DICKIE HENDERSON SHOW
8 series were made by Associated Rediffusion between 1960 and 1965, a total of 103 shows, which are listed below. We believe these are all currently in existence in the Rediffusion archive.
The programmes we concentrate on here are Series 1 to 8
all of which starred Dickie Henderson with June Laverick and Lionel Murton. Also John Parsons (series 1-5) / Danny Grover (series 6-8).
All scripts written by Jimmy Grafton, with others helping him as stated.
All stories directed by Bill Hitchcock.
Series 1
1960/1 (26 shows)- Mondays 8.00pm
1:1 The Psychiatrist
November 14th 1960
1:2 The Quiz
November 21st 1960
1.3 The Song
November 28th 1960
guest star Marty Wilde
with
Meier Tzelniker, Elfrida Eden, Rex Grey, Pamela Greer,
Benice Swanson and Albert Barnett.
"In the show Marty hopes to sing Little Girl"
1.4 The Dress
December 5th 1960
guest star Eve Boswell
with Geoffrey Hibbert, John Crocker,
Lindsay Scott-Patton, Lisa Noble and Fiona Glenn
(not Lionel Murton)
1.5
December 12th 1960
1.6 The Race
December 19th 1960
guest star Richard Wattis
with Robert Perceval, John Crocker,
Hamlyn Benson, Ian Wilson, Beckett Bould and Stanley Vine
1.7
December 26th 1960
1.8
January 2nd 1961
1.9
January 9th 1961
1:10 The Music Lovers
January 16th 1961
1:11 The Actor
January 23rd 1961
1:12
January 30th 1961
1:13
February 6th 1961
1:14
February 13th 1961
1:15
February 20th 1961
1:16 The Violin
February 27th 1961
1:17 The Move
March 6th 1961
1.18 The Dancer
March 13th 1961
guest star Lionel Blair
with Diana French and Kenneth Nash
1:19 The Birthday Present
March 20th 1961
1:20
March 27th 1961
1:21 The Burglars
April 3rd 1961 (Easter Monday)
Associate writer Stan Mars
guest star Donald Gray
with Ivor Salter, Eugenie Cavanagh, James McLoughlin
and Henry Kay
1.22
April 10th 1961
1.23 The Patient
April 17th 1961
Script: Jimmy Grafton, Jeremy Lloyd and Stan Mars
guest star Alan Melville
with Joyce Barbour, Barbara Robinson, John Crocker,
Gordon Rollings and Vikki Harrington
1.24
April 24th 1961
1:25 The Butler
May 1st 1961
1:26 The Exchange Visit
May 8th 1961
Script: Jimmy Grafton, Jeremy Lloyd and Robert Gray
guest stars: George Baker and Marie France
with Edwina Mitchell, Rowena Torrance, Blanche Moore,
Margaret Boyd, Benn Simons, Nicholas Roylands
Series 2 (7 shows)-
Mondays 8.00pm
2:1
November 13th 1961
2:2
The Record
November 20th 1961
Script: Jimmy Grafton, with Jeremy Lloyd and Robert Gray
guest star David Jacobs
with Alexander Dore and Billy Milton
2:3 The Plane
November 27th 1961
Script: Jimmy Grafton, Jeremy Lloyd and Stan Mars
guest star Hughie Green
2:4 The Camp
December 4th 1961
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
guest star Richard Wattis
with Berry Huntley-Wright, Robert Perceval and
John Wentworth, Irene Richmond, Lindsay Scott-Paton, Robin Ford
2:5 The Paris Week-End
December 11th 1961
2:6 The Racehorse
December 18th 1961
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Alan Fell and Jeremy Lloyd
guest stars: Bill Owen and John Rickman
with Joe Ritchie, Charles Farrell, Hamlyn Benson, William Douglas
2:7 The Puppy
Tues 26th December 1961 8pm
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Jeremy Lloyd
Series 3 (7 shows)- Mondays 9.15pm
3:1 The Tramp
May 7th 1962
3:2 The New TV
May 14th 1962
3.3 The Necklace
May 21st 1962
