ECHOES OF LOUISA
An unusual ghost story set in modern and Victorian times, 'Echoes of Louisa' was a somewhat darker than usual tale in the children's television drama strand. The tale begins in 1876 where 15 year-old Louisa Hallam (Amanda Kirby) is expectantly awaiting the return of her soldier brother, Anthony (Jeremy Nicholas). However, when her brother returns he strikes up a friendship with another girl, Allegra (Lucinda Bateson), sending Louisa into a jealous rage. The story then moves forward to 1981. Whilst exploring the grounds of historic Thornaby Hall in Rutland, Allie Burr hears laughter coming from the grounds deserted stables. At first she believes the Hall to be haunted, but Allie, an exact double of Allegra (a dual role for Bateson), soon becomes witness to the true-life events of 105 years ago as Louisa sets out in a cruel and pitiless manner to rid herself of the rival for her brothers affections. Ultimately, Louisa is doomed to fail and this sometimes-disconcerting tale ends with her falling to her death.
6 episodes. ATV. 1981
EDNA, THE INEBRIATE WOMAN
Written by Jeremy Sandford who, with director Ken Loach, had created one of the most influential dramas of the 1960's, the tale of a homeless mother in 'Cathy Come Home'. In Edna, the subject that Sandford tackled was no less emotive -alcoholism. Patricia Hayes, better known for her comedy roles alongside the likes of Tony Hancock, Arthur Haynes and Frankie Howerd and appearences in television series such as 'Till Death Us Do Part' and (later) 'In Sickness And In Health', gave a BAFTA award winning performance as the troubled vagrant who is shunted from one agency to another finding temporary sanctuary in shelters for the homeless, prison and a psychiatric hospital, only to be forced back, each time, onto the streets. Seen as an indictment of societies inability to care for its outcasts, 'Edna, The Inebriate Woman' was a stirring piece of televisual drama that was made all the more powerful by Hayes' superb performance of a woman trying to hold on to the last vestiges of her dignity.
90 Minute duration. BBC 1971
EDUCATING ARCHIE
As strange as it may seem now, Archie Andrews was a ventriloquists dummy that first hit the big time on Radio! Operated by Peter Brough, Archie was the most popular radio personality of 1952, pulling in a phenomenal average of 15 million listeners. In 1951 a £1000 pound reward was offered for the puppets return when Brough had accidentally left him on a train. His show was also to give exposure to many up-and-coming stars of the time including Tony Hancock, Max Bygraves, Harry Secombe, Benny Hill, Beryl Reid and the 14-year-old Julie Andrews. There was also a fan club of around 250,000 children. 27 half hour TV shows were made for ITV, scripted by Ronald Chesney and Marty Feldman. Co-starring support came from Irene Handl and Dick Emery. Archie Andrews career was cut short when Peter Brough's father died and he decided to quit showbiz in order to run the families textile business.
THE FEATHERED SERPENT
Studio-bound Children's drama series set in the Aztec period starring former 'Doctor Who' Patrick Troughton; formerly the hero of millions - but here the villain of the piece. Emperor Kukulkhan (Tony Steedman) wishes to bring about the end of sacrifices and other barbaric practices much to the disdain of his High Priest, Nasca (Troughton), who is fearful of losing his own quite considerable powers in the process. He concocts a plan that will draw in Kukulkhan's daughter, Chimalma (Diane Keene), the boy Prince Heumac (Brian Deacon) and a servant boy, Tozo (Richard Willis). Nasca weaves a web of deceitful lies and manipulation which ends with Heumic being sent to the summit of the Pyramid of the Sun to be sacrificed. However, he manages to survive and when the second series aired (two years later) Nasca is still at his conniving best and this time has employed the services of an old witch, Keelag (Sheila Burrell), who claims she can help him in his nefarious plans with the aid of magic and sorcery. As if Heumac hasn't got enough to contend with his intended marriage to Chimalma is disputed by Xipec (Granville Saxton), Governor of the Gold Region who sets him a series of challenges in order to prove his worthiness. The implied violence and savagery in this teatime presentation wouldn't have been out of place in an adult series and the costumes were lavishly colourful and authentic, although Chimalma's wedding dress was designed by a competition winner in the children's magazine ‘Look-In.’
12 episodes of 30 minute duration. Thames Television. 1976 - 1978.
