Charles Holloway

"Hear my voice!"

Updated October 13, 2009, 11:25pm


Charles Holloway is an accomplished clock-maker who loves his work as much as he loves his family (the Boitano/Pirone family). Nicknamed "Father Time" by strangers as a jest, Holloway examines pocket-watches the way scientists examine testtubes. He is also a bat who firmly believes in time management. The idea of wasting time is NOT acceptable by his book; when work needs to be done, he sees to it that it gets done ... even at the inconvenience to someone else's schedule. His normal stride is a brisk-walk as if an internal clock were built within him (even for a man of his age). More than often, this behavior comes across too average working males (both rodent and bat alike) as odd or intimidating. But all the ladies flock to Holloway, who all agree that he is a genius at his work and has the most impeccable manners in how his speaks to them, making other males jealous. One of these women ends up marrying him.

Holloway's character was one that remained unchanged for as long as the folks in mousedom knew him. Found in a basket at a doorstep in Liverpool, the infant bat was brought inside and raised by a middle-class, German mouse couple called the Holloways. The mother of the bat child was never found and the folks of mousedom believed the mother to be missing or deceased. At the age of two, the young bat was not only curiously attracted to inventions, but he took the liberty of taking them apart to see how they worked, much to his adopted father's disapproval. He was considered a very uncontrollable child, as he could never leave his webbed hands off any contraption that fascinated him, no matter how much his father scolded him (and whipped him) for it. Because of this, he was named Charles which, in German, translate to "free man." When Charles reached the age of seven during the night when he crept out of bed, he was suddenly startled by the loud chime of his father's grandfather clock. Afraid at first, young Charles cautiously approached it. Then he paid attention to the golden pendulum as it swayed back and forth. Somehow, the pendulum's repetative motion began to calm him. Its sway was uncontrollable as his impulsive behavior with inventions, yet it never left its place. From that moment, Charles realized that clocks not only fascinated him the most, but it provided a sense of control to his impulses. Thus, the idea gave birth to one simple goal: to become a clock-maker.

Upon relaying his discoveries with the grandfather clock, the Holloways agreed that their problems were solved. No more did they deal with frightening images created by their adopted son when taking inventions apart, nor did they ever have to worry about exhausting themselves from scolding him ... or so they thought. When little Charles attended school, he was often caught drawing clocks in his schoolbooks by his teachers when he wasn't paying attention to their history lectures. His wrist was often struck with a rod because of this. It didn't help him make any friends either. Classmates often confronted him on his way out the door to steal his schoolbooks, tearing off the pictures of his clocks and crumpling them. After finishing school, he spent time conversing with well-accomplished clock-makers in clock shops. His adopted parents concluded these actions to be signs of an unhealthy obsession, causing problems in making friends his age. The Holloway couple even considered taking young Charles to a doctor, in hopes that these problems would be cured completely. Nevertheless, Charles Holloway knew what he wanted and wouldn't let his dreams go, regardless of everyone else's so-called advice.

As he grew into adult-hood, Holloway's strong determination and hard-work earned him his goals. He attended (and graduated from) Liverpool Polytechnic, a university that specialized in technical-oriented careers. After receiving his degree, Holloway searched for his first job in the local clock-making company. At first, the mice in the clock-making industry didn't believe that "a bat could be smart enough to understand the process of clock-making." But Holloway proved them wrong and he was hired without a second thought.

Holloway found passion in his work, but he also sparked relationships with women. Although the thought of spending time with a beautiful lady was never on his priority list, Holloway found it a delight that ladies admired his work. He always treated his lady friends with good manners and respect. Among these women he encountered was Maria Boitano, an opera singer who, along with her family, fled from Italy in fear of the Sicilian mob (and the tyranny of her husband, Lucio). Although Holloway wasn't too familiar with the Italian language (neither Maria nor her family spoke English), he understood well enough that he had to gain their confidence and trust, including those of Giuliana Pirone and her only daughter Linda, the most distrustful of the clan. Therefore, Holloway relied on the use of sign language to communicate with them while teaching them all the English language to the best of his abilities. He eventually managed make the Boitanos comfortable enough to trust him, and a great impression on Maria who greatly admired his talent for clock-making. It wasn't too long before Holloway and Maria married.

Holloway became a step-father to Maria's son, Rudolfo, and gave him the name Rupert, since Rudolfo reminded Holloway of a close friend with the same name. At the time, Holloway was very inexperienced with children and even doubted that children liked him. Once he realized that Rupert also showed the same interest in inventions as he did, the two suddenly became soulmates and Holloway raised the boy as if he were his own son. He taught Rupert everything to know about inventions as well as take him on father-son outtings (fishing was their favorite passtime). Holloway's love for his step-son sparked a love for children later on in life.

Holloway's step-son, Rupert, eventually grew up and moved to London. As expected of any father (including step-fathers), it was hard for Holloway to let go (even to the point of disapproving of the boy moving to London). But in the end, Holloway learned to let go and wished Rupert the best of luck in London. Unfortunately, Rupert was eventually killed, breaking both Holloway's and Maria's hearts. Holloway made a musical clock in memory of his step-son. Little did he know that he would eventually meet Rupert's son, Fidget, whom Holloway considered as the spitting image of his step-son.

Holloway still maintains his passion for clock-making to this day.


References:

No references were used.

Character model(s):

Edmund Gwen Tony Randall

The greatest heroes in the world are not those who seek fame or fortune, although a select few find one or the other (or both) by accident. Often times, true heroes are those living simple lives, working simple jobs (Note: simple refers to abiding by basic family values, NOT a low IQ). Holloway's original basis, the character Joshua Trundell from Rankin-Bass's T'was the Night Before Christmas, is a perfect example of this kind of hero. If any of you've seen the film, you'll remember that Trundell is a simple family man who does a wondrous deed in creating that giant musical clock to pay his deepest respects and sympathies to Santa Claus. Although he's a fictional character, Trundell clearly demonstrates in his trade that clock-making is a practical work of art. After all, we all need clocks/watches to tell time, and what's a better way brighten one's home and spirit than to possess a musical clock? As for giving my character a fixed image, I used British actor Edmund Gwen (left) to accomplish this task. But in order to further develop Holloway's personality, he needed a more eccentric twist. The first actor I considerd was Rex Harrison. He is most remembered for playing intellectual socialites, such his roles as the title character of Doctor Doolittle (the 1968 version, NOT the Eddie Murphy one) and Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady. I even considered using his voice for the character because of the British accent (19th England, the Victorian Age ... what do you expect?). But I decided not use Harrison's voice because although his character roles were amiable, they were still a bit on the "snooty" side. So, I chose the voice of veteran actor/comedian Tony Randall (right), one of my favorites. Who could ever forget his famous role as the overly fussy, yet cultured Felix Unger in The Odd Couple (1970 TV series), or the demonstration of his intellect through The "Brain" Gremlin in Gremlins 2: The New Batch? But it his multi-role hit in The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (counting the title character) that really earns him the respect of his versatile acting abilities.


*All properties of Fidget and The Great Mouse Detective are copyright 1986 by Walt Disney Studios. All other characters represented in The Fidget Connections are copyright 2002-2010 by Leila Acevedo (a.k.a. Reyelene).

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