FANFICCER'S FRIEND: THE MAN FROM UNCLE IN THE HIGH CASTLE

This is a picture of the late Robert Vaughn in "Bridge At Remagen".  But the Cineverse is not always welcome in the multi-dimensions of Toobworld.  Therefore, such stills could be said to represent something else entirely.....

For the greater Toobworld Dynamic, this is Napoleon Solo, but as seen in the Borderland dimension for the adaptation of the Philip K. Dick novel "The Man In The High Castle". In this world, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan occupy the United States. 

In Earth Prime-Time, Solo is an Americanized Canadian secret agent working for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. 

But in Hitler's America, Napoleon Solo is a Gestapo officer, probably in the SS. 

As for Illya Kuryakin?  War probably still rages on the Russian Front and he may have died there.  In this TV dimension, Solo and Kuryakin never met.....

BCnU!

FANFICCER'S FRIEND: THE BEATLES' SOLO ACT

So one of my diversions in televisiology is to take pictures from outside the TV Universe - movie stills, publicity pics, news photos - and claim that they represent known TV characters as unseen on TV.  I usually offer them up as an inspiration for the fanficcers out there. 

But I won't use screencaps from actual TV shows; those are already locked into the Toobworld timeline as what they already represent. 

Here's my favorite example:

That's a picture from the very first 'Columbo' movie to star Peter Falk. (Tele-historians should know why I had to phrase it like that.)  With him is Gene Barry as the murderer, Dr. Ray Flemming.

And that's all it can be. I can't make the claim that it's a picture of New York-based lawyer Daniel J. O'Brien ('Trials Of O'Brien') arguing for his client with L.A. Homicide Captain Amos Burke of 'Burke's Law'.  It's locked in as the 'Columbo' scene. 

So now that that's (hopefully) cleared up, here's my latest offering as the fanficcers' friend....

The Beatles' appearances on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' are the stuff of television legend. And they have been fictionalized into the Toobworld timeline.....

'DARK SKIES'

"A DARK DAY'S NIGHT"

Loengard and Sayers uncover a Hive plot to use the Beatles American television debut to induce a mass suicide.

This occurred during February 6-9, 1964. 

So there's a picture of Robert Vaughn with the Beatles, each of them at the height of fame in their respective fields. 

But what if we "toobify" this photo, and claim that it's Napoleon Solo with the Beatles?  Either he had been assigned to protect them by Mr. Waverly (who probably had no clue who they were), or the Fab Four were the ultimate celebrity innocent bystanders - those characters who were randomly drawn into the action as temporary UNCLE agents as it were. 

Either way, this could have happened during the same period as the 'Dark Skies' episode. As such, they may have been working on either the same case or on different cases at the same time without bumping into each other.  (At least not while the Trueniverse audience was observing them.)

It would make for a great crossover fan fiction between 'The Man From UNCLE' and 'Dark Skies' with an opportunity for Napoleon Solo to fight an extraterrestrial threat. 

Or it can be a standalone fanfic adventure that took place the following week when the show was done in Miami (because of the upcoming heavyweight bout between Sonny Liston and Cassius Clay.)

Perhaps THRUSH was hoping to capitalize on the 7-1 odds against Clay in such a way which would ultimately cause the American economy to collapse.  (There were reports that Liston had been drinking heavily the night before which could be tele-fictionalized as part of the plot.) UNCLE could have stepped in and ensured that Cassius Clay won on his own merits, which he did. 

And somehow the Beatles proved helpful in the plan.  How, that would be up to the fanficcer. 

(The Beatles appeared for a third week in a row on Feb. 23, but that appearance had been taped on the afternoon of the 9th. So it was during the Hive plot.)

The Beatles would play the Sullivan show one more time the following year, recorded live in August but not broadcast until September.  Perhaps an UNCLE adventure could be tied into that... especially if they actually played live on the September broadcast date as far as Toobworld was concerned. Then it could serve as a lead-in to Solo & Kuryakin's case known as "The Alexander The Greater Affair" wich occurred about five days later. 

So many paths one could take in this fanfic, all from just this one photo.....

BCnU!

MINUTIAE MONDAY - JUDAS WOLF

I always say that TV is a teaching tool. Sometimes, however, I wish I never learned the information... information... information.....

Deputy Vic Moretti:

You know Dan? 

Pyper: 

All conservationists know him. He's the asshole who used a Judas wolf to destroy the Lone Tree pack. 

Deputy Vic Moretti:

A Judas wolf? 

