Talking Pictures TV

[OceanBlue]

Recorded a couple of programmes shown on Talking Pictures TV in the early hours of this morning, an episode of a Sherlock Holmes TV series from the mid-fifties (not the one from the sixties which starred Douglas Wilmer, then Peter Cushing, and which have both had UK DVD releases of the surviving episodes), and something called Haunted Palace.

[cutback73]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

Recorded a couple of programmes shown on Talking Pictures TV in the early hours of this morning, an episode of a Sherlock Holmes TV series from the mid-fifties (not the one from the sixties which starred Douglas Wilmer, then Peter Cushing, and which have both had UK DVD releases of the surviving episodes), and something called Haunted Palace.

Sherlock Holmes is played in that series by Ronald Howard, son of Leslie Howard. And LeStrade is played by the same actor who played Little John in the following year in the Richard Green Robin Hood series. Was surprised to see him without much hair!

They run movies on Saturday nights, tonight's is Brannigan. John Wayne as a cop seconded in 70s London with Richard Attenborough and Judy Geeson. And a funny but small role for Tony Robinson! Not the best movie ever made but theres a great sequence involving Tower Bridge 👍 and plenty of action. A guilty pleasure and it's fun seeing John Wayne in London.

[Kieran Seymour]

Originally Posted by cutback73

Sherlock Holmes is played in that series by Ronald Howard, son of Leslie Howard. And LeStrade is played by the same actor who played Little John in the following year in the Richard Green Robin Hood series. Was surprised to see him without much hair!

I caught an episode of The Adventures of Robin Hood on TPTV last year, soon after finishing the godawful Mill Creek DVD set of Sherlock Holmes - the public domain prints they used for that really have seen better days.

By a really freaky coincidence, the Robin Hood episode had Ronald Howard as well as Archie Duncan in it. A proper little reunion. I'm assuming Watson fell asleep and couldn't make it that day!

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by cutback73

Sherlock Holmes is played in that series by Ronald Howard, son of Leslie Howard. And LeStrade is played by the same actor who played Little John in the following year in the Richard Green Robin Hood series. Was surprised to see him without much hair!

They run movies on Saturday nights, tonight's is Brannigan. John Wayne as a cop seconded in 70s London with Richard Attenborough and Judy Geeson. And a funny but small role for Tony Robinson! Not the best movie ever made but theres a great sequence involving Tower Bridge 👍 and plenty of action. A guilty pleasure and it's fun seeing John Wayne in London.

I've seen Brannigan once, and can remember actor Mel Ferrer also being in it, as well as a quote said by John Wayne's character ("knock knock"). I quite liked another cop film Wayne starred in (just before Brannigan) called McQ (I remember reading Wayne turned down the role of Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry).

Finished watching this past weekend, an early-thirties film called The Ghost Camera. It was entertaining (one of Sir John Mills's earliest roles (ditto with Ida Lupino).

[OceanBlue]

I was trying to remember during the past few days a recent segment on The Footage Detectives which I was creased up over (like with the Hattie Jacques segment from several weeks ago, and Mike and Noel's closing bit on each edition (crossing their arms and saying "the Footage Detectives!"). Then it came to me, it was the short film about learning to paint.

Onto yesterday's new edition. The highlight for me was the reel towards the end with George Bernard Shaw and Danny Kaye.

[OceanBlue]

For me, the jury's out on The Heritage Chart Show. I watched the first edition last night (apparently Mike Read has presented a radio show version for the past eighteen months, before this TV version started). Didn't know what to expect (hadn't done any research about the Heritage Chart beforehand), but having watched it, I didn't know what to think. In addition, I thought the theme tune was a bit loud at times, playing in the background while Mike Read was talking (you couldn't hear him at times).

Didn't find The Saint predictable, but after the disappointing Heritage Chart Show I watched the first episode of The Saint (had planned to watch it anyway last night). Very, very good start with a fascinating mystery and a satisfying ending (although it wasn't made clear whether

[Show spoiler]the wife had been poisoned by the lamb stew or not. I had been thinking Shirley Eaton's insurance agent character was impersonating the wife with a wig (the scene where the wife's husband arrived back to see if she was dead).

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by cutback73

This week's newsletter has announced that from 20 March at 6pm, they will be showing, from the first episode...

