STEELE BIRTH

Back in the 1870's Bret Maverick was set up to be the fall guy in a bank robbery by Molly Gleason and her boyfriend Ralph Jordan (who worked at the bank and was the bank owner's nephew). In protecting the bank (if only to save his own skin), Maverick killed Ralph in a shoot-out. Molly was taken into custody by the sheriff (who was once infatuated with her), and may have spent a good part of her life in prison. I have no clue as to when she eventually died.

In Toobworld, reincarnation is an established fact - it's right there in the lyrics to the 'My Mother The Car' theme song:

About 100 years later, the souls of Ralph Jordan and Molly Gleason were briefly re-united in Los Angeles. But Ralph's spirit may have been reborn at least once before its present incarnation as private eye Joe Mannix, giving it time for its karma to cleanse itself and move on in spiritual growth. Unfortunately, the soul of Molly Gleason, now reborn as an Australian two-timer named Sheila Sprague, did not achieve that cleansing growth. She was still as corrupt as she had been back in the 1870's.

There was no spark in which these two souls suddenly recognized each other - Ralph Jordan had moved on and Joe Mannix had no spiritual memory of that past life. When he saw Sheila Sprague, known to her new lover as "Angel", Joe Mannix only saw her as a double-crossing tramp who put the life of her former lover in danger.

Joe Mannix is still with us in Toobworld and a sure candidate for inclusion in the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame. ('Mannix', 'Here's Lucy', 'Diagnosis Murder') The soul of Joe Mannix will probably move on and have no further need to return to life in Toobworld after the private eye passes away. But Sheila Sprague, like the actress who played her (Karen Steele) has died. Perhaps her soul has been reborn already; perhaps she is on her way to cleansing her karma.

In all likelihood, however, it will take several centuries for her to finally rid herself of those past inclinations. But as we will one day see, somewhere around 2266 in the Toobworld timeline, Molly Gleason/Sheila Sprague, known in the future as Eve McHuron, was finally beginning to break free of her larcenous ways.

(Eve McHuron on the left, with the other two "Mudd's Women")

Baby, we were born to re-run!

BCnU!