AS SEEN ON TV: BLACK BART

To kick off our TV Western salute, we've got video of the legendary gunman Black Bart in "action"......

Last year we featured Black Bart, but he turned out to be an escape from a mental asylum in Colorado - as seen in 'Maverick'. The Black Bart seen in 'Stories Of The Century' (which was featured the year before) was more of a fabrication based on the stories dreamed up by a Texas Ranger who inserted himself into the legends of every outlaw in the Wild Wild West.


As for this guy? I'd say he's Black Bart... but the Black Bart from that same TV dimension that houses comical versions of real life Presidents - like those seen in 'That's My Bush!' and 'The Secret Files of Desmond Pfeiffer'.


Just an idea I'm throwin' out there......


A big thanks to Mick Clews and the British Phil Silvers Appreciation Society!

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: THE EARL OF DERBY

THE EARL OF DERBY

AS SEEN IN:
'Edward The King'

AS PLAYED BY:
Bryan Coleman

From Wikipedia:
Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869) was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party. He was known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley. His record was unusual, since he is one of only four British Prime Ministers to have three or more separate periods in office. However his ministries all lasted less than two years, and he held the post for a total of just over four years, less than many other Prime Ministers.

SIR THOMAS WENHAM

AS SEEN IN:
'The Adventures Of Sir Francis Drake'

AS PLAYED BY:
Bryan Coleman

Although I have found a Sir Thomas Wenham for the relevant time period in the life of Sir Francis Drake, I'm not sure if he served as an ambassador to Spain from England. The list of I found of English ambassadors to Spain during the reign of Philip II begins just after the time period depicted in the episode "Visit To Spain".

But then, the series did play fast and loose with the timeline established in the Trueniverse, so Toobworld Central will chalk it up to a Toobworld variation.

It's not like time travelers journeyed from the Future to interact with him, as usually happens with the historical figures of Earth Prime-Time......

Two for Tuesday!

BCnU!

VIDEO VIC

From Wikipedia:In the summers of 1962 and 1963 Damone hosted a television variety series on NBC called The Lively Ones, which showcased current jazz, pop and folk performers as well as comedians. His distinguished group of musical guests over two seasons included Count Basie, Louie Bellson, Dave Brubeck, Chris Connor, Matt Dennis, Frances Faye, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Greco, Woody Herman, Jack Jones, Stan Kenton, Gene Krupa, Peggy Lee, Nellie Lutcher, Shelly Manne, Anita O'Day, Ruth Olay, Oscar Peterson, Andre Previn, Della Reese, Shorty Rogers, Cal Tjader, and Joe Williams. In 1962 he made a guest appearance on The Dick Van Dyke Show playing a crooner named Rick Vallone in an episode entitled "Like A Sister".

Other notable television work during this time included Damone's three guest appearances on Judy Garland's CBS variety series 'The Judy Garland Show' (1963–64). In addition to his solo performances on these three episodes, Damone and Garland sang duet medleys of songs from "Porgy and Bess", "West Side Story", and "Kismet".

Originally, the ASOTV showcase for Vic Damone was going to run on July 23. That was the day when 'The Lively Ones' debuted in 1962. But Inner Toob is running a special theme for the next two weeks (Can you guess why?), and I didn't want to interrupt it.

Since Vic Damone is now part of this Video Weekend, we might as well delve into some of his TV work; some of which was mentioned above.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: VIC DAMONE

VIC DAMONE

AS SEEN IN:"James Dean: Race With Destiny"
AS PLAYED BY:Louis D'Alto

From Wikipedia:
Vic Damone (born June 12, 1928) is an American singer and entertainer.

Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Caserta, Italy—Rocco and Mary (Damone) Farinola. His father was an electrician and volunteer firefighter; his mother taught piano. Inspired by his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, Damone began taking voice lessons. He sang in a choir at St. Finbar's Church in Bath Beach, Brooklyn for Sunday Mass under organist Anthony Amorello.

