MARC,H 2021 TVXOHOF SHOWCASE - THE KING OF TALK

 

From CNN:

January 24, 2021
Larry King, the longtime CNN host who became an icon through his interviews with countless newsmakers and his sartorial sensibilities, has died. He was 87.

THE CLOSER

King hosted "Larry King Live" on CNN for over 25 years, interviewing presidential candidates, celebrities, athletes, movie stars and everyday people. He retired in 2010 after taping more than 6,000 episodes of the show.

BOSTON LEGAL

A statement was posted on his verified Facebook account announcing his passing. His son, Chance, confirmed King's death Saturday morning.

BIG LOVE

"With profound sadness, Ora Media announces the death of our co-founder, host and friend Larry King, who passed away this morning at age 87 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles," the statement said.

UGLY BETTY

The Television Crossover Hall Of Fame has tried to format March as the month to celebrate members of the League of Themselves.  I’m blanking on who was originally slotted for induction this year, but considering the news….

LARRY KING

From Wikipedia:
Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included two Peabodys, an Emmy and ten Cable ACE Awards. He hosted over 50,000 interviews.

FRASIER

King was a WMBM radio interviewer in the Miami area in the 1950s and 1960s, and gained prominence in 1978 as host of ‘The Larry King Show’, an all-night nationwide call-in radio program heard on the Mutual Broadcasting System.  

ARLISS

From 1985 to 2010, he hosted the nightly interview television program ‘Larry King Live’ on CNN. King hosted ‘Larry King Now’ from 2012 to 2020, which aired on Hulu, Ora TV, and RT America. He hosted ‘PoliticKING with Larry King’, a weekly political talk show, on the same three channels from 2013 to 2020.

King also appeared in television series and films, usually playing himself.

The King of Talk was a multiversal, appearing in not only TV shows, but also in movies as himself, on radio, and even in the universe of comic books.  (His comics counterpart fares better in the far future – he’s still on the job when Kitty Pryde grows up and runs for president.)

King is seen here with She-Hulk in the Comic Book Universe.  She will soon be seen on Disney+ in a new series starring Tatiana Maslany.  Sadly, too late to team up with one of King's alternate televersions. 

Within the greater TV Universe, Larry King was a multi-dimensional.  Many of his appearances were from Earth Prime-Time, the main Toobworld.  But he also has a presence in the Tooniverse and in two alternate Toobworlds as well.

In those cases where I couldn’t find the exact details of his involvement in a particular episode, it has been my “O’Bservation” that he was probably seen reporting and/or commenting on a high profile news story, or interviewing somebody who was involved.  (The plot summaries for most of those episodes usually dealt with a big murder trial storyline.)

So here are the appearances which qualified Larry King for membership in the TVXOHOF:

The Edge of Night
- Episode #1.6621 (1981)

O’Bservation - Larry King worked as a reporter in this episode, which was set in the Midwestern city of Monticello.  This was probably the first time his life in Earth Prime-Time deviated from his Earth Prime life, unless there was some spoken reference to the fictional version of his youth.

Murphy Brown
- Rootless People (1990)

O’Bservation - I’m assuming Larry covered Murphy’s kidnapping by environmentalists.

The Larry Sanders Show

- The P.A. (1995)

When he showed up to be a guest on the show, Larry kept mentioning the high caliber guests he had on his show – Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama, and Brando.

Coach

- Is It Hot in Here, or Is It Me?: Part 2 (1995)

Larry interviewed “Bullwinkle” about Hayden’s hot mike gaffe in the Orlando welcoming parade.

Murder One

- Chapter Twenty-One (1996)

King interviewed the prosecutor, Miriam Grasso, and the defense attorney, Teddy Hoffman, regarding the Neil Avedon case after he was found guilty of murdering Jessica Costello.

Murphy Brown

- Phil's Dead - Long Live Phil's (1996)

Larry paid tribute to Phil at his wake, held in his bar.