"the famous Simon Templar"
*cue halo and music*

Although the colour episodes of The Saint are constantly rerun on ITV4, the monochrome episodes have not shown on British TV in years.

I think this is the last of the monochrome series from ITC to appear on the channel?

After the broadcast of Robin Hood, the surprisingly good Captain Drake, and The Champions last year, I have been hoping for this to appear.

*raises left eyebrow*

cutback, did you watch this past Sunday evening's repeat of the first episode "The Talented Husband"?

Also, was the Champions episode "Desert Journey" made by a different production company/team? This episode won't be included with the others in Talking Pictures TV's repeat run. When I checked the IMDb section for the show, I think it said something about the production of this episode (and yet it had the same main cast).

[cutback73]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

cutback, did you watch this past Sunday evening's repeat of the first episode "The Talented Husband"?

Also, was the Champions episode "Desert Journey" made by a different production company/team? This episode won't be included with the others in Talking Pictures TV's repeat run. When I checked the IMDb section for the show, I think it said something about the production of this episode (and yet it had the same main cast).

I have been watching the first episode of The Saint tonight.

I also have the DVD set release from about 2006. The broadcast quality on TPTV suggested to me that it was using the same masters as the DVD set. It didnt look like a "new print" to my layman's eyes.

The dvd set has an interesting and amusing audio commentary on the episode with Robert S Baker (who forgets names easily!) Johnny Goodman and Ken Baker, all involved with production.

The story about the car is well known (they couldn't persuade anyone to lend them a car, Roger offered to buy a Jaguar Mark 10 to be used, they went to Jaguar and were told "we have an 18 month waiting list, we dont need to sell more cars". Someone involved saw the Volvo, Roger went to their showroom and came back with car ordered and Volvo offering an interior mock up for shooting.

Robert S Baker got 3month free option on the rights from Leslie Charteris and tried to sell the show to Redifussion, who balked at suggested cost £15k per episode. Got in contact with Lew Grade at ITC who snapped it up (and funded £20k per episode).

Lew Grade suggested Patrick McGoohan for the lead role (who had recently done Danger Man for ITC). Bob Baker had a fractious meet with him. Someone suggested Roger Moore instead who was filming a movie in Italy (... the Sabine Women). Sent him the pilot script. Got an immediate reply.

The first episode had a great cast and a clever story. Surprised not to see Mrs Jafferty listed in the credits 😂

I live near Cookham where the episode was filmed and have been to The Ferry Hotel by the bridge numerous times! The high street where the butchers was located hasn't changed much building wise. A nightmare for parking though.

PS Based on the above, I can't work out whether the opening of episode 2 was filmed before Roger came back to the UK although it is probably trick photography 🤔

PPS The theme tune on Heritage Chart Show was bloody annoying being so loud. Can't see me watching it again anyway.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by cutback73

I have been watching the first episode of The Saint tonight.

I also have the DVD set release from about 2006. The broadcast quality on TPTV suggested to me that it was using the same masters as the DVD set. It didnt look like a "new print" to my layman's eyes.

The dvd set has an interesting and amusing audio commentary on the episode with Robert S Baker (who forgets names easily!) Johnny Goodman and Ken Baker, all involved with production.

The story about the car is well known (they couldn't persuade anyone to lend them a car, Roger offered to buy a Jaguar Mark 10 to be used, they went to Jaguar and were told "we have an 18 month waiting list, we dont need to sell more cars". Someone involved saw the Volvo, Roger went to their showroom and came back with car ordered and Volvo offering an interior mock up for shooting.

Robert S Baker got 3month free option on the rights from Leslie Charteris and tried to sell the show to Redifussion, who balked at suggested cost £15k per episode. Got in contact with Lew Grade at ITC who snapped it up (and funded £20k per episode).

Lew Grade suggested Patrick McGoohan for the lead role (who had recently done Danger Man for ITC). Bob Baker had a fractious meet with him. Someone suggested Roger Moore instead who was filming a movie in Italy (... the Sabine Women). Sent him the pilot script. Got an immediate reply.

The first episode had a great cast and a clever story. Surprised not to see Mrs Jafferty listed in the credits 😂

I live near Cookham where the episode was filmed and have been to The Ferry Hotel by the bridge numerous times! The high street where the butchers was located hasn't changed much building wise. A nightmare for parking though.