When his father was injured at work, Damone had to drop out of high school. He worked as an usher and elevator operator in the Paramount Theater, in Manhattan

He met Perry Como, who asked him into his dressing room to sing for him. Impressed, Como referred him to a local bandleader. Farinola decided to call himself Vic Damone, using his mother's maiden name.

Damone has married five times and divorced four:

1) The Italian actress Anna Maria Pierangeli (Pier Angeli) (1954–1958) (one son - Perry Damone)

2) Judith Rawlins (1963–1971) (three daughters - Victoria Damone-Cooper, Andrea Damone-Kellogg, Daniella Damone-Woodard)

3) Becky Ann Jones (1974–1982), the American entertainer

4) Diahann Carroll (1987–1996) (This relationship is referenced in the 1997 film "Money Talks", in which Chris Tucker's character claims to be Vic Damone Jr., the son of Damone and Carroll)

5) Rena Rowan (1998 to date), the fashion designer and co-creator of Jones New York (Jones Apparel Group).

Damone has 6 grandchildren from his daughters.

In the summers of 1962 and 1963 Damone hosted a television variety series on NBC called 'The Lively Ones', which showcased current jazz, pop and folk performers as well as comedians. His distinguished group of musical guests over two seasons included Count Basie, Louie Bellson, Dave Brubeck, Chris Connor, Matt Dennis, Frances Faye, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Greco, Woody Herman, Jack Jones, Stan Kenton, Gene Krupa, Peggy Lee, Nellie Lutcher, Shelly Manne, Anita O'Day, Ruth Olay, Oscar Peterson, Andre Previn, Della Reese, Shorty Rogers, Cal Tjader, and Joe Williams.

Other notable television work during this time included Damone's three guest appearances on Judy Garland's CBS variety series 'The Judy Garland Show' (1963–64). In addition to his solo performances on these three episodes, Damone and Garland sang duet medleys of songs from "Porgy and Bess", "West Side Story", and "Kismet".

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: JOHN ADAMS

JOHN ADAMS

AS SEEN IN:
'You Are There' -
"Washington Crosses the Delaware"

AS PLAYED BY:
Howard Wendell

From Wikipedia:
On July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Adams died at his home in Quincy. Told that it was the Fourth, he answered clearly, "It is a great day. It is a good day."

His last words have been reported as "Thomas Jefferson survives". Only the first two words "Thomas Jefferson" were clearly intelligible, however.

Adams was unaware that Jefferson, his compatriot in their quest for independence, then great political rival, then later friend and correspondent, had died a few hours earlier on the very same day. Somewhat later, struggling for breath, he whispered to his granddaughter Susanna, "Help me, child! Help me!" then lapsed into a final silence.

At about 6:20, Adams was dead, leaving Charles Carroll of Carrollton as the last surviving signatory of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams died while his son John Quincy Adams was president.

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: ALICE PLAYTEN

Actress Alice Playten passed away last Saturday from complications of pancreatic cancer at the age of 63.

She was mostly known for her work in the theatre - "Gypsy", "Henry, Sweet Henry", "Caroline, Or Change", "National Lampoon's Lemmings", among many others. Buried under heavy prosthetic makeup, she played the demon Blix, an underling to Tim Curry's Devil in the movie "Legend". And she had a Toobworld presence with roles in 'The Lost Saucer' and the HBO presentation of National Lampoon's "Disco Beavers From Outer Space".

But it's for a sweet, small role in a TV commercial for which she'll be best remembered in Toobworld. For an Alka-Seltzer blipvert back in the advertising heyday of the early 1970's called "Groom's First Meal", Ms. Playten played a young newlywed eager to try out some recipes on her new husband - among them, poached oysters and my favorite, marshmallow meatloaf. (That's Terry Kiser of "Weekend At Bernie's" fame in the background as her loving test subject......)

Sadly, of all those famous commercials from that time period for Alka Seltzer, "Groom's First Meal" doesn't seem to be available for viewing on the internet. But thanks to my copy of "Mighty Minutes" (and a technical assist from my co-worker Tony Ebadi), I'm able to present to you this still from the commercial:

Good night, Alice Playten, and may God bless.