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Eric Newman
guest star Dora Bryan
with Ronnie Corbett, Gordon Rollings, Peter Welch
On a visit to the jewellers to have June's watch repaired,
Dickie and Jack unwittingly become involved with two
expert jewel-thieves
3.4
The Cure
May 28th 1962
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Jeremy Lloyd and Stan Mars
guest star Eve Boswell
Jack is feeling a little out of sorts, and Eve Boswell
recommends a cure. The result is 'Super-Jack'
3.5 The Protest
June 4th 1962
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Stanley Myers and Alan Fell
guest star James Hayter
with Brian Oulton and
Pat Coombs, Joe Ritchie, Mollie Maureen, Frank Sieman
Dickie has good reason to support Major Montmorency's campaign
to save the local park gates, due to be pulled down by order of
the Parks Committee. But his enthusiasm wavers when he becomes
far more involved than he anticipated
3:6 The Gangster
June 11th 1962 (Whit Monday)
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Jeremy Lloyd and Stan Mars
guest star Boris Karloff
with Danny Green, John Croker, Fred McNaughton,
John Barrard, Howard Knight
On their way to give a performance for a police concert,
Dickie and Co meet a gang of crooks. When they pretend
to be gangsters things become very involved
3:7 The Voyage
June 18th 1962
Dickie and family leave for the USA in a luxury liner.
But smooth sailing is out of the question with a stowaway on board.
Series 4 (19 shows)- Wednesdays 9.15pm (some weeks there was no show
as Party Political Broadcasts stupidly intruded on the schedule)
4.1
November 21st 1962
4.2 The Visit
November 28th 1962
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Stanley Myers and Alan Fell
guest star Beryl Reid
with Tom Gill, Peter Elliott, William Dysart, Stanley Ayres
4:3
December 5th 1962
4:4 The Romance
December 12th 1962
guest star Richard Wattis
with Bob Todd, Elspeth Pirie, Alexandra Dane
(no Lionel Murton)
4:5
December 19th 1962
4:6 Dickie Henderson Christmas Show
December 25th 8-9pm (1 hour special)
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
guest stars: Bernard Bresslaw, Hughie Green, Alfred Marks,
Richard Wattis, Rita Webb and Leslie Sarony
with Joe Ritchie, William Douglas, Harry Littlewood,
Helen Ford, Lindsay Scott-Patton,
Susan George, David Palmer and
The Ivor Raymonde Singers, The Pamela Devis Dancers
4:7
4:8
4:9?? The Stamp Collector
January 16th1963
4.10
4:11?? The Legacy
February 13th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Stanley Myers and Alan Fell
guest star Naunton Wayne
with Billy Danvers, John Crocker, John Cross,
Paul Williamson, Arthur Blake
4:12?? The Racing Car
February 20th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Eric Newman
guest star Jack Brabham
with John Bolster and Anthony Bygraves
Dickie finds himself racing against Jack Brabham and
Max Bygraves' son- but a mystery driver pips them all
at the post
4:13
4:14?? The Hypnotist
March 13th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Stan Mars and Peter Griffiths
guest star Jon Pertwee
with Tom Gill, Liza Page, Gwen Lewis, Eric Nicholson,
Gordon Phillott, Margaret Boyd, Brenda Haydn
March 20th- no show
4:15?? The Housekeeper
March 27th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Eric Newman
guest star Irene Handl