Bonnie

- Better Offer (1996)

O’Bservation – Based on the picture (if it actually had anything to do with the episode and wasn’t just a publicity photo), I’m guessing Larry King visited the TV station where Mark Derwin was playing the boss.

Arli$$

- The Real Thing (1997)

To promote a baseball player about to set a record, Arliss sets up a lot of former players to kick off the tour to Cooperstown in the cities where they played. He also got Larry King believing he would kick off the tour on his show.

Muppets Tonight

- Billy Crystal (1996)

Larry did a cameo as he tried to convince Bobo the security guard to let him into the theater.

Frasier

- My Fair Frasier (1997)

Larry King interviewed the woman Frasier was dating.

King:
We're here with noted attorney, Samantha Pierce, she's in Los Angeles to appear with us. Currently, she's trying a case in Seattle defending the butcher knife killer….
[Turns to Samantha Pierce]
Sam, I have to ask you. Don't you think being in the public eye, dating some of the world's most famous men, affects the way juries perceive you?
Sam:
Now, that's not really fair, Larry. I don't date public figures.
King:
What about the much-publicized relationship with Kevin Costner?
Sam:
Oh, that's just a rumor.
King:
George Stephanopoulos?
Sam:
A rumor too.
King:
Brad Pitt is another rumor?
Sam:
Yeah, but I started that one.

The Practice

- The Verdict (2002)

King interviewed Ellanor Frutt, who was defending her law associate Lindsay Dole on a charge of murder.

Everybody Loves Raymond
- The First Six Years (2002)

O’Bservation – This was a retrospective clip show and Larry King either hosted it or was one of the celebrities who commented on the series.

Arli$$

- Standards and Practices (2002)

Larry interviewed one of Arliss’ clients, who bared her breasts on national television.

Sesame Street

- Telly Joins the Letter of the Month Club (2004)
- Sesame Street Presents: The Street We Live On (2004)

Fat Actress

- Crack for Good (2005)

Kirstie Alley was hanging out with her parents while Larry King was on the TV.  What they didn’t know was that Larry was about to interview Kirstie’s crackhead brother about her.

Law & Order: Trial by Jury

- Day (2005)

In order to sway public opinion and perhaps influence a potential jury, a wealthy socialite hit the publicity trail in support of her son.  King was one of her “tour stops”.

Boston Legal

- Truly, Madly, Deeply (2005)

After deliberately shooting his client in both legs (because he didn’t want to defend an indigent who admitted to Denny that he did rape and kill a 13 year old girl and probably gave her AIDS as well), Denny appeared on Larry King’s show down in Washington to defend his actions.

Sesame Street
- Grouch Apprentice (2005)

O'Bservation - This was probably a spoof of the series which starred another TVXOHOF member, Donald Trump (April Fool inductee, 2009.)

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

- Weeping Willow (2006)

After a staged kidnapping of a popular blogger went horribly wrong, Detectives Logan and Wheeler watched Larry King interview the blogger on the jumbo screen in Times Square.  

Shark

- Wayne's World 2: Revenge of the Shark (2007)

O’Bservation - I couldn’t find pictures or video of King on James Woods’ show, but I’m sure it was typical of his appearances on courtroom shows.  He would be seen doing his show and commenting on the big case of the episode.  But I did find this picture in which Jessica Devlin told Stark that she got a fruit basket from King.

The Closer

- Til Death Do Us Part: Part II (2007)

On his show, King interviewed California Representative Loretta Sanchez about a headline-making murder trial.

Ugly Betty
- The Kids Are Alright (2008)

Daniel Meade of Mode magazine appeared on the show during which he was ambushed with questions about his treatment of Wilhelmina Slater.

30 Rock

- Larry King (2009)

After an Asian economic meltdown, Tracy gave some irresponsible advice on "Larry King Live."

Big Love

- End of Days (2010)

King covered the breaking news of 118 inbred children rescued from a polygamist sect’s Kansas compound, taking callers’ questions.