PS Based on the above, I can't work out whether the opening of episode 2 was filmed before Roger came back to the UK although it is probably trick photography 🤔

PPS The theme tune on Heritage Chart Show was bloody annoying being so loud. Can't see me watching it again anyway.

Yes, I got a bit confused thinking and questionning where Mrs. Rafferty was in the house.

I was interested in that mini-Manhattan drink Simon Templar was drinking in the pub. And Sir Roger Moore certainly drove some nice cars during his career (referring to the Volvo in The Saint (thanks for sharing the anecdote about the car).

I'm glad it was ITC who were involved in the production of the show, compared to Rediffusion, based on what I've found out about them from The Footage Detectives (the fact that a lot of episodes are lost and/or incomplete).

Put it this way, based on the first episode of The Saint, it's a safe certainty I'll be watching the second episode (got it set to record).

I'm glad I'm not the only one who found the theme tune on The Heritage Chart Show annoying. And even though it does happen from time to time on programmes, I did find it a bit odd that when Mike Read was sitting on his own talking to the camera when doing the chart countdown, he was looking towards the corner of the TV screen (maybe they couldn't position the camera so he would be looking at the centre of the screen?).

[OceanBlue]

Continuing on from my previous post, there was a good variation with the choice of locations in "The Talented Husband". It didn't bother me that there were a lot of scenes shot on studio sets.

About Patrick McGoohan, am interested in getting Network's Blu-ray release of The Prisoner. I've read from time to time about how he could be a bit difficult at times, and other times he wasn't.

[OceanBlue]

After this past Tuesday night's repeat of The Champions, the next episode is being repeated on Wednesday 6th April (looks like it's moving from Tuesday to Wednesday nights, based on the TV schedule section on Talking Pictures TV's website).

[OceanBlue]

Saw something posted about by Talking Pictures TV on their Facebook page this week which I'm going to watch, an interview with Peter Cushing about his wife.

The reason I didn't comment earlier this week about last Sunday afternoon's new edition of The Footage Detectives, was because I didn't enjoy it as much. However, I did quite like the interview segment (which was longer than normal).

Have been wondering how many more new editions are left in this third series of The Footage Detectives (the TV schedule section on Talking Pictures TV's website shows new editions continuing through to the last Sunday in April). Based on Renown Pictures's website, there are a couple of events coming up in the spring into early summer (one being in St. Albans).

[cutback73]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

Saw something posted about by Talking Pictures TV on their Facebook page this week which I'm going to watch, an interview with Peter Cushing about his wife.

The reason I didn't comment earlier this week about last Sunday afternoon's new edition of The Footage Detectives, was because I didn't enjoy it as much. However, I did quite like the interview segment (which was longer than normal).

Have been wondering how many more new editions are left in this third series of The Footage Detectives (the TV schedule section on Talking Pictures TV's website shows new editions continuing through to the last Sunday in April). Based on Renown Pictures's website, there are a couple of events coming up in the spring into early summer (one being in St. Albans).

The Peter Cushing interview covers various things and was done late in his life. It's worth a watch, especially for fans of his. There's not much talk of movies though, if I recall correctly. Hugely talented and, by account of every person who ever worked with him, a wonderful warm man.

I enjoyed Les Detectifs de Footage (*shrugs shoulders* like a Frenchman), but noted that the interview segment was very long. As a film buff, the brief outside shot of ?Edgware? Theatre in London with Mark of The Vampire listed (which dates it to 1935) I found quite exciting, and to me Joanna McCallum was interesting, clearly passionate about TPTV and their work to broadcast films which would otherwise be just completely forgotten, and had some good anecdotes.

Especially having Harry Belafonte go over to Australia with his wife and sing to the family.

And playing tennis with her singing friend Luciano when he was 28 and she was 15 and trying to keep him away from the cakes Bit of a crush it sounded like. Lucky her to get to hear Pavarotti sing at such an age. I can imagine he would have been spellbinding to a young girl back then.

As for the Paris footage, the best bit was seeing the ladies trying to cross the Champs de Lysees in the middle of the traffic half way across the road. Stupidly dangerous but somehow hilarious too.