with Jerry Desmonde, and
Paul Williamson, Blanche Moore
June sprains her wrist and the Hendersons decide to engage
somebody to help with the chores. Just Dickie's luck
to choose a housekeeper with a passion for bingo
4:16
4:17 The Playwright
April 10th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton, associates: Johnny Whyte and Eric Newman
guest star: Dora Bryan
with Michael Logan, Robert Cawdron (no John Parsons)
A scream in the night from the flat next door sends Dickie and June
investigating
4.18
April 17th 1963
4:19 The Stately Home
April 1963 24th 8.45pm
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Stanley Myers and Alan Fell
guest star The Marquess of Bath
with Andrew Bowen, Paul Williamson, Tom Gill
Series 5 (8 shows)- Fridays 7pm
5:1
June 14th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Stan Mars
guest star: Raymond Francis
with Paul Williamson, Arthur Gomez,
Victor Charrington (no John Parsons)
5:2
The Guinea Pigs
June 21st 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Jeremy Lloyd and Stan Mars
guest star Alan Melville
with Hamilton Dyce, Arthur Mullard and
Jeremy Lloyd, Gwen Lewis and Paul Williamson
Dickie and Jack visit a health clinic
and reporter Alan Melville goes along to report
Dickie's progress
5:3 The Country Cottage
June 28th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Stanley Myers
guest star James Hayter
with Reginald Beckwith and
Fank Sieman
June persuades Dickie to buy a country cottage from an old friend
Major Montmorency (JH), who sells them an Elizabethan 'wreck'
then tries to get them out again to sell to an American
5:4 The Spy
July 5th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Jeremy Lloyd and Stan Mars
guest star Guy Doleman
with Malcolm Webster, Rudolf Offenbach
A mysterious phone call convinces Dickie that his life is in danger.
James Bland- 009 of the Secret Service- is called in
5:5 The Painter
July 12th 1963 (possibly postponed to 8th August 1963 6.15pm)
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Stanley Myers and Alan Fell
guest star Lance Percival
with Peter Elliott and Imogen Hassall
June breaks a mirror and decides to replace it with a painting.
With Jack's help she engages the services of a beatnik artist (LP)
5:6 The Convict
July 19th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Jeremy Lloyd and Stan Mars
guest star George Coulouris
with George Tovey and
Raymond Hodge, Gabrielle Daye (no John Parsons)
A friend of Jack's lends him a cottage on Dartmoor for the weekend
and he persuades Dickie and June to share it. A radio announcement
about an escaped convict makes their weekend less peaceful
than they had hoped
5:7 The Wrestler
July 26th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Eric Newman
guest star Freddie Mills
with Jackie Pallo and
John Yearsley, Peter Szakaes, David Brown
Dickie decides to include a wrestling skit in his TV show and friend
Freddie Mills persuades him to seek expert advice from wrestling personality JP
5.8 The School Play
August 2nd 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Stanley Myers and Alan Fell
guest star Richard Wattis
with Damaris Hayman, Howard Knight
Richard's schoolmaster (RW) traps Dickie into agreeing
to produce the school play
Series 6 (15 shows)- Thursdays 7.30pm
Note- No official episode titles given in TV Times.