Better with You

- Better with Dancing (2011)

Larry was staying at the hotel where Ben Coles was the manager.  He offered Ben a lot of good advice on making up with his girlfriend and getting back in the good graces of her parents.  He also requested a suspicious amount of towels to his room.

Murder in the First

- Family Matters (2014)

O’Bservation – Probably a check-in on the Blunt trial verdict.  Based on this frame grab, it looks as though he was arguing with someone involved with the case.

American Crime Story

- The Dream Team (2016)
- 100% Not Guilty (2016)
- A Jury in Jail (2016)
- Manna from Heaven (2016)

O’Bservation – This picture is from King’s actual “involvement” in the OJ murder case as seen on TV.  This time he had Faye Resnick, a friend of Nicole Brown Simpson, on his show.  (Connie Britton played Resnick.) Of the four episodes he did, the picture is from “100% Not Guilty”.

“Is this guy drunk?  

What’s going on here?”

Maxxx
 - House Party (2020) 
- Sex, Love 'n' Lyrics (2020) 
- Showtime (2020) 
- Music Video (2020)
- Guess Who's Back? (2020)

ALTERNATE TOOBWORLD I

O’Bservation – This dimension is for all those sitcoms in which Rudy Giuliani, the established New York City mayor in both the Real World and Toobworld was replaced by Randall Winston.  (I don’t know yet if there were any other aberrations from the main Toobworld.)

Spin City

- An Affair to Remember (1997)

Alt-Larry was one of several celebrities who filmed videos to wish NYC Mayor Winston a happy 50th birthday.

ALTERNATE TOOBWORLD II

O’Bservation – In this dimension, there has been a long line of “sitcommander-in-chiefs” who have replaced the real Presidents over the years. It is distinct from that Toobworld of dramas which focused on fictional Presidents.

1600 Penn

- Marry Me, Baby (2013)

Larry interviewed President Gilchrist and the First Lady in the Oval Office on their fifth wedding anniversary, during which POTUS committed a gaffe by stating that weddings are stupid.

THE TOONIVERSE

 The Simpsons
- One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish (1991)

King was heard as a book on tape narrator – I think of the Bible.

- Sideshow Bob Roberts (1994)

Arthur

- Elwood City Turns 100! (2002)

O’Bservation – There is some crossover between Toobworld and the Tooniverse.  Generally, the pen&ink characters cross over into the flesh&blood world, as it appears happened in this case.

Gravity Falls

- Headhunters (2012)
- Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls (2016)

O’Bservation – This was not the real Larry King, but an incredible wax simulation and he provided the voice….

Finally, here is Larry with a few fellow members of the TVXOHOF:

DON RICKLES
MEMORIAL TRIBUTE 2017

FRANK SINATRA
DECEMBER 2015
[100th BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE]

KERMIT THE FROG
PRE-1999 "PROTO-HALL" MEMBER

BETTY WHITE
[AS SEEN ON 'CONAN'] 
MARCH 2008

Welcome to the TV Crossover Hall of Fame, Mr. King.

Good night and may God bless….

MONDAY MEMORIAL TVXOHOF TRIBUTE - "WILD BILL" McKENZIE

From The Hollywood Reporter:
Hal Holbrook, the craftsman who reincarnated Mark Twain on stage and screen for more than six decades and also stood out as Abraham Lincoln and Deep Throat, two other American legends, has died. He was 95.

Holbrook died Jan. 23 in Beverly Hills, his personal assistant, Joyce Cohen, told The New York Times on Monday night.

A five-time Emmy winner, Holbrook was 82 when he became the oldest man (at the time) to receive an Oscar acting nomination when he was honored for his performance as a leatherwork expert in “Into the Wild” (2007).

The Cleveland native also was memorable as a Senate candidate in “Wild in the Streets” (1968); as the vigilante boss of police inspector Clint Eastwood in “Magnum Force” (1973); as a NASA exec who engineers a fake Mars landing in “Capricorn One” (1977); as a judge who takes matters into his own hands in ‘The Star Chamber” (1983); and as old-school stockbroker Lou Mannheim in “Wall Street” (1987).

