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The Avengers

Series 3, 1963-4 - Episode 5



prologue © Canal+

epilogue © Canal+

Death à la Carte

by John Lucarotti
Designed by Richard Harrison
Directed by Kim Mills

Production Schedule

Episode 57
Production Number : 3604
VTR/ABC/2716
Teddington Studio 1

Thursday 6th June 1963

Camera rehearsal 10.00-12.30
Lunch break 12.30-13.30
Camera rehearsal 13.30-18.00
Supper break 18.00-19.00
Line Up and Make Up 19.00-19.30
VTR Insert (VTR/ABC/2716A) between 19.30-21.00

Friday 7th June 1963

Camera rehearsal 10.00-12.30
Lunch break 12.30-13.30
Camera rehearsal 13.30-15.20
Tea break, line up,
normal scan, make-up
15.20-16.05
Photo oall (Honor Blackman, Patrick Macnee) 16.05-16.15
Dress rehearsal 16.15-17.30
Notes 17.30-18.00
Line-up 18.00-18.30
VTR 18.30-19.30

Running time

Expected: 51'25"
Actual running time with bumpers: 51'46"

The bumpers between the acts are generally 10 seconds from fade in to the "End of Act" bumper to the end of audio before the commercial, a 10 second still without audio, then cut to the next act bumper. This would play with the theme for around 10 seconds. Accordingly, with the episodes being in 3 acts, the running time of the action is approximately a minute less than listed above, minus the opening and closing credits (normally 0'16", with a 2" fade, and anywhere from 0'41" to 1'20", hard cut or 1" fade or mix, respectively).

Transmission

London 21st December 1963
Sydney 28th April 1964
Melbourne 26th November 1964

Equipment

Cameras: 5 Pedestals
Sound: 4 booms
Telecine: ABC symbol and opening captions, 2 35mm. inserts; Caption Scanner.
VTR: 1 Insert

Murders

Victim Killer Method
Emir Akaba --- natural causes (heart attack)
Lucien Ali broken neck (hit with crowbar)
click a name to see the face

Minutiæ

Time codes here include the Studio Canal logo from the remastered 2010 set, which takes 0:18 seconds.

  1. 6:17 - there's a large smudge at the top right of the lens of camera 5, and two smaller spots near the top edge in the left corner - most obvious in the MS of Spender entering suite (6:17) and the profile shot of the Emir speaking to Umberto (12:48) - they remain for the whole episode.
  2. 7:38 - there's a small spot near the centre of the top of camera 2's lens.
  3. 7:56 - there's a small blurred smudge top left of centre of camera 3's lens and several smaller smears bottom right, and another just left of centre - most visible in the CU of Mellor pouring drinks (7:56) and the MS of Emir & Umberto (12:23) - they remain for the whole episode.
  4. 30:44 - Steed, posing as chef Sebastian Stonemartin, is supposed to have a specialty of faisan à la langue docienne - he and Cathy are aghast when the Emir orders it for dinner.
  5. 33:10 - Umberto first reveals his East-end roots when he calls Steed "You great big steamin' nit" for knocking his canneloni to the floor.
  6. 46:54 - Ali drops the key that Mellor throws to him.

Watch for the scene in the kitchen where the cameraman nearly knocks over a table when he raises the camera.

© Piers Johnson 2004-2011