The series again starred Dickie Henderson and June Laverick
but this series with
Danny Grover and Lionel Murton
6:1 (Parking Meter)
September 19th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton with Jeremy Lloyd, Stanley Myers, Alan Fell
When parking meters are introduced outside the Henderson's flat,
a battle of wits develops between Dickie and the traffic warden
6.2
September 26th 1963
6.3 (The Home Doctor)
October 3rd 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with Paul Williamson, June Elvin (no Danny Grover)
When Dickie, anxious about the state of his health, consults June's
Home Doctor he discovers that a little learning can be dangerous
6:4
October 10th 1963
6:5 (Learner Driver)
October 17th 1963
6:6 (The Economy Drive)
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Dickie starts a drive for household economy, but when he insists
on doing the shopping himself, June decides to teach him a lesson
6:7
October 31st 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with Eddie Byrne
6:8 (The Old Flame)
November 7th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
June decides that Dickie is neglecting her, and she tries
to make him jealous by inventing an old flame
6.9
November 14th 1963
6.10
November 21st 1963
6.11
November 28th 1963
6.12 (The Gambler)
originally advertised to be shown November 14th 1963
but actually screened December 5th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
When Richard becomes interested in horse racing Dickie decides
to teach him a sharp lesson about gambling-
with anxious results for himself
6.13
December 12th 1963
6.14 (The Germ)
December 19th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Dickie has arranged an important TV interview, so when his
family start going down with flu, he decides to wage
war against the germ
6.15 (The Insomniac)
December 26th 1963
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
When Dickie is so excited about a film offer that he suffers from
insomnia, his efforts to get to sleep produce some extraordinary results
Series 7 (26 shows)- Wednesdays 9.10pm (some weeks there was no show
due to Party Political Broadcasts)
7.1 (The Boy Friend)
April 29th 1964
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with William Franklyn
and Anne Jameson, Geraldine Ward
Dickie lectures Richard on the evils of jealousy,
but when an old boy friend of June's come to call,
he finds it difficult to practise what he has been preaching
7.2
May 6th 1964
No show May 13th
7.3 (The Job)
May 20th 1964
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with Frank Thornton, Sheena Marshe and Rita Webb
(no Danny Grover)
June decides to show her independence by getting a job-
but Dickie retaliates by engaging a beautiful housekeeper
7.4 (The Formation Dancing Team)
May 27th 1964
Script: Jimmy Grafton, Jeremy Lloyd, Johnny Whyte, Stanley Myers
Cast with Jeremy Lloyd, Rita Webb, Damaris Hayman,
Anne Jameson, Norman Mitchell
The Frank and Peggy Spencer Formation Team
A surprise present for June leads to some unwelcome surprises
for Dickie, including a mix-up with a formation dancing team
7.5 (The Bet)
June 3rd 1964
Script: Jimmy Grafton, Jeremy Lloyd and Maurice Wiltshire
Cast with Eleanor Summerfield and
Arthur Mullard, Barney Gilbraith
An argument about who needs who most in marriage leads Dickie and June
into trying to live apart in the same flat for a bet. Guess who gives in first
7.6
June 10th 1964
7.7? (The Birthday)
June 17th 1964
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with Eleanor Summerfield, David Langton and Lizabeth Webb
Dickie forgets June's birthday, and a last minute attempt
to put things right causes some unfortunate complications
June 24th- no show
7.8? (The Moustache)
July 1st 1964 also August 5th 1964
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with Eleanor Summerfield, David Langton and
Rudolf Offenbach, Shirley Cameron, Susanna Carroll,
Cameron Hall, Rosemarie Frankland
Dickie finds himself in conflict with June over a moustache
he has grown while away on tour. June enlists Madge's help
in trying to get rid of it and Dickie declares war
7.9? (The Courtship)
July 8th 1964
with Eleanor Summerfield,
guest Vic Oliver
Dickie reminisces about his courtship days with June and,
in a flashback, we see that the course of true love
did not always run smooth
7.10
July 15th 1964
7.11
July 22nd 1964
July 29th - no show
(The Moustache)
August 5th 1964 (see July 1st 1964- postponed?)