Holbrook played Twain longer than Samuel Langhorne Clemens, who made Twain his pen name in 1863. He first appeared as the famed author and humorist in the late 1940s in a show for school groups; Holbrook’s first wife, Ruby, would ask questions of famous people in history, including Twain. He turned that into the one-man show, ‘Mark Twain Tonight!”, in the 1950s.

I would have liked to have honored his portrayal of Twain in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame; after all, Mark Twain is in the TVXOHOF, with his many recastings due to differing points of view.  But “Mark Twain Tonight!” is not of Earth Prime-Time but of Toobstage, that TV dimension of staged plays on television.  And that was with the understanding that it was Hal Holbrook playing the role (as established years earlier on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’.)  If Holbrook was eligible to enter the Hall as a member of the League of Themselves, I would certainly count that TV special among his qualifications.

O’Bservation – By the way, the official representation of Mark Twain in the TVXOHOF gallery is of Jerry Hardin, Holbrook’s costar in “The Firm.”  He played Clemens in two episodes of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’.

But there are two characters played by Holbrook who are eligible for membership and I’ll be honoring him with a memorial tribute to one of them today….

WILLIAM “WILD BILL” McKENZIE

From Wikipedia:
Following [Raymond] Burr's death in 1993, Paul Sorvino and Hal Holbrook starred in the remaining four television films that aired from 1993 to 1995, playing lawyers Anthony Caruso and "Wild Bill" McKenzie respectively.

From The Desert News:
You just ship Perry out of town and replace him with "Wild Bill" McKenzie, Harley Davidson-riding attorney-turned-rancher. If this sounds ghoulish, NBC reminds us that Burr wanted the "Perry Mason" series of occasional made-for-TV movies to live on, so all his longtime co-stars and crew could still get a paycheck.

With TV movies, each production is counted separately, even when there is an umbrella title (as is the case here.)  On the other hand, all TV episodes are counted as one entity by the title of the series.

My Hall.  My rules.

So Wild Bill qualifies as he had three movies under the “A Perry Mason Mystery” title, thus qualifying him for membership in the TVXOHOF.  (Unlike Sorvino’s Caruso who only had the one outing.  Which is a shame, since in the Toobworld Dynamic, Anthony Caruso was Perry Mason’s bastard son.)

Here are the TV movies that gained entry for Wild Bill McKenzie:

A PERRY MASON MYSTERY -
THE CASE OF THE LETHAL LIFESTYLE

From the IMDb:
Bill McKenzie is a retired lawyer who prefers to spend time working on his ranch. But he occasionally takes on a case wherein the defendant is wrongfully convicted or falsely accused, and he's a friend of Perry Mason. Mason asks him to fill in for him at some thing wherein he is suppose to give a speech. At the thing are some important people including a chess master whom McKenzie knows. Also, there is a sleazy interviewer who is forcing the chess player to be on his show when he refused, and when the interviewer is found dead, the chess player is arrested, and McKenzie defends him. Della Street and Ken Malansky offer their assistance, and McKenzie tries to find out who had motive to kill the man.
&
When Perry is unable to deliver a speech at a conference he calls Bill McKenzie to offer him a hotel etc in exchange for delivering the work. Also at the hotel is filming for the newest episode of 'lifestyles of the wealthy and well-known' hosted by Adrian Lye. One of Lye's guests, and Bill's friend, Daniel Kingman (a famous chess player) is at the hotel and is being blackmailed by Lye. When he goes to Lye's room a fight ensues after which Lye is found poisoned to death. Bill defends Kingman while Ken Malansky goes after the 'waiter' seen delivering the poisoned drink to Lye's suite, assuming the drink was poisoned before delivery and not by Kingman.

