That's Me Over There

I did not remind this episode, so I discover it and it's pretty efficient. Easy to follow plot, convincing villains, good pace, I appreciate this episode where there is not many comedy lines, except Danny impersonating Brett, that's funny and brilliant. Our leads have to fight against a bunch of villains who look delicious, compared to the other bad guys that we saw in the other episodes. Good directing, very fluid story telling. Besides this, there is nothing exceptional, no highlight nor unforgettable scenes, just a rare efficiency in the overall result. But I am still surprised not to remember it from my childhood. It takes place in Britain, not on the French Riviera. And no real girl supporting character here, not as much as usual, at least.

The episode is saved from being plain by the surprising turn of events as feisty Prue, the girl from "The Old, The New, And The Deadly" turns up again. Prior to this, the leading lady, Suzan Farmer, gave a lackluster performance, I am sorry to say. She absolutely failed to generate any real interest, and was one tiny step away from sinking away into an abyss of boredom.

But the right girl dived onto the script, the delightfully spunky Juliet Harmer. She makes the other girls look positively slow, even though there is an abundance of pretty models as set decoration - she stands out like a rose amongst daisies. Notice the conspiratorial laugh in her scene with Danny (Tony Curtis) - she has live pulsing through her veins, while the others are made of cardboard. There is a most thrilling car chase scene during which Juliet is just absolutely the perfect choice, 100% ideal for the part. What's more, all of a sudden the whole episode is turned from a sad loser to... Well, in all fairness, not even Juliet could turn it into a winner. But instead of being a sad loser, it is now just a (for the most part) loser.

I've always stressed the importance of a sparkling leading lady in film. The girl is everything. Screw the special effects, show me the likable girl... Here we have a wonderful example of an actress creating viewer interest the moment she appears on the screen, livening up an otherwise dull affair.

Okay, so early Seventies fashion needs the soft look, and all those fur coats would today cause a public outcry, but as a testament to its time, THE PERSUADERS! can't be beat!

THE PERSUADERS! - classic sports cars and some really cute dolly birds. Chuckles aplenty goofing about with a fading star and the upcoming James Bond. A recipe in there for greatness. One big fruitcake. Fun, though.

In the auction scene where Danny pretends to be Brett he has a conversation with a guy who discusses a Mummy and says everyone needs a Mummy! The actor played "Mother" in The Avengers!

This episode of "The Persuaders" was written by one of my favourites writers for British television, the late Brian Clemens. Best known for his work on "The Avengers", "The New Avengers" and "The Professionals", he also wrote many episodes of the excellent "Thriller" TV series. Whenever I saw his name in the credits of a programme, it was always with a sense of anticipation and I was actually surprised to see that he wrote this episode for this altogether more relaxed and light-hearted series. Cutting his cloth accordingly, while it may have started like a vintage case for Steed and Peel, as a pair of employees, a young man and woman, seek to expose the nefarious operations of a highly respected and extremely powerful captain of industry by the name of Krane, but I might as well call him Murwell or Maxdoch, if you catch my drift, it soon relaxes into another easy-going case for the intrepid duo to crack.

The young man in question is caught in the act and conveniently falls off a roof leaving the young woman to try to get their proof, a tape recording, to the proper channels and so expose and bring the criminal kingpin to justice which of course is when she bumps into our heroes who, egged on by the judge, join the fray.

The highlights of this episode are when Danny and Brett are forced to impersonate one another with outrageous accents and mannerisms to match, there are entertaining scenes at an auction where Danny unwittingly commits Brett to an extravagant purchase before the usual punch-up at the end sees our heroes prevail and the big baddie taken down.

So, even if it didn't perhaps exhibit Clemens' more typical cleverly-plotted style, with entertaining dialogue put over as ever in the usual winning Curtis and Moore style, this was still an above average episode of what was, as childhood memory serves and modern-day rewatches prove, an entertaining and enjoyable series.

Lovely Susan Farmer, frequent guest star with Roger Moore from "The Saint" is a young woman determined to bring down a ruthless tycoon (Geoffrey Keen, frequent co-star with Moore as James Bond).

This episode begins with Farmer and a young man doing one of those stupid things people do in TV shows, viz.: after burglarizing an office, taking the time to use the telephone rather than getting the heck out of there and using the pay phone on the corner.

This episode involves genuine danger but also has Curtis, doing his now-you-hear-it-now-you-don't Cary Grant impression, at a "North by Northwest" sort of auction.

IMHO the auction cheapens the danger, but there's a good pay-off in the tag so stick around for the end.