The House on Haunted Hill
Encyclopedia
The House on Haunted Hill is the ninth 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 16 November 1969 on the ITV
. Directed by Ray Austin.
theft from the company Mortland, the other investigating a haunted house, Merston Manor, for an Estate Agent, Mr. Webster. Realising he can't work on both cases at once, Jeff compiles witness statements from workers at Mortland, while the ghost
Marty is sent to investigate the Manor. Jeff in his spare time visits the manor and is scared away by ghostly phenomenon upstairs.
Jeff is summoned alone to a warehouse meeting, whereby he is threatened by the Mortland company Sales Director, Walter Previss, and offered £5000 if he writes the case off as an outside job. Rejecting both bribe and threat, Jeff goes ahead with his plan to expose Previss and is only halted when Previss reveals they've kidnapped Jeannie's sister to ensure his silence.
Searching for Jenny, Jeff is contacted by Webster asking why his car which he'd lent to Jenny - was parked outside his house. Realizing where the manor is where the kidnappers took Jenny he travels there to investigate. With Marty too terrified to find out the strange phenomenon upstairs, Jeff investigates and discovers a sensor in the wall that triggers an electronic ghost system upstairs to scare away visitors and that the house is being used as a hideout for the diamond operation. Jeff goes upstairs but is overpowered and tied up along with Jenny, and it's left to Marty to get help. He attends a psychic meeting nearby where the Manor is being discussed, and contacts an elderly speaker to communicate with the rest of the group. Together, they descend on the Manor, rescuing Jeff at the last minute, though thanks in part to Previss, who decides to free Jeff and Jenny rather than murder them as instructed.
and several times on dvd with differing special features.
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 16 November 1969 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...
. Directed by Ray Austin.
Synopsis
Jeff is hired simultaneously on two apparently separate cases, one investigating a diamondDiamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
theft from the company Mortland, the other investigating a haunted house, Merston Manor, for an Estate Agent, Mr. Webster. Realising he can't work on both cases at once, Jeff compiles witness statements from workers at Mortland, while the ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
Marty is sent to investigate the Manor. Jeff in his spare time visits the manor and is scared away by ghostly phenomenon upstairs.
Jeff is summoned alone to a warehouse meeting, whereby he is threatened by the Mortland company Sales Director, Walter Previss, and offered £5000 if he writes the case off as an outside job. Rejecting both bribe and threat, Jeff goes ahead with his plan to expose Previss and is only halted when Previss reveals they've kidnapped Jeannie's sister to ensure his silence.
Searching for Jenny, Jeff is contacted by Webster asking why his car which he'd lent to Jenny - was parked outside his house. Realizing where the manor is where the kidnappers took Jenny he travels there to investigate. With Marty too terrified to find out the strange phenomenon upstairs, Jeff investigates and discovers a sensor in the wall that triggers an electronic ghost system upstairs to scare away visitors and that the house is being used as a hideout for the diamond operation. Jeff goes upstairs but is overpowered and tied up along with Jenny, and it's left to Marty to get help. He attends a psychic meeting nearby where the Manor is being discussed, and contacts an elderly speaker to communicate with the rest of the group. Together, they descend on the Manor, rescuing Jeff at the last minute, though thanks in part to Previss, who decides to free Jeff and Jenny rather than murder them as instructed.
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 - Judith ArthyJudith ArthyJudith Arthy born c.1940 Brisbane, Australia is an Australian actress, now retired, and writer.Arthy made her professional debut with the Brisbane Repertory Theater in 1958 and from 1961 appeared onstage in Sydney - initially in Alan Seymour's The One Day of the Year - and later in Melbourne...
.... Jennifer(Jenny) - Keith BuckleyKeith Buckley (actor)Keith Buckley is a British actor who has mostly appeared on television since 1958.Buckley has made some appearances in film and television appearing in The Avengers and Randall and Hopkirk in the 1960s and The New Avengers in the 1970s.-Selected filmography:* Spring and Port Wine * The Pied Piper...
.... Lattimer - Jeremy BurnhamJeremy BurnhamJeremy Burnham is a British television actor of the 1960s and 1970s and a screenwriter.Burnham began in the late 1950s as an actor and appeared in many popular British TV series such as The Avengers, The Saint and Randall and Hopkirk in 1969....
.... Walter Previss - George A. CooperGeorge A. CooperGeorge A. Cooper is an English actor.One of his best-known roles was as the caretaker Mr. Griffiths in the long-running children's TV series Grange Hill...
.... Webster - Terry DugganTerry DugganTerry Duggan was a comedian and actor who had a successful career in cabaret and variety and played numerous character roles on television. He was married to the actress Anna Karen, best-known for playing the part of Olive in the ITV sitcom On the Buses, in which Duggan frequently appeared.Duggan...
.... Jackson - Peter JonesPeter Jones (actor)Peter Jones was an English actor, screenwriter and broadcaster.-Early life and career:Jones was born in Wem, Shropshire and he was educated at the Wem Grammar School and Ellesmere College. He made his first appearance as an actor in Wolverhampton at the age of 16 and then appeared in repertory...
.... Frederick P. Waller - Dermot Kelly .... Henry Mace Horsfall
- William KendallWilliam Kendall (actor)-Filmography:* Good Night, Vienna * That's a Good Girl * The King's Cup * Doctor's Orders * Debt of Honour * This'll Make You Whistle * Sweet Devil * The Sky's the Limit...
.... Col. Jarrett - John Kidd .... Simpson
- Duncan LamontDuncan LamontDuncan William Ferguson Lamont was a British actor. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, but brought up in Scotland, he had a long and successful career in film and television, appearing in a variety of high-profile productions....
.... Langford - Garfield MorganGarfield MorganGarfield Morgan was an English actor who appeared mostly on TV and occasionally in films.Born in Birmingham, Morgan was apprenticed as a dental mechanic before going to drama school. He started his acting career with the Arena Theatre, Birmingham...
.... Carlson - David Sinclair .... Smith
Video and DVD release
The episode was released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and several times on dvd with differing special features.
External links
- http://www.anorakzone.com/randall/old/index.html