Pyper:

A hunter puts a tracking collar on a wolf and turns him loose. When the wolf returns to his pack, the hunter follows in a helicopter. Picks off the whole pack from the air, sparing only the Judas wolf. So now, all alone and inadvertently having destroyed his whole family, the Judas seeks another pack to take him in. And the whole thing starts all over again.

From 'Longmire'

Unfortunately, this practice is being employed by the government of British Columbia.....

BCnU.....

TVXOHOF BIRTHDAY: DICK CAVETT

Talk show raconteur Dick Cavett turned 80 years old yesterday.  

From Wikipedia:

Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett (born November 19, 1936) is an American television personality and former talk show host notable for his conversational style and in-depth discussions. Cavett appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States in five consecutive decades, the 1960s through the 2000s.

And since this is the year in which all of the inductees into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame are members of the League of Themselves, I figured this was a good enough reason as any for him to join the club, no matter what his friend Groucho thought of the practice. 

From the IMDb:

"The Dick Cavett Show" aired on 5 networks for over 35 years: ABC daytime (March 4, 1968-January 24, 1969) (originally titled This Morning) ABC prime time (May 26-September 19, 1969) ABC late night (December 29, 1969-January 1, 1975) CBS prime time (August 16-September 6, 1975) PBS (October 10, 1977-October 8, 1982) USA prime time (September 30, 1985-September 23, 1986) ABC late night (September 23-December 30, 1986) CNBC (April 17, 1989-January 26, 1996).

Most of all, Cavett is known for hosting several talk shows, after starting out as a writer for late night hosts Jack Paar and Johnny Carson. 

With his own shows, Cavett had such guests as John and Yoko, Bobby Fischer, Katherine Hepburn, Janis Joplin, Brando, Norman Mailer vs. Gore Vidal, and the aforementioned Mr. Marx.  Just a day after Woodstock ended, he hosted Joni Mitchell, Plus there was the time one of his guests, a health and fitness expert, died during the taping of an episode. 

Cavett moderated a discussion/debate about the Vietnam War with John Kerry as one of his guests, which landed him on Nixon's enemy list. 

http://youtu.be/PxwXBS8AM6M

He made enough of an impression that he made quite a few appearances in various Toobworld dimensions as himself:

The Phil Silvers Show

- Bilko's Godson (1959) ... Student in Front Row 

O'BSERVATION:

Technically, his character is never actually identified as himself, but since no other name was given... Why not?  So in Toobworld, Cavett's televersion took the Stanford entry exam before choosing Yale. 

Nightside (1973 TV Movie)

The Odd Couple 

- Two Men on a Hoarse (1975)

All My Children

- Episode dated 9 October 1979 

https://youtu.be/41Hpl-ozJys

 Cheers 

- They Called Me Mayday (1983)

Hotel 

- Outsiders (1984)

Amazing Stories 

- Mirror, Mirror (1986)

Kate & Allie 

- High Anxiety (1986) 

True Blue

- Blue Monday (1990)

Barbarians at the Gate (1993 TV Movie) 

The Simpsons (voice)

- Homie the Clown (1995)

Bored to Death

- The Black Clock of Time (2011)

Gossip Girl

- Con-Heir (2012)

Hellman v. McCarthy (2014 TV Movie) 

Children's Hospital

- Show Me a Hero (2016)

Happy birthday, Sir!

BCnU!

SATURDAY COMICS: REMEMBERING MR. SOLO

So the election last week wasn't enough bad news (for me); the world also lost Leonard Cohen, Leon Russell, and Robert Vaughn. And with Vaughn's death, Toobworld lost the chance to revisit with some great TV characters like Albert Stoller, Harry Rule, Morgan Wendell, and General Hunt Stockwell. 

But it truly is a sad Toobworld to know that Napoleon Solo of UNCLE no longer walks among our televersions.

During the past month, Ye Olde Toobmeister has been showcasing various TV characters as seen in the comic book universe - Sgt. Bilko, Honey West, Maverick, Car 54, and the Prisoner.  

So today, using that same theme, we do our best to honor UNCLE agent Napoleon Solo as he looked in the comic book world:

(All of these pages are random selections.)

If there is an alternate dimension for comic books that is similar to TV's Skitlandia, these incarnations of Solo might be found within......

Solo and Kuryakin kept being updated in the comic book universe as the years passed.....

And if there are international dimensions to the comic book universe:

Perhaps best of all for this crossover lover....

Good night and may God bless. Open Channel D.....