This episode can be called a take on the famous fairy tale "Jack and the Beanstalk".

Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) takes on the villainous Claxon and his cronies in to night's brawling episode, but during a lull has a mystical interface with Soleste [Celesta, of course], a ghostly bimbo. She is a kind of Big Bosomed Reaper who floats along to assist those whose time has come and to guide them to wherever the dead go when she guides them. Hercules, using as much manly charm as one can use on a spectrechick who is not flesh and blood, begs her not to take his best friend. Our rating: inspired trivia. (23.02.98 The Canberra Times, Australia)

Working title - "Kiss Me, Deadly"

A good episode... for Halloween

Gina Torres recalled that she auditioned for Nebula - the lethal captain of the "Leviathan" - without ever having seen the H:TLJ. But then she saw an episode and after getting one look at Kevin Sorbo, she purred, "You and me... New Zealand... bet." (01.99 Santa-Monica Convention)

The character of Nebula was originally written for just three episodes, in a story arc involving a plot to kill Iolaus. Luckily for Gina Torres, Kevin Sorbo became temporarily ill, so the Iolaus plotline had to be postponed. This meant a reshuffling of plot ideas and characters, and Nebula was given an extended stay. (03.01 Xena Magazine)

Alex Tydings said the cake was real, so they had to get it right in one take, as there was no prop cake. So she grabbed two big fistfuls of cake ready to smear Lucy, and Lucy grabbed the whole top layer. (14.06.07 Xena convention, report by EZ Ryder)

You came up with the story for the 'Two Men and A Baby'? -- Kevin Sorbo: Yes, it was my idea, but I worked very closely with John Hudock who actually wrote the episode. Once we broke the mythological barrier in "Hercules", I thought it would be great to adapt a Biblical tale like the Moses story. <...> There's a lot of humor in the episode since the baby has various powers. But there's also a good deal of soul-searching Hercules must do in considering the possibility that he may be the baby's father. (22.09.97 Universal Pictures Press Release)

Kimberley Joseph is breaking hearts in New Zealand-based drama "The Adventures of Hercules" [sic]. She has joined the cast of the hit show as Nemesis - former hit-woman to the gods - and she couldn't be happier. "I'm having a great time, I really am," says Kimberley on the phone. "I've had a chance to do fantastic stuff." The "stuff" she's done includes fighting, horse-riding and kissing Kevin Sorbo, who plays the mythical hunk! Kimberley trained for her fight scenes, but when it came to passionate clinches with Sorbo, practice wasn't necessary. "He is a lovely man, incredible, so it wasn't very hard," giggles Kimberley. "It was very nice... I guess you get used to doing screen kisses. The only difficulty I had was with his height. He is a very tall man!" (05-06.97 Inside TV mag, Australia)

Kevin Smith: I remember when we were doing "Two Men and a Baby" and they had this huge fight scene planned, but it was the season's end [wrong] and Kevin <Sorbo> was flying out that night, and we were losing light and we couldn't go into overtime. Peter Bell, the stunt coordinator, got hammers and handed them to us: "We're running out of time, here are two hammers, just slug at each other". (01.99 Starlog #258)

Michael Hurst is one of our most versatile actors and a celebrated practitioner of the works of Shakespeare. But sometimes his career zig-zags along a sublime-to-ridiculous path. In 1993, he had gone from staging Hamlet to the spoof-sidekick role of lolaus in "Hercules", the television series which made him an international star alongside American actor Kevin Sorbo. Between, he'd also directed the pantomime Aladdin, in which he played the Widow Twankey. Unfortunately, one of the American Herc producers saw Aladdin, and had a bright idea, as American television producers do. Sometimes. Twankey, she decided, just had to be in Hercules, no matter how ludicrous that might be. The accent was a problem, for a start, as Twankey speaks in a broad northern English accent. "I tried doing it in southern American but in the end I said, I cannot do this unless it's in the north country accent. It is my mother, and unless I channel that energy I can't do it," recalls Hurst.
And so Twankey was unleashed upon the ancient legendary journeys, not once but three times. To Hurst's amazement, the American audiences loved it, and to this day he is still asked to attend conventions in the United States as Twankey. She refuses to go. "My rule about the Widow Twankey is that she doesn't stand close scrutiny - you get a bit close and it's quite horrific." (16.02.05 New Zealand Herald)

