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Gideon, TVs
new detective
By NAN MUSGROVE
"Gideon's Way," premiered last week on TCN9,
introduces a new detective, Commander Gideon. He is
a Scotland Yard type in a series made in England.
IN the spate of Ameri-
can TV shows, I find
an English series almost
as refreshing as a live
show.
They may be not as glossy
in production, but they
come closer to real life, and,
although like American
shows, they are made to a
formula, it takes much
longer for the formula to
show.
Gideon is nothing like his
fellow-national John Drake,
of "Danger Man."
He is played by John
Gregson, whom you may re-
member back when you were
younger as the hero of that
vintage car comedy, "Gene-
vieve."
Gregson is considerably
less cosmopolitan than
"Danger Man" Patrick
McGoohan.
Gideon's title is "Com-
mander Gideon," but there is
nothing naval about him.
I was puzzled until I
learned that "Commander"
is a Scotland Yard title, a
very high-up one, just be-
neath the Commissioner.
Gregson today has gained
weight, and has a thicken-
ing figure, but he looks both
understanding and comfort-
ing. Beside specialist Drake,
he's like a country GP.
One thing he does share
with McGoohan/Drake is
unflappable calm in all cir-
cumstances.
From the look of the first
episode, in which Gideon
investigated a bomb plot
against the leader of a new
political party, "Gideon's
Way" is going to be a good
change when it starts its
weekly showings from TCN9
on Thursday, November 4, at
8.30 p.m.
Getting back to formulas:
"Danger Man," after all this
time, is beginning to show
its formula. Drake does too
many incredible, unexplained
things now as he super-spies
around the world.
Singapore, Beirut, Lisbon
you name it, and Drake
turns up, introduced under
his current cover story.
Next comes his first en-
counter with the enemy,
generally a display of Drake's
exquisite manners and bland
confidence, and the denoue-
ment when Drake in one way
Television
or another dispatches his
enemies and retires to await
his next assignment.
I think "Danger Man's"
producers have decided to
make their man a kind of
amalgam of the elegance of
Patrick McNee of "The
Avengers" and the spying
methods of James Bond.
Recently he has been a
bit too well-tailored, and has
worn at different times a
slightly eccentric Norfolk
jacket and a very mod, black
patent-leather hat, stitched.
He also has so many James
Bond gadgets that it's a won-
der he has a chance to use his
fists, which he does very well.
McGoohan's contract, at
his own insistence, rules out
cheap sex and unnecessary
violence.
"I don't like violence,"
McGoohan once said, "and
you will notice that in
'Danger Man' John Drake
always fences round violence.
He is not an anti-law hero
like Bond.
"I mean, take away from
Bond his women and his ex-
pertise with a menu and there
is not much left. Bond is a
not-so-good guy.
"Drake really is a good
guy. And that's why — if you
can imagine it — Drake
would always beat Bond in a
fight."
It is an interesting theory,
and one I should imagine
that will provoke dinner
table arguments whenever
James Bond fans gather.
Despite his mild good
looks, McGoohan is a strong
character, and, formula or
not, I dote on him.
* * *
HOPING to see Marlene
Dietrich, live, on TV?
Don't count on it.
"Miss Dietrich won't do
TV," I was told by a top
TV executive.
When I protested that I
had seen her on TV in a
German program the ABC
telecast some years ago, I
heard another story.
"It is not quite true to
say she won't do TV," he
said, "but her starting price
for the shortest, simplest TV
show is £10,000. She won't
even talk TV under that."
Power to take
over minds
"UNDERMIND," ABC
TV's new thriller series
(Fridays, 8.30 p.m.) which
has a sinister, unseen power
in it that takes over minds,
worried me when I saw the
first episode.
My mind was taken over
temporarily when I saw the
Power's first victim, Police
Sergeant Frank Heriot
(Jeremy Kemp). He kept
reminding me of someone to
whom I couldn't put a name.
I worried away, wondering
who he was, and suddenly
I came good.
Sgt. Frank Heriot of
"Undermind" was P.C.
none Help
JOHN GREGSON, seen
above in a scene from
the vintage car film
"Genevieve" with co-
star Dinah Sheridan, is
about to join the ranks
of TV detectives as
Commander Gideon of
Scotland Yard. He may
even rival the popu-
larity of John Drake,
of "Danger Man,"
played by Patrick Mc-
Goohan ( opposite ).
none Help
Steele, who teamed with
P.C. Lynch (James Ellis) in
Zed-Victor-One, in the first
series of "Z-Cars," which
ABC-TV telecast in 1962.
With my mind to myself, I
settled back and enjoyed
"Undermind."
The unseen power acts
subtly, turning normal
humans into rogue humans.
Sgt. Heriot, whose mind was
taken over, grew so remote
and inhuman that his wife
was forced to leave him.
Then, drinking in the
local, he provoked an emin-
ent Cabinet Minister to the
stage of assault and charged
him with offensive behaviour.
The scandal ruined the
Minister's career and, after
resigning,- he suicided.
Sgt. Heriot, normally a
compassionate man, couldn't
have cared less. As is the
way with TV drama, he met
his just end.
Heriot's wife, Anne (Rose-
mary Nicols), and Drew
Heriot (Jeremy Wilkin), his
brother, combine to fight the
unknown power. They have
a tough job.
The series is made in Eng-
land by the commercial TV
organisation famous for "The
Avengers."
If they make as diverting
a show in "Undermind" it
will be well worth following.
Certainly' the first episode
was promising.
"Pich-a-box"
needs new life
BOB DYER'S all-time
champ, Barry Jones,
carried off another £1000
when he beat his worthy
opponent George Black, of
Sydney, in the current BP
Pick-a-Box Quiz (ATN7,
Monday, 7 p.m.).
It was no surprise. Indeed,
thc surprising thing is that
"Pick-a-Box" still commands
the audience it does.
The life seems to have
gone out of it, and it will
take a tremendous injection
of something to keep it in
the forefront of TV as it
has been for so long.
Something more is needed
than the English-speaking
Japanese quiz champion
suggested as Barry's next
opponent.
I don't know what it is,
but maybe Bob and Dolly
will work something out.
At least they haven't the
dullest quiz show on TV
John Dease, of ABC-TV's
"Quiz Kids," has it.
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