FRIDAY HALL OF FAMER, 09/11/2020 - MASTER OF CEREMONIES

 
On January 8th of this annus horribilis, the television industry lost an early idol, Edd Byrnes, who rocketed to fame for playing Gerald Lloyd Kookson III, best known as “Kookie”, on ’77 Sunset Strip’.  Less than a week later, Kookie found a new address – the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.

A second character played by Byrnes is now being inducted into the Hall.  Appropriately enough, as one of the Friday Hall of Famers in September, the month in which we celebrate people connected to the television industry.

This may be TVXOHOF history; off the top of my unreliable noggin, I can think of only one other time when two separate characters played by one actor were inducted in the same year.  And of course, that would be Patty and Cathy Lane of ‘The Patty Duke Show’.

I’d love to tell you what his name was, but I don’t know it….

THE EMCEE

From Wikipedia:
The success of the film [GREASE] led to Byrnes being cast in the lead of a TV series ‘$weepstake$’ but it only lasted nine episodes.

From the IMDb:
Similar to the series ‘The Millionaire’, as well as ‘The Love Boat’/’Fantasy Island’ use of a different supporting cast each episode. Like ‘The Millionaire’, Edd Byrnes presents the winnings, and the episode follows his or her adventures (good or bad).

In each episode of this series, three persons each buy a sweepstakes ticket and each of them has their own reason for wanting to win the jackpot which is one million dollars. And they all become finalists and when the winner is announced, we see how he/she does after winning the money. And we also see what happens to the other two after losing the jackpot.

Of course, the fact that the emcee is nameless in that series makes it easy to claim that other emcees (Masters of Ceremonies) in episodes from other shows played by Byrnes are all the same man, beginning with ‘Sweepstakes’ in 1979.

Here all the appearances by the Emcee:

1979-1991
Sweepstakes
9 episodes (1979)
as the Emcee

Rags to Riches
- Beauty and the Babe (1987)
... Emcee

Diane decides to enter a beauty pageant with Nick's permission as long as she promises to keep her grades up. 

Mr. Belvedere
- The Pageant (1990)
... The Emcee

Heather attempts to sabotage a beauty pageant.

Empty Nest
- Talk, Talk, Talk (1991)
... M.C.

Barbara and Charley enter a chili cook-off.

Conflating these characters into one raises questions about the life during prime-time for the Emcee.  The jobs as a Master of Ceremonies seemed to get smaller and shabbier as Time went on.

Did he have a drinking problem?  Drugs?  How did he lose that national gig with the sweepstakes event?

The great thing about having the Emcee in the TVXOHOF is that we can now imagine him hosting future induction ceremonies for new members.

Welcome to the Hall, Sir!  (Whatever your name is….)

TVXOHOF, SEPTEMBER 2020 - LORNE MICHAELS

 
With the September showcase, we look behind the scenes and salute the Powers That Be who helped to expand the many facets of the TV Universe.

This year, being the dreaded 2020, by this point we really need to salute somebody who helps to make us laugh.  And so we turned to a man who has created a major “Borderland” combining the Cineverse with Skitlandia….

LORNE MICHAELS

From Wikipedia:
Lorne Michaels CC (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American television producer and screenwriter best known for creating and producing ‘Saturday Night Live’ and producing the ‘Late Night’ series (since 1993), ‘The Kids in the Hall’ (from 1989 to 1995) and ‘The Tonight Show’ (since 2014).

In 1975, Michaels created (with fellow NBC employee Dick Ebersol and president of the network Herb Schlosser) the TV show ‘NBC's Saturday Night’, which in 1977 changed its name to ‘Saturday Night Live’ (initially there was a name conflict with an ABC show titled ‘Saturday Night Live’ with Howard Cosell, which debuted September 20, 1975, and was cancelled on January 17, 1976). The show, which is performed live in front of a studio audience, immediately established a reputation for being cutting-edge and unpredictable. It became a vehicle for launching the careers of some of the most successful comedians in the United States.

Originally the producer of the show, Michaels was also a writer and later became executive producer. He occasionally appears on-screen as well, where he is known for his deadpan humor. Throughout the show's history, SNL has been nominated for more than 156 Emmy Awards and has won 36. It has consistently been one of the highest-rated late-night television programs. Michaels has been with SNL for all seasons except for his hiatus in the early 1980s (seasons 6–10).

Perhaps Michaels's best-known appearance occurred in the first season when he offered the Beatles $3,000 (a deliberately paltry sum) to reunite on the show.  He later increased his offer to $3,200, but the money was never claimed. According to an interview in Playboy magazine, John Lennon and Paul McCartney happened to be in New York City that night and wanted to see the show. They very nearly went, but changed their minds as it was getting too late to get to the show on time, and they were both tired. This near-reunion was the basis for the TV movie “Two of Us”.

On the November 20, 1976, show, musical guest George Harrison appeared, but Michaels told him the offer was conditional on all four members of the group showing up, not just any Beatle. Harrison told Michaels his refusal to pay him his share is "chintzy," and Michaels countered by saying, "The Beatles don't have to split the money equally. They can give, say, Ringo less if they want."

‘Saturday Night Live’ has made several efforts to develop some of the more popular sketches into feature-length films, with varying degrees of commercial and critical success. The first foray into film came with the successful Aykroyd and Belushi vehicle, “The Blues Brothers” (1980), which earned over $115 million on a $27 million budget.

The success of “Wayne's World” (1992) encouraged Michaels to produce more film spin-offs, based on several popular sketch characters. Michaels revived 1970s characters for “Coneheads” (1993), followed by “It's Pat” (1994); “Stuart Saves His Family” (1995); “A Night at the Roxbury” (1998); “Superstar” (1999) and “The Ladies Man” (2000).

Some did moderately well, though others did not—notably, “It's Pat”, which did so badly at the box office that the studio that made the film, Touchstone Pictures (owned by The Walt Disney Company, which also owns NBC's rival ABC), pulled it only one week after releasing it, and “Stuart Saves His Family”, which lost $14 million. Many of these films were produced by Paramount Pictures. The films based on “The Blues Brothers” were produced by Universal Studios, which merged with NBC in 2004 to form NBC Universal.  (Universal also has a joint venture with Paramount for international distribution of the two studios' films.)

Those movies were responsible for a unique Borderland in which those movies are merged with the sketches on which they were based.

And Michaels also brought in characters from many alternate Cineverses and Toobworlds to make them part of Skitlandia, like Thor from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (played by Chris Hemsworth) and Jesse Pinkman of LLSLS‘Breaking Bad’ (played by Aaron Paul.)

Welcome to the Hall, Mr. Michaels!

FRIDAY HALL OF FAMERS, 08/24/2020 - "GUNSMOKE"

 
Last Friday of the month and as is our custom (this year), I’m inducting a TV show which has its own televersion in the main Toobworld.  No consideration for the alternate Toobworlds, like Skitlandia, the Tooniverse, or even Nosferatoob.  In this case, with August being the month for Westerns, there are enough other shows which verify the existence of…..