7.12
August 12th
Series 8 - one one-off episode in May 1965, then the series of 8 more shows
ran from August
on Mondays 9.10pm
8.1 (The Father)
Thursday May 20th 1965 7pm
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with June Elvin, Arthur Blake, Robert Scott Webber
(no Danny Grover)
Dickie takes us back to the year his son Richard was born
and shows us all the agonies of the expectant father
8.2 (The Row)
August 16th 1965
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with Eleanor Summerfield, and
Hugh Latimer, Robert Perceval and Lizabeth Webb
June accuses Dickie of indifference and the resulting row becomes
so big, their friends decide to intervene only to find
their own marriages threatened
8.3 (The Pop Group)
August 23rd 1965
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with Hugh Latimer, Peter Graves, Bertie Hare,
Arthur Gross, Mark Gascoigne, Kevin Bennett,
Peter Pike, Janette Sattler
When Dickie tries to get rich quick by putting a new group under contract
and launching them on his television show he finds out that
fortunes aren't made all that easily
8.4 (The Cricket Match)
August 30th 1965
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
guest: Freddie Trueman
with Bertie Hare
When Dickie is invited to play in a charity cricket match
he finds himself up against one of the world's fastest bowlers
8.5 (The Shopper)
September 6th 1965
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with Eleanor Summerfield, and
Robert Perceval, Tom Gill, Felicity Gordon,
Arthur Mullard, Blanche Moore, Claire Ruane
Dickie sets out to prove to June that men are quicker shoppers
than women and almost perishes in the attempt
8.6 (The Love Letter)
September 13th 1965
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with Norma Foster (no Danny Grover)
An old love letter leads June into accusing
Dickie of being unsentimental. Dickie tries to prove
the opposite with embarrassing results
8.7 (The Dogsbody)
September 20th 1965
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
guest: Semprini
(no Danny Grover)
Dickie imagines that noone is indispensable, but when Jack complains
he is being treated as a dogsbody and decides to leave,
Dickie finds he cannot do without him
8.8 (The Dentist)
September 27th 1965
Script: Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd
Cast with Hugh Latimer, Lizabeth Webb, George Coulouris,
Guy Kingsley Poynter, Jane Murdoch, Frank Sieman
Dickie tries to get out of a visit to a new dentist by
substituting Jack
8.9
October 4th 1965 (final show)
To our reviews of a few of the Dickie Henderson Show .
A later quite different series of 12 further shows in 1968 gave Dickie a new wife, played by Isla Blair.
Dickie's earlier series on ITV was entitled:
Dickie Henderson Half-Hour and it started on Fridays July 11th 1958 8.30pm.
Here are details of a few of this series:
July 11th- with Anthea Askey, and Eve Lister, Bernard Hunter and Freddie Mills, Song Spot: Ilene Day.
Aug 15th- same cast plus Len Lowe.
Aug 22nd- same as July 11th except in the Song Spot was Diane Todd.
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Some Abortive Series -
Some interesting projected series that never made it into production. Can you add any data?
A1 at Lloyds -
This troubled project was first mooted in 1957 and finally scheduled for starting filming on 6th July 1959. But delays pushed this date back until September.
Producer was James Swan, associate producer: Jesse Corallo, script editor: Doreen Montgomery, script for pilot by Leigh Vance, and it was to be made by Sydney Box Productions, part of the Rank Organisation.
When Sydney Box suffered a stroke and had to retire from the business, the writing was on the wall for this projected series in October 1959. As far as I can ascertain, no complete episodes were ever finished.
The Lives of Frankenstein
- This 39 part series was announced at the start of 1958, with Anton Diffring in the lead.
The first episode was to have been made in Hollywood, the remainder in Bray Studios. Was anything ever made?
Trader Horn -
was a proposed 1958 series from Gross-Kasne, that is mentioned in the 1959 Film Review Annual, but it seems not to have got beyond the planning stage.
Continental Patrol -
Broderick Crawford, star of the long running and successful Highway Patrol, came to London in the summer of 1959 to drum up support for an international version of his popular American series. John Nasht, an experienced European Producer (Orient Express etc) was booked as the producer, and a provisional starting date for filming at Pinewood was scheduled for 16 November that year. As however this was to be another Sydney Box production, the plan collapsed when Mr Box fell ill.
A Man of the World
- Ubangi Film Productions were formed by Dan Jackson and Russell Enoch (aka William Russell) and in January 1959 a report stated "the pilot is being made in Naples now. Balbina, Russell's pretty French actress wife, will be in it too."
It's not known if this pilot was ever completed. Russell stated his idea was to sell it to the BBC.
