Connect The Links
OPEN: JANUS FILE #0363
Gabriele Veneziano's theory of quantum physics states that everything is connected. If you watch CSI: NY, you've probably heard Mac Taylor saying some variation this, usually with the addition of "we just have to figure out how."
Over time, I have discovered that this can be an excellent way of describing Google searches. You may be searching for one thing, and discover something else entirely that fits the search criteria. Case in point: How do you think Alfred Hitchcock, Honor Blackman, Peter Lawford, Patrick Duffy, and even M. Night Shyamalan would appear in the same Google search? What is the starting point for this search?
I can see the wheels turning in your heads as you try to figure out this riddle. I can also see the somewhat blank expressions on your faces when you realize that you are unable to think of a solution to this puzzle. Which are quickly turning to somewhat irritated looks that say, "Enough, already! Quit trying to prolong the suspense, and just tell us!"
This particular search had its origin in Janus File #0359 -- the entry about how Lois Duncan's publisher is releasing updated versions of her suspense novels. Last week saw the release of the first three -- I Know What You Did Last Summer, Killing Mr. Griffin, and Don't Look Behind You. I remember seeing somewhere that the latter had been adapted into a made-for-cable-TV movie, and I was curious enough to read reviews of it.
(Actually, all three of these books have had dramatic adaptations. From what I've read, though, only two of them are worth watching. From what I can tell, both Killing Mr. Griffin and Don't Look Behind You stay fairly faithful to the books. I Know What You Did Last Summer is something else entirely. If it had stayed close to the book, the movie could have been a thriller worthy of Hitchcock himself. Unfortunately, you had a Hollywood hack of questionable talent, little if any imagination, overinflated ego, and a vision of himself as auteur who took the book and turned it into Just Another Teen Slasher Movie. Ed Wood could have done a better job turning I Know What You Did Last Summer into a movie. But I'm starting to digress, so I'll end my rant now.)
Let's see . . . where was I? Oh, yes. I went to Google, and I entered "don't look behind you movie" in the Search box. Actually, a number of options kept appearing as I entered the criteria, and the one I wanted came into view once I had typed "don't look be." I moved the cursor down to that option, and with a click of the mouse, I had my results.
As I anticipated, most of the initial links were of the adaptation of Ms. Duncan's book, which starred Patrick Duffy (and Pam Dawber, for that matter). But as I started scrolling through the search results, I received several surprises, one of which was a fairly pleasant one.
That particularly pleasant surprise was in the form of a number of links regarding a 1971 TV-movie, Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You. This movie was based on the Ellery Queen novel Cat Of Many Tails, and starred Peter Lawford in the title role. According to what I read on some of those pages, this movie was a pilot for an Ellery Queen TV series that didn't sell. I've seen Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You several times. I liked it, and I would love to get my hands on a copy. Unfortunately, I don't think it's available either on VHS or DVD.
Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You has Ellery on the track of a serial killer (nicknamed "The Hydra" by the newspapers) who uses dyed silk cords to strangle his victims -- blue cords for the male victims, pink cords for the female victims. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how The Hydra chooses his victims, except that they keep getting progressively younger. I think Cat Of Many Tails is probably out of print (as are probably all of Ellery Queen's novels), but if you can find a copy, it's worth a read. You may have a better chance finding the book. (In the book, the newspapers gave the killer the nickname of "The Cat.")
The next search result that caught my attention wasn't for a movie, but instead an episode of a TV series. "Don't Look Behind You" was an episode of The Avengers. And here is where Honor Blackman figures into the various connections. This episode first aired in 1963, and Blackman (as Cathy Gale) is John Steed's partner, not the more familiar Emma Peel (played by Diana Rigg). I've never seen this episode -- come to think of it, I don't think I have seen any episodes of The Avengers that didn't star Diana Rigg. Hmmm . . . I may have to see if Wild & Woolly Video has any of the Honor Blackman episodes, and correct that oversight.
"Don't Look Behind You" was also the title of an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, which first aired in 1962. I've never seen this episode, so I can't really comment on it.
And finally, we come to M. Night Shyamalan. This link is to a poster for his latest movie, Devil. Apparently, the poster uses the line "Don't look behind you . . . the devil's trapped in a lift." I haven't seen the poster for myself, because this search result has a warning that the site might harm my computer. I think I can forgo taking a look at the poster, seeing as how that seems to be the extent of using "don't look behind you."
I discovered one other set of connections from this search. The director of Don't Look Behind You was David Winning. I took a look at Winning's entry on Wikipedia, and it noted that his biggest studio movie to date was the second Power Rangers movie, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. Among the cast of that movie was Amy Jo Johnson, who also starred in the adaptation of (drumroll please) Killing Mr. Griffin.
When Mac Taylor and his CSIs discover how things are connected, they solve the crime for that week's episode. There may not be any crimes solved with a search like this, but the results are quite enlightening.
