Man in a Suitcase
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| ITC Entertainment Distributions | |
|---|---|
| Man in a Suitcase | |
 British DVD release |
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| Format | Action Adventure |
| Running time | 50 min. |
| Created by | Dennis Spooner Richard Harris |
| Starring | Richard Bradford |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Network | ATV |
| Original run | 27 September 1967 – 17 April 1968 |
| No. of episodes | 30 |
Man in a Suitcase was a 1967 television series produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment.
Contents |
[edit] Origins and overview
Man in a Suitcase was effectively a replacement for Danger Man, whose production had been curtailed when its star Patrick McGoohan had decided to create his own series, The Prisoner. Many of the Danger Man production crew moved over to the new series, which was initially to be titled McGill after its lead character. Like several ITC productions, the series would use an American star in an attempt to boost the show's sales in the US. An early choice was Jack Lord, but the part of McGill eventually went to Richard Bradford, a method actor who was spotted after appearing opposite Marlon Brando in the 1966 movie The Chase. The series was created by Richard Harris and Dennis Spooner. Neither writer had any further involvement with the series - Spooner was mostly involved with producing his own series, The Champions - and the lead character changed somewhat from their original conception of a hard-boiled, wise-cracking detective.
McGill was a former US Intelligence agent, who had been forced to resign from the service six years prior to the opening episode, practically accused of treason. Unable to clear his name or return to the USA, McGill makes ends meet by working as a travelling private detective and bounty hunter, based in Britain, living out of his suitcase (hence the title). His cases generally took him to different parts of Europe (and on a couple of occasions Africa.)
A distinctive feature of the show was the theme tune composed by Ron Grainer, a catchy, jazzy number. This was later appropriated by Chris Evans as the theme for his entertainment show TFI Friday. The incidental music was supplied by Albert Elms.
[edit] Story and style
In the Pilot episode, 'Man From The Dead' we discover the reason for McGill's disgrace. During an assignment six years previously, he discovered that a top Western scientist called LeFarbe was preparing to defect to the USSR. Though he planned to intercept the defector, he was ordered to stand down by his superior Harry Thyssen. Shortly afterwards, LeFarbe went over to the Russians. Accused of complicity in the defection, McGill was unable to call on Thyssen to clear his name, as his superior had been drowned in a sailing accident, and he was forced to resign from the service amid much negative publicity. Six years on, McGill discovers that Thyssen is still alive, his death having been faked. He is now working as a sailor on a Russian freighter, in which capacity he acts as a courier of secret information from LeFarbe. The scientist is in fact a double agent, now highly placed in the soviet scientific community to provide valuable intelligence. As McGill's diligence nearly blew open this important operation, his superiors had no choice but to make him a very public scapegoat, in order to maintain the illusion of the LeFarbe defection as genuine. (It should be noted that on the series first broadcast on ATV Midlands 'Man From The Dead' was screened as the sixth episode, 'Brainwash' thought to be a stronger tale was in fact broadcast first.)
Building on this foundation, Man in a Suitcase was a series very much about betrayal, mistrust and deceit. Because of his unofficial, semi-legal status, McGill often found himself being hired by unscrupulous clients and unwittingly used for criminal ends, or set up as a fall guy. On several occasions, characters from his past with US Intelligence drew him into dangerous situations; and he could also be blackmailed or tricked into participating in espionage missions, as he was the perfect deniable operative. A number of the series writers were new to ITC, and this resulted in a show that was markedly different from the usual light-hearted adventure and espionage fantasy of such series. It highlighted character-based drama grounded in a cynical view of the real world, making it more akin to the spy novels of John le Carré and Len Deighton.
As developed by Bradford, the characterization of McGill was complex. As a man who felt betrayed by life and his country, he could appear outwardly as surly, moody and uncommunicative. But this masked a sensitive interior. McGill felt compassion for those who were the victims in his cases, and would try to help them, often to his own cost.
