Series 2 — Episode 24
A Chorus of Frogs

Production details

Episode (5) (sic - should be 50)
Production Number : 3523
VTR/ABC/2488 & 2488A-B
Teddington Studio 1 & Rehearsal Room 3A

Schedule

Rehearsals

Held in REHEARSAL ROOM 3A from 23rd February, 1963 to Wednesday 6th March, 1963.

Thursday 7th March 1963

KENNY POWELL TRIO Bass, Piano, Drums.
Called for 2.30 pm on Thursday 7th March, 1963 excluding Mr. Powell till about 3.30pm.
Called for 10.00 am on Friday 8th March, 1963.

VTR Inserts:

• 2488A - SHOTS 63–70: (1.50s approx.) Steed is found checking the divers’ equipment and taken below; once he and Helena have gone, Anna kills Jackson with a harpoon gun. [17:07–18:55]
• 2488B - SHOTS 185–196: (40s approx) Mason threatens to put Venus in the bathyscaphe, but Helena enters, followed by Steed; they enter and fight the villains. [46:25–47:28]

Friday 8th March 1963

Equipment

Running time

Expected: 51′25″ + 2 commercial breaks
Actual running time with bumpers: 49′14″

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

TV Times listing

Episode availability

• Video - original footage held by Studio Canal, available on the Studio Canal series 1&2 DVD set
• Script - Clean archive copy of the camera script annotated as belonging to “Soup’t Dep’t”, I think. The annotation looks to be in Marie Donaldson’s handwriting.
• Publicity Stills - at least 59

Murders

Click a name to see the face

Transport

Continuity and trivia

1. 1:15 — there are a few spots on the camera lens, and the cinematography is decidedly shakey in the scene in Jame’s office when Carlo first meets Sica.
2. 4:24 — Venus reveals she was born on her father’s barge.
3. 17:07 — visual interference when the VTR Insert is mixed in
4. 20:02 — Julie breaks the fourth wall when singing “The Lips That Touch Kippers”
5. 27:00 — Steed’s monologue is altered in the final filming: Video

   STEED: Alright! Now, I don’t care a damn for your vendetta. If you can’t do any better than that you’ll probably both trip over each other and fall overboard. Now, I can’t stop you playing Ducks and Drakes, and Red Indians up and down the companionways but if you get in my way I’ll tan your hides. Both of you.

   Script

   STEED: Right. Now you listen to me. I don’t care a damn for your vendetta. If you can’t do any better than this I should think you’ll both trip over a recalcitrant bollard. I’ve got a job to do, and I don’t want it messed up by amateurs. I can’t stop you playing Red Indians up and down the corridors but if you get in my way I’ll tan the hides off you. Both of you.

6. Steed’s coded telegram reads: MALAGA THREE WEEKS STOP HECTOR MUCH WORSE STOP SEASICK STOP RUN OUT PINK PILLS. It appears to be a ddressed to Miss L Feldmay 73 Fontana Road Rottingdean England.
7. 46:25 — visual interference when the VTR Insert is mixed in
8. 47:28 — more visual interference when the VTR Insert ends and the is mixed back to ‘live’.

The Songs

Julie sings two songs, accompanied by the Kenny Powell Trio.

• “Hush Little Baby” [8:21 (8:16), 1:43 long]
  • Listen to “Hush Little Baby”
  • 
    Watch “Hush Little Baby”
• Burnaby & Long’s parody of “The Lips That Touch Liquor”, “The Lips That Touch Kippers” [19:26 (18:49, 0:47 long]
  • Listen to “The Lips That Touch Kippers”
  • 
    Watch “The Lips That Touch Kippers”

The trio play a short tune at the beginning of the first yacht scene, entitled “Pots Blues” [3:24, 0:17 long (3:20, 0:15 long)].

• Listen to “Pots Blues”
• 
  Watch “Pots Blues”

Julie’s backing band in this episode is a trio of musicians from the Jack Parnell Orchestra, drummer and band leader Jack Parnell, his regular bassist, Lennie Bush and Kenny Powell as accompianist. Parnell did most of the on-set music at Elstree as well as being regulars at Ronnie Scott’s, so it’s odd they’re here billed as the Kenny Powell trio when Jack was the eminent player.