The
Willing Victim (17 May 1971)
“Someone’s trying to kill you!” splutters Sir Jason after Reeder has told him about three varied attempts on his life. “That’s the conclusion I’d reached,” replied Reeder drily. The tone is thus set for an episode that, while potentially being the most serious yet, is also playful and unlikely at the same time. After these attempts, including having a piece of masonry pushed off a roof as Reeder is walking underneath in the opening sequence, the criminal mastermind Lew Cassio (an expressive Harry Towb with an untraceable accent) resorts to a more fiendish method to enact revenge on the man who put him and other colleague away. Tasked with undertaking this mission is his assistant Danny played by a younger Geoffrey Hughes of Coronation Street fame with wide eyed buffoonery.
The plan to
frame Reeder for murder sound unlikely at first (even to Cassio) but as it
unravels manages to tangle Reeder in a web of evidence courtesy of the willing
victim of the title. Sam Corner is a terminally ill man who accepts the role of
being murdered in exchange for insurance money for his family. His wife Rita
(an excellent if underutilised Carmel McSharry) just has to stick to her story
while Reeder’s attendance at a meeting that never takes place means he cannot
account for his movement at the time of the murder.
It’s become
almost a cliché that every detective series will have an episode in which the
main character is framed for murder and it seems that Edgar Wallace got there
first. While Reeder remains implacable and eager to extricate himself, there is
nuanced alteration in Hugh Burden’s acting as the character becomes
increasingly enmeshed. The episode shows what a superb actor he is especially a
touching scene where he and Miss Bellman discuss the situation in a tearoom.
Theirs is the most hesitant courtship in the history of drama; after all this
time they still address each other as “Mister Reeder” and “Miss Bellman” but
both he and Gillian Lewis add a lovely serenity and understanding to their
scenes together.
One of my favourite bits of the series
are Mrs Houchin’s formidable culinary offerings, made with good intention but
received with a series of amusing facial expressions from Reeder who still boldly
tries them. This episode sees her most audacious item yet in the form of a very
large dumpling. As soon as she’s left the room and he’s sampled one taste, the
portion ends up wrapped in newspaper and thrown in the bin! I wonder if she
ever finds such items if abandoned food
Much of the
comic relief this episode comes courtesy of Willoughby Goddard and though Sir
Jason’s boggle eyed leching over yet another new secretary Miss Clutterback
seems somewhat dated now even if the actor’s expansive performance is fun to
watch. The really outmoded aspect is that actress Madelaine Smith over
emphasises every scene with suggestive expressions more suited to Page 3 of
1971’s newspapers than in keeping with the time period. I feel as if she is
acting what Sir Jason is seeing as opposed to previous secretaries who have
remained apart from his attempts to charm them.
We do spend
more time than usual in Sir Jason’s office and it’s striking how over decorated
it is with rich wallpaper, ornaments, paintings, and polished furniture. By comparison,
Reeder’s adjoining, smaller room is spartan.
The
Fatal Engagement (24 May 1971)
The episode
opens with something of an Avengers tone as we see a smartly dressed older
gentleman with a bouquet of flowers arrive at a house to visit one Hetty
Malone. He is shown into a room whereupon we see a row of other similarly clad
men also with flowers. Then comes another arrival to be told that Miss Hetty
Malone will not be seeing anyone as she is dead. It’s a theatrical opening
suited to a deceased character who was apparently the toast of music hall but
whose mysterious death has brought in JG Reeder to help the police. The case
that follows drifts unexpectedly into left wing politics as Hetty seemed to
have connections with the radical Red Devil newspaper. Its staff plan
revolution, Russian style, from a cramped office. Despite the seriousness of
the crime and the ideas contained withing the narrative the episode, adapted by
Louis Marks, plays a lighter tune. Nobody is quite saying why Hetty had
numerous callers though when it’s mentioned to anyone respectable, like Mrs
Houchin for example knowing eyebrows are raised. The reveal is unexpected mind
you and underscored by some strong acting from Mark Dignam as Lord Nettlefold
whose estrangement from his son provide the more identifiable side to the tale.
We have another
new secretary, in this case he very posh Miss Trottingham Fox who may appear to
be something of a familiar type but who turns out to be more resourceful and
adaptable than expected; Petronella Barker giving a good performance in a role
that she makes her own. On the other hand, the pamphlet producing revolutionaries
seems a little too cliched to be believable, one of them even dressing as if
he’s about to hit the streets with a burning torch. In fact while the staging
of the series is usually impeccable this episode falls short notably the
unfeasibly narrow long restaurant in which two scenes take place.
