5.14 - Something Nasty in the Nursery

[peabody]

Discuss, review and rate Something Nasty in the Nursery, production completed Sunday 2nd April 1967.

Teleplay by Philip Levene
Directed by James Hill

[cyberrich]

Just watched this today. I gave this 9 originally, but it actually deserves 10 Great fun, but with some genuinely suspenseful scenes, in particular the scene in the cellar. Love the cast which is like a who's who of British sitcoms (Clive Dunn, Yootha Joyce, Trevor Bannister and Paul Eddington). The latter's screen wife from The Good Life famously gets a credit without appearing in the episode. Some think her scene was probably cut. Or could it be that Penelope Keith suddenly became unavailable and her character was recast. There's a few nannies present, so it's difficult to see what, if anything was cut.
Love the toyshop set and the dream sequences are all well staged. Dudley Foster was superb in all 3 of his Avengers episodes, and I love his scene dressed as the Nanny during the climactic scene.
"Come along Cuddles, show Nanny where you keep all those nice weapons. There's a good boy." Great fun in that unique Avengers fashion. Rich.

[anti-clockwise]

I guess I should watch this one. LOL. But this one is on the top 10 of the worst episodes for many on here so I have been avoiding it. Although I see Rich really likes it. I think it's just one of those that is controversial. Sorry this is not a critique more of a question whether it is worth even watching.

[Rodders]

Fantastic - in both senses. One of the best colour Peels and what could be more avengerish than a machine-gun toting nanny in a wheelchair?

[stevec]

One reason I like this episode that it takes Mary Poppins and puts the Avengers twist to it. Whereas Mary Poppins was a model of the British nanny, here enemy agents use the nanny and infantile regression to steal secrets. But, one of the definite macabre aspects of this episode is when Agent Dobson is regressed to infancy and killed.

Definitely no Mary Poppins here.

I agree that this episode won't have worked as well if it was in black and white, but in color the dream sequences take on a truly warped feeling.

But how does an machine gun toting nanny, a ball, secrets being stolen come together in Avengerland?

The tag line at the beginning "Steed acquires a nanny - Emma shops for toys" Might be a clue that the episode may have been either rewritten or changed during filming. As it is Steed to actually shops for toys and returns to Martin's Toy shop while Emma is chasing the bad guys. So I wonder if it wasn't Ms Peel who was with General Wilmont when cuddles gives away the location of the missile bases and Steed is the one who picks up the Baby Bouncer at GONN after fighting with Gordon. I think this is where Penelope Keith's character may have been used and this part re-written ended up on the cutting room floor. It was Emma that referred to Wilmot as 'cuddles', not Steed.

Something Nasty in the Nursery left it's impression on another television show called CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in a 2005 episode called King Baby. In the plot summary, Bruce Eiger, a powerful Las Vegas casino mogul, is found dead on his front steps. The media is all over the case. Ecklie assigns Grissom to the case despite it being official Catherine's. Eiger had a dark secret. He liked being treated like a big baby. Eiger had a secret nursey where he was babied, on the ceiling there were several circles with blue and yellow spirals, a tie-in to the spinning spiral in the Avengers when they picked up the Baby Bouncers.

In doing some research into other infantile themed shows there was an episode of the Jetsons where the bank robber used a Baby Gas Gun on the armed guards and even Star Trek had a comic where the crew was helpless before an alien who dooms them to infancy. I also would refer to another Avengers episode 'Death at Bargain Prices", where Steed and Emma are in the departments with the bay cribs and the sales lady
states that 'baby will be very happy in it' (referring to the crib) Emma sizing up Steed quips back 'I think baby is too big.'

Just a few thoughts.

[anti-clockwise]

One reason I like this episode that it takes Mary Poppins and puts the Avengers twist to it. Whereas Mary Poppins was a model of the British nanny, here enemy agents use the nanny and infantile regression to steal secrets. But, one of the definite macabre aspects of this episode is when Agent Dobson is regressed to infancy and killed.

Definitely no Mary Poppins here.

I agree that this episode won't have worked as well if it was in black and white, but in color the dream sequences take on a truly warped feeling.

But how does an machine gun toting nanny, a ball, secrets being stolen come together in Avengerland?

The tag line at the beginning "Steed acquires a nanny - Emma shops for toys" Might be a clue that the episode may have been either rewritten or changed during filming. As it is Steed to actually shops for toys and returns to Martin's Toy shop while Emma is chasing the bad guys. So I wonder if it wasn't Ms Peel who was with General Wilmont when cuddles gives away the location of the missile bases and Steed is the one who picks up the Baby Bouncer at GONN after fighting with Gordon. I think this is where Penelope Keith's character may have been used and this part re-written ended up on the cutting room floor.

Something Nasty in the Nursery left it's impression on another television show called CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in a 2005 episode called King Baby. In the plot summary, Bruce Eiger, a powerful Las Vegas casino mogul, is found dead on his front steps. The media is all over the case. Ecklie assigns Grissom to the case despite it being official Catherine's. Eiger had a dark secret. He liked being treated like a big baby. Eiger had a secret nursey where he was babied, on the ceiling there were several
circles with blue and yellow spirals, a tie-in to the spinning spiral in the Avengers when they picked up the Baby Bouncers.

In doing some research into other infantile themed shows there was an episode of the Jetsons where the bank robber used a Baby Gas Gun on the armed guards and even Star Trek had a comic where the crew was helpless before an alien who dooms them to infancy. I also would refer to another Avengers episode 'Death at Bargain Prices", where Steed and Emma are in the departments with the bay cribs and the sales lady
states that 'baby will be very happy in it' (referring to the crib) Emma sizing up Steed quips back 'I think baby is too big.'

Just a few thoughts.

I really like it! Never would have thought of that in a million years. Sounds like NCIS stole the idea-or at least recreated it.

[stevec]

here is a shot from the CSI episode

http://korrekt.com/7_media/television/c ... 4_0001.jpg

thanks for the reply

[peabody]

I've always felt that a lot of people think this is one of the lesser season 5 episodes, but maybe I'm wrong. I think it's a great one. It's all very 1967. The images of toys, nurseries and baby bouncers with mind-altering drugs on them fits right in with Summer of Love, LSD and the psychedelic movement who was more or less obsessed with childhood, tea, Alice in Wonderland, etc. Strange and absolutely wonderful. 7/10

[anti-clockwise]

here is a shot from the CSI episode

http://korrekt.com/7_media/television/c ... 4_0001.jpg

thanks for the reply

wow that is cool! really strange. looks just like our episode! 50 years later

[stevec]

in the CSI episode they also used LSD. The main character had one of his employees play nanny/sitter and she gave him some LSD (I forget how) and during one of their playtime's, he ran and did a peter pan off the balcony and killed himself. If I remember the young lady that was his nanny was egging him on.