CLOSE: JANUS FILE #0363
Gabriele Veneziano's theory of quantum physics states that everything is connected. If you watch CSI: NY, you've probably heard Mac Taylor saying some variation this, usually with the addition of "we just have to figure out how."
Over time, I have discovered that this can be an excellent way of describing Google searches. You may be searching for one thing, and discover something else entirely that fits the search criteria. Case in point: How do you think Alfred Hitchcock, Honor Blackman, Peter Lawford, Patrick Duffy, and even M. Night Shyamalan would appear in the same Google search? What is the starting point for this search?
I can see the wheels turning in your heads as you try to figure out this riddle. I can also see the somewhat blank expressions on your faces when you realize that you are unable to think of a solution to this puzzle. Which are quickly turning to somewhat irritated looks that say, "Enough, already! Quit trying to prolong the suspense, and just tell us!"
This particular search had its origin in Janus File #0359 -- the entry about how Lois Duncan's publisher is releasing updated versions of her suspense novels. Last week saw the release of the first three -- I Know What You Did Last Summer, Killing Mr. Griffin, and Don't Look Behind You. I remember seeing somewhere that the latter had been adapted into a made-for-cable-TV movie, and I was curious enough to read reviews of it.
(Actually, all three of these books have had dramatic adaptations. From what I've read, though, only two of them are worth watching. From what I can tell, both Killing Mr. Griffin and Don't Look Behind You stay fairly faithful to the books. I Know What You Did Last Summer is something else entirely. If it had stayed close to the book, the movie could have been a thriller worthy of Hitchcock himself. Unfortunately, you had a Hollywood hack of questionable talent, little if any imagination, overinflated ego, and a vision of himself as auteur who took the book and turned it into Just Another Teen Slasher Movie. Ed Wood could have done a better job turning I Know What You Did Last Summer into a movie. But I'm starting to digress, so I'll end my rant now.)
Let's see . . . where was I? Oh, yes. I went to Google, and I entered "don't look behind you movie" in the Search box. Actually, a number of options kept appearing as I entered the criteria, and the one I wanted came into view once I had typed "don't look be." I moved the cursor down to that option, and with a click of the mouse, I had my results.
As I anticipated, most of the initial links were of the adaptation of Ms. Duncan's book, which starred Patrick Duffy (and Pam Dawber, for that matter). But as I started scrolling through the search results, I received several surprises, one of which was a fairly pleasant one.
That particularly pleasant surprise was in the form of a number of links regarding a 1971 TV-movie, Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You. This movie was based on the Ellery Queen novel Cat Of Many Tails, and starred Peter Lawford in the title role. According to what I read on some of those pages, this movie was a pilot for an Ellery Queen TV series that didn't sell. I've seen Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You several times. I liked it, and I would love to get my hands on a copy. Unfortunately, I don't think it's available either on VHS or DVD.
Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You has Ellery on the track of a serial killer (nicknamed "The Hydra" by the newspapers) who uses dyed silk cords to strangle his victims -- blue cords for the male victims, pink cords for the female victims. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to how The Hydra chooses his victims, except that they keep getting progressively younger. I think Cat Of Many Tails is probably out of print (as are probably all of Ellery Queen's novels), but if you can find a copy, it's worth a read. You may have a better chance finding the book. (In the book, the newspapers gave the killer the nickname of "The Cat.")
The next search result that caught my attention wasn't for a movie, but instead an episode of a TV series. "Don't Look Behind You" was an episode of The Avengers. And here is where Honor Blackman figures into the various connections. This episode first aired in 1963, and Blackman (as Cathy Gale) is John Steed's partner, not the more familiar Emma Peel (played by Diana Rigg). I've never seen this episode -- come to think of it, I don't think I have seen any episodes of The Avengers that didn't star Diana Rigg. Hmmm . . . I may have to see if Wild & Woolly Video has any of the Honor Blackman episodes, and correct that oversight.
"Don't Look Behind You" was also the title of an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, which first aired in 1962. I've never seen this episode, so I can't really comment on it.
And finally, we come to M. Night Shyamalan. This link is to a poster for his latest movie, Devil. Apparently, the poster uses the line "Don't look behind you . . . the devil's trapped in a lift." I haven't seen the poster for myself, because this search result has a warning that the site might harm my computer. I think I can forgo taking a look at the poster, seeing as how that seems to be the extent of using "don't look behind you."
I discovered one other set of connections from this search. The director of Don't Look Behind You was David Winning. I took a look at Winning's entry on Wikipedia, and it noted that his biggest studio movie to date was the second Power Rangers movie, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. Among the cast of that movie was Amy Jo Johnson, who also starred in the adaptation of (drumroll please) Killing Mr. Griffin.
When Mac Taylor and his CSIs discover how things are connected, they solve the crime for that week's episode. There may not be any crimes solved with a search like this, but the results are quite enlightening.
CLOSE: JANUS FILE #0363