"Aladdin" - The Pantomime, Watershed Theatre --- Looking and sounding like Ken Dodd in a frock, Michael Hurst's Widow Twankey is a marvelous dame who, as well as being Aladdin's mum, is MC of this great little holiday stage show. Hurst is obviously relishing being on the boards again after the grind of the Hercules TV series and it's great to have him back in this piece of good-natured silliness, which he wrote and directed himself. All the good old panto elements are here: Music, songs, awful jokes, pratfalls, fantabulous costumes and glittery sets (with a few props from Hercules and Xena), romance, fights, and a really happy ending. There's a comic dame, a dumb sidekick, a princess, a wicked empress, policeman, robots and, of course, the Genie of the Lamp." (22.09.96 Sunday Times, Auckland NZ)

And, of course, he's also a ballroom dancer thanks to season four's episode "…And Fancy Free". "I love that episode," remembers Sorbo, smiling. "Michael Hurst directed that one and I think he did a great job. I did four weeks of ballroom dancing while we were shooting. They brought somebody in to give me lessons and on weekends I would go and spend three, four hours each day on the weekend, just sort of running some moves, things like that. That was fun. The producers thought I'd be afraid to do that, they thought it'd be a kooky, sissy thing and I wouldn't want to do it, and I said, "I think it'd be a blast, so why not?" And what about Michael Hurst's performance in drag as Widow Twanky? "The guy loves wearing a dress, what can I say?" Sorbo says straight-faced. (11.01 Xpose #61)

Michael Hurst, showing Sorbo's expression: Kevin really didn't know how to deal with me, dressed in drag! (2000 Video-Interview made in Auckland)

Kevin Sorbo: Michael created a character based on his own mother and I was very nervous and he was very comfortable when wearing women clothing... <2-3 words are indecipherable because of the laughter> Better him than me. I'd make one very ugly woman... (10.01.03 Interstellar Transmissions, Radio Show - thanks Sovka for helping)

Eric Gruendemann (producer): On "Hercules", it's funny, I have about 25 favourites and they're all very different. It's hard for me to pick. I'll tell you one I loved is one that Michael Hurst directed called "…And Fancy Free". I like the shows that break new ground and I will say this, it took me about two years of solid convincing to get Rob Tapert to agree to put Michael Hurst in drag on our show. I particularly liked that episode and I thought Kevin was marvelous. (11.98 Whoosh!)

Some stories are pure comedies. Others dark and depressing. Hercules went straight for laughs much of the time and even got into a phase of dabbling in pantomime. In "And Fancy Free" (a parody of the film Strictly Ballroom), the hard-man hero is caught up in a dance contest with a girl partner with two left feet. To teach her the necessary skills quickly he enrols with her in Widow Twankie's dance academy, (the widow is played in high comedy by a near unrecognisable Michael Hurst). (11.98 Matrix mag, produced by the British Science Fiction Association)

If you were lucky enough to watch "Strictly Ballroom" (Australia, 1992), you will readily point out that this episode was mostly a homage to the movie, which is wonderful mix of comedy, drama and dancing. Young talented dancer Scott refuses to let the fear of punishment to rule his life. He can do more than is allowed by the Dance Federation and he wants to do more. His partner quits, leaving him alone. Ungainly beginner Fran teams with him. It might be love - but it isn't. Together, they boldly challenge the dancing world and their new steps become the bomb of the Ballroom Dance competition.

