THE HAT SQUAD: BUBBA SMITH

From the New York Times:

Bubba Smith, an outsize presence in the National Football League who went on to a prolific career in television and the movies, was found dead on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 66.

The cause was not yet known, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said, adding, “There is no indication of anything other than natural death."

As an actor, Bubba Smith is best known as Hightower in the "Police Academy" movies, a role he crossed over into the TV Universe for an episode of the televersion of the film franchise.

Smith added several citizens to the Tele-Folks Directory of Toobworld, especially regular roles in such series as 'Half Nelson', 'Semi-Tough', 'Good Times', 'Open All Night' and 'Blue Thunder'. But as a member of the League of Themselves, Bubba Smith certainly qualifies for the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame:

1994
'Married with Children' - "Dud Bowl"

1992
'Coach' - "The Bachelor Party"

1991
'Who's the Boss?' - "Death and Love: Part 2"

1987
'Mr. Belvedere' - "Separation"

1986
'Mary' - "And the Winner Is"

1973
'The Odd Couple' - "Take My Furniture, Please"

And then there were his serlinguistic turns in those Miller Lite commercials....

Good night, and may God bless.

BCnU........

AS SEEN ON TV: BETTY FORD

In memory of a First Lady who may have done more for the country than her husband the President did.....

BETTY FORD

AS SEEN IN:
"The Betty Ford Story"

AS PLAYED BY:
Gena Rowlands

From The New York Times:
Betty Ford, the outspoken and much-admired wife of President Gerald R. Ford who overcame alcoholism and an addiction to pills and helped found one of the best-known rehabilitation centers in the nation, died Friday in Palm Springs, Calif. She was 93.

Few first ladies have been as popular as Betty Ford, and it was her frankness and lack of pretense that made her so. Unlike many other wives of presidents, Mrs. Ford rarely hesitated to make public her views on touchy subjects. She spoke often in support of the Equal Rights Amendment, endorsed legalized abortion, discussed premarital sex and revealed that she intended to share a bed with her husband in the White House.

On Sept. 28, 1974, Mrs. Ford had a radical mastectomy after doctors discovered cancer in her right breast. Within days, 10,000 letters, more than 500 telephone calls, more than 200 telegrams and scores of floral arrangements poured into the White House and into her suite at Bethesda Naval Hospital. In the months that followed, tens of thousands of American women, inspired by Mrs. Ford’s forthrightness and courage in facing her illness, crowded into doctors’ offices and clinics for breast-cancer examinations.

Breast cancer was only one of the medical battles Mrs. Ford won. Her dependency on pills began in 1964 with a medical prescription to relieve constant pain from a neck injury and a pinched nerve. Her drinking, which became troublesome as she was faced with her husband’s frequent absences on political business, grew increasingly serious as Mr. Ford’s Congressional career advanced.

In 1978, the year after leaving the White House, her husband, children, doctors and several friends confronted her about her drinking and her abuse of pills. She refused to acknowledge that a problem existed, calling her family “a bunch of monsters,” but she eventually entered the Long Beach Naval Hospital in California for treatment.

The Betty Ford Center, dedicated on Oct. 3, 1982, was a direct result of Mrs. Ford’s victory over her alcoholism and addiction. Set on 14 acres on the campus of the Eisenhower Medical Center 11 miles southeast of Palm Springs, the center was a nonprofit venture spearheaded by Mrs. Ford and Leonard K. Firestone, an industrialist and former ambassador to Belgium who raised a major part of the money.

“It’s hard to make anyone understand what it’s like to have your name on something, to be given credit for things you haven’t done,” Mrs. Ford wrote. “I’ve been at meetings where someone turned and thanked me, and I hugged the person and said, ‘Don’t thank me, thank yourself, you’re the one who did it, with God’s help.’ From the beginning, we have wanted every patient at the center to feel, ‘I’m important here, I have some dignity.’ ”
- Enid Nemy

Betty Ford is one of the few people of the real world, like Orson Welles and Johnny Carson, who have not only been portrayed by a televersion, but have also appeared as a member of the League of Themselves in fictionalized settings. She made a phone call to Mary Richards when "Mayr" visited Washington with Lou Grant in an episode of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'. (When Mrs. Ford identified herself as Betty Ford, Mary gave her name as Mary... Queen of Scots.)

