It isn’t often that a ‘jobbing’ actor gets to be on two hit TV series, one on each side of the Atlantic Ocean. That is precisely what happened to Thomas Craig.
Coronation Street
Between 1992 and 1996, Thomas played Tommy Harris, the head of a family on the Street, under witness protection. I remember that his ending on the series was particularly gruesome.
Murdoch Mysteries
Thomas’ Yorkshire accent is put to good use in his role as Inspector Brackenreid. He has even received a Gemini nomination for his portrayal of the policeman. Because the show is about the Toronto Police service at the turn of the 20th Century, good coppers would be former British Bobbies.
So far there have been 10 seasons shown. Tommy seems to have landed on his feet over here.
He’s Not the Only One
Tom Ellis used to be on Miranda as her pretend boyfriend bartender (in 2009).
Now he’s starring as the Prince of Darkness himself in Lucifer.
Conclusion
Maybe you have to have the name “Thomas” to succeed in North America. But I suspect it’s really just the English accent.
There is an urban myth which we had recounted to us by the leader of our Faith and Science group yesterday.
Here is a written version from 1993:
Many have heard the story of the man whose devotional reading consisted of cracking his Bible at random and reading the first verse his finger touched. One morning this was his verse for the day: “And Judas went out and hanged himself.”
That can’t be it, he thought. So he tried again. “Go thou and do likewise” was his second hit.
Chagrined, he thought, The third time is a charm! It wasn’t. It read: “What thou doest, do quickly!” (From a post “Read Your Bible!” by Art Farstad)
Hubris?
I believe this story has to do with a puffed-up individual whose ego allows him to think that God speaks directly to him. In the version we heard yesterday, he was a minister who was quite proud of his ability to be led by the Holy Spirit.
But we weren’t given the punchline…
Then Jesus said to him…
I can totally see the point of this story. I get it, I really do.
We build up this wonderful image of ourselves and we try to project it out into the world, so that our fellow human beings can see it, too.
But that is where we are mistaken. We need to see ourselves as we truly are: humbled before God.
Without humility, we will think ourselves to be as God. Heaven forbid!
Growing up during the 60’s, the doctor shows were as popular as the police shows. (Nothing changes…) But once in a while, an actor would show up, step forward into the spotlight, and proceed to capture our (collective) hearts.
Richard Chamberlain, William Shatner and Martin Balsam from Season 5
I never saw this show on a colour TV. All the uniforms were white, and the diseases were black. It was clear cut. And the ‘good’ character of Dr Kildare was never in doubt.
Never missing a chance to cash in, MGM persuaded Richard to sing the theme song, too. He wasn’t the best choice as singer…
Here is a video of an interview he did 50 years later:
By the time he finally admitted to being gay in 2003, the world had moved on. “No Big Deal” one article said. And it wasn’t, by then.
The subtle subtext of actors in the entertainment business is that they are ‘different’ from ordinary folk. We may not agree with their choice of lifestyle or partnerships, but we have to respect them.
I always knew Richard Chamberlain was too good to be true.
There’s an advertisement running on television at the moment that has an odd ending: just before the two couples leave the apartment, one guy says to the other, “Did anyone call ‘shotgun’?” When the other fellow says, “No”, the first one pumps his arm in victory.
For the longest time, I misheard this line as “Did anyone call Chuck-a?” thinking that was someone’s name. It had me stumped for months, until last night.
During a different ad about a car brand, someone clearly mentioned riding shotgun, and then it all came flooding back to me.
Riding Shotgun
When I looked up the term on Google, this is the explanation I came across on a site called HistoryGarage:
When it comes time to load into the family car, at least in the U.S., passengers play a game. The driver takes the obvious seat behind the wheel, but there is a cherry seat next to the driver which mandates “calling it.”
To call it, one must announce, “shotgun” before anyone else. Within families and circles of friends, there exist exclusive rules pertaining to age and gender clauses, but also the specific moment the game begins.
When the game doesn’t dovetail into a shouting match, it’s a silly competition which begs the question: why shotgun?
The origins of the term shotgun date back to America’s Wild West. At one time, riding shotgun was a privilege many would have preferred to avoid. In fact, back then, the only thing worth fighting over was not sitting in the shotgun seat.
The person in the seat next to the stagecoach operator of a shotgun messenger service literally carried a loaded shotgun.
Shotguns, as a killing weapon, are indiscriminate. They spray buckshot in a wide pattern, hitting a large target, perfect for someone riding on a bumpy stagecoach.
The seat for the shotgun might have been left or right of the driver. Shotgun messenger coaches carried important documents or valuables.
The one with the shotgun had the job of protecting the stagecoach, the driver, and the contents of the coach. This, they achieved by shooting any would-be attacker or bandits.