Women -
was the title of a proposed series by Anna Neagle and Herbert Wilcox. They announced a series of six one hour dramas to be shot starting in February 1960. Based on classic women writers (Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Anne Bronte), Doreen Montgomery (again!) definitely wrote three of the proposed scripts, and in January that year, Wilcox claimed four had been written. Anna Neagle planned to read an introduction portraying the author of the story, and speaking as the author in the first person. Herbert Wilcox flew to America in February, when his American backers wanted to turn the stories into half hour ones. Probably an impasse was reached and I don't think the project ever got off the ground.
Soho
- starring Richard Basehart. Following on from the success of his long running series, this was the proposed title for a new series from Douglas Fairbanks Jr. In an interview, he stated he was starting negotiations in January 1960. Unlike his earlier marathon series this never got going.
Hong Kong Harbour -
(Cable Dragon-Fly had been the original proposed title for this series)-
February 1960 was the starting date for production scheduled by producers Sam Bischoff and Dave Diamond. After planned location shooting in Hong Kong, the series of 13 hour long colour films was to have been made in Britain. Hammer Films' executive producer Michael Carreras announced "at least 12 scripts will be completely cut and dried before beginning production." He added that Gordon Wellesley had already completed the first. Another writer was said to be Joyce Bellack.
Visa to Canton starring Richard Basehart and Lisa Gastoni was definitely made, but with the series aborted as early as June that year, it was turned into a 75 minute feature film. Shooting for this story was definitely done during June 1960 both at Bray Studios, and on Monkey Island in the Thames. This is the only physical relic of this aborted series, as I think the 1961 Hammer feature film Terror of the Tongs, was never intended to be part of this project.
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Crime Club
Essaying to repeat the success of their much earlier radio series of this name, in 1959 Towers of London announced work was starting at the end of June on this proposed series of one-off stories.
First in production was planned to be You'll Never See Me Again.
This was the story of an American architect living in England,
who is suspected of murdering the wife he says he loves.
Her dying words had been 'You'll never see me again.'
The script was by Cornell Woolrich,
adapted for TV by Joel Murcott. Director: Ted Post.
The strong cast consisted of:
Ben Gazzara... Jim Mason
Leo Genn... Inspector Stillman
Brenda de Banzie... Mrs Alden
James Hayter... Joe Alden
Derek Aylward... Bob Roberts
Jacqueline Ellis... Myra
Ivor Salter... Sgt Mitchell
Betty McDowall... Anne Roberts
However, the first of the series to be made was definitely
Invitation to Murder.
The director was Robert Lynn
and the writer Joel Murdock (Murcott?).
Amongst the cast were Robert Beatty, with Lisa Daniely, Ernest Thesiger and Douglas Wilmer.
I do not know if any more than these two films were ever made.
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Calling All Lovers
Nicholas Parsons made a curious light situation comedy in 1959 in Antwerp, for the Belgian United Continents company.
Lana Morris was his leading lady in this pilot film completed in August that year.
Paul Tabori wrote the script, and also wrote two further stories for the proposed series of 39, which however seems to have not got off the ground. But this pilot was definitely completed, by producer Jacques Verdicjk, a Flemish tv producer.
Several of the technicians were British, including Eric Bast (lighting) and Peter Tabori (camera).
Does Mr Parsons himself recall anything of this abortive project?
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Rogue for Hire
was one of a number of projects by the company Gross-Kasne. In the 1950's Jack J Gross and Philip Kasne made some low budget feature films, and had a string of successful television series behind them,
several starring Thomas Mitchell, another being
The Lone Wolf with Louis Hayward. In 1957 they became more
ambitious making Adventures of a Jungle Boy and
African Patrol both on location in Africa,
before a failed 1958 attempt to film a series Trader Horn at ABP Elstree Studios. (The 1959 Film Review Annual mentions this series was actually in production when it went to press.)
