RBWTV September 22nd 2024
Another careful excavation of the treasure buried deep in the archives of the Golden Age of British television - that's 1956 (The Suez Crisis) to 1974 (The Three Day Week). With Dave back from his Volvo hunting in Italy, we explore, as promised, the mysteries of Edgar Wallace now unspooling again on Talking Pictures TV. A host of familiar faces have a crack at playing unfamiliar roles - good guys and gals get a chance to turn villainous and actors best known for a bit of menace join the side of the angels. Originally made as quota quickie B-movies, they were repackaged for television with three versions of the sinister theme tune (including a fast paced one by The Shadows).
Guy Morgan and David Newell try to make sense of the plots, note one famous producer who repeatedly got cast as a Brummie tearaway before stepping behind the cameras and select one episode which would have been a noir classic if it was in French.
But first, they pay tribute to both David Graham and Kenneth Cope who recently passed away in their 90s after long and distinguished careers and also to Cleo Sylvestre for her pioneering work on screens big and small.
As always, rights in all music and clips belong to the holders and are used here for educational purposes.
