A Disturbing Case
Encyclopedia
"A Disturbing Case" is the second episode
of the popular 1969 ITC Entertainment
British television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope
and Annette Andre
. The episode was first broadcast on 28 September 1969 on ITV
. Directed by Ray Austin.
, whereby the perpetrators use hypnotic
suggestion to rob wealthy upper class businessmen.
Concerned for Jeff's mental health
after hearing him talking to himself (in reality, Marty), Jeannie's sister Jenny (Judith Arthy
) places a hidden tape recorder
in a drawer in his office to capture him doing it again. When they have a "one-sided" conversation on tape
, Jenny and Jeannie arrange to send Jeff to a Dr. Conrad (David Bauer
) at the Lambert Clinic Nursing Home.
Retaining Jeff against his will and filling him with illegal drugs, it happens that Conrad is the mastermind behind the robberies, in league with a criminal known as William Smith who enters each household and robs the customers as they are hypnotised
by telephone
.
Dr. Conrad uses hypnosis to erase Marty from Jeff's mind, but Marty manages to impersonate Dr. Conrad's voice in order to communicate with Jeff. He instructs Jeff to break out of the facility and eventually the police
are led there, arresting Dr. Conrad and his associates. Jeff claims that his "talking to himself" was all part of an elaborate ploy to get him placed in the hospital
, and celebrates his success by taking the two sisters to dinner.
Marty is seen pulling objects such as a door towards Jeff's head by inhaling in this episode. When teleporting to a specific location he is also heard to say "Made it! My sense of direction is improving!"
In this episode Jeannie's presumably younger sister Jenny is introduced. Like actress Annette Andre
who portrays Jeannie she is also real life Australian, and the likeness between them is similar. Currently unemployed, she's staying with Jeannie from outside of London, what she terms "the sticks".
A finished print was completed by late August 1969. It is listed as episode 22 in ITC publicity.
and several times on DVD
with differing special features. "A Disturbing Case" was released by Carlton
on DVD with the first episode "My Late Lamented Friend and Partner
". Silent behind-the-scenes footage of this episode was included as an extra on the fourth region 2 DVD. Shot by a 2nd unit crew using stand-ins for the leads, the sequence ran to 1'06m.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the popular 1969 ITC Entertainment
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
British television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...
starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope
Kenneth Cope
Kenneth Cope is an English actor. He is most famous for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in Randall and Hopkirk , Jed Stone in Coronation Street and Ray Hilton in Brookside.- Career :...
and Annette Andre
Annette Andre
Annette Andre is an Australian actress best known for her work on British television throughout the 1960s and 1970s. She was educated at Brigidine College, Sydney. Her father was an upholsterer....
. The episode was first broadcast on 28 September 1969 on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. Directed by Ray Austin.
Synopsis
Jeff's car is stolen and used in a robberyRobbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
, whereby the perpetrators use hypnotic
Hypnotic
Hypnotic drugs are a class of psychoactives whose primary function is to induce sleep and to be used in the treatment of insomnia and in surgical anesthesia...
suggestion to rob wealthy upper class businessmen.
Concerned for Jeff's mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
after hearing him talking to himself (in reality, Marty), Jeannie's sister Jenny (Judith Arthy
Judith Arthy
Judith Arthy born c.1940 Brisbane, Australia is an Australian actress, now retired, and writer.Arthy made her professional debut with the Brisbane Repertory Theater in 1958 and from 1961 appeared onstage in Sydney - initially in Alan Seymour's The One Day of the Year - and later in Melbourne...
) places a hidden tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
in a drawer in his office to capture him doing it again. When they have a "one-sided" conversation on tape
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, Jenny and Jeannie arrange to send Jeff to a Dr. Conrad (David Bauer
David Bauer (actor)
David Bauer was an American actor, a Chicagoan, who was based primarily in Britain. He was chosen as the most promising actor at Washington University and his professional career began immediately after graduating...
) at the Lambert Clinic Nursing Home.
Retaining Jeff against his will and filling him with illegal drugs, it happens that Conrad is the mastermind behind the robberies, in league with a criminal known as William Smith who enters each household and robs the customers as they are hypnotised
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
by telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
.