From Wikipedia:
‘Gunsmoke’ is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television. When aired in the United Kingdom, the television series was initially titled ‘Gun Law’, later reverting to ‘Gunsmoke’.

The radio series ran from 1952 to 1961. John Dunning wrote that among radio drama enthusiasts, "’Gunsmoke’ is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." The television series ran for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975, and lasted for 635 episodes. At the end of its run in 1975, Los Angeles Times columnist Cecil Smith wrote: "Gunsmoke was the dramatization of the American epic legend of the west. Our own ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’, created from standard elements of the dime novel and the pulp Western as romanticized by [Ned] Buntline, [Bret] Harte, and [Mark] Twain. It was ever the stuff of legend."

And that legend was recounted over and over again by those who watched it.

The show ran twenty years, yet only spawned one spin-off.  But it did have several sequel movies.

THE SPIN-OFF

Dirty Sally (1974)
Sally Fergus is introduced on ‘Gunsmoke’: “Pike: Part 1” (1971) & ‘Gunsmoke’: “Pike: Part 2” (1971).

THE SEQUEL MOVIES

• Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987)
• Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990)
• Gunsmoke: To the Last Man (1992)
• Gunsmoke: The Long Ride (1993)
• Gunsmoke: One Man's Justice (1994)

So that give the historical events of ‘Gunsmoke’ a solid base in the “Reality” of Earth Prime-Time; plenty to work with in making the idea of a TV series based on that history believable.

There is no Zonk in other TV shows mentioning ‘Gunsmoke’ as a TV show.  On the Toobworld timeline, it took place during the mid-1800s and into the early 20th Century of Earth Prime-Time and would be considered History by “modern-day” Toobworlders. It would be the perfect candidate for a TV series.

Every mention of the TV series, every time a character is referenced or imitated, every imitation of the series serves as a qualification for the Toobworld version of the TV show to be inducted into the TVXOHOF.

Here are the examples of TV shows in which it could easily be treated as both History and a TV series.

The Phil Silvers Show:
Bilko's TV Pilot (1958)
While watching another show, Rizik recognizes a bad guy from "Gunsmoke".

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet:
Top Gun (1958)
While wearing cowboy hats and western-style vests, Dave introduces a limping Rick as "Chester".

Hancock's Half Hour:
The Set That Failed (1959)
Hancock acts out a scene from this show.

The Larkins:
All the Answers (1960)
Eddy likes this show

The Danny Thomas Show:
Everything Happens to Me (1961)
One of four western series from which Rusty wants autographs from everyone.

Dennis the Menace:
The School Play (1961)
Dennis's school play is a takeoff on Gunsmoke. It includes characters such as Marshal Mellon and his limping sidekick, Lester.

The Danny Thomas Show:
The P.T.A. Bash (1962)
Danny mentions the show, while performing a comedy routine for the P.T.A.

Car 54, Where Are You?:
No More Pickpockets (1962)
Wearing a cowboy hat, while working undercover, Muldoon is mistaken for Marshal Dillon.

Mister Ed:
Ed the Beachcomber (1962)
Mister Ed mentions Matt Dillon.

Stoney Burke:
Child of Luxury (1962)
Stoney is told he'll ride in "like Marshal Dillon."

The Andy Griffith Show:
 Lawman Barney (1962)
Barney is called Marshall Dillon.

Dennis the Menace:
Wilson's Second Childhood (1962)
While the neighborhood kids are playing cowboys and Indians, Mrs. Wilson calls her husband "Matt", and Mr. Wilson calls his wife "Miss Kitty".

O’Bservation – Sorry to sully your childhood memories, but could this have led to a little “afternoon delight” role-playing upstairs?

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis:
Will the Real Santa Claus Please Come Down the Chimney? (1962)
Maynard says that even though he's never actually seen him, he believes in Marshal Dillon (but he's not so sure about Chester).

The Andy Griffith Show:
Aunt Bee's Medicine Man (1963)
Aunt Bee calls Andy "Sheriff Matt Dillon" and asks "Where's Chester?"

The Dick Van Dyke Show:
Racy Tracy Rattigan (1963)
Sally limps out of the office calling for Mr. Dillon

Dennis the Menace:
A Man Among Men (1963)
Dennis mentions Sheriff Matt Dillon, and then he starts to limp.

Gilligan's Island:
The Sound of Quacking (1964)
In the "Marshal Gilligan" dream sequence, which also features limping deputy Skipper and barmaid "Miss Ginger"

The Andy Griffith Show:
Fun Girls (1964)
Gomer says Goober can walk just like Chester on "Marshall Dillon", which was the title for the half-hour episodes of "Gunsmoke" when the series was expanded to a full hour.

Password:
Lucille Ball & Gary Morton vs. Luci Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. (1964)
When the password is COWBOY, Gary's clue is GUNSMOKE, to which Desi Jr.'s reply is CHESTER. That is the first name of a central character played by Dennis Weaver on the TV show.

O’Bservation – I included this since ‘Password’ has its own televersion thanks to ‘The Odd Couple’.

My Favorite Martian:
The Time Machine Is Waking Up That Old Gang of Mine (1965)
Mistakenly believing that Tim and Martin are claiming to be Frank and Jesse James, the railroad detective sarcastically introduces himself as Marshal Dillon.

Gilligan's Island:
The Postman Cometh (1966)
The Skipper pretends to be Marshal Dillon

Green Acres:
The Deputy (1966)
When Oliver becomes deputy sheriff, Eb calls him 'Mr. Dillon'

The Monkees:
Monkees in a Ghost Town (1966)
Davy calls up Chester who tells him Marshal Dillon is absent.

O'Bservation - It's the Monkees; I'm not going to throw my back out trying to splain that away!

Gilligan's Island:
Gilligan Goes Gung-Ho (1966)
Newly appointed Deputy Gilligan limps and calls the Skipper, "Mr. Dillon"

The Monkees:
Monkees in Texas (1967)
referenced in musical cues

Petticoat Junction:
One of Our Chickens Is Missing (1969)
Buck refers to Orrin as Marshal Dillon.

All in the Family:
Flashback - Mike and Gloria's Wedding: Part 2 (1972)
Mentioned by Archie

The Bob Newhart Show:
Last TV Show (1973)
Mentioned several times, including Mrs. Bakerman claiming she hasn't missed it in seventeen years.

All in the Family:
Archie the Gambler (1973)
Archie says Edith whips out a pencil like Matt Dillon.

Here's Lucy:
The Carters Meets Frankie Avalon (1973)
In their comic banter as Sonny and Cher, Avalon (Sonny) mentions being cast in "Gunsmoke"

O'Bservation - I'd have to see the actual quote.  But I don't see evidence either Bono or Avalon were actually on 'Gunsmke'.  If the quote asserts one of them was a guest star, then Toobworld has a fictional episode of the Western.

Q & Q:
Ding dong!!! (1976)
Title mentioned by Yvonne

Sanford and Son:
The TV Addict (1976)
Fred says he's in love with Miss Kitty.

The Muppet Show:
Juliet Prowse (1977)
"Cowboy Time" sketch spoofs Gunsmoke

CHiPs:
High Explosive (1978)
Grossman compares Jon to Matt Dillon

The Twilight Zone:
Gramma/Personal Demons/Cold Reading (1986)
Rockne S. O'Bannon wrote for the series.