BCnU......

AS SEEN ON TV: ROLLS & ROYCE

The holiday weekend is approaching and that means the public will be taking to the roads to reach their vacation spots......

Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904.

MR. ROYCE & MR. ROLLS

AS SEEN IN:
'The Edwardians'

AS PLAYED BY:
Mr. Royce - Michael Jayston

Mr. Rolls - Robert Powell

Charles Stewart Rolls (27 August 1877 - 12 July 1910) was a motoring and aviation pioneer. Together with Frederick Henry Royce he co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in a flying accident, when the tail of his Wright Flyer broke off during a flying display near Bournemouth, England. He was aged 32.

Sir Frederick Henry Royce, 1st Baronet, OBE (27 March 1863 – 22 April 1933) was a pioneering car manufacturer, who with Charles Stewart Rolls founded the Rolls-Royce company.

From Wikipedia:
Following a decline in trade after the Second Boer War, and the arrival of increasing competition in cranes and dynamos from Germany and the United States, Royce began considering the motor car as a potential new product for the company. With his fascination for all things mechanical he became increasingly focused on motor cars and bought first, in 1901, a small De Dion and in 1902 or 1903 a 1901 model two cylinder Decauville. This did not meet his high standards and so he first improved it and then decided to manufacture a car of his own which he did in a corner of the workshop in 1904.

Two more cars were made. Of the three, which were called Royces and had two cylinder engines, one was given to Ernest Claremont and the other sold to one of the other directors, Henry Edmunds. Edmunds was a friend of Charles Rolls who had a car showroom in London selling imported models. He showed Rolls his car and arranged the historic meeting between Rolls and Royce at the Midland Hotel, Manchester, on 4 May 1904. In spite of his preference for three or four cylinder cars, Rolls was impressed with the two-cylinder Royce 10 and in a subsequent agreement of 23 December 1904 agreed to take all the cars Royce could make.

These would be of two, three, four and six cylinders and would be badged as Rolls-Royces.

The first Rolls-Royce car, the Rolls-Royce 10 hp, was unveiled at the Paris Salon in December 1904. In 1906 Rolls and Royce formalised their partnership by creating Rolls-Royce Limited, with Royce appointed chief engineer and works director on a salary of £1,250 per annum plus 4% of the profits in excess of £10,000. Royce thus provided the technical expertise to complement Rolls's financial backing and business acumen. By 1907 the company was winning awards for the engineering reliability of its cars.

The partnership ended when Rolls died in 1910 in a crash of his Wright flyer.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: THE PIED PIPER

We interrupt the look at the major figures involved in "The Last Days Of Lehman Brothers" for this Sunday edition of the Video Weekend ASOTV showcase.

On this date in 1284, the Pied Piper led 130 children out of Hamelin, Germany.....

THE PIED PIPER

AS SEEN IN:

"The Pied Piper Of Hamelin"

AS PLAYED BY:
Van Johnson

From Wikipedia:
In 1284, while the town of Hamelin was suffering from a rat infestation, a man dressed in pied clothing appeared, claiming to be a rat-catcher. He promised the townsmen a solution for their problem with the rats. The townsmen in turn promised to pay him for the removal of the rats. The man accepted, and played a musical pipe to lure the rats with a song into the Weser River, where all but one drowned. Despite his success, the people reneged on their promise and refused to pay the rat-catcher the full amount of money. The man left the town angrily, but vowed to return some time later, seeking revenge.

On Saint John and Paul's day while the inhabitants were in church, he played his pipe yet again, dressed in green, like a hunter, this time attracting the children of Hamelin. One hundred and thirty boys and girls followed him out of the town, where they were lured into a cave and never seen again. Depending on the version, at most three children remained behind. One of the children was lame and could not follow quickly enough, the second was deaf and followed the other children out of curiosity, and the last was blind and unable to see where they were going. These three informed the villagers of what had happened when they came out of church.