Here's a behind-the-scenes publicity photo of Mrs. Ford filming her cameo for 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'. She and Ms. Moore didn't share the scene except by phone call, so "Mayr" might have been there to help feed her the lines to set up her dialogue.

President and Mrs. Ford, along with Henry Kissinger, attended the Carousel Ball in Denver years later, where they met members of the oil-rich Carrington Family of 'Dynasty'.

She was inducted into the TV Crossover Hall Of Fame, along with her late husband President Gerald Ford, in November, 2007.
 
Good night, and may God Bless.

BCnU.....

AS SEEN ON TV: MARGARET THATCHER

Today's ASOTV Showcase is in memory of the actress Anna Massey, who passed away on July 2nd at age 73. I just recently saw her in a murder mystery solved by 'Agatha Christie's Poirot' - "The Clocks".......

 

PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER

AS SEEN IN:
"Pinochet In Suburbia"

AS PLAYED BY:
Anna Massey

By Jill Lawless, Published: July 4
Washington Post
Anna Massey, who as a young actress was killed off in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Frenzy” (1972) and later became a stalwart of British period dramas, often cast as a waspish spinster or maiden aunt, died July 2 in London. She was 73 and had cancer.

The actress was born in 1937 into a performing family — her father was Canadian actor Raymond Massey [who abandoned the family when she was two], and her mother was British actress Adrianne Allen. Her brother, Daniel Massey, also became an actor, and her godfather was director John Ford.

Ms. Massey worked most frequently in television period dramas. She appeared in TV adaptations of Anthony Trollope’s “The Pallisers,” Thomas Hardy’s “Tess of the D’Urbervilles,” Charles Dickens’ ”Oliver Twist” and many others.

Ms. Massey won Britain’s top acting award for her role in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner’s novel “Hotel du Lac.”

In 2006, Ms. Massey played former prime minister Margaret Thatcher in the TV drama “Pinochet in Suburbia.”

From Alan Corr of RTE:
Massey was outstanding in a TV adaptation of Anita Brookner's "Hotel de Lac" in 1986, made partially from her own money, and more recently savoured the chance to play Margaret Thatcher in the 2006 TV drama "Pinochet in Suburbia". "I adored doing that," she said earnestly. "One of the reviews said I went over the top but I promise you I was under the top compared to what she was doing. She was mad. She had that waxen mad look. The poor thing now is so ill, she doesn't know where she is or if Denis is around. It's rather tragic. Do you think power does that to people? Reagan was the same wasn't he?"

BCnU......

OUR TOP STORY TONIGHT: CASEY ANTHONY

My Iddiette friend Kristin McCracken shared this on Facebook, regarding today's top story:

Best. Tweet. Ever?

RT @drnik46: Look out, Casey Anthony. Dexter lives in Florida...

Me? I'm not going to pass judgement until I see the Lifetime movie.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: WINTON DEAN

Happy Father's Day!

WINTON DEAN

AS SEEN IN:"James Dean: Race With Destiny"
AS PLAYED BY:Joseph Campanella

From the web site "Find A Grave":
Father of legendary actor, James Byron Dean. Mr. Dean was a native of Fairmount, Indiana, where he was born on January 17, 1907, a son of Charles and Emma Woolen Dean. His principal life's work was that of a dental technician. At the time of his death, he resided in Marion, Indiana, and he returned to the spiritual realm on February 21, 1995.

BCnU!

THE ALICIA LINE: A THEORY OF RELATEEVEETY

The Toobworld concept is basically a fantasy universe with mythological overtones and many of the trappings of Fantasy. Wizards, dragons, quests, enchanted/enchanting maidens, and objects imbued with great power all have their counterparts in the TV Universe.

This post, while a theory of relateeveety, will take a look at one such fairy tale aspect - the evil stepmother and the absence of the princess' real mother.....

'Flying Blind' was a FOX sitcom that ran for only one season (1992-93) and will be chiefly remembered for bringing Tea Leoni to national prominence. (She certainly caught my attention!)

Leoni played a mysterious free spirit named Alicia caught up in an affair with a tightly-wound recent college graduate named Neil Barash, whose mannerisms suggested that he worshipped
at the altar of Woody Allen. (Not sure the Catholic imagery works in a Woody Allen analogy though....)

