Series 2 — Episode 6
The Removal Men

Production details

Episode 36
Production Number : 3509
VTR/ABC/2056
Teddington Studio 1

Schedule

Tuesday 2nd October 1962

Wednesday 3rd October 1962

* VTR INSERT 2056A is the scene (29:04–30:27) where Steed and Nicole go down the stairs and through the studio foyer, passing Venus at the lifts. It was recorded in the Teddington Studios Reception Foyer and stairwell.

Thursday 4th October 1962

Equipment

Running time

Expected: 51′25″ + 2 commercial breaks
Actual running time with bumpers: 52′33″

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).

Regional broadcasts

This episode was broadcast in Italy on 26^th August 1965 (9pm, RAI 1) under the title of “Una donna in mare”. Originally schedules for the previous week, 19^th August 1965, it had been pre-empted by a nationally simulcasted repeat of Carlo Goldoni’s “Burbero benefico” which had previously been shown in some regions on RAI 2. Accordingly, it filled the slot originally allocated to The Undertakers. It was one of a limited run of ten episodes from series 2 and 3 that were broadcast on RAI intermittently throughout 1965 and 1966 under the title “Agente speciale”.

TV Times listing

The TV Times incorrectly lists Patrick Macnee as “Patrick MacNee” with a capital N, and George Roderick is mis-billed as “George Goderick”.

Episode availability

• Video - original footage held by Studio Canal, available on the Studio Canal series 1&2 DVD set
• Script - Tony Pelly’s copy of the camera script and scene breakdown
• Publicity Stills - at least 47

Murders

Click a name to see the face

Transport

Continuity and trivia

1. Reed de Rouen, appearing here as Jack Dragna had previously appeared in series 1 as the Mexican police chief Luis Garcia in The Far Distant Dead and returns in series 2 as the scriptwriter of Six Hands Across a Table (under the name Reed R. de Rouen - his middle name was Randolph). He was also one of the story editors for series 1, having replaced Patrick Brawn in May 1961. He left his editor rôle in October 1961, probably due to the Equity Strike.
2. 10:35 — Steed whistles as he watches Venus walk away and comments, “Very nice too!”
3. 27:35 — Steed discovers how short-sighted Nicole is when he presents her with yellow roses and she mistakes them for daffodils, then peers myopically at them when he corrects her, and she says, “I can never tell the difference”.
4. 27:00 and throughout - all the mid shots of Steed in Nicole’s dressing room reveal a smudge on the lens of Camera 2, just right of centre, an another on the left edge.
5. 29:19 — Venus walks through the lobby of the film studio - actually the reception area of Teddington Studios, passing a board of celebrity photographs, the first three of which are Honor Blackman, Patrick Macnee, and - I think - herself, Julie Stevens.
6. 32:37 — Steed’s proof he killed Nicole - a bangle enscribed “To Nicole from Pierre”, given to Nicole Cauvin by the director of her first film, Pierre Ginsberg. Cecile complains about it being broken and blanches when Steed says it “was a tight fit”.
7. 36:55 (35:55) - Edwin Richfield looks pained when the band keep on playing - he’d seen his cue and was about to speak to the harbour master, but the band kicks in the coda and plays for another 20 seconds.
8. 38:27 — the vision mixer switches back to Dragna too early then immediately returns to the shot of Steed.
9. 39:47 — Charlie calls Nicole who is hiding out in Aix-en-Provence, and her number there is 819.
10. Television standard must have been more permissive in 1962 than we’d expect - Cecile is apparently naked for an entire scene, even if strategically obscured, and Nicole appears in corset and knickers for a minute or two before getting dressed, then wears a tight little bikini on the beach at the end.

The Songs

• Venus Smith rehearses the chorus of “I May be Wrong” [6:26 (6:20), 0:30 long] with Dave (with some of the words adapted)
  • Listen to “I May be Wrong”
  • 
    Watch “I May be Wrong”
• Venus sings “An Occasional Man” [41:31 (40:32), 1:25 long] accompanied by the Dave Lee Trio.
  When she starts “An Occasional Man” the racks supervisor doesn’t switch the audio input in time so we don’t hear the first three words.
  • Listen to “An Occasional Man”
  • 
    Watch “An Occasional Man”
• The trio also play :
  • a short twist tune in the intro scene [0:18 (0:14), 1:10 long],
    • Listen to the twist tune
    • 
      Watch the twist tune
  • Binaggio orders Dave to “play something, something loud” [10:41–12:02] while he and Dragna talk to Steed.
  • Later, the trio play an extended original number [35:17 (34:20), 1:54 long] without Venus for the benefit of the harbour officer.
    IMDB lists this as the Herbert Kretzmer/Dave Lee composition “Goodness Gracious Me” but it doesn’t sound like it to me - maybe it’s just because it doesn’t have Peter Sellers doing that awful Indian accent.
    Edwin Richfield looks pained when they keep on playing at the 36:55 (35:55) mark - he’d seen his cue and was about to speak to the harbour master, but the band kicks in the coda and plays for another 20 seconds.
    • Listen to the jazz jam
    • 
      Watch the jazz jam
• Venus later tearfully sings the refrain of “Sing for your Supper” [48:02 (47:03), 0:52 long], accompanying herself on piano, while Siegel and Dragna menace Steed with pistols. She is cut off when Steed attacks Siegel.
  Julie Stevens revealed that her fear in this scene is real - but mostly because she didn’t think she’d be able to play the piano well enough!
  • Listen to “Sing for your Supper”
  • 
    Watch “Sing for your Supper”

The Dave Lee Trio comprised Dave Lee, Art Morgan and Spike Heatley in 1962, all highly respected jazz players. Dave Lee also co-wrote the hit Avengers tie-in single “Kinky Boots” b/w “Let’s Keep it Friendly” with Herbert Kretzmer (who wrote the lyrics for “Togetherness” from The Murder Market). Dave also composed the Peter Sellers/Sophia Loren comic song “Goodness Gracious Me” with Kretzmer.