her), and drew away.

BCnU!

MARY STEENBURGEN DOES A HULU

When Diana Jessup returned to '30 Rock' in order to protest Jack Donaghy's plan to make a TV movie about her daughter (his wife) being kidnapped by North Korea, it took all her will power to resist her attraction to her son-in-law. At one point she said:

"Of course there's no other reason it would be awkward, and I didn't dream that I was a sex-slave to a squid-like alien with your head."

The thing is, that probably was no dream. I think Diana did give herself to such an alien who looked like Jack with tentacles. In fact, we've already seen this extra-terrestrial in Toobworld - it's the brain-snacking alien impersonating Alec Baldwin in the original Hulu commercial:

Recently, we reported that this alien has gone through mitosis and created an exact copy of itself when it split. We've seen "Papa & Son" in several blipverts for the Capital One card. 

Here's one of them:

What triggered this mitosis? Probably an inter-species sexual encounter with Diana Jessup.

For some reason - and I don't know WHAT it could be! - the televersion of Alec Baldwin looks exactly like Jack Donaghy. So that alien impersonating the actor must have crossed paths with Diana Jessup during one of her trips to New York to see her daughter Avery. Thinking it to be Jack, Diana may have succumbed to the passion and the alien Alec took advantage of the opportunity to engage in its own version of Pon Farr.

But Diana doesn't remember it now, chalking it all up to being just a dream. That's probably because Alien Alec used a neuralizer on her. (It's probably not too hard to appropriate the technology.) 

 Now, the neuralizer comes from "Men In Black", which is a movie franchise with a version in the Tooniverse. But we know they must exist in the main Toobworld as well, because two Men in Black showed up in 'The X-Files' episode "Jose Chung's From Outer Space".

I searched the internet for awhile and I didn't find anybody else making the connection between '30 Rock' and the Hulu commercial because of that quote. And do you know what? It slipped right past me as well. Sure, I found it funny, but the image of Alec Baldwin's head sprouting tentacles didn't lead me to think of that blipvert.

That credit goes to my fellow crossoverist Robert Wronski of the Television Crossover Universe. (The link to the TVCU is to the left, my Toobers!)

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: JON SNOW

JON SNOW

CREATED BY:
George R.R. Martin

PORTRAYED BY:

Kit Harrington

AS SEEN IN:

'Game Of Thrones'

TV DIMENSION:

The Main TV Dimension, but not Earth Prime-Time.

Westeros was located on the planet Mondas.

From A Wiki Of Ice And Fire:
(About the books)
Jon Snow is the bastard son of Eddard Stark, by a mother whose identity is a source of speculation. He was raised by his father alongside his true-born half-siblings, but joins the Night's Watch when he nears adulthood. He is constantly accompanied by his albino direwolf Ghost. At the beginning of A Game of Thrones, Jon is fourteen years old. He is one of the major POV Character in the books.

Jon was raised as Stark and Northmen and in many ways took to their values of honour and later on even when forced with horrendous decisions he stays morally correct and upright. Jon always had issues with his bastardy and at time feels alienated, he eventually chose to join the Night's Watch, where the circumstances of his birth were of little importance, however it also means he would have to leave all bonds of the past behind. For a long time he struggled with this but eventfully he honors his new vows and become fully committed to the Watch.

Jon has strong Stark-like features. He has a lean build and a long face, with dark brown hair and grey eyes.

From the 'Game Of Thrones' wiki:
(About the TV show)
Jon Snow is a major character in Game of Thrones. He is played by starring cast member Kit Harington and débuts in the first episode of the first season. Jon Snow is the bastard son of the late Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. Jon is a steward in the Night's Watch. Now serving on the Wall, Jon has found a place of acceptance where the circumstances of his birth are of little importance. Jon has a pet direwolf named Ghost. He wields the sword Longclaw, a gift from Jeor Mormont.

The identity of his mother is the source of much speculation. Eddard once told King Robert Baratheon that Jon's mother is a serving girl named Wylla, but refused to elaborate any further. Jon himself has no knowledge of his mother. Jon's presence at Winterfell is a source of friction between Eddard and his wife, Catelyn. Jon got on well with his half-siblings, particularly Robb and Arya.

Today is my brother Bill's birthday. Recently I loaned him my box set of the first season of 'Game Of Thrones' and he really took to it, proclaiming Jon Snow to be his favorite character.

So this is my birthday tip of the hat to him.

Happy birthday, Bill!

BCnU!

ALEXANDER THE GREAT: WHO'S YOUR DADDY?

According to Plutarch, the mother of Alexander the Great, Olympias by name, was impregnated by the god Zeus, who came to her in the form of a snake.

In Toobworld, while Zeus did exist, he was actually a pan-dimensional being who, like all the so-called "gods", passed himself off as a divine being because of his telekinetic powers and other abilities unknown to the men of Earth Prime-Time.

And while he was a randy scouse git, I don't think Zeus can claim Olympias as another notch on the belt of his tunic.

This being Toobworld, Olympias was probably impregnated by a Lausenschlange, a man-snake hybrid.

This would make the televersion of Alexander the Great one of the wesen spawn of legend.

SHOWS CITED
"Alexander The Great" - pilot

'Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'

'Grimm'

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: MRS. DANVERS

MRS. DANVERS

CREATED BY:

Daphne Du Maurier

PORTRAYED BY:

Anna Massey

AS SEEN IN:

"Rebecca"

TV DIMENSION:

Alternate Toobworld

STATUS:

Multiversal

(Literary Universe, Cineverse, TV Universe or "Televerse")

From Wikipedia:

Mrs. Danvers is the main antagonist of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel Rebecca. She is the housekeeper of Manderley, a stately manor belonging to wealthy Maximillian "Maxim" de Winter, where he once lived with his openly unfaithful wife Rebecca. Rebecca died in a boating accident the previous year and Mr. de Winter, who has been traveling, has brought home a new bride. Mrs. Danvers (whose first name is never given) remains rigidly faithful to Rebecca's memory, insisting that the house be kept just as it was when Rebecca lived there. She continually brow beats the new Mrs. De Winter whenever the young woman attempts to make any sort of change to the house.

Danvers wants desperately to get rid of the new Mrs. de Winter and tries to break up the marriage. Late in the story she suggests that Mrs. de Winter wear a particular dress to a costume ball. She knows full well that it is a dress that Rebecca wore to the costume ball the year before. It angers Mr. de Winter and when she confronts Mrs. Danvers about her deception (she finds her in Rebecca’s room), Mrs. Danvers attempts to manipulate her into jumping out of the second floor window. The spell is broken when a signal flare is sent up signaling that a ship has run aground.

In the end, having failed to break up the marriage, Mrs. Danvers sets fire to Manderley. She tells the new Mrs. de Winter that she would rather burn the place down than see them happy there. Mrs. de Winter escapes but Mrs. Danvers dies in the fire.

Mrs. Danvers would later be played by several actresses for television adaptations, notably: Dorothy Black in 1947, Nina Foch in 1962, Anna Massey in 1979, Diana Rigg in 1997, and by Mariangela Melato in an Italian language adaptation.

Dorothy Black appears to be The Mrs. Danvers of Earth Prime-Time. And the Mrs. Danvers played by Mariangela Melato would be found in the TV dimension which was a world conquered by Italy, and so Italian would be the dominant language.

BCnU!