And by "mysterious", I mean we never learned very much about Alicia, not even her last name. We got to meet her father, a spy and adventurer who may have fathered children in the South Seas, but we never even learned his name at all; he was just "Daddy" to Alicia (and "Sir" to Neil).

Alicia would talk about her mother, but the woman sounded like a horrid witch, as bad as - if not worse than! - the mother of the 'Absolutely Fabulous' Patsy Stone.

Here's a good example - when Alicia finally came downstairs ready for her high school prom, she found that her mother had already seduced Alicia's prom date, and she was rolling a cocktail onion across his stomach with her tongue.

By the time 'Flying Blind' took place, Alicia's Dad must have divorced that harridan because he mentioned that he had a girl-friend when he showed up and Alicia didn't treat the news as though he was cheating on her mother.

For Toobworld's purposes, I don't think that woman was actually Alicia's mother; rather, she was Alicia's evil step-mother, who had been in Alicia's life for so long that it just made things simpler for Alicia to refer to her as "Mother" whenever she mentioned her.

She may not even have remembered her true mother, whom I believe passed away when Alicia was only a few years old. And I have a candidate for Alicia's birth mother, as well as a theory about her family tree that would bring in not only 'Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea' but also 'The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes' as well.

Here are two online descriptions of the episode from 'Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea' entitled "Escape From Venice":
ONE



A smiling, happy and relaxed Lee Crane, looking oh so dashing in a white tux, steps into a Venetian gondola with a very pretty girl. But romance is the last thing on the couple's mind. Crane has gone undercover in Venice to pick up a secret code from another agent -- the seemingly innocent girl in the white veil. However, unbeknownst to Crane and Alicia, the enemy is on to them. The girl is viciously murdered, Crane is severely wounded, framed for the murder, and is now a hunted man. Now the only person on earth who knows the code, Crane must stay alive long enough for Nelson to effect a rescue.

TWO

Crane and Alicia, a female agent, are in a gondola in Venice, Italy. She sings Crane a song with lots of LaLas. Then he sings it--it is a message which will decode Dr. Leonetti's tapes which explain a defense against the ultimate weapon. Leonetti, Crane calls Seaview and tells them, is dead. His body was fished out from under a canal--and they are calling it suicide. A young sandy haired man is in the radio shack aboard Seaview, not Sparks. If the song is put through the computer, sonically, it will decode the tapes. As Alicia begins to sing it over the radio to Seaview--the gondolier, an enemy agent, stabs her in the back through the curtain. She gives Crane the key and address to the safe house and dies. Crane fights the killer but falls overboard in the fight. The killer calls for help in Italian.

It will be my contention that the late and lovely spy named Alicia was the mother of Alicia from 'Flying Blind'.

'Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea' took place in the early 1970's, even though it was broadcast a decade earlier. If we do a bit of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey juggling, Alicia would have been about five years old when her mother was murdered on that gondola.


Alicia's Dad in the late 1960's



I think Alicia's Dad met that agent named Alicia during the course of an undercover operation and they fell in love. Whether or not they got married, I don't know; but I'd like to think that their relationship resulted in the birth of a daughter which "Dad" insisted on naming after his wife (although it may have been that he was following a tradition from the maternal side of his wife's family).

After Alicia was murdered in Venice, a distraught "Dad" may have unwisely married a woman simply to give his baby daughter a maternal influence. He had no clue at the time that she would turn out to be the stereotypical evil stepmother.

Regarding the naming of Alicia after her mother, it's possible that this was a family tradition handed down through the generations along the maternal branch of her family tree. I don't know if they would all prove to be free spirits and adventuresses, but it just might be that one of them was singular enough back in the late 1800's to have a ship named after her:

"The cutter Alicia, which sailed one spring morning into a small patch of mist from where she never again emerged, nor was anything further ever heard of herself and her crew."

Dr. Watson mentioned this case of Sherlock Holmes in the "Thor Bridge" story, which had to have occurred before October 1899. (Although "The Problem Of Thor Bridge" was adapted for the series starring Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke, we hear no mention of this case which never received a full report from Holmes' Boswell. Then again, it may still lay unread in a safe deposit box near Charing Cross.....)

As usual with my theories of relateeveety, I can't prove any of this. But as it's unlikely 'Flying Blind' will ever be revived (Forget about Brett's Holmes and 'Voyage'!), then it can't really be disproved either.