The A-Team:
The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair (1986)
Mentioned by Tour Guide

Night Court:
The New Judge (1986)
Characters referenced

Night Court:
Contempt of Courting (1986)
"Let's go, Ms. Kitty."

The Golden Girls:
Long Day's Journey Into Marinara (1987)
Sophia says that Angela still tries to watch Gunsmoke on Sunday nights.

O'Bservation -'Gunsmoke' first aired on Saturdays before moving to Mondays.  So that quote probably questioned Angela's mental state - not ony trying to watch it on Sundays, but because the show had been off the air for twelve years. 

The Golden Girls:
A Piece of Cake (1987)
Sophia mentions by name.

Cheers:
The Crane Mutiny (1987)
Carla calls Woody "Festus".

It's Garry Shandling's Show:
No Baby, No Show (1987)
Expectant-couple mistakes Bob Dylan for Marshal Matt Dillon.

Wiseguy:
Last Rites for Lucci (1987)
Referred to.

Miami Vice:
The Cows of October (1988)
Izzy says "Get out of Casablanca", which he was bumbling the quote "Get out of Dodge", heard in one manner or another on the old series set in Dodge City.

Quantum Leap:
How the Tess Was Won - August 5, 1956 (1989)
Sam sarcastically quips, "Aw, gee shucks, Mr. Dillon."

Hey Dude:
Amnesia (1990)
Title is referenced

Quantum Leap:
Rebel Without a Clue - September 1, 1958 (1990)
Sam jokingly refers to Dillon as "Marshal Dillon."

The Gambler Returns:
The Luck of the Draw (1991)
 (TV Movie)
action takes place in the Longbranch Saloon

The Larry Sanders Show:
Hey Now (1992)
Larry tells Hank that he looks like Kitty from Gunsmoke

Baywatch:
A Matter of Life and Death (1993)
When Hobie mentions actor Matt Dillon from “The Flamingo Kid”, Mitch's dad thinks it's the James Arness character.

Married... with Children:
Get Outta Dodge (1994)
Reference to "Get the hell out of Dodge [City]"

Friends:
The One with the Breast Milk (1995)
Chandler tells Joey to go see Miss Kitty who will fix him up with a nice hooker.

3rd Rock from the Sun:
Dickmalion (1997)
The show is on when Dick turns on Mary's new TV.

Law & Order:
Castoff (1998)
Congressman Maxwell refers to the series.

Nash Bridges:
Skin Deep (1998)
A tattoo artist looks at Evan's old-time sheriff badge he bought and says he must be Miss Kitty. Though Kitty was not an officer of the law or deputized.

3rd Rock from the Sun:
Dr. Solomon's Traveling Alien Show (1998)
Mary tells Don that she and Dick have a game based on the show.

Nash Bridges:
Shoot the Moon (1999)
Joe tells Nash, "Come on, Chester" while helping him walk after being shot in the butt and having trouble. This refers to a deputy named Chester who walked with a limp.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer:
This Year's Girl (2000)
"I tell you, if I were her, I'd get out of Dodge post hasty." This phrase originated on Gunsmoke

American Dreams:
The One (2003)
Roxanne refers to the series.

Monk:
Mr. Monk and Little Monk (2005)
"Gunsmoke" lunchbox in Young Sherry's locker.

Veronica Mars:
Debasement Tapes (2007)
Marshal Dillon mentioned.

Chuck:
Chuck Versus the Predator (2009)
Emmett, comparing the situation to a Western, says, "It was a lawless town: Shane, Marshal Dillon, Clint Eastwood."

Justified:
Riverbrook (2010)
Mentioned in dialogue

iCarly:
iSam's Mom (2010)
Name of the overly macho bodyguard protecting Freddie

Sam & Cat:
#BlooperEpisode (2014)
Two fans mention some of Maree Cheatham's past work

Cocaine Cowboys:
Reloaded (2014)
The Matt Dillon character is mentioned.

Masters of Sex:
Kyrie Eleison (2014)
Dr. Greathouse says that Dr. Masters has a bigger following than "Gunsmoke".

Masters of Sex:
Story of My Life (2014)
mentioned by Lester

This Is Us:
Moonshadow (2017)
Darryl mentions the show to Jack.

Endeavour:
Pylon (2019) 
Mrs Thursday was watching this on television.

Inspector Fred Thursday:
'Gunsmoke', is it?
Win Thursday:
I don't know. Something....

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit:
I'm Going To Make You a Star (2019)
short clip of unidentified black-and-white episode seen on TV.

And so the televersion of another TV series has been added to the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.  It’s 635 episodes and five TV movies probably guarantee its place as the member series with most viewing hours.

Get outta Dodge, ‘Gunsmoke’, and into the TVXOHOF!

FRIDAY'S HALL OF FAMERS, 08/21/2020 - BENITO JUAREZ

 We’re getting closer to catching up….

We have an historical figure for this week’s TV Western candidate for the Television Crossover Hall of Fame….

BENITO JUAREZ

From Wikipedia:
Benito Pablo Juárez García (21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican lawyer and politician, who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in 1872. He was the first president of Mexico who was of indigenous origin. Born in Oaxaca to a poor Zapotec rural family and orphaned young, he moved to Oaxaca City at the age of 12 to go to school. He was aided by a lay Franciscan, and enrolled in seminary, later studying law at Institute of Sciences and Arts and becoming a lawyer. After being appointed as a judge, in his 30s he married Margarita Maza, a socially prominent woman of Oaxaca City.

From his years in college, he was active in politics. Appointed as head justice of the nation's Supreme Court, Juárez identified primarily as a Liberal politician. In his life, he wrote briefly about his indigenous heritage.

When moderate liberal President Ignacio Comonfort was forced to resign by the Conservatives in 1858, Juárez, as head of the Supreme Court, assumed the presidency and the two governments competed. His succession was codified in the Constitution of 1857 but he survived in internal exile for a period. He weathered the War of the Reform (1858–60), a civil war between the Liberals and the Conservatives, and the French invasion (1861–1867), which was supported by Conservative monarchists.

Never relinquishing office, although forced into exile to areas of Mexico not controlled by the French, Juárez tied Liberalism to Mexican nationalism. He asserted his leadership as the legitimate head of the Mexican state, rather than Emperor Maximilian, whom the French had installed.

When the French-backed Second Mexican Empire fell in 1867, the Mexican Republic with Juárez as president regained full power. For his success in ousting the European incursion, Latin Americans considered Juárez's tenure as a time of a "second struggle for independence, a second defeat for the European powers, and a second reversal of the Conquest."
Juárez is revered in Mexico as "a preeminent symbol of Mexican nationalism and resistance to foreign intervention."

He understood the importance of a working relationship with the United States, and secured its recognition for his government during the War of the Reform. He held fast to particular principles, including the supremacy of civil power over the Catholic Church and part of the military; respect for law; and the de-personalization of political life. Juárez sought to strengthen the national government, asserting its central power over the states, a position that both radical and provincial liberals opposed.

