3.16 - The Medicine Men

[darren]

Written by Malcolm Hulke

Directed by Kim Mills

Production completed: 8 November 1963

[Rhonda]

6 for me. They certainly get some difficult cases to solve which requires a lot of deduction and its quite enjoyable.

[Allard]

Starts out as a bit of on odd one, Steed explaining the fake merchandise thing, more like a series two episode with a weak plot.

But it really picks up, a good henchmen (*woman), Steeds ridiculous Icelandic persona, some good Steed and Cathy action and a quite serious plot by the bad guys to poison an entire population.

Not a bad episode on closer inspection.

[mousemeat]

6 for me. They certainly get some difficult cases to solve which requires a lot of deduction and its quite enjoyable.

good choice....number 6..but I leaned towards number 7...

[Frankymole]

Not one of the best, but not terrible. The villains are a bit lacklustre, except the remarkable Peter Barkworth but he doesn't appear to be a villain until his final scene. The sets are okay but pale in comparison to the remarkable multi-level ones from Second Sight shown the week before. And Kim Mills is no Peter Hammond, all the mirrors have disappeared, though he does attempt two moving shots from behind bits of the set and through glass.

Piers' site says "11:07 - Honor Blackman chucks her towel away when she enters the shower, and the mid shot when she’s in there is a bit low, and her right nipple is inadvertently shown on screen."

However Honor Blackman would not have been topless in front of the entire studio crew. It's now clear that it is not her nipple that's on screen - with the increased field of view showing the overscan area (via the Optimum DVDs) you can see that both Cathy's bosoms are covered by a strapless bra of some kind, probably the same kind of flesh-coloured bikini top as used in The Decapod's opening shower scene. There's just a bit of shadow of the sharp edge of her bra/top.

[dissolute]

Quite right, I will amend. The print I made this comment from was not so clear.

[Frankymole]

Quite right, I will amend. The print I made this comment from was not so clear.

Yes, I quite understand. The recent sets which I'm watching for the first time are revelatory - visually improved in many ways. The hairs in the gate are clearer too

60s telly could be risqué, I recall a shower scene in a black-and-white episode of The Saint with Justine Lord, where she was silhouetted behind a frosted shower screen and there was definitely a hint of nip!

[mousemeat]

Not one of the best, but not terrible. The villains are a bit lacklustre, except the remarkable Peter Barkworth but he doesn't appear to be a villain until his final scene. The sets are okay but pale in comparison to the remarkable multi-level ones from Second Sight shown the week before. And Kim Mills is no Peter Hammond, all the mirrors have disappeared, though he does attempt two moving shots from behind bits of the set and through glass.

Piers' site says "11:07 - Honor Blackman chucks her towel away when she enters the shower, and the mid shot when she’s in there is a bit low, and her right nipple is inadvertently shown on screen."

However Honor Blackman would not have been topless in front of the entire studio crew. It's now clear that it is not her nipple that's on screen - with the increased field of view showing the overscan area (via the Optimum DVDs) you can see that both Cathy's bosoms are covered by a strapless bra of some kind, probably the same kind of flesh-coloured bikini top as used in The Decapod's opening shower scene. There's just a bit of shadow of the sharp edge of her bra/top.

then it was the olde body double...which was a standard practice around that time frame...

[Frankymole]

I love how Honor goes into the shower then has to let it spray on her chin but not get on her hair, and Kim Mills makes her hold that daft pose for absolutely ages until it looks like she actually starts laughing for real.

[darren]

I've been doing a rewatch of Cathy Gale episodes that have previously failed to ignite any interest in me.

The Medicine Men was one that I was prejudiced against due to it being directed by Kim Mills - rarely the most visually stimulating director on the show. His work in season 2 was rather shabby too often but he definitely showed improvement in season 3. And having watched this episode properly, I think it might be his best effort on the show. He does some interesting actor blocking and uses foreground elements to create distinctive visuals. He assembled a strong cast for this episode with Peter Barkworth, Harold Innocent, Joy Wood and even a small role for Brenda Cowling (Mrs Lipton in BBC comedy "You Rang M'Lord") as a masseur. David Marshall's (Dressed to Kill, Mandrake) sets are excellent - a very stylised look to the offices and I love Leeson's art studio with the raised level - and the familiar lattice screen that pops up in other episodes (clearly ABC TV set stock).

I sometimes get rather lost about the plots to Gale episodes (as much as I love them) but although I need to check up on the main villains motivation again, I knew what was happening. Malcolm Hulke's Avengers script didn't always hit the mark for me but this one had a strong enough focus and a really good pace to it.

It's nice to rediscover something in a positive light.

7/10