Since 'Flying Blind' was canceled after only one season, I have no idea if Neil and Alicia are still together twenty years later. But as with most fairy tales, I'd like to think they lived happily ever after........

BCnU!

GIVING HEAD TO AMERICA

On NBC's schedule for the fall is a remake of a Britcom called "Free Agents".

Here's the official press release about the show:

Alex is recently divorced, and Helen lost her fiance a year ago. Obviously, these two are definitely not ready to be dating again. So naturally, they end up in bed together one night. Oops. And they're co-workers. Double oops. At least they have one thing in common: they're both in need of getting back on the horse again but unable to figure out how.

Despite their little romantic encounter, however, they decide to just remain friends. Helen insists this has nothing to do with Alex crying like a baby after sex. And Alex tries to reassure Helen that she'll have no trouble finding a new boyfriend as soon as she removes the pictures of her dead fiance that are all over her apartment. The rest of the office tries to get Alex back out there... but no matter how many douchey shirts they make him buy, he's never going to be a ladies' man. His colleagues aren't actually much help: from the boss who can't wait to hear about Alex's sexual exploits to the eternal "player" who wants Alex as his new wing man. When he finally gets up the courage to go on a date, Helen finds herself just a little jealous... which is what Alex secretly wanted all along. And one drunk-dial later, they end up back in bed together. Looks like this might be the start of something (awkward) big.

This crooked workplace/romantic comedy written by John Enbom (Party Down) and directed by Emmy Award winner Todd Holland (Malcolm in the Middle) proves you can try to put yourself back out there, but sometimes what you need is right in front of you. Even if it's a really bad idea.

The interesting part about this for Toobworld is that Anthony Head has been cast as the boss, Stephen - a role he played in the original series.

I don't know yet if he's playing the same Stephen, Stephen Caudwell, or if he'll have a different last name and a different life previous to this series. The fact that Alex and Helen have the same first names and are in the same situation as their counterparts in the British version may mean this series will have to be transplanted to the land of TV remakes. (I don't know why show creators are so "married" to the names of their original characters! I'm looking at you, 'Shameless'!)

We've seen British TV characters repeat into the Americanized versions before - Jane Carr with 'Dear John', for example. And Richard Ayoade reprised his character of Moss for the pilot of 'The IT Crowd'.

Outside the box, this may mean Head will have to leave 'Merlin', which would be okay by me. I still watch that, even though it had to be removed from the main Toobworld for a variety of reasons, and I think having Uther Pendragon still around was holding back the characters of both Arthur and Merlin.

Just my two quatloos......

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: JEFF CONAWAY

By Dennis McLellan

Los Angeles Times
May 27, 2011, 11:45 a.m.

Jeff Conaway, an actor who came to fame in the late 1970s as a high school greaser in the hit movie musical "Grease" and as a regular on the TV series "Taxi" but in more recent years was known for his appearances on "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew," died Friday. He was 60.

Conaway died at Encino Hospital Medical Center of complications from pneumonia, said his sister Carla Shreve. He was unconscious when he arrived at the hospital the second week of May, the result of "just too many prescribed drugs," she said.

Good night and may God bless.......

"JEWLIANA" MARGULIES

Recently, Juliana Margulies appeared on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' and talked about how her toddler is speaking with a German accent:

That slip of the tongue reminded me of my third favorite Orson Welles movie, "The Stranger", which took place in the fictional town of Harper, Connecticut.

I don't know who wrote the following, but it can be found on many sites around the Internet:

Welles is the Nazi war criminal Kindler hiding out in a small Connecticut town where he has become a valued member of the community known as Rankin.

Edward G Robinson, playing a good guy for a change, is the detective who tracks him down, and then has to prove who he is.

There's a wonderful bit of dialogue when his professorial Nazi character is fielding questions on the German character. Somebody asks him about Karl Marx to disprove a point.

"Ah, but Marx wasn't a German, he was a Jew," comes the telling response, delivered with such arrogance and conviction it makes you seethe.

It isn't until much later that government Nazi-hunter Wilson has a light-bulb moment and realizes that something is very amiss about what Rankin/Kindler said.
 
BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: MARTHA WASHINGTON

 MARTHA WASHINGTON

AS SEEN IN:

'You Are There' -

"Washington Crosses The Delaware"

AS PLAYED BY:

Sheila Bromley

From Wikipedia:

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 2, 1731 – May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States. During her lifetime, she was known as "Lady Washington".