The level of violence portrayed in the show was unprecedented for an ITC series. This was partly because of Bradford's concerns that the stories and characters should remain real. Unlike most TV action heroes of the time, McGill would not get cleanly knocked unconscious and then recover without effect - Bradford took great pains to depict the character as wounded and concussed. In addition to beatings, McGill is several times shot and stabbed, and ends more than one episode recovering in hospital.
One gimmick of the show is that McGill's first name is never revealed, though some close friends know him as "Mac".
Another aspect of the show was the fact that all of the episodes have No epilogue. Which is to say that most TV series have a wrap up scene at the end of their episodes. Not Man In a Suitcase. When McGill has finished the job, the episode almost abruptly starts end credits. Often you can feel a little cheated if you don't think the story is quite over, but rest assure, real life situations generally end without fanfare, and so do these episodes.
As with the other ITC series of the era, although the plots took McGill far and wide around the world, in reality the majority of filming was done in and around Pinewood Studios. The series was unusual in its use of night-time filming (as opposed to the day for night approach common at the time). Actual locations included London's South Bank (Man from the Dead) and Kingston-upon-Thames (Day of Execution), the latter a setting for a remarkable (for its time) night-time car chase.
[edit] Cast
Richard Bradford is the only regular actor in the series. Guest stars include some ITC stalwarts such as Stuart Damon, Jane Merrow, Basil Dignam, Ed Bishop, Anton Rodgers, George Sewell, Philip Madoc and John Gregson; and such actors as Barbara Shelley, Rodney Bewes, Felicity Kendal, Rupert Davies, Colin Blakely, Ray McAnally, Bernard Lee, Jacqueline Pearce and Donald Sutherland.
[edit] Episodes
ATV Midlands Original Broadcast (27 September 1967 - 17 April 1968)
- Brainwash
- The Sitting Pigeon
- Day of Execution
- Variation on a Million Bucks part 1
- Variation on a Million Bucks part 2
- Man From The Dead
- Sweet Sue
- Essay in Evil
- The Girl Who Never Was
- All That Glitters
- Dead Man's Shoes
- Find the Lady
- The Bridge
- The Man Who Stood Still
- Burden of Proof
- The Whisper
- Why They Killed Nolan
- The Boston Square
- Somebody Loses, Somebody ... Wins?
- Blind Spot
- No Friend of Mine
- Jigsaw Man
- Web With Four Spiders
- Which Way Did He Go, McGill?
- The Property of A Gentleman
- The Revolutionaries
- Who's Mad Now?
- Three Blinks of the Eyes
- Castle in the Clouds
- Night Flight to Andorra
The two part story Variation on a Million Bucks was edited into a feature film for theatrical release in Europe, entitled To Chase a Million.
[edit] DVD
The entire series has been released on DVD - in Britain as a digitally re-mastered box set by Network Video. Prior to this, Carlton Video had released a single disc with the first two episodes. The series is also available in Australia from Umbrella Entertainment in a superb box set and offers a superior print to the other releases.
The DVD release in the UK is an excellent transfer from Network Video. The transfer is so rich that in one episode two actors are talking to each other and there are audible (unintentional) stomach gurgling sounds. There are 8 discs (Region 2 UK) Extras consist of commercial bumpers both US and UK a music only track on one or two episodes and an interesting interview with series star Richard Bradford where he sometimes vehemently describes the working conditions and former producers of the show. This is a must pick-up for even casual fans. If your player won't play region 2 DVD's do an internet search to see if you can convert your current player to all region player via your remote.
[edit] Other Media
British sludge metal band GZR released an eponymous homage to the series as the first track on their 1997 album Black Science.
British "alternative" stand-up comedian Ted Chippington's 1986 debut album on Birmingham's Vindaloo record label was also entitled "Man in a Suitcase".
[edit] External links
http://maninasuitcase.mysite.orange.co.uk/
- Man in a Suitcase at the Internet Movie Database
- Cast lists for each episode
- Man in a Suitcase: fansite with episode guide and background information
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