Dr. Conrad uses hypnosis to erase Marty from Jeff's mind, but Marty manages to impersonate Dr. Conrad's voice in order to communicate with Jeff. He instructs Jeff to break out of the facility and eventually the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
are led there, arresting Dr. Conrad and his associates. Jeff claims that his "talking to himself" was all part of an elaborate ploy to get him placed in the hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, and celebrates his success by taking the two sisters to dinner.
Overview
Jeff Randall initially collapses unconscious after being lightly thrown against a door by Phillip and Pentonville, the two hospital heavies, but later under hypnosis he beats some five men in fights, including Doctor Conrad.Marty is seen pulling objects such as a door towards Jeff's head by inhaling in this episode. When teleporting to a specific location he is also heard to say "Made it! My sense of direction is improving!"
In this episode Jeannie's presumably younger sister Jenny is introduced. Like actress Annette Andre
Annette Andre
Annette Andre is an Australian actress best known for her work on British television throughout the 1960s and 1970s. She was educated at Brigidine College, Sydney. Her father was an upholsterer....
who portrays Jeannie she is also real life Australian, and the likeness between them is similar. Currently unemployed, she's staying with Jeannie from outside of London, what she terms "the sticks".
Cast
- Mike Pratt as Jeff Randall
- Kenneth CopeKenneth CopeKenneth Cope is an English actor. He is most famous for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in Randall and Hopkirk , Jed Stone in Coronation Street and Ray Hilton in Brookside.- Career :...
as Marty Hopkirk - Annette AndreAnnette AndreAnnette Andre is an Australian actress best known for her work on British television throughout the 1960s and 1970s. She was educated at Brigidine College, Sydney. Her father was an upholsterer....
as Jeannie Hopkirk - Judith ArthyJudith ArthyJudith Arthy born c.1940 Brisbane, Australia is an Australian actress, now retired, and writer.Arthy made her professional debut with the Brisbane Repertory Theater in 1958 and from 1961 appeared onstage in Sydney - initially in Alan Seymour's The One Day of the Year - and later in Melbourne...
.... Jennifer - Patrick JordanPatrick Jordan-Selected filmography:* Companions in Crime * No Smoking * The Battle of the River Plate * Cloak Without Dagger * The Man Upstairs * The Angry Hills * The League of Gentlemen...
.... Smart - Les White .... Hales, the Chauffeur
- Charles Morgan .... Arthur Phillips
- Michael Griffiths .... Inspector Nelson
- Adrian Ropes .... Sergeant
- David BauerDavid Bauer (actor)David Bauer was an American actor, a Chicagoan, who was based primarily in Britain. He was chosen as the most promising actor at Washington University and his professional career began immediately after graduating...
.... Dr. Conrad - Gerald FloodGerald FloodGerald Flood was a British actor of stage and television.Born in Portsmouth, Hampshire but lived for most of his life in Farnham, Surrey, where he regularly appeared on stage at the Castle Theatre...
.... Dr. Lambert - Geoffrey Reed .... 1st Male Nurse
- Max Faulkner .... 2nd Male Nurse
- William MervynWilliam MervynWilliam Mervyn was an English actor best known for his portrayal of the Bishop in the clerical comedy All Gas and Gaiters.-Life and career:...
.... Whitty
Production
The exteriors for The Lambert Clinic Nursing Home were shot at The Grocer's Institute on Grange Lane, Letchmore Heath. Whitty's home exterior was filmed at a private house named Aragon on Aldenham Road, Letchmore Heath. Arthur Phillips house was shot on the exterior standing backlot sets at ABC Elstree studios, Borehamwood.A finished print was completed by late August 1969. It is listed as episode 22 in ITC publicity.
Video and DVD release
The episode was released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and several times on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
with differing special features. "A Disturbing Case" was released by Carlton
Carlton Television
Carlton Television was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties including the cities of Solihull and Coventry of the West Midlands, south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire,...
on DVD with the first episode "My Late Lamented Friend and Partner
My Late Lamented Friend and Partner
"My Late Lamented Friend and Partner" is the pilot episode of the popular 1969 British television series Randall and Hopkirk starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre. The episode was first broadcast on 21 September 1969 on ITV...
". Silent behind-the-scenes footage of this episode was included as an extra on the fourth region 2 DVD. Shot by a 2nd unit crew using stand-ins for the leads, the sequence ran to 1'06m.
External links
- http://www.anorakzone.com/randall/old/index.html