From ushistory.org:

The will of George Washington ordered the freedom of half of his slaves, leaving the old and the young to remain. Martha freed them all in 1800. Her own health was deteriorating and in March of 1802, sensing her death, she made a will. She then burned all her letters she and her husband had written to one another over the years, except for two.

May 22, 1802, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington breathed her last with her beloved granddaughter Nelly nearby. She was entombed next to her husband at Mt. Vernon.

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: HARMON KILLEBREW

From the New York Times:

Harmon Killebrew, the Hall of Famer who developed the strength to hit home runs by lifting 10-gallon milk cans as an Idaho farmhand and grew up to be one of the most feared sluggers of his generation, died on Tuesday morning at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., four days after announcing that he was ending treatment for esophageal cancer. He was 74.

Among the many TV appearances he made on talk shows and televised sporting events over the years as a member of the League of Themselves, he did appear in a series as his fictionalized televersion.

In a 1995 episode of 'Step By Step', Killebrew's interview with a star player was interrupted by Brendan after he discovered that the player was only in it for the money and didn't give a bleep about his fans. (The episode title was "Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?")

He also practiced his serlinguistic skills in at least one blipvert:

Good night and may God bless.

BCnU......

AS SEEN ON TV: DONALD TRUMP

DONALD TRUMP

AS SEEN ON:
'Saturday Night Live'

AS PLAYED BY:
Darrell Hammond

TV DIMENSION:
Skitlandia

STATUS:
Recastaway

From CBS News
(by Brian Montopoli):
Donald Trump ended his months-long public flirtation with a 2012 presidential run Monday, saying that he will not seek the Republican nomination -- even though he could have won the election.

"After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the office of the Presidency," Trump said in a statement. "This decision does not come easily or without regret; especially when my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country. I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election. I have spent the past several months unofficially campaigning and recognize that running for public office cannot be done half heartedly. Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector."

Trump made the announcement as NBC, the television network that runs his reality show, announced its fall lineup of shows. Prior to the announcement, NBC said it would bring back the show, "The Celebrity Apprentice," with a different host if Trump ran.

In his statement, Trump thanked the "millions" who encouraged him to run and promised to "continue to voice my opinions loudly and help to shape our politician's thoughts."

"My ability to bring important economic and foreign policy issues to the forefront of the national dialogue is perhaps my greatest asset and one of the most valuable services I can provide to this country," he said. "I will continue to push our President and the country's policy makers to address the dire challenges arising from our unsustainable debt structure and increasing lack of global competitiveness."

"I will not shy away from expressing the opinions that so many of you share yet don't have a medium through which to articulate," added Trump, who has a regular guest spot on Fox News.

What a douchebag. I don't care if he is a member of the TV Crossover Hall of Fame. I think even fellow Hall member Elmo could have beaten him. Hell, I'd have voted for Elmo over Trump and I hate Elmo!

From The Daily Kos:
If you want to get an idea of how bad Donald Trump's political standing was by the end of his abortive run for President consider this- a national poll we conducted last week found that he would trail Dennis Kucinich 40-36 in a hypothetical contest.

As for those "millions" (I didn't add the original quotation marks.) who encouraged him to run, Andy Borowicz was right - they were the comedians who saw fresh material in his campaign.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: WALT DISNEY

WALT DISNEY

AS SEEN IN:
'Robot Chicken'

AS VOICED BY:
Kurtwood Smith

Myth-busting Walt Disney’s Frozen Head
by Jane McGrath
April 3, 2009

While rifling through all the fantastic suggestions in our fan mail, I found one that just begged for a blog post. Hearkening back to our fact-or-fiction roots, Mark asks whether Walt Disney’s head is really frozen in a lab somewhere. And if it’s fiction — how did the rumor get started?

It’s a great question. I’ve heard this Disney legend several times — but because it was always discussed facetiously, I never thought about it long enough to fully accept it or reject it. The rumor states that Walt Disney, the renowned animation genius and pioneer, had his dead body cryogenically frozen in hopes that future generations could revive him when they find a cure for his sickness. If this is true, perhaps this world hasn’t seen the end of his genius after all.

For more:
http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2009/04/03/myth-busting-walt-disneys-frozen-head/

BCnU!