This was not a job for everyone. The one wielding the shotgun was a skilled shooter, okay with killing for pay.
When exactly the role of the shotgun messenger transformed into the expression, riding shotgun, is debatable.
It wasn’t until 1919, long after the era of stagecoaches, that The Ogden Examiner first printed a news story using the phrase. In 1921, the Washington Post ran a story where the phrase turns up, as in “He’s ridin’ shotgun for Wells Fargo.”
Again, this was at the edge of the motorized vehicle revolution, so it’s anyone’s guess. These usages were likely after it had gained common usage as a phrase, but for how long, who knows?
Were these carryovers from the Wild West or did some clever writer dream them up? We will never know at this point.
Conclusion
The next time someone shouts, “shotgun” before loading into a car, make sure that person knows they have a job to do. That said, it’s probably not wise to hand them an actual shotgun. The cops tend to frown upon that.
If you use the word, “beware” you are warning someone of something dangerous.
Be Aware
The term “be aware” has the description of having information and beforehand knowledge of a situation, and perception of a fact that may become important in some way.
Be Wary
“Being wary” arises from, or is characterized by, caution.
Conclusion
The words seem related, insofar as there is danger (perhaps) involved, but the degree of warning is the subtle difference.
I got this book in the mail yesterday, and I’m already halfway through reading it. It is John le Carré’s 25th book, but it is the first time that two previous novels have been referenced in such a comprehensive way.
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
You could say this was the film that really got me started on reading spy novels. Richard Burton’s portrayal of Alec Leamas was so low-key that I wondered why he even agreed to do it. However, the sombre B&W film made a great contrast to the colourful James Bond films circulating at the time.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The 1979 TV miniseries captured my adult attention in a very unexpected way. Alec Guinness as George Smiley put Star Wars‘ Obi-Wan Kenobi into a different setting and slowed the pace down to a crawl. It was like reading the book in real time.
As always, the tension was high and the payoff sudden and unexpected. The book was even better.
Peter Guillam
In the recent film of the same name, Peter Guillam was played by Benedict Cumberbatch, the only shining star in an otherwise murky ‘who-dun-it’. A Legacy of Spies has Peter as the assistant to George Smiley being summoned to the Circus to review the case files from Leamas’ time forward and to answer a few awkward questions.
Here’s the plot summary as printed on the inside of the dust jacket:
Peter Guillam, staunch colleague and disciple of George Smiley of the British Secret Service, otherwise known as the Circus, is living out his old age on the family farmstead on the south coast of Brittany when a letter from his old service summons him to London. The reason? His Cold War past has come back to claim him. Intelligence operations that were once the toast of secret London, and involved such characters as Alec Leamas, Jim Prideaux, George Smiley and Peter Guillam himself, are to be scrutinized by a generation with no memory of the Cold War and no patience for its justifications.
John le Carré
Author photograph by Nadav Kandar 2016
John le Carré – real name: David Cornwell – was born in 1931 and attended the universities of Bern and Oxford. He taught at Eton and served briefly in British intelligence during the Cold War. For the last fifty-five years, he has lived by his pen. He divides his time between London and Cornwall.
What more can you say about a man who has given us a peek into the ‘real’ workings of the world of spies? Without him, we would believe that what they do is glamorous and exciting. In truth, it’s scary and dreadful. I think I know what that is like.
In 2006, Mel Gibson made a mistake. In the heat of the moment, he said some stuff that got him sidelined for almost 10 years. Admittedly, what he said sounded weird at the time, but, in the meantime, he has been proven right, at least as far as Conspiracy Theories go.
We may be surprised about how the Jews are portrayed in theatre and movies, but ever since Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” we have had a glimpse of the archetype of “Banker” as the unseen hand behind things that go on in the world.
Oliver!
Fagin is the ringleader of a bunch of mid-19th century pickpockets.
Fiddler on the Roof
Tevye wishes he had more money.
The Rothschilds: A Musical
Did you know there was a musical in the 70’s about the most famous bankers in history?
The story has been updated to:
Rothschild & Sons
Conclusion
These stories are set in the 1800’s for a reason. If you had any idea that these same archetypes were operating now, you’d think that the world had gone mad.
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders have been the UK’s funniest female duo, ever. Their humour is sometimes over-the-top (OTT) and can seem even juvenile at times, but they never cease to make me smile.
Here are a few of their greatest skits.
Mamma Mia
Chess
Madonna
Carpool Karaoke
Conclusion
As you can see, the musical numbers are hilarious. There were others skits just as funny, but this last one takes the cake: it’s their first time trying out two characters that would later be the basis of “Absolutely Fabulous”.
