My Late Lamented Friend and Partner
Encyclopedia
"My Late Lamented Friend and Partner" is the pilot episode of the popular 1969 British
television series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
starring Mike Pratt, Kenneth Cope
and Annette Andre
. The episode was first broadcast on 21 September 1969 on ITV
. Directed by Cyril Frankel
.
), knowing that he won't be able to keep hold of his business
assets in the steel company where he works, as her father founded the company and she is a major shareholder
.
Knowing this, Mr. Sorrensen contacts a firm specialising on contract killings on the number 0676750. With Jeff away on business, Marty (Kenneth Cope) travels to the Sorrensen's the next day, with the intention of speaking to Mrs. Sorrensen's solicitor
with her present. However, before he can get to do so, Fay is electrocuted in her bath upstairs, by a cable threaded through a hole in the wall from a van outside masquerading as an electricity van, operated by Dave Carter
.
Later, Marty speaks to four children on the street, who tell him about the cable leading up into the house - an activity seen from above by Mr. Sorrensen. Attempting to blame her death on her weak heart, Sorrensen then tries to cover his tracks by arranging to have Marty killed.
A beatnik
known as Mr. Hendy hitches a ride with a local club singer known as Happy Lee, then, when she grows tired of his conversation and drops him off half-way, he tries to hitch another lift with Marty outside his house. As Marty turns down any offer of giving the beatnik a lift, Hendy becomes witness to Marty's murder as he is driven down by a black saloon car. The beatnik leaps into the vehicle and wrestles a gun out of the killer's hand, extorting £500 from him in order to keep quiet to the police
.
After attending Marty's funeral, Jeff tries to get some sleep, only to be woken at midnight by Marty calling him repeatedly on the telephone. After alternately believing it to be a hoax and his imagination, Jeff manages to sleep until he awakes in a trance at 4am under Marty's influence, and drives down to the cemetery
to meet him. There Marty tells Jeff he was murdered, and urges him to continue investigating. Jeff does so, speaking to Sorrensen, Happy Lee and the Beatnik. Finally he tracks down the fake electrician and driver portrayed by actor Dave Carter
and he is found murdered by carbon monoxide
gas poisoning in his home at 2B Tower House, Fulham Road.
Jeff and Marty decide that the only thing to do is to force Sorrensen to play his hand, so Jeff pays him a visit and Jeff pretends that Marty left him a note informing him of his suspicions of Sorenson before he was killed, and demands £25,000 otherwise he'll go to the police with non-existent statement from Marty. Sorrensen goes straight to his accomplices to arrange Jeff's murder, whereby Marty blows a newspaper on their car windscreen, crashing the car, and leaving them surrounded by pre-arranged policemen. Unfortunately for Marty, he's stayed on the case for so long that daylight has broken, forcing him to walk the Earth for a hundred years, with only Jeff able to see or hear him.
, West London. Their office exterior was represented by a doorway of Adams Furniture and Fabric store on the corner of Kymberly Road and Springfield Road in Harrow
and the graveyard exteriors were filmed on the backlot at the ABC Elstree studios in Borehamwood, next to a row of poplar trees. Eaton Place in Belgravia
, South West London (Sorrenson's home). Eaton Mews, North Belgravia (Happy Lee's home), and Queens Gate Terrace on The Fulham Road. The final part of the episode features extensive footage shot in Central London
including Cannon Street
passing St Paul's Cathedral, Wood Street, St. Alphage Gardens, Roman House, St. Alphage High Walk and the junction of Moor Lane.
The stunt arranger for the series was Frank Maher
, who worked on Department S
at the same time, he had previously performed the same job on Danger Man
(1964-66) and The Prisoner
(1966/67). Harry Fielder
was the stand in/stunt double for Mike Pratt and Douglas Lockyer did the same for Kenneth Cope. Other stunt men used on the series included Rocky Taylor, Les Crawford, Alf Joint, Bill Sawyer and Mike Reid.
A finished print of the episode was completed in early October 1968. According to the ITC
synopsis book to accompany the series, where it is listed as episode one, "This Episode Must Be Transmitted First."
Silent behind-the-scenes footage of this episode was included as an extra on the fourth region 2 DVD. Shot by a 2nd unit crew using stand-ins for the leads, the sequence ran to 53 seconds.
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 21 September 1969 on 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...
. Directed by Cyril Frankel
Cyril Frankel
Cyril Frankel is a British film and television director, now retired. His career in television began in 1953 and he directed for over 30 TV programmes until 1990....