A PERRY MASON MYSTERY -
THE CASE OF THE GRIMACING GOVERNOR

From the IMDb:
When gubernatorial candidate Harlan Richards is murdered, the suspicions fall on the incumbent Governor Ryan Allison but when he, too, is murdered the plot thickens.

Maverick lawyer Bill McKenzie returns to action defending the daughter of a disgraced politician. The politico was murdered, but his death was successfully made to appear as suicide. Several years later, his daughter finds herself suspected of murdering the Governor of the state, who she held responsible for her father's suicide through a political smear campaign.

Hal Holbrook is great in this role and the mystery, while engaging is rather disturbing as McKenzie probes layer upon layer of political corruption during his investigation. One can't help but wonder about the political repercussions after the smoke cleared. It might have made an interesting film on its own. The final revelation, while not surprising, is clever and ironic.

A PERRY MASON MYSTERY -
THE CASE OF THE JEALOUS JOKESTER

From the IMDb:
Bill McKenzie's niece works as a production assistant for controversial television personality Josie Joplin, who publicly accuses her of having an affair with her husband. One night McKenzie's niece receives a message which she believes is from Josie to go to her hotel room, when she gets there someone knocks her out and when she wakes up, Josie is dead and she's the number one suspect, so McKenzie defends her.

As I mentioned earlier, Hal Holbrook has two characters worthy of membership.  And while I am writing up that “induction ceremony” now, I will be saving it to be a monthly showcase in 2022.

Welcome to the TV Crossover Hall of Fame, Wild Bill.  

Good night and may God bless….

BLACK HISTORY MONTH TVXOHOF SHOWCASE - HANK AARON

 This blog post was originally going to run on January 25 as a Monday Memorial TVXOHOF Tribute.  But I realized that if the Television Crossover Hall of Fame was going to showcase Black History Month with the February inductee, than it should be someone who actually made history and not just another black TV character.  So I held this back until today….

HANK AARON

From The New York Daily News:
Baseball has lost Its legitimate all-time home run king.

Hank Aaron, who fought vile racial prejudice in his lonely vigil to break Babe Ruth’s all-time major league home run record, and went on to also establish the all-time records for RBI, total bases and extra base hits as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, died Friday morning.  [January 22, 2021]

He was 86.

From Wikipedia:
Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank," was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. He spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League (AL). Aaron is regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. His 755 career home runs stood as the MLB record for 33 years, and he still holds many MLB offensive records. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, and he is one of only two players to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times.

In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on its list of the "100 Greatest Baseball Players". In 1982, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Aaron was born and raised in and around Mobile, Alabama. Aaron had seven siblings, including Tommie Aaron, who played major-league baseball with him. He appeared briefly in the Negro American League and in minor league baseball before starting his major league career.  By his final MLB season, Aaron was the last Negro league baseball player on a major league roster.

TWO TVXOHOF ALL-TIME GREATS

Aaron played the vast majority of his MLB games in right field, though he appeared at several other infield and outfield positions. In his last two seasons, he was primarily a designated hitter. Aaron was an NL All-Star for 20 seasons and an AL All-Star for 1 season, and he holds the record for the most All-Star selections (25), while sharing the record for most All-Star Games played (24) with Willie Mays and Stan Musial. He was a three-time Gold Glove winner, and in 1957, he won the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award when the Milwaukee Braves won the World Series. Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career runs batted in (RBI) (2,297), extra base hits (1,477), and total bases (6,856). Aaron is also in the top five for career hits (3,771) and runs (2,174). He is one of only four players to have at least 17 seasons with 150 or more hits.  Aaron is in second place in home runs (755) and at-bats (12,364), and in third place in games played (3,298). At the time of his retirement, Aaron held most of the game's key career power hitting records.

After his retirement, Aaron held front office roles with the Atlanta Braves, including senior vice president. In 1988, Aaron was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1999, MLB introduced the Hank Aaron Award to recognize the top offensive players in each league. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. He was named a 2010 Georgia Trustee by the Georgia Historical Society in recognition of accomplishments that reflect the ideals of Georgia's founders. Aaron resided near Atlanta.