FLIPPER
Based on the 1963 movie of the same name (which starred Chuck "Branded / The Rifleman" Connors and Luke Halpin), 'Flipper' was a clever dolphin who was always on hand (or fin) to help out Coral Key Park residents Sandy (Halpin) and Bud (Tommy Norden) and their father, Porter Ricks (Brian Kelly), who was Chief Ranger at the Florida marine reserve. Veteran Hollywood Western star Andy Devine appeared in earlier episodes as old salty sea-dog Hap Gorman, but was eventually replaced by Scandinavian Oceanographer Ulla Norstrand (Ulla Stromstedt). The Dolphin (real name Suzy), who helped Sandy and Bud through a series of adventures and out of a number of dangerous situations, was trained by Ricou Browning who had previously appeared under heavy make-up in the 1954 horror movie 'The Creature From The Black Lagoon.'
Approx 88 episodes of 30 minute duration. NBC 1964-68.
THE FOUR JUST MEN
Crime and mystery series that starred Jack Hawkins (as British M.P. Ben Manfred), Hollywood song and dance man Dan Dailey (as US journalist Tim Collier -who was based in Paris), Richard Conte (as New York Professor of Law, Jeff Ryder) and Vittorio de Sica (as Italian hotelier Ricco Poccari) all of whom had been members of the same unit during the war. They took turns each week in tackling an injustice (the episode being set in either London, New York, Paris or Rome) and each was aided by a female assistant, one of whom was future 'Avenger' Honor Blackman. Based on a novel by Edgar Wallace originally published in 1905, this ITC series was really one of the first to throw together so many top ranking international stars and the series enjoyed a fair amount of success during its two year run.
39 episodes of 30 minute duration. B&W. ITC 1959-60.
FRANCIS STORM INVESTIGATES
Brian Worth starred as Francis Storm, former wartime Special Operations Executive who helped Resistance members in and out of France, turned private investigator of the unusual who lived and operated out of a mews flat in cobbled Kensington Palace Close. Storm could often be found ghost-hunting in a haunted cathedral, scouring London's docklands looking for smugglers, or trailing a secret weapon. Nothing, it seems, was beyond Storm's scope. Aided and abetted by his 17 - year old assistant, Robin (William Simons), an expert in microphotogaphy and fingerprints, secretary Penny (Sarah Long)- who also joined him on his investigations, and Sergeant Horace Pilcher (Robin Wentworth), ex Royal Marine who served as Storm's cook, handyman, driver, mechanic and "basher open of doors", Storm was written as, according to 32-year old scriptwriter Elliott Hayes, a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. The single series was aimed at children and was aired on Tuesday afternoons.
6 episodes of 30-minute duration. Associated Rediffusion. 1960.
FRONT PAGE STORY
Fleet Street was the setting for this ATV series, which took viewers into the fictional offices of a daily newspaper with a circulation of 2,500,000 readers, called The Globe. Made by Rex Firkin, who produced the successful series 'The Plane Makers' and starring London born actor John Bennett as Ray Boscombe, an ambitious, power-seeking newspaperman who was The Globe's editor. Most of the stories were seen through the eyes of two reporters, Danny Tarrant (Derek Godfrey) and Paddy Lucas (Harry Towb), the former being a persistent, unflappable character relying on smooth charm whilst the latter was a persuasive, argumentative and sometimes lazy journalist. Other notable's in this series were the Editorial Director played by Ivor Dean who was familiar to British viewers as Inspector Claude Eustace Teal in 'The Saint' and rival newspaper reporter John Brownhill played by a young Patrick Mower (later the impetuous killer Cross in James Mitchell's spy series 'Callan').
In order to make the series as authentic as possible many scenes were shot in Fleet Street itself (which at that time was the centre of the British newspaper industry) using a new outside broadcast one-camera technique called Monoculous. This single-camera unit was mounted on the roof of a vehicle that also contained sound and vision controls, together with a video tape recording machine. Dated by today's standards but quite innovative at the time.
ATV 1965
GUNSMOKE / GUNLAW
The longest running Western series on television (originally transmitted in the UK as 'GUN LAW'), starring James Arness, (brother of Peter 'Mission Impossible' Graves), as US Marshall Matt Dillon. John Wayne was the first choice of lead actor, and although he turned down the part he did introduce the first episode. Set in Dodge City in 1873, the other principal characters were Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake), Doc Adams (Milburn Stone) and limping deputy Chester (Dennis Weaver, later to star as TV detective 'McCloud'). Burt Reynolds appeared for a while as blacksmith Quint Asper and when Chester left in 1964 he was replaced by Festus Hagen (Ken Curtis). Arness wore the Marshall’s badge until he finally rode off into the sunset at the end of the second of two TV movies; -'Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge' and 'Gunsmoke: The Last Apache'- made in the late 1980's.
233 episodes of 30 minute duration & 402 episodes of 60 minute duration.
B&W and Colour. CBS TV 1956-1975.