Find
The Lady (31 May 1971)
The other episode shot in colour, this one is packed with familiar tv faces and concerns girls who are
disappearing at prestigious events. What appears to link the cases are a
Chinese magician and an Italian playboy but where are these missing girls?
Matters don’t quite go the way you’d expect and while we’re never told definitely
how the kidnapping takes place it’s a scenario that Reeder and his criminal
mind are well equipped to tackle. Mind you he does get into a few scrapes and
at one point is drugged and thrown into the Thames in a laundry basket. Quite
how he gets out of that one isn’t really explained either; he simply turns up
soaked at home where everyone is worried about him.
The pacing of
the episode is a little uneven with some time jumps and key developments glossed
over though visually has some striking moments courtesy of director Reginald Collin.
Notable amongst these is the elderly Chinese woman who laughs hysterically for
no apparent reason and first appears with Reeder’s torch shining in her face.
It could be a moment out of a horror film. The riverside Chinese laundry is a
particularly well-dressed set with drifting steam, starched sheets and a couple
of real rats.
The guest cars
comprise some of seventies television’s best known players including John
Barron in a relatively small part as the Earl of Colebrook, David Collings as
his feckless son, Tony Anholt as the Italian Count Orlando and Windsor Davies
showing his skills as Inspector Pine, a role that allows him to steer clear of
comedy.
Set amongst
high society the story also offers some comment on the attitudes of the time
and the aspirations of those born into a rich family but unlikely to inherit.
The fact that a Mandarin magician is played by an English actor is somewhat
salved at the end by a twist that draws attention to the deceit. If the story
is one of the less likely ones, the realisation is full of incident and keeps
its secrets till the end. It is a remarkable case for Reeder in many respects- could
he be an early James Bond?!
The
Treasure House (7 June 1971)
Having had
someone shot on his doorstep a few weeks ago, this time a visitor to Reeder is
knocked down deliberately by a car just outside. He is a lovelorn former safe
cracker under the guidance of Mr Reeder forms the opening of a curious story.
Larry O’Ryan’s obsession with the mysterious girl, whom he does not know is
actually the heir to a huge fortune puts him in danger and casts some doubt over
whether he has reformed after a man is found dead in his flat. Yet the current inhabitants
of the castle where Pamela Leonard resides are not all they seem as becomes
apparent when the chauffeur seems to be giving orders to her uncle. It’s a curious
tale that benefits from the always impressive screen presence of Milton Johns,
a familiar face in many a Seventies serial notably his disturbing turns in
children’s dramas such as King and Castle and Intruder. Here he
is similarly unleashed as the unhinged Ledgett whose behaviour as the episode
progresses would not be out of place in a feistier action show. Johns switches
impressively from lackey to mastermind, a considerable feat given the fact he
has to wear the chauffeur’s very uncomfortable uniform throughout.
The staging of
the episode is impressive with both Larry’s flat and the living room at the
castle exhibiting a scale you rarely see in a studio drama from this period
where sets were curtailed to save money. In modern series investigators drive
or are driven to the scene but this episode sees Reeder walk to the castle with
no more than a brisk pace despite the thick fog. It’s a case that shows how
Reeder’s criminal mind is also capable of deduction.
There’s a hint
of Sherlock Holmes in the way he realises the set up at the castle is not as
presented and also how he concludes that Larry is telling the truth. The
episode has a slightly more sinister aspect than some in the series as John’s
character is given to melodramatic threats and even some sort of electrical
machine that he uses with Bond villain relish near the end. It has a big lever.
In truth the shenanigans are a little too far-fetched for this series but
thanks to some good performances and once again Hugh Burden’s ceaselessly
precise performance it just about works. And one last time we have another
risky meal courtesy of Mrs Houchin- sheep’s brains- which sound as dangerous as
any criminal in the series!
Despite good
ratings there was no third season but maybe its perfect as these sixteen well
calibrated episodes. Its been a delightful discovery of a series packed with
character and including some of the best direction and sets I’ve seen in a
programme of this vintage. For Hugh Burden and also Willoughby Goddard these are
performances to cherish – totally different to each other but working together
so well. I wonder whether a JG Reeder reboot would work in the modern era. Some
things would have to be changed but like Sherlock Holmes, these are timeless
mysteries and have a refreshingly different slant. Mind you it is difficult to
imagine anyone else playing the two main roles with such commitment and skill.