It’s time Hank Aaron entered one last Hall of Fame.  Here are the TV show episodes in which he appeared as a member of the League of Themselves and which qualify him for the Hall of Fame:

Happy Days

- The Hucksters (1980)
When Richie's amateur commercial doesn't bring more customers into his Dad's hardware store, the Cunninghams hire a smooth-talking advertising expert who promises a huge increase in business but who also has a hidden agenda that challenges Howard's business ethics.

MacGyver

- Back from the Dead (1987)
The episode featured Joe Santos as Jimmy Kendal, a former mob informant now in the witness protection program with a new identity as a minor league baseball manager. With the team getting ready for the playoffs, Santos’ character brings in a professional ballplayer to help the team prepare for the competition. Hank Aaron trots out to the field to face the young pitcher, who, after a pep talk from Santos, strikes him out.

The Incredible Ida Early (1987 TV Movie)
Single parent hires a housekeeper for his motherless children.

School principal and widowed father Paul Sutton (Ed Begley Jr.) hires a housekeeper named Ida Early (Jackée Harry) to help care for his home and four children where she amazes the kids with her tall tales, magical ways & stories about famous friends of hers (such as baseball legend Hank Aaron).

Mr. Belvedere

- The Field (1989)
It's George's birthday. He's been pushing Wesley to excel at baseball and when Wesley decides to cheat, George is upset at him and Wesley say he did it for him. When they throw George a party, and help him relive some of life's greatest moments.  But that only shows him how he has done nothing he set out to do, like play baseball with some greats.

So Belvedere decides to give George a different present. The next day at Wesley's game, he arranged for some great players [Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Harmon Killebrew, Robert Goulet, Mickey Mantle. Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Reggie Jackson] to be there. Along with George and Robert Goulet, they play Wesley's team.

Arli$$
- The Real Thing (1997)
One of Arliss's clients hits his 500th home run, but the guy who has the ball wants a million bucks for it.

O'Bservation - It's hard to find frame grabs from 'Arli$$' online.  So this will have to serve - Robert Wuhl, who played Arliss, at the premiere for the documentary "Hank Aaron: Chasing The Dream".

Touched by an Angel

- The Perfect Game (2001)
A father tries to control his son's life and is obsessed with his baseball performance. The angels must help heal the father and son relationship by showing the father that he must first heal the relationship he has with his own father.

Aaron came out from the Braves main office to scout how the son did as a pitcher.

THE TOONIVERSE

Futurama

- A Leela of Her Own (2002)
O’Bservation – Hank Aaron provided the voices of both Hank Aaron’s head and Hank Aaron XXIV.

At one point, Hank Aaron’s head derisively calls Hank Aaron XXIV "you Fungo." Despite its use as a generic sci-fi insult in this instance, in baseball, "fungo" is the term for a fly ball hit to players for fielding practice.

[Most of those notes came from the IMDb....]

As with many pro baseball players, Aaron appeared in plenty of TV blipverts:

MASTERCARD

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PROMO

POLAROID

CHARLES SCHWAB

WHEATIES

• TV commercial for Wheaties (1970s)
• TV commercial for Gillette Super Speed razors (1960s)
• TV commercial for MasterCard International (1999)
• TV commercial for Charles Schwab (2002)
• TV commercial for MasterCard (archive footage) (2002)
• Television commercial for "Oh, Henry!" Candy Bar (1970s)

Plus he was the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses parade on January 1, 1975, which is always televised. 

I've also included pics from his appearances with David Letterman - twice (out of three) on 'Late Night' and once on 'The Late Show' - because these were more than typical talk show spots; Letterman often turned the format on its head.  In this case, he had Aaron interviewed again, backstage after his first visit; he had Aaron come out to read the monologue jokes for him off the cue cards; and onc ehe moved over to CBS, they compared their baseball cards.

So here’s to you, Mr. Aaron.  Good night and may God bless....

Welcome to the Hall!