But there was another movie to borrow from - "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (1985). Shy teenager Janey has a dream of being on Dance TV. Daughter of wealthy man intrigues against her to win the competition, her tough father does not accept her participation... She has lots of trouble and two friends - a girl Lynne, who loves to dance and helps Janey to sneak out of the home, and her dancing partner Jeff. And they are ready to fight for their right to dance!

Strange to say, it feels like the episode has one more corner-stone - "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll.

In the cover's place we can notice that Widow Twanky presents herself as "Mad Alice" or that her village house accomodates the whole dance hall with large windows. Things are not what they seem to be... Shall we open the book?

Chapter 1 - Alice: "I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth! How funny it'll seem to come out among the people that walk with their heads downward! <...> I shall have to ask them what the name of the country is, you know. Please, Ma' am, is this New Zealand or Australia?"

Chapter 2 - Here we can find the fan and the parrot (Lory).

Chapter 7 - Twanky: How does the porcu know to pine? Why does the beaver give a dam?! What is the difference between a duck?! --- The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, "Why is a raven like a writing-desk?"

Chapter 10 - The Lobster Quadrille
"It must be a very pretty dance," said Alice timidly.
"Would you like to see a little of it?" said the Mock Turtle.
"Very much indeed," said Alice.
"Come, let's try the first figure!" said the Mock Turtle to the Gryphon.

Letter of Lewis Carroll to his Child-Friend: "As to dancing, my dear, I never dance, unless I am allowed to do it in my own peculiar way. There is no use trying to describe it: it has to be seen to be believed."

Oh, yeah - blue-and-white dress reminds about Walt Disney's Alice from the musical wonderfilm...

Town called Rhumba = For the dance, the rhumba is African based and was usually relagated to the lower classes due to the lascivius nature of the dance. The most popular rhumba melody - "Besame mucho".

Henchman: Now, what is it they say, again, to, ah, wish someone luck? Oh, yes-- break a leg.

break a leg = idiom, meaning: good luck, have a good performance

"If I Had a Hammer" is a song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays in 1948. It was a Civil Rights anthem of the American Civil Rights movement and numerous other artists from around the world have recorded versions throughout the years. "If I had a hammer I'd hammer in the morning, I'd hammer in the evening All over this land. I'd hammer out "Danger!", I'd hammer out a warning, I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters All over this land."

All the artists are easily recognizable: Picassus paints a cubist eye, Davincius makes Mona Lisa's look-alike, Warholius places four different coloured Herculeses on one canvas a la Andy Warhol. And in the same place Xerox gives a black and white copy. "The Ponderer" openly refers to Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker".

"I am Hercules!" - "I am Hercules!"

To get this, you have to watch movie "Spartacus" - a similar scene is staged at the end. The revolt, led by the gladiator-slave Spartacus, is put down. The Romans are searching for the leader, but they don't know what he looks like. So Spartacus' soldiers respond by saying "I am Spartacus!".

Mea culpa (Latin) = In the religious practice of Catholics - the formula of a repentance: "by my fault".

While the title of episode come from new movie "Men In Black" (1998), it's plot is a take-off of the highly popular old movie "Some Like It Hot" (1959).

Apparently, it's taking Kevin Sorbo longer to get in fighting shape to return to his title role in "Hercules" than was anticipated. Sorbo, who suffered an aneurysm in September, was supposed to resume work on the series at the end of November. But no, reports actor Bruce Campbell, "his return has been delayed, so they're doing several episodes that are non-Hercules". One of those segments, titled "Men in Pink", calls for Campbell and Michael Hurst to be in drag. (02.12.97 Los Angeles Daily News)

Iolaus: Hercules! Uh! It is so good to see you! -- Hercules: It's, uh... it's good to be seen.