Hugh Burden- a brief biography
Born in Ceylon in 1913 with the rather
splendid full name Hugh Archibald Nairn Burden he was sent to England at the age
of 10 to attend Beaumont College. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic
Art and made his theatre debut in Croydon Repertory Theatre in 1933 and first
on screen appearance in 1937. In
1938 he was part of the cast of one of the earliest television sketch shows on
the BBC called Light Relief alongside
Cicely Paget-Bowman, Queenie Leonard, Frank Napier and Anthony Cope. Amongst
his many and varied appearances are in the 1959 tv series The Chronicles of Barset, in and three different episodes of ITV’s Television Playhouse and seven different
episodes of the BBC’s Sunday Night
Theatre in the 1950s. One of these was an adaptation of his own co-written
(with Caro Burden) play, first performed in 1945, called Myself A Stranger. It is set in a rest house in Ceylon in 1939 and
concerned with the impact of racial prejudice.
In 1964 Burden was one of the main cast
in the series The Ordeal of Richard
Feverel. He also appeared in guest roles in the likes of Z Cars, Maigret, The Avengers and Doctor
Who. He also seemed particularly drawn to one off dramas. In the Seventies
he continued to appear in single dramas as well as three episodes of Thirty Minute Theatre. He was in all ten
episodes of The Crezz and in 1979
portrayed the BBC Head of Light Entertainment in an episode of Sykes. His last tv appearance was in
1984.
On the big screen he was in two
similarly titled films One of Our
Aircraft is Missing (1942) and 1976’s One
of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing. Amongst
the films he appears in are The Way Ahead
(1944), Fame is the Spur (1947), Ghost Ship (1952), Funeral in Berlin (1966) and Bl
from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971). He worked on a number of radio plays and his
voice became well known for readings of works by renowned authors. He was
also a member of the council of the actor’s union Equity.
In his personal
life he was twice married, firstly to Joy Hodgkinson in 1950, with whom he had
a daughter but the marriage was dissolved in 1955 on grounds of her desertion.
He subsequently wed Margaret de Loebra in 1957 but that was also dissolved in
1962, this time on the grounds of his desertion. He died in 1985.
Willoughby Goddard continued
guest roles in numerous tv series including Space 1999, The Onedin
Line, 4 Idle Hands, The Sweeney, Ghosts of Motley Hall,
The Famous Five and Crown Court as well as films including Jabberwocky
and Young Sherlock Holmes. His imposing presence meant that however
small the role he always made an impact and he thrived on stage in numerous
theatre roles.. Amongst his post Reeder stage roles were Count Shebelsky in A
Crisis of Confidence (1972), The Old Vic’s 1972-73 tour of Twelfth Night,
Colonel Guldberg in Hans Anderson in 1975, Shut your Eyes and Think
of England on tour (1977-79), Amadeus
as Count Rosenberg at the National Theatre in 1979 and again in Bristol and
London’s Haymarket Theatre in 1982. He played the Duke of Venice in the Royal
Shakespeare Company’s 1980 production of Othello. In 1984 he appeared in
the Old Vic’s production of Sergeant Musgrave’s Dance. One of his last
appearances roles was in Porterhouse Blue first shown in 1987, the same
year that arthritis unfortunately caused him is retirement. He was married to Anne Phillips and died in
2008 aged 81.
Mona Bruce turned up in
many tv series in guest roles as well as being a regular character of Mrs
Armitage in Within These Walls from 1974-78. Amongst her other credits
are for Public Eye in three episodes as different characters and eight
episodes of Sam. She too popped up in The Famous Five as well as
appearances in Tenko, Gems, Campion, Taggart, Doctors,
and Miss Marple. During the course of her career as well as Mrs Houchin
she seemed to play many characters without forenames including Mrs. Tippett,
Bullock, Arbuthnot, Baldwin, McGillicuddy, Howard, Snowden, McGurk,
Potter-Smith, Stick, Armitage, Meadows, Warboys, Wetherley, Rayburn, Watty,
Dean, Bamber, Crawford, Hund, Nelson, Roberts and Birchall. She was born in
Birmingham in 1924 and married to the actor Robert James. She died in 2008.
Mrs Bellman was played by different actresses in each season, Season One saw Virginia Stride in the role and afterwards she appeared in series such as Callan, Harriet’s Back in Town, Z Cars, ten episodes of The Expert as Susan Bartlett, Target, and Hustle. By the early 2000s she was performing with the Agatha Christie Company. Born in 1935, she was formerly married to actor John Stride. Season two’s Miss Bellman, Gillian Lewis subsequently appeared in Doomwatch, The Duchess of Duke Street, Crown Court, and The Mallens as Jane Radlet for 9 episodes. Born in 1935, she seems to have left acting in the early 1980s.
No comments:
Post a Comment