After his death, the city and state of Oaxaca added "de Juarez" to their formal names in his honor, and numerous other places and institutions were named for him. His birthday (March 21) is celebrated as a national public and patriotic holiday in Mexico. He is the only individual Mexican to be so honored.

In January 1959, the episode entitled "The Desperadoes" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western television series, ‘Sugarfoot’, starring Will Hutchins in the title role, focuses upon an imaginary plot to assassinate Juárez. Set at a mission in South Texas, the episode features Anthony George as a Catholic priest, Father John, a friend of the series character Tom "Sugarfoot" Brewster.

O'Bservation - President Juarez doesn't appear in this episode, but his existence is confirmed.

The actor Jan Arvan (1913-1979) was cast as President Juárez in the 1959 episode, "A Town Is Born" on the syndicated television anthology series, ‘Death Valley Days’, hosted by Stanley Andrews. Than Wyenn played Isaacs, a storekeeper in Nogales, Arizona Territory, who hides gold for the Mexican government in the fight against Maximilian. Jean Howell played his wife, Ruth Isaacs.

Frank Sorello (1929-2013) portrayed Juárez in two episodes of Robert Conrad's ‘The Wild, Wild West’, an American espionage adventure television program: "The Night of the Eccentrics" (1966), and "The Night of the Assassins" (1967).

O’Bservation – All four of these episodes would have to take place before July of 1872, the month and year in which Juarez died.
Trying to “reschedule” the dates for the televersions of historical figures.  The only time I felt comfortable in doing so was with Jules Verne, whose televersion in ‘The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne’ was at least a decade younger than he was in the Real World.

As for Juarez, I think it makes things simpler on a global scale even in Toobworld to stick with the facts as they truly stand.

I've seen a WWW timeline in which "The Night Of The Assassins" takes place in 1873.  One of these days I'll have to let them know about this glitch; they do incredible work otherwise.

Welcome to the Hall, Mr. President!

"President Benito Juarez" with
fellow Hall of Famer James West

FRIDAY'S HALL OF FAMERS, 08/14/2020 - BELLE STARR

 
I figured we needed some Old West feminine pulchritude this month, so I decided to go with a multidimensional historical character….

BELLE STARR

From Wikipedia:
Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr (February 5, 1848– February 3, 1889), better known as Belle Starr, was an American outlaw who gained national notoriety after her violent death.

She associated with the James–Younger Gang and other outlaws. She was convicted of horse theft in 1883. She was fatally shot in 1889 in a case that is still officially unsolved. Her story was popularized by Richard K. Fox — editor and publisher of the National Police Gazette — and she later became a popular character in television and films.

Here are the portrayals of Belle Starr in several alternates Toobworlds:

In 1954, former Miss Utah Marie Windsor played Starr in the premiere episode of Jim Davis's television series ‘Stories of the Century’.

O’Bservation – The entire series was a series of tall tales told by Matt Clark, an inveterate liar.  In almost all of the episodes, Matt inserts himself into the story and either captures the bad guy(s) or shoots them dead himself, despite what History says on the topic. So Marie Windsor’s portrayal of Belle Starr isn’t from some alternate Toobworld; she is Matt Clark’s manifestation of a total falsehood.

In 1957, Jeanne Cooper, later a soap opera star, played Belle Starr in an episode of Dale Robertson's ‘Tales of Wells Fargo’. In this episode, Starr calls herself Mrs. Reed. There is mention of "Hanging Judge" Isaac Parker, and the episode makes mention of his sentencing Starr to a comparatively short prison term in a correctional facility at Detroit. In 1960, Cooper again played Belle Starr in an episode of the TV series Bronco titled "Shadow of Jesse James".

O’Bservation – Because Ms. Cooper played Belle Starr in two different series, I’m leaning towards making her the official Belle Starr for Earth Prime-Time.

In 1959, Jean Willes portrayed Starr in the ‘Maverick’ episode "Full House" opposite James Garner.

O’Bservation – Even if Jeanne Cooper is the official Belle Starr of the main Toobworld, this one can stay as well.  She was an impostor and most likely delusional.  All the “famous outlaws” of that episode were escapees from the sanitarium just outside Bubbly Springs.

In 1960, Lynn Bari played Belle in the premiere episode, titled "Perilous Passage", of the short-lived NBC western ‘Overland Trail’.

O’Bservation – I want to keep that series on the main Toobworld, so that Belle Starr was an impersonator.  As themselves, impersonators don’t add to the tally for a TVXOHOF candidate, but they do supply verification that the real candidate did exist in Toobworld.

In 1961, Carole Mathews appeared as Belle in "A Bullet for  the D.A.", an episode of ‘Death Valley Days’, hosted by Stanley Andrews.

O’Bservation – As this was an anthology series, we can go one of two ways – Carole Matthews was either from an alternate Toobworld, or the audience in the Trueniverse was privy to the thoughts of the Old Ranger and saw Belle as he envisioned her.

Elizabeth Montgomery portrayed Belle in the 1980 television movie “Belle Starr”, made by Hanna-Barbera.

O’Bservation – This is an easy one.  It’s a TV movie, so off it goes to Toobworld-MOTW.

In 1995, Belle Starr was portrayed [by Melissa Clayton] in season 3 of ‘Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman’ in an episode titled "Baby Outlaws" as a 14-year-old outlaw who falls under the care of the good doctor and her family. This episode takes place in 1870, when Belle actually would have been 22.

O’Bservation – Tricky.  I don’t like to play hob with the timelines of historical figures.  And I don’t want to lose Dr. Quinn to some other Toobworld.  I think either the family was taken in by a teenaged trickster passing herself off as Belle or Belle was very youthful looking and she passed herself off as 14, in hopes of getting a lighter sentence for being a child.

In the 2013 series 'Quick Draw!’, a fictionalized account of Belle Starr portrays her as the deceased spouse of the protagonist Sheriff John Henry Hoyle. She is referenced as wife to Cole Younger and Sam Starr. Arden Myrin appears in two episodes as Belle Starr, and Alexia Dox appears as Pearl Starr as a series regular.

O’Bservation – Easy peasy.   No Zonk here – Belle is already dead and her two appearances are flashback memories of Sheriff Hoyle’s which are filtered through how he wants to remember her.

A late 2014 episode of ‘The Pinkertons’ features Sheila Campbell as Belle Carson at the beginning of Belle's exploits as an outlaw (highly fictionalized, with the name Belle Starr as her fantasy persona and an affair with Jesse James in Kansas City).

O’Bservation – The jury is still out on this one.  I’ve never seen it so I’m not familiar with its use of historical figures, in what format.  For now I’ll treat it as Toobworld-worthy.  It could be the case of another imposter.

Welcome to the Hall as a multidimensional, Belle Starr!

FRIDAY HALL OF FAMER, 08/07/2020 - WALTER JAMESON

Trying to catch up with the August inductions into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame, I’m fortunate that I had already written up a Facebook post which laid out the case for accepting this week’s candidate for the Hall.  So I’m just going to tweak that post a bit and I’ll be closer to catching up.

