The White Elephant
by John Lucarotti
Designed by Philip Harrison
Directed by Laurence Bourne
Production Schedule
Episode 69
Production Number : 3616
VTR/ABC/3168 and 3168A+B
Teddington Studio 1
Tuesday 21st November 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 |
19.00-19.30 |
| VTR Inserts |
19.30-21.00 |
Friday 22nd November 1963
| Camera rehearsal |
10.00-13.00 |
| Lunch break |
13.00-14.00 |
| Camera rehearsal |
14.00-15.30 |
Tea break, line up,
normal scan and make-up |
15.30-16.15 |
| 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" excluding commercial breaks
Actual running time with bumpers: 51'41"
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 |
4th January 1964 |
| Sydney |
2nd February 1965 |
| Melbourne |
21st February 1966 |
Equipment
| Cameras: |
Five Pedestals
VTR Insert: 3 Pedestals, Mole Crane with Zoom |
| Sound: |
3 booms, Grams, Tape, FX |
| Telecine: |
ABC Symbol/Avengers Opening |
| VTR Inserts: |
VTR/ABC/3168 A+B |
VTR Inserts:
- 3168A - 33:30-34:13 - Steed breaks into the foundry, fights with the welder and then discovers Snowy in the back room.
- 3168B - 47:29-49:49 - Steed and Cathy fight Conniston and Brenda in the zoo grounds.
Murders
Minutiæ
- 1:23 - there's a heart shaped smear on the lens of camera 1A, just to the right of dead centre in Hammond's CU.
- 1:27 - The opening credits feature a fade out under the titles, then a fade in to the daffodil on which Steed is practicing yogic concentration.
- 2:23 - there's a smudge on the lens of camera 4B, vertically middle, 1/8 in from right.
- 8:22 - soft ivory : an average pair of male elephant tusks can weigh up to 50 lbs.
- 8:44-9:58 (8:30) - a fly made it way into the transfer booth when the film was being remastered for DVD, and buzzes alarmingly around Steed's head - it remains on screen for over a minute. The recent "remastering" sadly didn't correct this, and the fly remains.
- 18:15 - two episodes in a row, Cathy finds a man hanged in a cupboard - she last found Edwards in The Medicine Men.
- 29:40 - Steed rings someone called Walmsley to ask that an inquiry be made into the disappearance of Professor Thaddeus Lawrence.
- 29:50 - Steed's 'phone number is Whitehall 0011.
- 35:00 - you can clearly see Brenda through one of the windows of Noah's office - you'd think he would have spotted her as he peered out the window on the landing.
- 39:10 - Cathy tricks Lawrence into using a garotte instead of a gun, and easily overpowers him.
- 47:40 - The fight between Steed and Conniston at the end resulted in a cruelty probe into ABC Television, as many of the animals on set are clearly agitated by the noise. There were reports at the time that a hornbill died during filming. Their cage is right where Conniston keeps firing his revolver; both are still standing at the end of the scene, but one hasn't moved for a while.
- 48:00 et passim - the cameramen keep losing focus during the dimly-lit fight scene, notably at 49:10.
- Martin Friend, last seen as the bullied Hammond in The Gilded Cage, returns as the amiable George.