.
Synopsis
Jeff Randall (Mike Pratt) is on a divorce case for a Fay Sorrensen (Anne Sharp), and presents her with many photographs of her husband in intimate situations with other women. Mrs. Sorrensen, who is apparently suffering from heart problems, plans to divorce her husband Mr. Sorensen (Frank WindsorFrank Windsor
Frank Windsor is an English actor, mainly on television.He attended Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall. He began his career on radio and made an appearance in a 1953 film of Henry V...
), knowing that he won't be able to keep hold of his business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
assets in the steel company where he works, as her father founded the company and she is a major shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
.
Knowing this, Mr. Sorrensen contacts a firm specialising on contract killings on the number 0676750. With Jeff away on business, Marty (Kenneth Cope) travels to the Sorrensen's the next day, with the intention of speaking to Mrs. Sorrensen's solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
with her present. However, before he can get to do so, Fay is electrocuted in her bath upstairs, by a cable threaded through a hole in the wall from a van outside masquerading as an electricity van, operated by Dave Carter
Dave Carter (actor)
Dave Carter was a British television actor, active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He made some 36 appearances between 1966 and 1989.He had a minor role in the pilot episode of Randall and Hopkirk in the episode, My Late Lamented Friend and Partner. He later appeared in Doctor Who and The...
.
Later, Marty speaks to four children on the street, who tell him about the cable leading up into the house - an activity seen from above by Mr. Sorrensen. Attempting to blame her death on her weak heart, Sorrensen then tries to cover his tracks by arranging to have Marty killed.
A beatnik
Beatnik
Beatnik was a media stereotype of the 1950s and early 1960s that displayed the more superficial aspects of the Beat Generation literary movement of the 1950s and violent film images, along with a cartoonish depiction of the real-life people and the spiritual quest in Jack Kerouac's autobiographical...
known as Mr. Hendy hitches a ride with a local club singer known as Happy Lee, then, when she grows tired of his conversation and drops him off half-way, he tries to hitch another lift with Marty outside his house. As Marty turns down any offer of giving the beatnik a lift, Hendy becomes witness to Marty's murder as he is driven down by a black saloon car. The beatnik leaps into the vehicle and wrestles a gun out of the killer's hand, extorting £500 from him in order to keep quiet to the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
to meet him. There Marty tells Jeff he was murdered, and urges him to continue investigating. Jeff does so, speaking to Sorrensen, Happy Lee and the Beatnik. Finally he tracks down the fake electrician and driver portrayed by actor Dave Carter
Dave Carter (actor)
Dave Carter was a British television actor, active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He made some 36 appearances between 1966 and 1989.He had a minor role in the pilot episode of Randall and Hopkirk in the episode, My Late Lamented Friend and Partner. He later appeared in Doctor Who and The...
and he is found murdered by carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
gas poisoning in his home at 2B Tower House, Fulham Road.
Jeff and Marty decide that the only thing to do is to force Sorrensen to play his hand, so Jeff pays him a visit and Jeff pretends that Marty left him a note informing him of his suspicions of Sorenson before he was killed, and demands £25,000 otherwise he'll go to the police with non-existent statement from Marty. Sorrensen goes straight to his accomplices to arrange Jeff's murder, whereby Marty blows a newspaper on their car windscreen, crashing the car, and leaving them surrounded by pre-arranged policemen. Unfortunately for Marty, he's stayed on the case for so long that daylight has broken, forcing him to walk the Earth for a hundred years, with only Jeff able to see or hear him.
Cast
- Mike Pratt as Jeff RandallJeff RandallJeff Randall is a fictional character played by Mike Pratt in the original private detective series, Randall and Hopkirk from 1969 to 1971 and by Bob Mortimer in the BBC remake...
- 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 HopkirkMarty HopkirkMarty 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... - 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 - Anne Sharp .... Fay Sorrenson
- Frank WindsorFrank WindsorFrank Windsor is an English actor, mainly on television.He attended Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall. He began his career on radio and made an appearance in a 1953 film of Henry V...
.... John Sorrenson - Dave CarterDave Carter (actor)Dave Carter was a British television actor, active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He made some 36 appearances between 1966 and 1989.He had a minor role in the pilot episode of Randall and Hopkirk in the episode, My Late Lamented Friend and Partner. He later appeared in Doctor Who and The...