ON "THE VAST WASTELAND"

Check out Stephen Bowie's very interesting perspective on the state of Television, fifty years to the day when Newton Minow's famous quote entered the lexicon. 

The Classic TV History Blog is a member of the blog-roll, to found to the right.  While you're there, check out the other articles he has up currently.....

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: MORECAMBE'S MUM

Happy Mother's Day!

SADIE BARTHOLOMEW

AS SEEN IN:
"Eric & Ernie"

AS PLAYED BY:
Victoria Wood

From What'sOnTV.co.uk/:
So how’s Eric’s mum shown in this drama?
“Sadie’s really the person who encouraged Eric to go into show buisness. She didn’t exactly push him into it, but she knew it would suit him because he was naturally funny. Also she knew that he wouldn’t have been happy living in Morecambe doing an ordinary job. His father was a labourer for the gas board. Times have proved Sadie right that Eric was destined for greater things. She definitely understood her own child.”

What’s Sadie’s relationship like with her son?
“She had a very good relationship with him. Not pushy, but she was quite bossy and like many women of that generation, not really very huggy and kissy like we’d be with our children now. But she totally had his best interests at heart always. I don’t think she had a showbiz background, though I have seen a very weird photo of her with Eric and his dad playing ukeleles.”

She’s instrumental in getting them together, isn’t she?

“Indeed she even does their deals for them. She called herself their manager. But a certain point is reached where they say they’re going to do it on their own now. And they gave her a first class ticket back to Morecambe – she was upset but understood."

BCnU!

SILENT OBSERVATION

From the 'Fringe' wiki "Fringepedia":

According to the episode "August", The Observers (though it is not made clear which observer specifically) have been spotted at various important events throughout history evidenced by his appearance in notable historical paintings and images.

An Observer is present as an onlooker in the crowd depicted in the painting "The Bloody Massacre" which depicts the Boston Massacre of 1770.

An Observer is present, again as an onlooker in a crowd in a painting of Marie Antoinette being taken for execution during the French Revolution

An Observer is present in a photograph of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife leaving a building moments before their assassination which served as the catalyst for World War I.

"It's more like they're observing time. I think these guys show up at important moments. Um, historical, technological, scientific. But it's rare. Maybe two dozen different definite occurrences in the past 5,000 years of human history. But recently, I've charted twenty-six sightings in the past three months alone. It kind of makes you wonder." - (Lab technician Brandon, to Olivia and Peter in "August" about the research and data he had collected)

Since the Observers from 'Fringe' have been around for a few centuries (at least), were they ever able to detect the presence of the Silence? It really wouldn't matter if they could - their function seems to be just to observe.....

BCnU!

THE HAT SQUAD: WILLIAM CAMPBELL

From The Hollywood Reporter:

William Campbell, who guest-starred in two memorable episodes of the original Star Trek TV series, died Thursday at the Motion Picture & Television Country Home and Hospital in Woodland Hills, according to StarTrek.com. He was 84.

Campbell played the all-powerful Trelane in the episode "The Squire of Gothos" and Koloth, a Klingon, in "The Trouble With Tribbles," both of which aired in 1967. He reprised the role of Trelane for a Star Trek: Judgment Rites video game in 1993, returned for a 1994 episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and was a regular at Star Trek conventions and cruises.

Koloth was my favorite of all the Klingons who have appeared throughout the 'Star Trek' franchise. There was this arch, sophisticated villainy about him and Campbell delivered the lines perfectly to fit that attitude, subtle and yet over the top in harmonic balance.

Here's a quick clip of Koloth from that episode about the Tribbles:

I also enjoyed his performance as Squire Trelane, and I agree with many that Trelane must have been a baby Q from the Q Continuum. Peter David wrote the novel "Q-Squared" based on this premise, and I'm told that Gene Roddenberry once said at a convention that the two characters were somehow related.

Here's the trailer for that episode about "The Squire Of Gothos":

Getting back to William Campbell as Koloth, when his character returned - along with the other two original Klingons, Kor (John Colicos) and Kang (Michael Ansara) - they had been cured of the affliction that caused their foreheads to be smoothed out and so resorted back to their original Klingon appearances.

Here's a tribute video to Koloth, Kang, and Kor:

It skews in favor of Kor, probably because Colicos died not long before the video was made. Still, it gives a good idea of Koloth as warrior equal in skill to his talents as a diplomat.

