Saturday, December 31, 2011

Naive Avengersthon - 3. The Frighteners

This story reminded me strangely of the Hancock's Half Hour episode The Elopement, except that the jealous father here is prepared to have the suitor beaten up regularly until he desists. There's also a strong connection with Four To Doomsday, with Stratford 'Monarch' Johns as the father, Sir Thomas, and Philip 'Bigon' Locke as main thug.

Steed gets Dr Keel to take the thugs on; they're controlled by the excellently sinister 'Deacon', who Keel threatens to squirt with a syringe of hydrochloric acid. He's bluffing of course - it's witch-hazel (or perhaps lemonade). Amusingly, Steed later chastises him for getting carried away. There are the first real hints in this episode of the later Steed, particularly in his mock-solicitous report to Sir Thomas about his daughter having given him the slip.

Some more clever camerawork in this: there's an establishing shot using an opening pan across what looks very like a still photo of a building, and then what seems to be an obvious model shot; finally revealing that it is actually a model building in Stratford Johns' office.

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