My 90210 reference in yesterday's manatee post got me to thinking about the show, which I don't think I've seen in at least 10 years or so... it was really great but by the time the parents disappeared it had lost most of the original after-school special vibe and my interest flagged. A very special highlight from the glory days, though, was when poor Scott Scanlon, loser friend of David and erstwhile cowpoke, was deemed extraneous by the producers and had to bite the bullet. Research reveals that this tragedy not only put an end to the character but also to actor Douglas Emerson's whole career, which had been going great guns for almost a decade up to that point: roles on Trapper John, M.D., Highway to Heaven, Small Wonder, Night Court, Dolly, Blossom, and he also lit up the silver screen, totally holding his own against the rest of the all-star cast of Body Slam and setting the standard for all "Kid #2 in Parking Lot"s who followed. But the disappointment of getting thrown from the 90210 train just as it was pulling out of the station must have been too much for the young thesp, and after dropping out of Pepperdine University he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and married a woman named Emily (maiden name unfortunately not Valentine but Barth, though I suppose you probably get routinely tested for Euphoria when you're in the military anyway) who sells Mary Kay cosmetics. That's all I could find on IMDB, but luckily the Germans display a little more interest in Herr Emerson than the compilers of that disappointing database and it is well worth your while to follow this link to a treasure trove of Scott scans and insider info - including a report of a small Techtelmechtel between Doug and Tori Spelling - it completely hangs the playthingplaything plaything to the nail.