WALTER JAMESON

[aka Major Hugh Skelton]

Jameson only showed up in one episode of “The Twilight Zone”, but in my TV Universe of Toobworld, Major General Hugh Skelton and Major Walter Kroll ('The Wild, Wild West' - "TNOT Doomsday Formula") were one and the same, among the many aliases he assumed over his unnaturally long life. Wrong series and episode true, but it could be said this character had a real “Identity Crisis”!

Once Matthew Harrison Brady took his photograph, Major Skelton knew it was time to move on to a new persona. So he became Major General Kroll, still with the Union Army, but with more venal goals in mind for his future and life after wartime.

At the end of the WWW episode, he was knocked unconscious and left behind in a building that was set to explode. We didn’t see him die however so for my theory, he revived and escaped in time to begin life anew as some other Kevin McCarthy character. Eventually he became Tom Bowen which was the catalyst for his death as Walter Jameson. (Using that first name again.)

Let's take a look at one of his TV performances which took place after that 'Twilight Zone' episode.  Even though Kevin McCarthy's ‘Columbo’ episode ('Requiem For A Fallen Star') tie it into the immortal’s family tree. Dr. Simmons was one of many descendants of the immortal, his branch of the family tree begun at any point over the last two thousand years

Although not as encompassing as Archibald Beechcroft (The Twilight Zone) and The Master (Doctor Who), Walter Jameson can link together dozens of TV series, perhaps as many as one hundred. (Beechcroft and The Master each link together every TV show in existence at the time they became every single person on Toobworld.)

Every TV character played by Kevin McCarthy before the events of this episode would be eligible to be Hugh Skelton by other names.  (Any character McCarthy played in later TV shows but which took place before the events of “Long Live Walter Jameson” could also be a candidate for another alias… so long as the character didn’t definitely die.  This could include Carter Gladstone in an episode of ‘Bearcats!’)

With Major Kroll, we didn’t see him actually die in that munitions explosion.  We saw West render him unconscious and then leave him behind.  It would be several minutes before the place blowed up real good.  That left plenty of time for Kroll to recover, escape by some back way, and flee to resume life under a new alias.

Walter Jameson must have used both identities during the War Between The States; Hugh Skelton was the main identity and he assumed the role of Walter Kroll while off on another assignment for the Union Army.  This helped him to establish a reputation for his attempt to run for President.  (And he resurrected that first name when he became his final alias, Walter Jameson.)

It could be that his thwarted experience as Major Kroll led him to rethink his future; maybe we can winnow down the other McCarthy roles from after the Civil War to just use those characters who tried to lead decent lives.  I’m sure we would still have enough characters to make his candidacy for the TVXOHOF valid.

Here are the credits which could qualify Walter Jameson as a candidate for the Television Crossover Hall of Fame:

THE OFFICIAL ENTRY

The Twilight Zone
- Long Live Walter Jameson (1960)
Professor Walter Jameson
Tom Bowen
Maj. Hugh Skelton

OTHER POSSIBILITIES
(These are not presented in any particular order, certainly not in any chronological order.)

The Wild Wild West
- The Night of the Doomsday Formula (1968)
Major General Walter Kroll

Garrison's Gorillas
- The Expendables (1967)
Maj. Richards

The Guns of Will Sonnett
- Ride the Man Down (1967)
Sheriff Tom Mills

The High Chaparral
- North to Tucson (1968)
James Forrest

Bearcats!
- Conqueror's Gold (1971)
Carter Gladstone

The Oregon Trail
- The Army Deserter (1977)
Levering

The Road West
- Never Chase a Rainbow (1967)
Rando

12 O'Clock High
- Massacre (1966)
Major Baladin

The Legend of Jesse James
- A Burying for Rosey (1966)
Sheriff Dockery

The Rifleman
- The Shattered Idol (1961) ... Mark Twain
- Suspicion (1963) ... Winslow Quince

O’Bservation – McCarthy’s portrayal of Twain was one of the best I’ve ever seen from Toobworld.  However, the distortions to his personal timeline are not easy to splain away.  (I tried once; nearly threw out my back trying to splain it.)  I think it’s now more likely that this was Walter Jameson hiding in plain sight as a known figure, but he didn’t do his homework on Samuel Clemens as well as he should. Still, he fooled Lucas and Mark McCain.  Later, when Jameson returned to North Fork, New Mexico, he was now using the alias of Winslow Quince and the McCains were never the wiser.

JUST ONE MORE THING:

Kevin McCarthy did plenty of anthology series during the 1950s, playing more than one role in some of them.  Anything set in the “modern day” before 1960 would thus be eligible to be considered as a Walter Jameson alias, unles the character dies or the episode takes place in an alternate Toobworld.

I will spare your eyes from glazing over, but the list can be found on McCarthy’s page in the IMDb.  However, one of the entries did catch my eye….

Inner Sanctum
- The Stranger (1954)
The Stranger
A young man walks into an inn to register for a room and finds himself accused of murdering three people.

O’Bservation – The fact that McCarthy’s character is known only as “The Stranger” just begs for this to be Walter Jameson.  But the IMDb description gives no indication whether he survives the end of the episode or not.  And if the Stranger proved to be the killer, that would make it difficult to continue his existence hiding in plain sight at the college as Professor Jameson.

As for all those “modern day” characters played by McCarthy after his appearance in ‘The Twilight Zone’, I hate to let them go to waste.  They could all be descendants of Walter Jameson, from many of his aliases throughout History; this would account for three characters from ‘Murder, She Wrote’ all resembling each other.  So not all of them had to be good guys nor survive their episodes.  (‘The Invaders’, ‘Tales From The Crypt’)

The Friday Hall of Famers plays a bit fast and loose with established rules and this is a good example of that.  However, I think the splainins presented here are not outside the realm of possibility.

So welcome to the Hall, Walter Jameson, matter what other names you had or even your very first identity.

Just don’t make a mess on the carpet; now Alice Nelson is a member as well, she no longer vacuums the carpeting here….

TVXOHOF, 08/01/2020 - TOM "SUGARFOOT" BREWSTER

 
It’s been a tough couple of weeks – had no power for a week due to Hurricane Isaias; and I lost a beloved family member.

And during it all, my enthusiasm for doing this, even once a week, seriously flagged.

But let’s start catching up!

We begin with the August showcase for the Television Crossover Hall of Fame which traditionally celebrates the TV Western.  And the cowboy in the spotlight this year?

TOM BREWSTER

From Wikipedia:
‘Sugarfoot’ is an American Western television series that aired for sixty-nine episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with ‘Cheyenne’ (1st season); ‘Cheyenne’ and ‘Bronco’ (2nd season); and ‘Bronco’ (3rd season). The Warner Bros. production stars Will Hutchins as Tom Brewster, an Easterner who comes to the Oklahoma Territory to become a lawyer. Jack Elam is cast in occasional episodes as sidekick Toothy Thompson. Brewster was a correspondence-school student whose apparent lack of cowboy skills earned him the nickname "Sugarfoot", a designation even below that of a tenderfoot.