Other versions, but not the traditional ones, claim that the Piper lured the children into the river and let them drown like the rats, or led the children to a cave on Köppen Hill or Koppelberg Hill, outside of Hamelin, then killed them.

Another version relates that the Pied Piper hypnotized the children into following him to the top of Koppelberg Hill, where he took them to a mysterious land and had his wicked way, or a place called Koppenberg Mountain. This version states that the Piper returned the children after payment, or that he returned the children after the villagers paid several times the original amount of gold.

The story may reflect an historical event in which Hamelin lost its children. Theories have been proposed suggesting that the Pied Piper is a symbol of the children's death by plague or catastrophe. Other theories liken him to figures like Nicholas of Cologne, who lured away a great number of children on a disastrous Children's Crusade. A recent theory ties the departure of Hamelin's children to the Ostsiedlung, in which a number of Germans left their homes to colonize Eastern Europe.

The fact that the characters sing and speak in rhyme could mean that the town of Hamelin was under the sway of Mr. Sweet the demon at that time. (Mr. Sweet was seen in an episode of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' and was a 2005 inductee into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame.)

BCnU!

PS:
I remember seeing this TV movie when I was a kid, years after its original presentation on the old Dumont Network.  And I remember being disturbed that the crippled kid got left behind.....

AS SEEN ON TV: PHILIP II

PHILIP II OF SPAIN

AS SEEN IN:
'The Adventures Of Sir Francis Drake'

AS PLAYED BY:
Zia Mohyeddin

From Wikipedia:
'Philip II' (Spanish: Felipe II; Portuguese: Filipe I ; 21 May 1527 – 13 September 1598) was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as Duke or Count.

Also known as 'Philip the Prudent', he ruled one of the world's largest empires which included territories in every continent then known to Europeans.

Philip was born in Valladolid, the son of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, and his consort, Isabella of Portugal. During his reign, Spain was the foremost Western European power. Under his rule, Spain reached the height of its influence and power, directing explorations all around the world and settling the colonization of territories in all the known continents.

He was described by the Venetian ambassador Paolo Fagolo in 1563 as "slight of stature and roundfaced, with pale blue eyes, somewhat prominent lip, and pink skin, but his overall appearance is very attractive." The Ambassador went on to say "He dresses very tastefully, and everything that he does is courteous and gracious."

Philip was an austere and intelligent statesman. He was given to suspicion of members of his court, and was something of a meddlesome manager; but he was not the cruel tyrant painted by his opponents and subsequent Anglophile histories. He took great care in administering his vast dominions, and was known to intervene personally on behalf of the humblest of his subjects.

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: DON CARLOS

DON CARLOS

PRINCE OF ASTURIAS

AS SEEN IN:
'The Adventures Of Sir Francis Drake'

AS PLAYED BY:
Joseph Cuby

From Wikipedia:
Carlos, Prince of Asturias, also known as Don Carlos (8 July 1545 – 24 July 1568), was the eldest son and heir of King Philip II of Spain. His mother was Maria Manuela of Portugal, daughter of John III of Portugal. Carlos was mentally unstable and was imprisoned by his father in early 1568, dying after half a year of solitary confinement. His fate was a theme in Spain's "Black Legend", and inspired a play by Friedrich Schiller and an opera by Giuseppe Verdi.

BCnU!

MUTANTS!

Mutants aren't just found in the comic books and movies; they're also in Toobworld. Earth Prime-Time had at least one TV series about Homo Superior - 'Mutant X'. ('Heroes' may have been about mutants, but they could also have been about mutates. Mutants are born that way; mutates are genetically altered later. Beast of "The X-Men" - now a resident of Toobworld thanks to a Farmer's Insurance blipvert - is both. Anyhoo, after Future Hiro met Peter Perrelli on the subway, the timeline was changed and the rest of the series ended up in a parallel dimension.  So if there was anything to that stuff about their powers being triggered by an eclipse later in the series - I dropped out partway through Season Two - then it wasn't really relevant to Earth Prime-Time.)