Then further problems in 1959 with a series that was to have been titled Fate
(the first idea had been to call it Destiny).
Gross-Kasne planned to shoot at Elstree two of the planned 39 half hour films, "not bothering with the expensive and often disheartening custom of making pilots,"
though what else these films were to have been only JG and PK know.
However that project also collapsed before this troubled series, Rogue for Hire,
set them back still further. Despite this failure Jack Gross did manage to make one further series with Louis Hayward, The Pursuers.
Originally Rogue for Hire was to have been called by the imitative title Have Plane Will Travel.
Filming began in 1959 with star Jerome Thor in Hollywood, the plan had been to make this one of those American/British co-productions, with ABP Elstree Studios being used by producer Donald Hyde.
However I do not believe any of the proposed films were ever made in the UK, though the schedule drawn up was to start in November that year.
As regards the American episodes of Rogue for Hire, movie stunt pilot Paul Mantz contributed some sequences, about which it was reported in June 1959 that "several episodes have been completed." It does seem six were actually finished. The script for one episode, Operation Jaguar, survives, what else, who knows?
At the end of 1959 G-K axed the project, Thor being summoned back from Japan where he was shooting sequences for Rogue for Hire. A statement claimed "the American-made films were not approved, and did not get a sale."
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Mr Riviera -
A 25 minute ITC pilot that was originally titled Sirocco was scheduled for shooting starting June 14th 1960.
ITC held screen tests at the start of that month, choosing Charles Drake as the star. It would be interesting to know who else tested for the series.
Although production did not actually start until the following month, it was made at MGM Studios Elstree, by producer Dennis O'Dell.
Location shooting was done that month also, at Monte Carlo "with a cast of 20 people."
The script was by Bill Strutton and the film was directed by Peter Graham Scott.
I remember it was actually screened on British television, by ATV. However this projected series never got beyond this pilot.
Charles Drake played freelance reporter and photographer Neil McCrea, with guest star for this story Anna Gaylor as Annette Brosse.
Others in the cast were Warren Mitchell, Kenneth Griffith, Harry Locke and Michael Peake.
The storyline:
The Sirocco is a yacht, which sails into the harbour at Monte Carlo.
On board is McCrea who receives this message from one of his editors:
'Planning feature on plastic surgeon, Jules Brosse killed in crash over Corniche. Appreciate new piece on him.'
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The Adventures of an Elephant Boy
Three pilot films were made starting late 1958, and finishing early April 1959, for a projected series starring 14 year old David Wyman.
The scriptwriter and director was Kenneth Hume and the producer John Kennedy. The series was shot on location in Ceylon, but the team encountered problems with their Cingalese extras, who were allegedly paid in beer, but when this ran out, so did the extras! Worse, two cameramen were said to have died during the filming, as a result of snake bites. Less serious was the problem illustrating that old adage, Never Work with Animals or Children, for claimed Hume, "shots relying on the antics of animals took up a lot of time."
John Kennedy claimed that the series had been made in Ceylon because "within the Commonwealth, there is a feast fit for a king of television material." He also wanted to avoid the "vice like grip on British screens held by American productions," a very laudable aim, but one which may have lead to the downfall of the project.
Anyone know if any tv station bought up these pilots, and even more boldly, screened 'em?
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Mr Turnip
His 'mother' Joy Laurey made puppets in her childhood in Yorkshire; then during the war
with her mother and sister entertained the troops with their puppet shows.
Her most famous creation, Mr Turnip was born in 1950 in Tiptree Essex, when tv producer
Michael Westmore saw one of the shows, and
approached Joy to ask her manufacture a puppet to appear with Humphrey Lestocq.
Providing Mr Turnip's voice was that BBC stalwart Peter Hawkins, whilst Peter Ling wrote the scripts.
Whirligig in which Mr Turnip appeared with H-L, was one of the BBC's biggest success stories in Children's TV,
and I remember being very sad when it stopped, because H-L left.
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