Its pilot episode was a remake of a 1954 Western film called “The Boy from Oklahoma” starring Will Rogers, Jr., as Tom Brewster. The pilot and premiere episode, "Brannigan's Boots," was so similar to “The Boy from Oklahoma” that Sheb Wooley and Slim Pickens “reprised their roles from the film.

Hutchins appeared as Sugarfoot in crossover episodes of Cheyenne and Maverick, and in an installment of ‘Bronco’ called "The Yankee Tornado" with Peter Breck as a young Theodore Roosevelt. Jack Kelly appeared as Bart Maverick in the Sugarfoot episode "A Price on His Head."

Trivia from various episodes:

Sugarfoot's father, George Brewster, was a highly regarded law-enforcement officer.  

Tom Brewster spent his childhood in Vermont before coming to the Oklahoma Territory.

In "The Desperadoes" (January 6, 1959), Sugarfoot c. 1870 visits his friend Padre John (Anthony George) at a Roman Catholic mission in South Texas, where he learns of a mysterious plot to assassinate Mexican President Benito Juarez. Abby Dalton and Jack Kruschen guest star in this episode as Elizabeth Bingham and Sam Bolt, a military officer with a Napoleonic complex.

O’Bservation – Benito Juarez is eligible for membership in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.

Wayde Preston, who played Christopher Colt on the ABC western Colt .45, appeared four times in that same role on Sugarfoot in the episodes dealing with "The Canary Kid," a role also played by Will Hutchins. In the semi-comical "The Return of the Canary Kid" (February 3, 1959), Hutchins and Preston are joined by Don "Red" Barry as Arkansas, Richard Reeves as Blackie Stevens, and Sandra Edwards as Prudence, the Canary Kid's girlfriend who instead falls for the kindly Tom Brewster.

Welcome to the Crossover Hall of Fame, Mr. Brewster!  You'll find Bart, Bret, and Beau Maverick, Cheyenne Bodie, and a few others you might know... even if it was off-screen.

 

FRIDAY HALL OF FAMERS 07/31/2020 - "COLUMBO" (THE TV SHOW)

For the final Friday Hall of Famer for July 2020, we’re returning to this month’s “half-theme” of TV detectives.  And as you’ll see from this list of other shows which referenced it, it’s more believable that a TV show would be made from this TV character’s life than it would be for other characters like ‘Hazel’ or ‘The Brady Bunch’….

“COLUMBO”

Lt. Frank Columbo was inducted into the Hall back in 2005 to celebrate a milestone birthday of mine.  But this time we’re inducting the TV series – not the one we watch, that’s real life in Toobword! – but the televersion which TV characters – like Lt. Columbo himself – watch and love.

We have precedence for TV shows being made about real policemen. Frank Serpico is a good example for that. And with all of the celebrity murderers arrested by Columbo – actors, symphony conductor, a chess champion, a decorated war hero, a cosmetics queen, a senatorial candidate, a Nazi war criminal, a couple of best-selling mystery novelists, and even his own police commissioner - publicity for a show about his cases would of course be a ratings grabber.
Some tele-fictional TV producer would easily recognize the potential for a TV series in the Lieutenant’s career; all he had to do was pick up a copy of the L.A. Tribune to see that!

Lt. Columbo at Greenleaf Publishing

I used to think that Columbo’s TV show within the TV Universe might have been based on the book he was planning (threatening?) to write, but by 1974 he was still only thinking of it (“Publish Or Perish”).  By then there were already references to Columbo on other TV shows. Being in Los Angeles, Fred Sanford (‘Sanford and Son’) probably had seen him on the evening news; but clueless Arthur (‘Lotsa Luck!’) in New York City?

And there is no getting around the fact that the televersion of Peter Falk played Columbo on the Toobworld tube as he did in the Real World.  This was established in an episode of ‘Remington Steele’ with a comment by Laura Holt, and possibly in the episode of ‘The Larry Sanders Show’ in which Peter Falk appeared as a member of the League of Themselves.

‘Columbo’ in Earth Prime-Time is not the same as the show we watch here on Earth Prime.  Many of the cases which would be dramatized could have been based on the “actual” cases we saw depicted in our version (which was reality to Toobworlders.)

As such, the actors they see playing the “true” killers might be fictional actors from other shows.  For instance, when Toobworlders watched their version of the first pilot, "Prescription Murder", maybe the murderer didn't look like Gene Barry as he did in the version we saw.  Maybe Dr. Ray Flemming looked like TV actor Sam Garrett.  (Richard Mulligan played Garrett in the TV series ‘The Hero’.  Garrett played the lead in the Toobworld Western ‘Jed Clayton, US Marshal’.)

As was the case with Peter Falk playing the Toobworld Columbo, other actors who appeared in the true ‘Columbo’ could have played their own televersions playing those “real-life” people involved in those cases.  For instance, Robert Conrad played himself on ‘America 2Night’ and ‘Just Shoot Me’.  Since he bore such an incredible resemblance to Milo Janus, he could have played the role in both worlds.

Here's another example: horror-meister Vincent Price could have been an “identical cousin” to cosmetics king David Lang.  (And in Toobworld, that really could have been the case.)  Price played his own televersion in episodes of ‘Here’s Lucy’ and ‘The Jimmy Stewart Show’. So he could have been cast as David Lang in the Toobworld adaptation of the “Lovely But Lethal” case.

In any case, here are some of the references to ‘Columbo’ which verify its existence in Earth Prime-Time.  (Not included are references from The Tooniverse, Skitlandia, alternate Toobworlds, and Reali-TV.)  Most of these are the modern equivalent to calling somebody “Sherlock Holmes”, usally for stating something O’Bvious.  (“No bleep, Sherlock.”)  The rest are references to details about the show….

Sanford and Son:
Lamont Goes African (1973)
Fred accidentally calls Lamont by the name of this television detective.

Lotsa Luck!:
The Belmont Connection (1973)
Stan and Arthur think Lt. Milford resembles the iconic detective.

Are You Being Served?:
Big Brother (1974)
Mr Lucas does his impersonation of the detecive.

The Jeffersons:
George's Alibi (1975)
Referenced by Mother Jefferson

Q & Q:
Buizenpost (1976)
Adjudant Mudde says his name is Mudde and not Columbo

George & Mildred:
My Husband Next Door (1976) Mildred mentions that while the TV set is away, George has imitated Columbo

The Muppet Show:
Bruce Forsyth (1976)
Bruce Forsyth refers to the series during his stand-up routine.

Are You Being Served?:
Take-Over (1977)
One of Young Mr. Grace's suggestions for preventing the take-over is "taking a photograph of his secretary in bed with Mr. Willit" and Mr. Lucas says they did that on Columbo.

O'Bservation - It sounds like Mr. Lucas saw the episode "Short Fuse".

The Muppet Show:
Bob Hope (1978)
Bob Hope says, "Call Columbo!"

The Sweeney:
Hearts and Minds (1978)
Mentioned by Eric.