.... Electrician - Makki Marseilles .... Manservant
- Tom ChattoTom ChattoTom Chatto was a British actor. He made some 28 appearances between 1957 and his death. Chatto appeared mostly in films, including Oscar Wilde in which he played the Clerk of Arraigns ....
.... Doctor - Ronald LaceyRonald LaceyRonald Lacey was an English actor. He made numerous television and film appearances over a 30 year period and is perhaps best remembered for his villainous roles in Hollywood films, most famously Major Arnold Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark.-Career:Lacey attended Harrow Weald Grammar School and...
.... Beatnik - Harry LockeHarry LockeHarry Locke was a British character actor.He was born and died in London. He was a familiar face in three decades of British cinema, with appearances including Passport to Pimlico , Reach for the Sky , Carry On Nurse , The Devil-Ship Pirates and The Family Way .In 1969 he appeared in Randall...
.... Night Porter at Jeff's apartment block - Dolores MantezDolores MantezDolores Mantez born c.1938 is a retired British television actress of the 1960s and early 1970s best known for her appearances in the UFO television series...
.... Happy Lee - James Donnelly .... Detective
- Anthony SagarAnthony SagarAnthony Sagar was an English character actor. Although rarely receiving top billing, he was regarded as a stalwart and appeared in many well-known films and in many television sitcoms and dramas such as The Moonstone, Dad's Army, The Avengers and Steptoe and Son.-Career:Sagar was born in...
.... Hotel Proprietor - Harold InnocentHarold InnocentHarold Sidney Innocent was a British actor who appeared in many film and television roles.After attending Broad Street Secondary Modern School in Coventry, Innocent worked for a short time as an office clerk...
.... Hit Man
Production
The exteriors of Jeff's flat were shot at Hanover House near the corner of St. John's High Street, North West London and Marty's flat exteriors were shot at a flat in Lauderdale Road in Maida ValeMaida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
, West London. Their office exterior was represented by a doorway of Adams Furniture and Fabric store on the corner of Kymberly Road and Springfield Road in Harrow
London Borough of Harrow
The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough of north-west London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and other London boroughs: Hillingdon to the west, Ealing to the south, Brent to the south-east and Barnet to the east.-History:...
and the graveyard exteriors were filmed on the backlot at the ABC Elstree studios in Borehamwood, next to a row of poplar trees. Eaton Place in Belgravia
Belgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
, South West London (Sorrenson's home). Eaton Mews, North Belgravia (Happy Lee's home), and Queens Gate Terrace on The Fulham Road. The final part of the episode features extensive footage shot in Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
including Cannon Street
Cannon Street
Cannon Street is a road in the south of the City of London. It runs roughly parallel with the River Thames, and about 250 metres north of it. It is the site of the ancient London Stone.-Etymology:...
passing St Paul's Cathedral, Wood Street, St. Alphage Gardens, Roman House, St. Alphage High Walk and the junction of Moor Lane.
The stunt arranger for the series was Frank Maher
Frank Maher (stuntman)
Frank Maher was a British stuntman, most famous for his roles as a stuntman or stunt coordinator in a vast range of British TV shows in particular the TV series Danger Man in which he frequently acted as a stunt double for the series star Patrick McGoohan.-Early career:He was born in London on 18...
, who worked on Department S
Department S
Department S is a United Kingdom spy-fi adventure series produced by ITC Entertainment. The series consists of 28 episodes which originally aired in 1969–1970. It starred Peter Wyngarde as author Jason King , Joel Fabiani as Stewart Sullivan, and Rosemary Nicols as computer expert Annabelle Hurst...
at the same time, he had previously performed the same job on Danger Man
Danger Man
Danger Man is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the program and wrote many of the scripts...
(1964-66) and The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
(1966/67). Harry Fielder
Harry Fielder
Harry Fielder is an English actor and supporting artist who has worked extensively in British films and television since the 1960s.Fielder was born in Islington, London...
was the stand in/stunt double for Mike Pratt and Douglas Lockyer did the same for Kenneth Cope. Other stunt men used on the series included Rocky Taylor, Les Crawford, Alf Joint, Bill Sawyer and Mike Reid.
A finished print of the episode was completed in early October 1968. According to the 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:...
synopsis book to accompany the series, where it is listed as episode one, "This Episode Must Be Transmitted First."
Silent behind-the-scenes footage of this episode was included as an extra on the fourth region 2 DVD. Shot by a 2nd unit crew using stand-ins for the leads, the sequence ran to 53 seconds.