'The Twilight Zone' had at least one mutant - Jimbo Cobb, a simple man with the power of telekinesis. And even Claudette Colbert played a mutant, in an episode of 'Suspicion'.

"The Last Town Car" told the story of Edith Miller, who thought she was being haunted by an old-fashioned taxi. Whenever she rode in it, she was transported back to a crime connected to the cab some decades before.

It turns out she had psychic abilities and was actually tapping into the memories of the cabby. Many years before, he was the personal driver for a spiteful old man who ruined the lives of his own two children. The driver couldn't stand to see him hurt anyone else and so he pushed his boss into the oncoming traffic. As he thought back on his crime, the scenario was replayed for Mrs. Miller as though she was actually there to observe it.

I don't know if either Jimbo Cobb or Edith Miller can blame an eclipse for their abilities; I think they were born with those "talents". But based on the ages of both characters, mutant abilities pre-date the dawn of the atomic age....

BCnU!

END OF THE BLOG-CASTING DAY

TIP TOP TAPS

Big thanks to J.r. Klink for digging up this chestnut. As a big fan of everybody in this clip from Dean Martin's show, I had a big grin on my face when I first saw it......

BCnU!

U68? U-BET!

I remember watching "Nocturnal Transmissions" from U68 back around 1982, when MTV wasn't on the Manhattan cable system yet. It was grainy and on a black & white set in my bedroom, but it opened up a whole new, yet very transitory, world of TV music.

When I finally got the chance to see MTV, I actually preferred the low-rent flavor of U68.

Thanks to my friend Scully, here's a collection of station IDs by mostly famous personalities for U68.....

BCnU!

MAYBERY IN SKITLANDIA

Both Sheriff Andy Taylor of 'The Andy Griffith Show' and comedy legend Bob Hope (as himself) are members of the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame.

With this sketch from a 1963 Bob Hope comedy special, we learn that Andy Taylor also exists in Skitlandia - where he proves himself to be tele-cognizant and able to come back from the dead.....

BCnU!

HECKLING JOKER

Mark Evanier shared this in his blog "News From ME" (link to the left, me lovelies) and for me, it was like being reunited with a friend I never met before. Hopefully I'll be able to track down more examples of Irv Benson's humor someday.

Apparently, Irv Benson as Sid Shpritzer was the inspiration for Statler and Waldorf from 'The Muppet Show'........

BCnU!

KATIE DONE

Katie Couric ended her five year run as the anchor for the 'CBS Evening News' on Thursday night. (What? She couldn't do a full week?)

Here was her sign-off:

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: LAWRENCE WELK

Lawrence Welk died on this date in 1992. He was 89. I think when they performed the autopsy, they found a song in his heart.....

LAWRENCE WELK

AS SEEN ON:
'The Lawrence Welk Show'

AS PLAYED BY:
Himself

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:
Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982. His style came to be known to his large number of radio, television, and live-performance fans (and critics) as "champagne music."

LAWRENCE WELK

AS SEEN ON:
'Saturday Night Live'

AS PLAYED BY:
Fred Armisen

TV DIMENSION:
Skitlandia

 BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: JACKIE COOPER ON "WHAT'S MY LINE?"

Jackie Cooper was just as comfortable being himself in front of the camera as he was playing his various characters. (Although it could be said that he was playing a character when he appeared on 'What's My Line'.....)

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: JACKIE COOPER, "THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE"

Most of Jackie Cooper's obituaries this week led off with the fact that the public at large would probably remember him best as Perry White in the 'Superman' franchise when Christopher Reeve was playing the role. But he also had a career as a child actor (winning an Oscar nomination at the age of nine and starring in "Our Gang" movies), as a director, and as a network executive.

But he also had two TV series of his own - 'Hennessey' and 'The People's Choice'. Cooper was upstaged in 'The People's Choice' by his bassett hound Cleo - who could speak serlinguistically to the audience viewing at home.

If Cooper was upset about being upstaged by Cleo, I don't think he ever let it show....

Here's the first part of an episode of 'The People's Choice', which should give you the option to continue watching the rest of the program.....

 
BCnU......