07 zglos sie:
Brudna sprawa (1978)
Columbo mentioned in a dialogue

Quincy M.E.:
Walk Softly Through the Night: Part 2 (1979)
During his conversation with Quincy, Brock Campbell imitates Lt. Columbo

Wonder Woman:
Amazon Hot Wax (1979)
After stumbling upon a mystery, Jerry says 'How come we become the Columbos all of a sudden?'

Diff'rent Strokes:
The Adoption: Part 2 (1979)
Arnold mentions a rerun.

The Facts of Life:
The Halloween Show (1983)
Jo tells Natalie "I hate it when you play Columbo", and later on Natalie would repeat the same thing to Jo.

Cagney & Lacey:
Matinee (1984)
Cagney and Lacey both mention this show

Diff'rent Strokes:
Arnold's Strike (1984)
Arnold calls Henry Columbo because of his coat

The Littlest Hobo:
Liar, Liar (1985)
Richie asks The Littlest Hobo in the garage, "What do you think you are? Columbo?"

Hunter:
Girl on the Beach (1988)
Columbo reference

Red Dwarf:
Waiting for God (1988)
Rimmer: "They laughed at Galileo, they laughed at Edison, they laughed at Columbo." Lister: "Who's Columbo?" Rimmer: "The man with the dirty mac who discovered America."

Perfect Strangers:
Dog Day Mid-Afternoon (1989) Balki says that he learned about state's evidence "on the all-new 'Columbo.'"

Perfect Strangers:
Black Widow (1990)
Lydia: "You do not have to be Columbo to figure out what's going on around here."

Likely Suspects:
Pilot (1992)
Detective Marshak says 'Columbo' when he finds a piece of evidence on the rug in the victim's house.

Take Off with T. Bag:
Bagsy Malone (1992)
T. Shirt says 'Just call me Columbo'.

Vreemde praktijken:
Een ongeluk komt nooit alleen (1993)
Bertus refers to Laurens Jan as 'Columbo'.

The Wonder Years:
Poker (1993)
Jeff says, "Excuse me, Lt. Columbo."

Ha die Pa!:
De Storm (1993)
Mathijs refers to his father as Columbo

One Foot in the Grave:
One Foot in the Algarve (1993)

The George Carlin Show:
George Lifts the Holy Spirit (1994)
It comes on some time after ‘Matlock’.

The Larry Sanders Show:
The Fourteenth Floor (1994)
Mentioned once.

The Nanny:
A Fine Friendship (1995)
Fran mentions the character, Columbo, by name.

NewsRadio:
Luncheon at the Waldorf (1995)
Jimmy: "Okay, you got me there, Columbo."

The Nanny:
Educating Fran (1997)
Fran mentions the character, Columbo, by name.

The Practice:
The Trial (1998)
Mike refers to Helen as Columbo.

That '70s Show:
Streaking (1998)
Mentioned by Kitty

The Royle Family:
Making Ends Meet (1998)
Mentioned by Jim.

Hit and Run (1999)
(TV Movie)
One of the characters refers to what's happening in the movie as something she saw on an episode of "Columbo."

Everybody Loves Raymond:
Pants on Fire (1999)
Frank calls Robert Columbo after he makes an obvious observation

Big Wolf on Campus:
Butch Comes to Shove (1999)
Merton sarcastically refers to Tommy as "Columbo."

Murder Most Likely (1999)
(TV Movie)
Kelly asks the cops questioning him if it's a technique like Columbo

That '70s Show:
Eric's Panties (2000)
Kelso referres to himself as the "Columbo of panties"

That '70s Show:
Dine & Dash (2001)
Mentioned by name

The Office:
Work Experience (2001)
Tim refers to Gareth as 'Columbo'

Still Game:
Cauld (2002)
Referenced by Victor on seeing Wullie's corpse.

The Office:
Merger (2002)
Columbo mentioned

Do Over:
Investing in the Future (2002)
Bill refers to Principal Rudd as "Columbo."

Midsomer Murders:
A Tale of Two Hamlets (2003)
Darren refers to Columbo's interrogation style.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit:
Desperate (2003)
Rye Police Chief: "Wheaton thinks he's Columbo."

Still Game:
Gairden (2003)
Navid is disappointed by a Shatner episode.

O’Bservation: It was probably “Butterfly In Shades Of Gray” from 1994.

That 70s Show
Acid Queen (2003)
Kitty says she'd like to give a bath to the little guy who plays Columbo.

Without a Trace:
Gung-Ho (2004)
This TV series and one of its episodes (the plot of which resembles the story in this episode of W.A.T.) is mentioned in a conversation.

Blue Murder:
Fragile Relations (2004)
Shap refers to Chowdhary as the famous detective.

Peep Show:
University Challenge (2004)
Mark successfully uses Columbo's "Just one more thing" technique to find out where April is at university. He praises Columbo for this.

Cable Beach (2004)
(TV Movie)
Mary calls Ben Columbo when he does some investigative work.

Tristram Shandy:
A Cock and Bull Story (2005)

Monk:
Mr. Monk and Little Monk (2005)
Leo calls Young Adrian Monk "Columbo".

Gilmore Girls:
Just Like Gwen and Gavin (2006)
One of the kids at the carnival jokingly refers to Kirk as "Columbo" for his deductive skills.

Life on Mars:
Episode #1.5 (2006)
Gene Hunt says "Juries love all that. Makes 'em feel like Columbo."

Malcolm in the Middle:
Lois Strikes Back (2006)
Lois calls Malcolm 'Columbo'

Entourage:
I Wanna Be Sedated (2006)
Turtle calls Drama "Columbo"

Rescue Me:
Hell (2006)
Kenny mentions Columbo.

Psych:
Shawn vs. the Red Phantom (2006)
Shawn refers to Gus as "chocolate Columbo."

Blue Murder:
The Spartacus Thing (2006)
Mayne is referred to as Columbo

Brothers & Sisters:
All in the Family (2007)
Justin says to Tommy, "What are you, Columbo?"

Peep Show:
Handyman (2007)
Jeremy sarcastically says "Case closed, Columbo!"

Saxondale:
Episode #2.3 (2007)
Tommy asks if a man has been watching this.

30 Rock:
The Collection (2007)
Private investigator Lenny Wosniak (Steve Buscemi) turns around in a puff of cigar smoke and says "one more thing...".

Monk:
Mr. Monk Is on the Run: Part 2 (2008)
Using an alias while on the lam and working as a ragman at a Nevada car wash, Monk solves a crime, and the media dubs him "The Car Wash Columbo".

In Plain Sight:
Pilot (2008)
Mary says in voiceover: "I really wanted to turn around and pop off one of those Columbo questions -- you know, the innocuous afterthought that lets the killer know that I know he did it: [imitating Peter Falk]: 'Excuse me, do you always where white shoes after Labor Day?'"

Monk:

Mr. Monk Buys a House (2008)
"Honest' Jake sarcastically calls Monk "Columbo".

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation:
Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda (2008)
Nick refers to Hodges as Columbo.

Gavin & Stacey:
Episode 2.05 (2008)
Gavin:
Hey, it's Woody from "Toy Story"!
Bryn:
Don't get smart with me, Columbo.

Ideal:
The Passports (2009)
Jenny refers to PC as "Columbo".