There was an interesting post at one newsgroup on January, 1999 - about Kevin Sorbo saying on a talk show that he loves Prince's music. The poster remembered Herc's reply: "The amusing part was the way he said it... with the same cadence and rhythm that Prince used in the song "Movie Star".
The singer Prince is native of Minneapolis, born in 1958. "Movie Star" was on the 1997 year album "Crystal Ball". You can listen it and decide to youself: "When I stepped from the limousine, They said - "Ooh, it's good to see ya". I said - "Oh, it's good to be seen, You know what I mean?"

To understand the title of the episode we have to go back - not to the Ancient times, but to the year 1897. A confused little girl, Virginia O'Hanlon, wrote the letter to the "New York Sun": "Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?" The answer on the Editorial Page, written by Francis P. Church, was entitled "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus". It became one of the most famous editorials in newspaper history.

"<...> Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! Not believe in Santa Claus! Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus?Thank God he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood."

After seeng Kevin so smoothly and effortlessly carry out Herc's duties - saving damsels in distress, using his brain before his brawn, kicking butt with empathy and the like, as well as just being an all around nice guy - we can't help but assume that the actor and his mythical-hero counterpart have a lot in common. <…> "I'm a guy like anybody else," says Sorbo. Well, not quite anybody else. (12.96 Playgirl)

Paul Robert Coyle (writer): I vividly remember the day around the conference table when those guys [Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman] pitched that story to Rob [Tapert]: "Jerry is going to be out in the woods shooting paint balls, and Paul is going to be in Vegas at a craps table." I said, "First of all, I don't play craps, I play blackjack!" I was extremely amused by the story, but thought, "We're not going to make ourselves the characters and the stars of the show!" I was surprised that Rob bought it, but I was delighted with it all. Right up to the time it shot, I couldn't believe we were really going to go through with it. Now, when I appear at conventions, people have an image of me in their heads which gets completely trashed when I walk out on stage, because I'm not that character! (09.00 Xena Mag #10)

Eric Gruendemann (producer): I have a certain affinity in my heart for "Yes, Virginia" because it was so different and fun. <...> Bruce Campbell did Rob Tapert [whom he had known for a time], played him very close to character, even though he exaggerated the realism a little bit. (11.98 Whoosh!)

Michael Hurst said that his most memorable moment from the set was on "Yes, Virginia". Kevin Sorbo was seriously ill and off the set because of it. They were all quite concerned about him and worried about how he would be. Michael said that when Kevin came back on the set and said the words, "I'm back", it was very emotional. He said that Kevin looked rather frail, and he couldn't be on the set more than a hour, and people had to be quiet around him. (01.07 Xena convention, report by EZ Ryder 1)

This episode is a homage to the movie "Babe" (1995, Australia) about the brave piglet and his friends from the farm.

The story was made merely to exempt Kevin Sorbo from hard work on the set, though he had to do the voiceover.

The first thing to think about this episode - it steals the premise of the movie "My Fair Lady" (1964), which was based on the famous romance "Pygmalion" by Bernard Shaw.

But then there is the second thought - about the movie "The Prince and the Showgirl" (1957), starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. The story was set in London in 1911. The coronation of George V attracts important european dignitaries. Among those arriving is Charles, the Prince Regent of Carpathia, who takes a time to see a cabaret performance. Been particularly interested by one of the performers, Elsie, he invites her to the embassy for supper. Pre-war atmosphere in Europe, Carpathian's intrigues against the Prince Regent... Charles realizes he has fallen in love with Elsie.

While Kevin Sorbo was recovering from a pulled ligament [aneurysm] last season, Campbell was called in more than once to spearhead entire adventures. <…> "It had nothing to do with anything other than the fact that Kevin could not physically be there. The show was not attempting to take any weird directions," says Campbell. (11.98 Sci-fi Teen)

Dean O'Gorman (young Iolaus): I like both the comedies and the dramas. It's good to have a bit of drama and tension in some shows. We did an episode called "Twilight" where there were big battles and explosions. We were working in mud, and director wanted us to look really dirty, so we were running around everywhere and there was mud and blood. That was cool! (03.01 Xena Magazine #16)