4.03 - Dial a Deadly Number

[peabody]

Discuss, review and rate Dial a Deadly Number, produced mid Monday 11th January 1965 to c. Friday 22nd January 1965.

Teleplay by Roger Marshall
Directed by Don Leaver

[Rodders]

Claustrophobic studio-bound with one of the best ever Avengers scenes: the wine duel. What could be more Avengerish?

[anti-clockwise]

The murder weapon here of a cell phone like beeper in the shirt pocket being programmed from afar to kill with a deadly needle, is actually before its time. This method of killing is in a way similar to what Dick Cheney, previous vice president in the US, was fearful of. He had a pacemaker and he feared that from afar a terrorist could tamper with his device and kill him. I think Roger Marshall's idea was way ahead of its time.

The theme of greed in this episode involving bankers, is ageless. I was thinking of the recent mortgage debacle involving bank schemes.

The parody and humour around the elite and their fine wines is also timeless. And of course as many have pointed out, the idea of a cell phone pager is actually before its time.

I have to admit the witticisms carried the show. The plot of an honest banker being swindled seems unlikely.

And one very minor point. The method of murder and instant death by ways of a needle into the heart is uncertain and maybe even unlikely. I was curious so I looked it up and there have been several medical reports of patients putting sewing needles into their hearts and surviving. I think the problem lies that the pager as a murder weapon can never be precisely placed. In todays world there would be imaging to be more precise. Although I have to say it is more likely that eventually you might slowly bleed to death but that might take awhile. Just some triviality.
_________________

[mousemeat]

The murder weapon here of a cell phone like beeper in the shirt pocket being programmed from afar to kill with a deadly needle, is actually before its time. This method of killing is in a way similar to what Dick Cheney, previous vice president in the US, was fearful of. He had a pacemaker and he feared that from afar a terrorist could tamper with his device and kill him. I think Roger Marshall's idea was way ahead of its time.

The theme of greed in this episode involving bankers, is ageless. I was thinking of the recent mortgage debacle involving bank schemes.

The parody and humour around the elite and their fine wines is also timeless. And of course as many have pointed out, the idea of a cell phone pager is actually before its time.

I have to admit the witticisms carried the show. The plot of an honest banker being swindled seems unlikely.

And one very minor point. The method of murder and instant death by ways of a needle into the heart is uncertain and maybe even unlikely. I was curious so I looked it up and there have been several medical reports of patients putting sewing needles into their hearts and surviving. I think the problem lies that the pager as a murder weapon can never be precisely placed. In todays world there would be imaging to be more precise. Although I have to say it is more likely that eventually you might slowly bleed to death but that might take awhile. Just some triviality.
_________________

I would concur...Marshall's script broke new ground...and the pager as an potential weapon, was brilliant..and scary...in that era....I remember seeing the first similar type pagers...and they were both amazing and scary in my mind...and thinking back to this episode, which I saw as a teen...reminded me how spooky at times, the show could be...The monochrome scripts, and episodes, were clearly the PEAK of the run
of the avengers...not too many misfires...and the acting was top notch
before boredom set in...Would this show,been improved filming in color?
Probably not...then again, they can always colorized it...LOL

[anti-clockwise]

The murder weapon here of a cell phone like beeper in the shirt pocket being programmed from afar to kill with a deadly needle, is actually before its time. This method of killing is in a way similar to what Dick Cheney, previous vice president in the US, was fearful of. He had a pacemaker and he feared that from afar a terrorist could tamper with his device and kill him. I think Roger Marshall's idea was way ahead of its time.

The theme of greed in this episode involving bankers, is ageless. I was thinking of the recent mortgage debacle involving bank schemes.

The parody and humour around the elite and their fine wines is also timeless. And of course as many have pointed out, the idea of a cell phone pager is actually before its time.

I have to admit the witticisms carried the show. The plot of an honest banker being swindled seems unlikely.

