How to succeed...at murdering an episode

[costumr]

Has anyone noticed that Angela Browne wears the same outfit she wore in "Intercrime"? She wears a lamé dress and a fur coat in both eps. I'm guessing she supplied her own wardrobe for the show.

[Dandy Forsdyke]

Another thing about this particular episode are the appearences of Anne Cunningham and Zeph Gladstone - who became better know here in the UK as soap actresses.

Anne had already been in Coronation Street as 'Linda Cheveski' (the daughter of Corrie icon Elsie Tanner) and she would return to play her in further episodes.

Zeph Gladstone would later appear in Crossroads as 'Vera Downend' in the 1970s.

[microvibe]

great episode!

[Dan]

This week I watched How to succeed...at murder. A lot of fans don't seem to appreciate this particular episode for some reason. Not a top 10 episode admittedly, but I've always enjoyed this one. Silly and a bit OTT, maybe, but not in a bad way. This is a typical Brian Clemens episode and does seem to display a lot of the formula of his particular style of writing. You have to admire the cheek of The Avengers sometimes though. How many other series would have a secretary donning a helmet before blowing her boss out of an office window. My one gripe is that Mrs Peel doesn't appear until the 11th minute. Far too long a wait and maybe the longest ever wait for our favourite heroine to make an appearance. Lots to enjoy in this one, but even on first viewing I did see the 'twist' coming well before Brian Clemens would maybe have wished. The scene where Henry picks up Henrietta and flees from Steed , before being ordered by Henrietta to 'Kill him Henry. Kill him', always seems to make me laugh. Hopefully that was the intention!
18TH BEST SEASON 4 EPISODE. RATING 7 OUT OF 10

It's a little odd to be quoting a post from four years ago but...I just watched this episode and was again struck by the similarity of the scene in it where Steed follows Henry to a graveyard and the scene in Vertigo where Jimmy Stewart follows Kim Novak to one.

Agree that this is a good but not great episode.

[darren]

This week I watched How to succeed...at murder. A lot of fans don't seem to appreciate this particular episode for some reason. Not a top 10 episode admittedly, but I've always enjoyed this one. Silly and a bit OTT, maybe, but not in a bad way. This is a typical Brian Clemens episode and does seem to display a lot of the formula of his particular style of writing. You have to admire the cheek of The Avengers sometimes though. How many other series would have a secretary donning a helmet before blowing her boss out of an office window. My one gripe is that Mrs Peel doesn't appear until the 11th minute. Far too long a wait and maybe the longest ever wait for our favourite heroine to make an appearance. Lots to enjoy in this one, but even on first viewing I did see the 'twist' coming well before Brian Clemens would maybe have wished. The scene where Henry picks up Henrietta and flees from Steed , before being ordered by Henrietta to 'Kill him Henry. Kill him', always seems to make me laugh. Hopefully that was the intention!
18TH BEST SEASON 4 EPISODE. RATING 7 OUT OF 10

It's a little odd to be quoting a post from four years ago but...I just watched this episode and was again struck by the similarity of the scene in it where Steed follows Henry to a graveyard and the scene in Vertigo where Jimmy Stewart follows Kim Novak to one.

Agree that this is a good but not great episode.

With Brian Clemens being a huge fan of Hitchcock I would bet that's not a coincidence.

[Sinus1994]

"How To Succeed....At Murder" is a really great episode!
It has an interesting plot and some funny scenes, too.
I would say, it's simply a typical The Avengers-episode.
We do have a Diabolical Mastermind (Henry/Henrietta), an eccentric (J. J. Hooter), some [nice scenes between Steed and Mrs. Peel]* (e.g. peanut, picture), also in general (e.g. Mrs. Peel at J. J Hooter's) and some great quotes:
Henrietta: "Kill him Henry, kill him! [...] Kill him, kill him, kill him!"
J.J. Hooter: "Leap into my fervid arms!"
Baddies: "Ruination to all men!"

*Steed: "She's absolutely beautiful... and very efficient."
Mrs. Peel: "So I noticed."

Mrs. Peel: "Just fill in that with umber, will you?"
Steed: "Do I look like that?"

So, I don't know, why there are some fans/people, who do not appreciate this episode?

Sincerely yours,
Sinus1994

[Mona]

Of course what I love is that the our Mrs. Peel is at the dancing studio for days, with Henry and Henrietta and couldn't figure anything out. Steed is there for like 2 minutes and knows immediately the man is controlling the dummy. Emma has books smarts but she can never equal Steed for street smarts!

[Sinus1994]

Of course what I love is that the our Mrs. Peel is at the dancing studio for days, with Henry and Henrietta and couldn't figure anything out. Steed is there for like 2 minutes and knows immediately the man is controlling the dummy. Emma has books smarts but she can never equal Steed for street smarts!

I thought, Mrs. Peel was in that studio only confronted with Henry, as she followed/observed Mary Merryweather.
She met Henrietta, just some moments before Steed arrived at the studio to free Joshua Rudge...
But I must say too, that in that case you're right Mona.
That's why she has the status of an "Talented Amateur" and Steed the rank of the "Top Professional".

Sincerely yours,
Sinus1994

[Mona]

Good point, Sinus1994, that that may have been the first time Emma saw Henrietta herself.

[Sinus1994]

My pleasure!
Does someone noticed that?
As Steed and Mrs. Peel are surrounded by the baddies, he turns to one of them:

Steed: "We do have our uses, madam."
Mrs. Peel nods demonstratively.
-- SEDDI-proof?

Sincerely yours,
Sinus1994