I've been working on this piece for Inner Toob about the many characters who appeared in 'Columbo' who were played by the same actors over and over again - four murderers played by Patrick McGoohan, three by Jack Cassidy and Robert Culp (with Culp coming back as the father of a murderer), etc. And I'm making up a list of which characters those actors should keep and which actors would work as replacements in the other roles.

And I think William Campbell would have made a brilliant Riley Greenleaf, the publisher played by Jack Cassidy in "Publish Or Perish". I understand that Falk liked to bring back certain actors he enjoyed working with, and that (for the most part) NBC top-loaded the episodes with big-name stars. So this would never have been considered. Still, it makes for a nice bit o' "wish-craft".

Rest in peace, Mr. Campbell. As Red Skelton used to say, "Good night and may God bless."

BCnU......

ROYAL WEDDING TELEFFLUVIA

God help me - I just realized I'm off from work Thursday night, so I can wake up early and watch the Royal Wedding..... I'll probably do it too, just because this is a true example of reality TV.

But it just won't be the same as the last one, when all my friends from the UConn drama department - all of us living in the same building - got together to watch Charles and Diana tie the knot.

At least at that one, I got to feast on Eggs Benedict. This time it'll probably be left-over Chinese food.....

~

From TV Series Finale, who was watching the TV Land Awards:

Wow! Tina Yothers is now the age that Meredith Baxter was when 'Family Ties' began.

~

Wow, I tried not read too much about 'Game Of Thrones' going in, and I realize it IS HBO, but I didn't know there would be so much mammary action in the Seven Kingdoms! Reminded me of the old "Tits 'n' Lizards" cover for National Lampoon by Frazetta!

In fact, this is what I wrote about the renewal of the series on Facebook:

‎"Game Of Thrones" premiered to very good, but not great, ratings. HBO renewed it already for a second season anyway, but they really wanted a HUGE hit. I blame marketing. Their tagline was "Either You Win Or You Die." It should have been: "More Tits Than The 'Lord Of The Rings!'"

~

I've really got to create a list of the DVDs I own. I keep forgetting I have some series and nearly order them again. In the case of the first season of 'Taxi', that's exactly what did happen.

~

I'm doing pretty well [in my opinion] with adding more women to the "As Seen On TV" gallery for 2011. By my count, out of four months worth of pictures, I've got thirty featured so far, and that's not counting the multiple entries for Elizabeth Taylor or Mother Nature.

Granted, most of them come from 'Saturday Night Live', but what can you do?

~

NUMBERS RUNNING:
In the Cornish seaside hamlet of Portwenn (as seen in 'Doc Martin'), the police station is numbered "23" on whatever street it's located.......

BCnU!

AS SEEN ON TV: PRINCE WILLIAM & KATE MIDDLETON

PRINCE WILLIAM & KATE MIDDLETON

AS SEEN IN:
"William & Kate: Let Love Rule"

AS PLAYED BY:
Prince William - Nico Evers-Swindell

Kate Middleton - Camilla Luddington

TV DIMENSION:
Earth Prime-Time
(Historical Dispensation)

From the wedding's official program:
"We are both so delighted that you are able to join us in celebrating what we hope will be one of the happiest days of our lives. The affection shown to us by so many people during our engagement has been incredibly moving, and has touched us both deeply. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone most sincerely for their kindness."

BCnU!

STAN & OLLIE MEET THE DOCTOR

In 'The Impossible Astronaut', the Doctor got himself inserted into the Laurel and Hardy movie "Flying Deuces" in order to attract the attention of his Companions Amy and Rory.

This must have been a special print of the film, because he doesn't show up in actual copies of the movie; and the director and editor of "Flying Deuces" would never have allowed that footage into the final print as it ruins the storyline and detracts from the two main stars.

I'm guessing that the Doctor sought the help of Billy Shipton sometime after Billy's arrival in 1969, once he had established himself as a video/DVD publisher. So not only did he insert those Easter Eggs into the disks meant for Sally Sparrow, he also put together this rarest of Laurel and Hardy movies.

Over at LaurelandHardy.org, they quickly took notice of the intrusion of the Doctor into the world of the Sons of the Desert and they also offered up a picture of what might have happened when Stan and Ollie did meet the Doctor.....

BCnU!