The Smile Behind the Veil
Encyclopedia
"The Smile Behind the Veil" is the final episode
of the popular 1969 ITC
British
television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
, starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope
, and Annette Andre
. The episode was first broadcast on 13 March 1970 on the ITV
and was directed by Jeremy Summers
.
mourner (Hilary Tindall
) to complete the entire series. As Jeannie visits Marty's grave, Marty stumbles upon a hidden murder mystery as the funeral mourners in the next grave look highly suspicious. He visits Jeff and begs him to pursue the case, despite any physical evidence. Jeff refuses, due to ongoing financial difficulty; but by chance, he is on the way to visit a client in the vicinity of the perpetrators, near Goldehurst, and Marty is able to switch road signs to get him to visit their estate.
Jeff arrives innocently at their manor house, asking for directions, but the guilty funeral mourners, overlooking the will of their recently murdered friend, search him, realise he is a private eye, and lock him up. Soon enough, they dump him in a river
(where he nearly encounters death by drowning) and is saved by a fisherman from becoming a permanent white-suited ghost, like his friend Marty Hopkirk
.
Again by chance, the fisherman, Donald Seaton, turns out to be a related to the murder case in that he believes his identity has been stolen by the funeral mourners whilst he was away in Australia. He hires Jeff for the case.
Jeff investigates the mansion, and in doing so, encounters the elderly housekeeper—who, like him, is looking for official information to prove that the man at the funeral is an imposter. Jeff also tracks down a lead to a man in a farm
barn
who was once an employee of Donald Seaton, but he is shot by one of the funeral mourners.
Eventually, it turns out that Cynthia (Hilary Tindall
) was actually once the wife of the real Donald Seaton, but had divorced, and her new husband is pretending to be the real Seaton in order to sell off the large valuable estate; but this is not before Jeff Randall is thrown down a well, leaving Marty to attract some passers-by to make a wish, with a filthy dirty Randall replying, "Get me out of this perishing well!" as the series ends.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the popular 1969 ITC
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...
, starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope
Kenneth Cope
Kenneth Cope is an English actor. He is most famous for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in Randall and Hopkirk , Jed Stone in Coronation Street and Ray Hilton in Brookside.- Career :...
, and Annette Andre
Annette Andre
Annette Andre is an Australian actress best known for her work on British television throughout the 1960s and 1970s. She was educated at Brigidine College, Sydney. Her father was an upholsterer....
. The episode was first broadcast on 13 March 1970 on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and was directed by Jeremy Summers
Jeremy Summers
Jeremy Summers is a retired British television director and film director, best known for his directorship of ITC productions in the 1960s and 1970s, most notably The Saint.-Background:...
.
Synopsis
Only a ghost would notice the smile behind the veil of a funeralFuneral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
mourner (Hilary Tindall
Hilary Tindall
Hilary Tindall was an English stage and television actress. She is best remembered for the role of Ann Hammond in the BBC television series The Brothers....
) to complete the entire series. As Jeannie visits Marty's grave, Marty stumbles upon a hidden murder mystery as the funeral mourners in the next grave look highly suspicious. He visits Jeff and begs him to pursue the case, despite any physical evidence. Jeff refuses, due to ongoing financial difficulty; but by chance, he is on the way to visit a client in the vicinity of the perpetrators, near Goldehurst, and Marty is able to switch road signs to get him to visit their estate.
Jeff arrives innocently at their manor house, asking for directions, but the guilty funeral mourners, overlooking the will of their recently murdered friend, search him, realise he is a private eye, and lock him up. Soon enough, they dump him in a river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
(where he nearly encounters death by drowning) and is saved by a fisherman from becoming a permanent white-suited ghost, like his friend Marty Hopkirk
Marty Hopkirk
Marty Hopkirk is a fictional ghost played by English actor Kenneth Cope in the television private detective series Randall and Hopkirk from 1969 to early 1970...
.
Again by chance, the fisherman, Donald Seaton, turns out to be a related to the murder case in that he believes his identity has been stolen by the funeral mourners whilst he was away in Australia. He hires Jeff for the case.
Jeff investigates the mansion, and in doing so, encounters the elderly housekeeper—who, like him, is looking for official information to prove that the man at the funeral is an imposter. Jeff also tracks down a lead to a man in a farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
who was once an employee of Donald Seaton, but he is shot by one of the funeral mourners.
Eventually, it turns out that Cynthia (Hilary Tindall
Hilary Tindall
Hilary Tindall was an English stage and television actress. She is best remembered for the role of Ann Hammond in the BBC television series The Brothers....
) was actually once the wife of the real Donald Seaton, but had divorced, and her new husband is pretending to be the real Seaton in order to sell off the large valuable estate; but this is not before Jeff Randall is thrown down a well, leaving Marty to attract some passers-by to make a wish, with a filthy dirty Randall replying, "Get me out of this perishing well!" as the series ends.
Cast
- Mike Pratt as Jeff Randall
- Kenneth CopeKenneth CopeKenneth Cope is an English actor. He is most famous for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in Randall and Hopkirk , Jed Stone in Coronation Street and Ray Hilton in Brookside.- Career :...
as Marty Hopkirk - Annette AndreAnnette AndreAnnette Andre is an Australian actress best known for her work on British television throughout the 1960s and 1970s. She was educated at Brigidine College, Sydney. Her father was an upholsterer....
as Jeannie Hopkirk - John Bott ... Dyson
- David Forbes ... Police Constable
- Robin Hawdon ... Grant
- George HoweGeorge Howe (actor)George Winchester Howe was an English actor and comedian who appeared in numerous stage, film and television roles.-External links:*...
... Brooks - Freda JacksonFreda JacksonFreda Maud Jackson was an English stage actress who also worked in film and TV. Born in Nottingham, she was famous for her stage role as the cruel landlady Mrs. Voray in the play No Room at the Inn in the mid-1940s; she appeared in the film adaptation of 1948...
... Mrs. Evans - Clare Jenkins ... Female Hiker
- Peter Jesson ... Hooper
- Peter Lawrence ... Policeman
- Michael RadfordMichael RadfordMichael Radford is an English film director and screenwriter.-Early life and career:Radford was born on 24 February 1946, in New Delhi, India, to a British father and an Austrian Jewish mother. He was educated at Bedford School before attending Worcester College, Oxford...
... Male Hiker - Alex ScottAlex Scott (actor)Alex Scott is an Australian–British television actor best known for his appearances in British television productions of the 1960s, including The Avengers, Danger Man, The Saint and the final episode of Randall and Hopkirk .He made over 60 appearances on British TV between 1955 and the 1990s but...
... Seaton - Hilary TindallHilary TindallHilary Tindall was an English stage and television actress. She is best remembered for the role of Ann Hammond in the BBC television series The Brothers....
... Cynthia - Gary WatsonGary WatsonGary Watson is a retired British television actor who started out as a stage actor most notably acting in Friedrich Hebbel's 1962 play Judith at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, England with Sean Connery...
... Donald Seaton
External links
- http://www.anorakzone.com/randall/old/index.html