Forensic Files:
Needle in a Haystack (2009)
Michael M. Douglas, the homicide detective, makes a joking reference to the title character.

NCIS:
Power Down (2009)
DiNozzo says this never happens on Columbo, when they have to search through fingerprint records.

Being Human:
Serve God, Love Me, and Mend (2010)
mentioned in dialogue

Burn Notice:
Brotherly Love (2010)
Michael Weston says: "Slow it down, Columbo!"

18 to Life:
Family Portrait (2011)
During his "investigation" of the robbery, Phil says, "One more thing..."

Supernatural:
Let It Bleed (2011)
mentioned by Judah

Life's Too Short:
Episode #1.3 (2011)
Title mentioned by Warwick Davis.

NCIS: Los Angeles:
Higher Power (2011)
Lt. Columbo is mentioned

Southland:
Wednesday (2012)
mentioned in dialogue

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation:
Willows in the Wind (2012)
When D.B. asks Miss Kitty if she has a curling iron in her purse so that Catherine's gunshot wound can be cauterized, she says to him, "Are you some kind of Columbo, or something?"

Rob:
Family Secrets (2012)
Title mentioned by Rob

The Killing:
Ogi Jun (2012)
mentioned in dialogue

Nurse Jackie:
Slow Growing Monsters (2012)
mentioned in dialogue

The Mentalist:
The Crimson Hat (2012)
Lorelei asks Jane if he's Columbo.

The Newsroom:
The Greater Fool (2012)
Lonny Church sarcastically calls Neal Sampat "Columbo".

Clan:
Bloedband (2012)
The main character is mentioned.

General Hospital:
Episode #1.12676 (2012)
mentioned in dialogue

Mike & Molly:
Mike's Boss (2012)
Peggy calls Mike "Columbo".

The Office:
Night (2013)
Mentioned by Dov

White Collar:
Empire City (2013)
Neal says that Mozzie will do "his best Columbo impression."

Southland:
Under the Big Top (2013)
mentioned in dialogue

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia:
The Gang Gets Quarantined (2013)
Frank says "One more thing..." as he is about to leave.

The Mindy Project:
Wedding Crushers (2013)
mentioned by Danny

Raising Hope:
Anniversary Ball (2014)
Burt Chance mentions this television show by name

Taxi Brooklyn:
Brooklyn Heights (2014)
Cat calls Leo Columbo.

Warehouse 13:
Endless Terror (2014)
Mentioned in dialogue

Supernatural:
Meta Fiction (2014)
Mentioned in dialogue

Supernatural:
Stairway to Heaven (2014)
Metatron tries on a trenchcoat in front of a mirror and mimics Peter Falk in the older show.

The Mysteries of Laura:
Pilot (2014)
Billy says to Laura: You solved another case, Columbo

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation:
Rubbery Homicide (2014)
Nick calls Greg Columbo to mock Greg's failed attempt to go undercover in a club

O’Bservation – Nick either read Columbo’s chapter about the double murder tied to the nightclub, or he saw the televersion of the show’s reenactment of it.

Person of Interest:
M.I.A. (2015)
When she tells him her new job is as his partner as a police detective, Root refers to Reese as Columbo.

Chicago Fire:
Forgive You Anything (2015)
Mentioned in dialogue

Person of Interest:
Terra Incognita (2015)
Fusco likens Reese to the title character: "Haven't seen or even heard from Columbo since this morning."

Coronation Street:
Episode #1.8627 (2015)
Bethany compares Nick to Columbo.

True Detective:
Maybe Tomorrow (2015)
Referenced by Velcoro.

Major Crimes:
Thick as Thieves (2015)
Lt. Provenza calls Buzz "Columbo."

Love, Nina:
Episode #1.2 (2016)
mentioned by Malcolm

The Detour:
The Pilot (2016)
At one point, Nate tells his son, "You don't have to be Columbo to figure out this isn't an ice cream place."

Orange Is the New Black:
Doctor Psycho (2016)
Gloria compares herself to the character of Columbo.

Still Game:
The Undrinkables (2016)
Referenced by Boaby.

My Christmas Love (2016)
(TV Movie)
Liam calls Cynthia "Columbo".

Bones: The Final Chapter:
The New Tricks in the Old Dogs (2017)
When Booth interrogated Rufus for the first time, Rufus says that Columbo does this differently, which Booth confirms but tells him that Columbo is an actor

Major Crimes:
Bad Blood (2017)
When Buzz disagrees with Provennza, he sarcastically calls Buzz Columbo.

NCIS: Los Angeles:
From Havana with Love (2017)
During a search Deeks asks himself what Columbo would do.

O’Bservation – As he’s located in Los Angeles just like the Lieutenant, it could be that they may have crossed paths.

The Ministry of Time:
Tiempo de esclavos (2017)
Mentioned by title by Pacino.

Still the King:
Showcase Showdown (2017)
Leia mentions watching "Columbo" with her dad when she was a kid.

iZombie:
Blue Bloody (2018)
Liv calls Det. Babineaux "Columbo"

Nobodies:
Meeting Steven Spielberg (2018)
Hugh's directions on the lot to the Spielberg meeting includes Columbo Court.

Ghosted:
The Wire (2018)
One of the shows Leroy has finished watching

Orange Is the New Black:
Sh*tstorm Coming (2018)
The series plays on Caputo's TV.

O'Bservation - If "Suitable For Framing" was the episode playing on Caputo's TV, Peter Falk would still be playing Lt. Columbo, but that doesn't have to be Barney Phillips playing the police captain.  It could be Phillips' character Fletcher Huff from 'The Betty White Show'.  (Fletcher Huff was the co-star of the Toobworld-Only show, 'Undercover Woman'.)

Orange Is the New Black:
Chocolate Chip Nookie (2018)
Caputo mentions the character of Columbo.

Red Line:
Prokurátor (2018)
Referenced in dialogue.

Russian Doll:
A Warm Body (2019)
John says he wears a coat like Columbo.

A.P. Bio:
Nuns (2019)
Jack mentions Columbo

NCIS: Los Angeles:
Till Death Do Us Part (2019)
Roberta Deeks mentions the title character and how he solved hundreds of cases without ever carrying a gun.  (Click on Roberta's link to get more about that mention.  It could be she was talking about the actual man and not just the TV character.)

Good Girls:
Take Off Your Pants (2019)
Ruby asks Stan if he's ever seen an episode of this show.

The Kids Are Alright:
Peggy Drives Away (2019)
Mike references detective work shown on "Columbo".

You:
P.I. Joe (2019)
Mentioned by Joe in voice over.

Curb Your Enthusiasm:
The Surprise Party (2020)
Leon says that he was watching this show at 3 am.

Better Things:
High Man. Bye Man. (2020)
Mentioned by Marion

Vagrant Queen:
No Clue (2020)
Isaac says they don't need this title character to solve the murder.

All of those descriptions were copied from the IMDb.  So don't blame me for some of the sentence structures.



Oh yeah.  Just one more thing….

Welcome to the Television Crossover Hall of Fame, ‘Columbo’ – the series!  The actual Lt. Columbo is already here….