Seems like they have unlimited supply of guests and material now as the show has really taken off, so I guess the series will go on until one of them has a break. Not sure Noel ever takes a break though...

[OceanBlue]

A helpful reminder in your post above Cutback. That stuck out and fascinated me, the sight of Mark of the Vampire outside the cinema/theatre.

Occasionly, it looks like Noel is going to fall asleep during some editions (it does seem as if he doesn't have a break). I think they work well together as a presenting pair, him and Mike.

[OceanBlue]

Either I missed something while watching it last night, or they genuinely didn't have a segment about singer Dinah Kaye which was previewed at the beginning of yesterday afternoon's new edition (I'm guessing it was a follow-up to the segment on an earlier edition). Mind you, that aside, yesterday afternoon's new edition of The Footage Detectives was packed full of stuff (enjoyed this one more than last week's edition). That short film about a 50's kitchen wouldn't have pleased feminists especially (some questionable content, but Mike Read did say a warning before it started).

Also, Talking Pictures TV's website has been updated with the schedule for the last week in April (up to Sunday 1st May), and there is a new edition of The Footage Detectives on Sunday 1st May.

Occasionly, a recording disappears off the Sky box, and usually I spot it before the programme airs. Unfortunately, I didn't know about yesterday evening's episode of The Saint before it aired. I discovered last night it hadn't recorded.

[OceanBlue]

Might have been my ears, but at the very beginning of yesterday afternoon's new edition of The Footage Detectives, the audio seemed a bit tinny to me. After that though, it was back to normal. No interview segment, but in a way I was glad that it was different yesterday.

Enjoyed the pirate radio segment (that was down to the music tracks heard in the background. I could only guess one of them, but I'd be interested to know what the others were). Wish the segment about the other film production studio had been longer, as I found that interesting.

The piece of music introducing the Letters to the Projectionist segment makes me chuckle (it reminds me a bit of some of the theme tune to Police Squad!).

[OceanBlue]

Well yesterday's episode of The Saint did record this time (I had put the series on series link). I wasn't confident that I would enjoy it, as the episode's synopsis didn't sound as enticing as the first episode, but no, I thought the story was very good with a satisfying ending which made sense.

I remember a brief discussion on Talking Pictures TV's Facebook page recently about one of the guest stars, George Pastell. Having watched the episode yesterday, it was who I thought it was (previously, I'd only seen them in the early Bond film From Russia with Love, in some of the scenes on the train).

[OceanBlue]

Enjoyed last Sunday afternoon's new edition of The Footage Detectives, and The Saint later on was very good (whose story revolved around the contents of a briefcase). Enjoyed the segment about the discovered 'lost' episode of a show about a singer. The replies from viewers about the piece of footage shot somewhere in Europe were fascinating as always.

The Letters to the Projectionist segment always makes me chuckle. It's that Police Squad!-style music which is the reason why.

I think we're nearly halfway through the first series of The Saint now.

[OceanBlue]

I'll start off with what I didn't like about yesterday afternoon's new edition of The Footage Detectives, the segment about vintage car rallies (didn't do much for me). Before that, the episode started off strongly again (viewers' responses to a film reel shown several weeks ago). Enjoyed the rest of the episode after the vintage car rallies segment (I can see TPTV getting a lot of responses to that long travel film reel (one of the locations looked like they were in Amsterdam with the boat seen. I'm probably wrong). I enjoyed the bit about Emma Gay and the music single. As a whole this was a memorable edition.

As for yesterday evening's first series episode of The Saint, I didn't enjoy it as much as the majority of the previous episodes, but it still passed the time well. I wasn't totally convinced by Anthony Dawson's accent, but he was still one of the best things about "The Arrow of God". Did Honor Blackman film this episode of The Saint before she started on The Avengers?

On a side note, to do with The Footage Detectives, it amuses me the continuity error, when Mike or Noel tells Bob the projectionist to start the film reel. The shot of Mike and Noel from the back, they're wearing different clothes.

[OceanBlue]

Got set to record on TPTV tomorrow night, a couple of the Cellar Club films (Return of Dracula and The Vampire). They seem the sort of films UK boutique label Nucleus Films would do releases of (based on their upcoming Blu-ray release of Blood of the Vampire).