And one very minor point. The method of murder and instant death by ways of a needle into the heart is uncertain and maybe even unlikely. I was curious so I looked it up and there have been several medical reports of patients putting sewing needles into their hearts and surviving. I think the problem lies that the pager as a murder weapon can never be precisely placed. In todays world there would be imaging to be more precise. Although I have to say it is more likely that eventually you might slowly bleed to death but that might take awhile. Just some triviality.
_________________

I would concur...Marshall's script broke new ground...and the pager as an potential weapon, was brilliant..and scary...in that era....I remember seeing the first similar type pagers...and they were both amazing and scary in my mind...and thinking back to this episode, which I saw as a teen...reminded me how spooky at times, the show could be...The monochrome scripts, and episodes, were clearly the PEAK of the run
of the avengers...not too many misfires...and the acting was top notch
before boredom set in...Would this show,been improved filming in color?
Probably not...then again, they can always colorized it...LOL

I think Dial fits better in B and W

[mousemeat]

The murder weapon here of a cell phone like beeper in the shirt pocket being programmed from afar to kill with a deadly needle, is actually before its time. This method of killing is in a way similar to what Dick Cheney, previous vice president in the US, was fearful of. He had a pacemaker and he feared that from afar a terrorist could tamper with his device and kill him. I think Roger Marshall's idea was way ahead of its time.

The theme of greed in this episode involving bankers, is ageless. I was thinking of the recent mortgage debacle involving bank schemes.

The parody and humour around the elite and their fine wines is also timeless. And of course as many have pointed out, the idea of a cell phone pager is actually before its time.

I have to admit the witticisms carried the show. The plot of an honest banker being swindled seems unlikely.

And one very minor point. The method of murder and instant death by ways of a needle into the heart is uncertain and maybe even unlikely. I was curious so I looked it up and there have been several medical reports of patients putting sewing needles into their hearts and surviving. I think the problem lies that the pager as a murder weapon can never be precisely placed. In todays world there would be imaging to be more precise. Although I have to say it is more likely that eventually you might slowly bleed to death but that might take awhile. Just some triviality.
_________________

I would concur...Marshall's script broke new ground...and the pager as an potential weapon, was brilliant..and scary...in that era....I remember seeing the first similar type pagers...and they were both amazing and scary in my mind...and thinking back to this episode, which I saw as a teen...reminded me how spooky at times, the show could be...The monochrome scripts, and episodes, were clearly the PEAK of the run
of the avengers...not too many misfires...and the acting was top notch
before boredom set in...Would this show,been improved filming in color?
Probably not...then again, they can always colorized it...LOL

I think Dial fits better in B and W

yes, after recently viewing it again...and it looks just fine in b & w...colour simply would have added nothing to the visual landscape.

[Lhbizness]

Another favorite (really, I should just list the episodes from Season 4 that aren't my favorite, of which there are...maybe one?). But I like the very noir plot. It's not quite a throwback to the Cathy Gale era - the boardroom machinations, the sly conversations at dinner, the wine duel, the sadistic villain...all very much in keeping with Season 4, but doing something different with the formula. The wine duel has almost nothing to do with the final outcome, and Boardman is actually not the villain, but it's one of the tensest and well-shot sequences in The Avengers. This and The Hour that Never Was are practically stand-alone short stories.

The undercurrent of sexual rivalry plays out beautifully here. Mrs. Boardman is venal and delicious, and her flirtations with Steed packed with tension. The same goes for the relationship between Steed and Mrs. Peel - they're very competitive, from Steed's challenging of her story about being from Barbados, to her annoyance at his comment about Mrs. Boardman's promiscuity. There's a battle going on here, and Macnee and Rigg give it a subtlety that means it's present, but doesn't override the rest of the episode.

For the total spectrum of enjoyment, from noir-tinged darkness to light and bubbly, I put the whole of Season 4 up against anything in the rest of the series. No two characters complement each other the way Steed and Mrs. Peel do. There's a reason why they're icons.

[Frankymole]

Some viewers detect a distasteful undertone of misogyny in the clock-maker/beep-maker character and his interaction with Mrs Peel... I'm sure that's excusable though, in a villain.

[Lhbizness]

Some viewers detect a distasteful undertone of misogyny in the clock-maker/beep-maker character and his interaction with Mrs Peel... I'm sure that's excusable though, in a villain.

Definitely. It's a very disturbing scene, and one of those instances of the threat of sexual violence in the series that is quite uncomfortable. It's also dismissed rather quickly (by locking her in a cupboard), so I'm not certain what we're to make of it. It's a question of whether it's the misogyny of the character or a misogyny in the show - I personally think it's the former, but there's a lot of complicated sexual dynamics going on this episode. I'd have to think about it.

[Frankymole]

Agreed - I still can't come to a conclusion. John Carson is a very careful and skilful actor though, so he certainly would have developed the portrayal and scenes with great attention to the director's intentions and the script.

It'd be interesting to know how the writer thinks about it these days, compared to how he felt about it at the time (if his writing wasn't "story edited" to within an inch of its life).