Tales Of The Unexpected

[P-Bal]

Basically because it was a tad cheap on Amazon, and I tend to like these sorts of thing, I invested in the first series.

I'm still working my way through them, but overall I'm not entirely impressed.

My thoughts thus far...


MAN FROM THE SOUTH
Cyril Luckham is completely wasted in this, not in so much as being really drunk, but more in that his character has nothing to do. I'm squeemish about fingers and wotnot being cut off so I was a bit yacked out incase I saw anything, and the "twist" wasn't really a satisfying one. 4/10

MRS BIXBY AND THE COLONEL'S COAT
I quite liked the spin at the end of this, even is I found the performance of Julie Harris slightly annoying. I was also expecting a horror element from the pawn shop, but that could just be because I'm used to Hammer. 6/10

WILLIAM AND MARY
A very darkly comic tale about a wife who find freedom after her husband's death, only to find his death isn't quite what she thought. Elaine Stritch desperately tries to make something from the material, but even at thirty minutes it seems to drag on a bit. 5/10

LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER
Absolutely everybody knows this short story I think, about the frozen meat being used as a murder weapon and then eaten by the Police. Susan George is damn fine in it, and Brian Blessed is surprisingly subdued. The direction's a bit flat though, so not quite as good as it could have been. 7/10

THE LANDLADY
This is possibly the best in the series so far, even if the lead male isn't quite as engaging as he should be. It's a genuinely creepy set-up with a quality pay off in the end. 8/10

NECK
Featuring Joan Collins playing against type as a bitchy posh woman, this is again one which falls quite some way of the mark, this time with the cast being far superior to the material, not least fellow guests Michael Aldridge, Sir John Gielgud and Peter Bowles. 5/10

I shall return with more ponderings!

[Milky Tears]

Big thanks to P-Bal for starting this thread.


I've been recording/watching Tales of the Unexpected on ITV3 since last June and I've now got a backlog of about twenty episodes. Had a thread on the old PS/too lazy to start a new one.

Most of the tales are about 5/10 efforts, but there's a 9/10 gem every five or six episodes.

Favourites from Series One include: 'Lamb to the Slaughter', 'The Landlady', A Dip In The Pool' and 'Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat'.

Things pick up a bit (well, a tiny bit ) in the second series with top tales like: 'Skin', 'Galloping Foxley', 'Poison', 'The Hitch-Hiker', Taste', 'Back For Christmas and the classic 'Royal Jelly' with Timothy West and Susan George.



Jacqueline Hill has turned up in two ITV3 episodes in the last month ('The Luncheon' and 'Accidental Death') and last week they screened Harry H Corbett's last TV appearance ('The Moles' also starring Fulton Mackay and Bill Owen).

It still ain't no Thriller or Hammer House of Horror. It probably isn't even as good as Hammer House of Mystery & Suspense.


Wait until you watch 'Edward the Conqueror'!

[P-Bal]

I can't understand why series on has more episodes on disc one than on disc two? Am I missing some detail here?

Series two is also a lot longer! I might invest in it, just through perseverence.

Do we get any Jackie Hill action in series one?

[Milky Tears]

Hill doesn't appear until Series 4 or 5!?

[P-Bal]

Goddammit, I'm not sure I can keep going that long!

How many wretched series were there?

[Nathan]

Maureen O'Brien turns up in her undies in one.

Then there is this frankly bizzare one about a turtle.

[Milky Tears]

The one with the sea turtle is 'The Boy Who Talked With Animals' starring Tony Osoba and EastEnders' Legend Oscar 'Tony Carpenter' James.


Looks like I was wrong about Hill's episodes earlier. They're from Season Six ('The Luncheon') and Season Seven ('Accidental Death').


There are nine or eleven seasons depending on which episode guide you read:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075592/episodes

ITV3 are currently showing Tales from Seasons Five to Seven ('The Skeleton Key' and 'The Mugger' last Friday). They jump about a bit and miss out all the US episodes.

[P-Bal]

My god, why did they make so many episodes?! It's a bit crappy! Did they think maybe they could chop the eleven series down into one moderately good one?

When can I see Maureen O'Brien in her panties with a turtle head?

[Milky Tears]

Vicki's in her knickis in Season Two's Depart In Peace. Think that's already be out on Region 2 DVD.

You should just watch them on ITV3. They might start repeating them again when they reach the end of the current run in two/three months.

[Milky Tears]

It was 'Clerical Error' and 'Last of the Midnight Gardeners' (with Jane Asher, Patrick Mower and Celia Gregory) on ITV3 tonight.

[Milky Tears]

ITV3 finally reach the end of their Tales of the Unexpected repeats tonight. It's only taken them a year and they haven't shown any of the US episodes.

Guess what?


They go right back to Season One with 'Man From The South' tonight at 11:25pm.

I've now got a fifty episode backlog to work my way through.